Day 8 - O and V decided to take mom and I to Bethlehem for the afternoon. We went there via the "back way" because Palestinians aren't allowed to take the direct route through Jerusalem. Instead we had had to maneuver to the eastern stretches of the city and weave our way up and down the ridiculously steep and narrow roads of Wadi Nar (Fire Valley) to reach Beit Sahour and finally Bethlehem. We parked at the far end of Star Street and walked along this ancient part of the city which ends at Nativity Square. I love the feel of Bethlehem. It seems that it is so peaceful, the people so friendly, and the architecture so amazingly authentic. We visited the Church of the Nativity and I was finally able to see where O and V were married. I can't even fathom getting married in such a revered and holy location -- it must have been (dare I say) quite magical, to say the least. We made a quick stop of the Milk Grotto before heading to dinner at the "Tent Restaurant," which was a huge, local place well known for its barbecued meats. It overlooked one of the lovely (but not so much) Israeli settlements. After a gloriously fulfilling meal of Arabic salads, khubez, limon ma nana and meat we went to.... wait for it... a classical piano concert on the other side of town. The pianist was amazingly talented and everyone was appreciative of her playing in Palestine. After the concert we stopped by Solomon's Pools which were hard to fully appreciate at night, but were nonetheless breathtaking in their enormity and antiquity. Before we headed home we made a stop at Jacir's Palace, which is now the Intercontinental Hotel, for a coffee and night cap. Overall a fabulous and fully booked day!

Day 9 - The next morning my friend, A, had booked my mother and I a tour at the City of David in Jerusalem. So we headed out early that morning to take the bus from Ramallah to the Old City of Jerusalem. Usually when I take the bus internationals, women with children, and those over the age of 55 can stay on the bus at the checkpoint, rather than walk through; however for some reason that day they were making everyone get off. When we got to the "corral," which I call because it largely resembles a cattle corral that one might see on a farm, the line for the passport control was incredibly long and didn't seem to be moving. After waiting a while mom and I realized that there was no way that we could make it to the scheduled tour at the City of David on time so we decided to scrap it, reschedule, and head back into Ramallah for rest of the morning and afternoon. In the evening we went to H's house, where his wife had cooked a wonderful, eclectic meal of American style pizza and Palestinian wariq al-ainib and kousa mahashi (stuffed grape leaves and zucchini). Holy deliciousness. Luckily they have a ping pong table so I was able to work off a little bit of the luscious food I consumed. Being with the Bakirs is a delightful experience. They are so happy and loving and just a joy to be around. I can't get enough of them!

Day 10 - My mother and I had an interesting experience coming back into Israel. At passport control (before we had picked up our luggage) we were interrogated and made to feel like criminals. They basically told me that I had "outstayed my welcome" because I had been in Israel for 6 months prior. Because of this, and because I suspect they believed me to be something I was not, they only gave us 5 week visas, rather than the usual 3-month tourist visas they give people upon arrival into their country. When this happened I was shocked and really didn't know what I was going to do. The thought of having to leave within 5 weeks rather than 6 months was devestating. I must say that I am in blessed hands though because the university jumped right on assisting me attempt to obtain an extension. I spent this day in Nablus with the Ministry of the Interior to ensure that I had all the necessary documents in order. The day went something like this:

• go to the university, pick up Abu Mohamed, one of the university's security personnel who didn't say a word to my mother and I the entire time there, but nonetheless made us feel extremely safe and secure having him there
• go the PA's Ministry of the Interior, 2nd floor - walk into smoke filled rooms - go down to the ground floor, get pictures taken, pay a fee - go back to the 2nd floor, wait while they finish their breakfast - go next door and up to the 2nd floor where the bank was, take a number, pay another fee - go back to the Ministry of the Interior, witness massive amounts of stamping and writing in Arabic, Hebrew and English - say goodbye to my passport
• go back to the university, drop off Abu Mohamed, yell 'shukran' (thank you) out the window
• go to Abu Sair sweets for some lovely kanafeh, which was invented in Nablus and which mom actually ended up liking this time... I guess it was more authentic this time

Oh Palestine, how I love thee - the chaotic organization, the savory sweets, the peaceful anarchy - I wouldn't have you any other way.

Days 1 & 2 - The day after my mother and I arrived into Israel/Palestine we decided to rent a car and head up north as I had a few days off before I had to return to work. We made our base in Nazareth - at the same hotel that I stayed in my first time there. We were still feeling the jetlag our first day so after getting up early to take the bus to Jerusalem and then traveling a few hours to get to Nazareth we rested our heads for the rest of the evening. The next day, with my trusty road atlas in hand, we headed northwest towards Haifa. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to see the coast and explore the city of Haifa. After driving up and down the windy roads of the city, we visited "Elijah's Cave" before heading south to Mt. Carmel, but not before getting lost in the narrow alleyways of an Arab village along the way. Although the actual monastery located on Mt. Carmel was closing at the time we arrived, we were able to see the beautiful and scenic view from the top looking down into the valley of Megiddo. That in and of its self was worth the crazy, windy drive there.

