A Brief Love Affair With The West Bank...

With my one wild night in Jerusalem over I had plans to make and places to go. Luckily, Ed, the British guy I'd met the night before, wanted to go to the West Bank too. This made life for me and my pounding head much easier!

We packed our bags and grumbled our way to the Arab bus station, stopping only for juice and hangover snacks. I slept a little on the bus but before long the sights got too interesting to sleep through. We got out first glimpse of the wall only 25 minutes after leaving Jerusalem, the towering wall looked more suited to a high security prison than the outskirts of such a metropolitan city and as we skirted along the edge of it we saw watch towers, cameras and guards dotted around. This was my first 1984 feeling and it stuck with me throughout my time in the West Bank. As we crossed our first ever checkpoint I was a little confused to why we weren't actually checked but I guess it made sense for the IDF to concentrate on protecting their land as opposed to who's travelling into the Palestinian territories. The Palestinian side of the wall gave me my first uplifted feeling - despite the oppression and the daily struggle Palestinians had found a peaceful and free outlet to express themselves: graffiti. It was even more powerful to notice that the majority of the graffiti targeted the situation (the wall) rather than being anti-Israeli.

10 minutes from the checkpoint we entered the centre of Ramallah. Ramadan was noticeable, especially with the lingering hangover! So we tracked down some food (with the help of two curious but sweet local girls) and headed back to our balcony to stuff our faces and watch the world go by. This lead to what can only be described as the weirdest interaction with a local...A man on the street corner spotted our not so secret snacking and began waving, then smiling, then disappeared and within minutes was at our room door! He introduced himself as George and in the next second offered Ed a massage. He wouldn't take no for an answer, Ed was sat coerced into a chair and George began casually squeezing his shoulders. This strange spa treatment didn't last long and it seemed I was his next target. George's true motives were revealed! With a shaky hand he squeezed my thigh and then made a quick exit from hotel!

We headed out to roam the streets of Ramallah once more and this time our wandering was much more fruitful. There were pet shops and toy shops and shoe shops galore, and my favourite cafe - Stars and Bucks, a clever take on our ever growing Western brand. People everywhere shouted "Welcome" and "Salaam" and wanted nothing more than to talk for a few minutes. As darkness fell the city took on a magical quality, food stalls were set up and the breaking of the fast called for parties all round! It seemed the locals celebrated by walking up and down the 5 main streets picking at food and talking to anyone and everyone.

Ramallah was the perfect base for day trips and we definitely took advantage of this. On our first full day (and Ed's birthday!) we headed to Jericho, the world's oldest city. It was the first time I'd properly seen the desert and I felt like I'd been transported to another planet. It's not beautiful but it definitely made my jaw drop. Jericho was little more than a row of shops, a very old wall and an oddly placed Greek Monastery, best reached by cable cars. This said, there was a very welcoming feel and I could have happily spent longer there! The evening was a particular favourite of mine...on the way back to Ramallah we met a charming French man (aren't they all...) and he told us he planned to walk to Yasser Arafat's tomb. With little else to do we decided to join him. Somehow this little venture ended up with us toasting pepsi and joking about barbecuing cats for the iftar with Palestinian police!

On our second day we headed first to Bethlehem and then to the Dead Sea. Bethlehem looks very quaint but the longer you stay there the more it feels like Skegness or Blackpool! The shops and restaurants mainly cater to tourists and taxi drivers everywhere try to sell you their special tour. After a couple of hours it was obvious that Ed felt the same as I did so we tracked down a decent taxi driver and made our way to the Dead Sea. It was incredible, the sea was super hot but floating around was amazing, Ed also discovered the Superman swimming technique. My favourite part was to layer on the mud, dry out in the sun a little and then wash it away for beautifully soft skin!  After a day in the sun we had an easy night, splitting a pizza and a few beers in Ramallah's finest Italian restaurant - Pronto's, delicious food cooked by a young Palestinian chef who read Shakespeare in English - something that completely blew my mind!

Ed left the next morning and I made my final day trip, a visit to Nablus and on to Qalqilya Zoo, the only zoo in the Palestinian territories. Now I understand people's anti-zoo tendencies but for me a zoo is a place of childish delight, and the children of Palestine definitely deserve these delights! Nablus seemed similar to Ramallah - built up, busy and vibrant with friendly people  at every corner! It was lovely to chat to one of the younger Palestinians, Mohamad, a P.E teacher who was eager to move to Canada or America or anywhere where he felt it would be better to raise a family. He then helped me find my way to the service taxi station and I was on my way. Unfortunately this was the start of my first scary meeting with the IDF...the driver to our service taxi and a white van man (yes, they have a bad name EVERYWHERE!) had a bit of a to do, shouting and swerving and generally being a bit stupid, unknown to them we were driving right towards and IDF van. Our ID's were whisked away and we were kept waiting for about 15 minutes, when they returned mine was passed straight to me but the other ID cards were thrown straight into the front of the taxi without a cursory glance.