Days 3 & 4 - In the morning the next day, mom and I headed to the Basilica of the Annunciation, which is actually an extremely modern establishment with some pretty amazing pieces of art coming from all over the world. Once finished we walked through the old city of Nazareth before checking out of the hotel and making our way to the Sea of Galilee. Our first stop was at the Mt. of Beatitudes. Although the view from here was quite breathtaking, the hordes of tourists somewhat took away from the tranquility of the place. After a quick stop there, we made an even quicker stop at Tabgha and then went further on to Capharnaum. After a day of holy sites, we took highway 90 down through the Jordan valley to get back to Ramallah. Along the way we saw ancient Jewish settlements, bedouins galore, thousands of butterflies, a camel caravan, a quick glimpse of the Dead Sea, and a herd of sheep at a traffic light.

The next day we had to take the rental car back to Jerusalem. After we dropped it off we were able to explore the Old City (mom's first time). We both agree that the best people watching spot in the world is outside of the Damascus Gate. We went to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre first, then got lost in the Jewish quarter, then afterwards found the viewpoint I had been to before with V so that mom could get her first glimpse of the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock. On the way to catch the bus we stopped at Jafar Sweets so that my mom could taste the glory of kanafeh - a lovely, cheesy, syrupy Palestinian dessert! She didn't know what to think of it.

Days 5, 6 & 7 - The next few days were spent in Ramallah because I had to come back to reality aka work and Arabic class. Mom got to see how I live my life from day to day around Ramallah - walking to work, going to the market, hanging out with friends, enjoying the lovely food of Palestine, etc.

5 months in

So I said a couple of months ago that I was going to really try blogging more, but alas it didn't happen. In the mean time Christmas and New Year's have passed by without much notice. The build up to the holiday season was almost non-existent although I did buy myself a little Christmas tree complete with red globe lights and olive wood ornaments made in Bethlehem. Ramallah was surprisingly Christmasy with lights decorating the streets and windows adorned with tinsel and images of Santa Claus. There is a decent-sized Christian population here, which might explain why although it seems that the Muslims here use Christmas as a good excuse for celebration too. I had planned to go to Bethlehem to feel the atmosphere on Christmas Eve; however transportation is many times difficult here and this time was not an exception. I was disppointed since I don't know if I will ever be here again at that particular time of year.

On New Year's Eve I went with my friend Hani and his family to their farm in Jericho (which is about 30 minutes from Ramallah). I hadn't been to Jericho yet and I have to say that I quite liked it as it seemed very laid back and relaxed. Hani's farm was amazing... huge plot of land with everything you could possibly imagine: lemon and orange trees, banana trees, mint, parsley, spinach, tomatoes, cabbage, corn, etc. etc. etc. We wandered around picking fresh, organic produce for awhile and then had ourselves a wonderful barbecue before heading home. I ended up taking home bags and bags of fruits and vegetables like I had just been to the market. It was wonderful!

University started back up a couple of weeks ago so I am trying to get into the swing of things -- reading, writing, studying. I was finally able to find the book I was looking for at the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem. That same night, K's niece showed me around the Old City, which is even more amazing at night... we tried to sneak in to see the Dome of the Rock; however it was more difficult than we first thought. She also took me to a really nice Israeli outdoor mall by the name of Mamella with really nice coffee shops, book stores, and clothing stores. Unfortunately I didn't have any money to spend, but you better believe that I'll be back. Although I haven't spent much time in Jerusalem since I have been here, everytime I do go I enjoy myself thoroughly.

Other than that, life is going on as normal, as normal as it can with the war in Gaza happening 100km away, but that is a whole other story.

Jordan... Again/ Longest Post to Date

For the Eid holiday I couldn't bring myself to stick around Ramallah for 9 days so I decided to head back to Jordan... I am sorry... I couldn't help myself. My friend Hamza, who I mentioned in my previous post, told me that he would arrange everything so I could enjoy myself... and that I did.

A couple of the amazing views in Jordan! South of Wadi Mousa

North of Wadi Mousa

Last Sunday I headed out early in the morning to the Ramallah central bus depot where I caught a bus to East Jerusalem. I then had to get a taxi to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station where I caught my bus to Eilat -- which was a 4 hour ride via the Dead Sea. Once in Eilat I took another taxi to the border crossing, and then once through the border crossing, Hamza's cousin, Ahmed picked me up, took me to the market in Aqaba to pick up some groceries and then dropped me off at the apartment that Hamza had arranged for me to stay at for the first 2 nights. The apartment was big (far too big for one person) and dirty, but it was the same price as a hotel and had a full kitchen so I couldn't complain too much ... except about the cockroaches. Aqaba is a beautiful, well-kept city that sits along the Red Sea and is nestled below the rocky, picturesque mountains of Jordan. It was my first ever glimpse of the Red Sea and after looking at a map I don't think I realized at the time just how close I was to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. No wonder every time I asked a taxi driver to take me to the border crossing they always asked "which one?"

Overlooking the Bedouin village near Petra

On Tuesday Hamza met up with me in Aqaba and took me somewhere so I could rent a car. The system there was a little misconstrued and not what I was used to. They required cash for the deposit and required all the money up front. In addition the car was a piece of crap and definitely not worth the money I paid for it. Having said this, it didn't break down on me or run out of gas... so again I can't complain too much. After securing the car we then headed north towards Petra. Hamza showed me around his village of Wadi Mousa and let me see what a typical night in the life of a young Wadi Mousan is like... which ended up not being that different than a night might be in small town America. We (myself, Hamza, and his friend Muhammed) cruised around the streets of the town with our Arabic music blaring and stopping to talk when we saw friends. The guys played jokes on their friends, we stopped at the "record store" to buy cassette tapes for the rental car, and made sure to stop by the corner store for snacks and drinks. We ended the evening at Muhammed's cousin's restaurant drinking tea and eating gullayh with lamb -- delicious!

Wadi Mousa at Night

On Wednesday I went to Little Petra which is about a 15-20 minute drive north of Petra. Little Petra is as its name suggest a smaller version of the various tombs and homes carved into the rock walls of the nearby, more famous Petra. I was accompanied by 3 local boys who although I told that I didn't need guides, decided to follow me regardless. They took me up to one cave that contained an ancient painting that was being renovated by 2 hardworking people from France. We then made our way up a narrow passage of stairs that would take me to a fabulous view of the valley and surrounding area. I then shared bedouin tea with my new friends and after a couple of hours of exploration headed back to Wadi Mousa where I met up with Hamza and his friends who had prepared for us to spend the night in the desert.

So me, 4 guys, and a whole load of camping gear piled into my little rental car and headed on our way to Wadi Araba -- northwest of Wadi Mousa. The drive there was amazing with its back, windy roads and spectacular views of the Jordan Valley. When we got down to the desert we ran into a number of camel caravans before we turned off into the sand. We found a good spot to settle for the night and the guys set up camp quickly in the dusky light of the last remnents of the sun. We sat around the campfire while I listened to stories of Islam and the Prophet Muhammed being told by men who truly believe in their faith. It was beautiful and a moment that I will never forget. They then cooked a fabulous meal of goat shish kebabs and chops, and bedouin gallayh. Holy deliciousness! The night was very cold and unfortunately I was feeling a bit under the weather with my sore throat and runny nose, but I was so happy to be in the middle of the desert in Jordan with great company that it didn't matter much!

My Bedouin friends
View on the way to Wadi Araba
Sunset in the desert
The boys cooking up the delicious meal

On Thursday we woke up early and hoisted ourselves back into my car and continued heading north on the road that runs along side the Dead Sea. I have to say that the Dead Sea is much more beautiful on the Jordanian side than the Israeli side. It is much greener and picturesque. We winded our way up into the mountains and through Madaba and then back down just south of Amman. We then stopped at a horse ranch because Ahmed was looking to secure a purchase on one of the horses. For the citizens of Wadi Mousa horses make up a huge part of their life and the therefore the choice of horse is of high importance. After the business deal we headed back down to Wadi Mousa where I crashed for the night after an interesting night in the desert and day on the road.

The next day I adventured in the area around Wadi Mousa. Near to Petra is an old 12th century fortress that sits high above the valley. I had to do some climbing to get there, but it was well worth it as there was not a person in sight and the structure of this place was amazing. It was only me, the broken down fortress, and the village of Wadi Mousa in the distance. After a decent morning of hiking and climbing I relaxed the rest of the day by reading and spending time in the local restaurants and coffee shops. My all-time favorite drink of this area of the world is "asir limon wa nana" -- fresh lemon juice with mint. Holy lord... it is delicious and ridiculously refreshing. That and "chay wa maramiya" -- tea with sage. I never thought that I would like the combination of plain tea with sugar and fresh sage... but it is now my favorite hot drink.

On Saturday, my last day in Jordan, I got up early and headed back to Aqaba. The roads in Jordan are very well patrolled by speeding cops who sit on the sides of the road with their white SUVs and radar guns. At some point I was flagged down by one even though I knew I was not speeding. I thought, oh great I got a speeding ticket in Jordan... nice! However when the policeman came over to my window I realized that he actually wanted a ride. So him and another cop got into my car and off we went. They were very friendly although they knew very little English we were able to communicate and have a bit of a laugh. They kept calling their friends who knew English well and had them talk to me and then translate what I said to them. I dropped them off near the turn off to Wadi Rum.

Hamza

I found the car rental place quite easily and decided to walk around Aqaba until I had to head to the Israeli border. I found a nice, quite park with a fountain to sit and read in and then I walked down to the Red Sea to watch the locals play in their boats. I had lunch (tabbouleh and hommous wa lamha) at Ali Baba restaurant, where the meal was great, the staff ridiculously friendly and attentive and the atmosphere perfect. I then took a taxi to the border. I was a little nervous about the questions that they may ask, but I took my usual approach of being really friendly and laid back. When I got to the customs area, the border guard asked me what my family name was, what my parent's parent's names were and what my grandparents names were. I got to the point where I told him "I don't know; they were dead before I was born." He let me through with a smile and when I got to the passport counter --which is typically where the majority of the crazy questions are asked -- the girl behind the glass didn't say a single word to me.

After the 4 hour bus ride to Jerusalem I had to take a taxi to the East Jerusalem bus station to catch the last bus home to Ramallah. When my taxi driver found out that I was going to Ramallah he told me how bad it was and how "no good" the people were. I just told him "maybe to you, but to me Ramallah and the people there are nothing but good." When I got on the #18 the bus driver bought me some tea to keep me warm while we sat and waited for the bus to fill up with people. I found out that he lived in Ramallah and I kept thinking to myself, "yeah this person who bought a total stranger tea must be no good."

Jordan - Days 2.5

After a fabulous first day and a half in Jordan, I hired a private taxi to take me to Petra, which is 3 hours to the south of Amman. I had heard from a number of people that Petra is amazing and that when in Jordan it is a must, so I figured... why not? My driver, Wael, was fantastic... he spoke English fluently and was a joy to talk to. He dropped me at the entrance to Petra at around 10:30 and I was off. The first mile and a half of the walk is a narrow descent called the "siq." At every turn the local Bedouins ask if you would like to ride their horse or horse carriage as the walk can be quite tiring. I told me self that I was going to suck it up and not give in to their offerings. I can't even explain how beautiful it was to be walking along this old ancient passageway -- beautiful in every way except for the copious amounts of tour groups full of teenagers. After a 20 minute walk I turned the corner and there the famous "Treasury" stood in a wide open area. From there you are forced to go to the right and descend further in. All along the way there are tombs and houses carved into the cliffsides. Eventually I came to the ampitheatre, which is said to be on its way to holding performances after being closed for thousands of years. I continued along the main path but at some point climbed a hill to get a better view of things.

It was at this point that I met a Bedouin boy by the name of Khalled (however he told me to call him Shams -- which is the Arabic word for "sun"). Shams owns two donkeys, Suzannah and Zuzu, which he uses to make money at Petra. Shams and I quickly became friends and he asked if I wanted some Bedouin tea. I couldn't decline so he took me around to one of the tombs where we could get some tea. It seems the women who are normally there were not, so he decided to take me to a path to get back to the entrance. Along the way he somehow managed to convince to get on his donkey. I admit that I was a little apprehensive, but Shams assured me that I would be fine. I was riding along and all of a sudden Shams decided to hop on the donkey and join me. So along the path I went on a bedouin donkey with a bedouin boy. Before I headed down the narrow, rarely used path that would take me back to the entrance, I sat down and had some tea with a local bedouin lady, her young daughter, a sleeping infant, and about 3-4 little bedouin boys. They were all so captivating with their honey-colored eyes and their radiant smiles. I felt like I wanted to stay forever, but alas I could not.

I started headed along the path that would take me to the entrance. At first I thought that I was crazy because I ended up basically having to become a rock climber to maneuver the difficult path and within the first 5 minutes I nearly turned around. However, when I spotted one other hiker coming the opposite way I figured that I must be headed in the right direction so I kept on trekking. After about 45 minutes or so I spotted the main path. After I climbed the rocks I met a bedouin man by the name of Uthman and his brother Hamza. They both owned horses and worked at Petra for a living. I was invited to have some more tea with them and with pleasure I accepted. They took me to their "father's" cave where I saw an older gentleman laying on a bed. He woke up and invited me to come inside where he proceeded to make us tea. According to Hamza, Muhammed has the cave as a place where the bedouin workers can come and get something to eat and drink while they rest. Muhammed was lovely and again knew English like the others. I thanked my new friends and said goodbye to them and the surreal place that is Petra.