We quickly got back on track and within half an hour I was dropped at the zoo's entrance. It was less than a pound to get in and as I walked through the gates I seemed to disturb an eerie stillness. It turned out I was the only visitor there! Dr. Sami, the head vet and director of the zoo joined me and gave me a guided tour of the place, introducing me to the animals and regaling incredible stories about the struggle to get them there. After a tour of the zoo things got a little strange, it turned out Dr. Sami also enjoyed taxidermy and had a museum dedicated to the dead. First came embryos and skeletons, then the zoo animals that hadn't made it. Dr. Sami thought that the stuffed animals provided the perfect backdrop for an impromptu photo shoot! Finally he invited me up to his office, draped a snake around my neck, showed me a film and a book, both about the zoo and then handed me a fistful of peacock feathers to take as a souvenir!

The journey back to Ramallah was long and uncomfortable and with another bus ride to face in the morning I happily spent my final night on the balcony watching the world go by. Such a short time in the West Bank had given me a lot to think about and despite everything I couldn't help but be enamoured by the spirit of the people.

Pictures and Parties - Life in Jerusalem : )

After Tel Aviv, I spent a couple of nights in Haifa, Israel's northern coastal town. It was beautiful and much more cultural than Tel Aviv, giving me a strong sense of real life in Israel BUT due to my blog laziness my thoughts about Haifa have been overshadowed by the time I spent in Jerusalem and the West Bank. So here are two pictures that some up Haifa for me...










( The Bahai Gardens - a beautiful, tranquil series of gardens with incredible views over Haifa. Especially pretty by night!)

(Interesting graffiti...I'll let you make your own judgements about this!)


I decided to leave Haifa on a Saturday, have a stopover in Jerusalem and then go on to Ramallah the next day.

Jerusalem dazzled me from the minute I stepped out of the taxi. I entered the old city at Jaffa Gate and found myself on the edge of a souq, surrounded by charismatic Arab salesmen. Before I'd had chance to check in I'd already got some free earrings and multiple cups of mint tea!

(Anton - possibly my favourite person living in Jerusalem! Sorted me out with a wealth of information and gave me free tea and coffee whenever thirst struck.)

The great plan was to get to the West Bank well rested and ready to explore but minutes after getting back from a wander around Jerusalem I met a group of guys preparing to go to a watermelon party. After a little confusion, they explained the watermelon parties were a series of events to boost friendly relationships between Jews and Arabs and with a little more research I've found they originated in the late 60's where watermelon stands were the place to be!

To prepare ourselves we had a big chicken dinner - no hummus for us! And bought a bottle of the local spirit - Arak. We got there just as things were livening up and within minutes had mountains of melon and a place to sit whilst the band began their tuning.

The tuning lasted no less than an hour! By this point we'd made a few friends, claimed a spot on a floor mat, and shared our Arak, which we discovered was made in Bethlehem - very fitting for the event! Finally the music began. It was traditional Middle Eastern music with horns and violins and all sorts of instruments. The crowd went wild, especially the Arabs who were wildly dancing in front of the stage only to be repeatedly shooed away by a man who looked like Professor Weeto! This didn't deter them though and in minutes they'd be back high kicking and running around!

As the musicians took a break we decided to move on and see the night life of Jerusalem. After a few shisha pipes, an Irish pub and a bar jam packed with tables we finally found our last stop for the night - Toy Bar. It pumped out chart music late into the night, the only other 2 who were still out - Ed the Brit and Hugo the French, seemed to have been infected with Jerusalem syndrome, considering themselves the Messiah and dancing barefoot on glass without even a single flinch!

After a couple of hours we had to give up and call it home time. We all had early mornings the next day and were determined to stick to them...

Tel-Aviv: The City That's Always Sleeping?

As the plane touched down in Ben Gurion airport every went crazy. Clapping, cheering and lots of massive grins all round. It wasn't surprising after 5 hours on a plane with these (mostly) die-hard Israelites. It was the first flight I'd been on where people were up out of their seats and chatting to everyone. Being sat next to a young Jewish girl from Manchester meant I'd been involved in this from the get go. It was time to wipe the sleep from my eyes (I had been up since quarter to 4 after all!) and start being sociable. The girl, Izzy, was literally vibrating with excitement. We swapped our stories, and then our snacks, and before I knew it I was receiving a last half hour Hebrew lesson.

In the airport I had my first shock horror moment...of the three cards I'd brought with me, none of them would work. Being prepared for the worst I had some dollars ready to change, just in case.

I navigated the train system easily but was less successful by foot. The city's diagonal streets had me baffled and it wasn't all that long till I gave up and found a taxi. The driver was deadly silent until I rambled my way to a price, he clearly didn't like it and point blank told me "no!". After a few back and forths we agreed on 35 Shekels, 10 more than my original price. Once in he the taxi he became a lot more agreeable and even laughed at my (very bad) jokes. We arrived at my hostel door and without a word he handed me back the extra 10 shekels along with a business card, it seemed I had mastered the Israeli taxis!

The hostel was a disappointment on first appearances, the staircase was thick with dust and saws and hammers echoed around the tiny stairwell, but once I'd made my way up to the roof top I was able to relax a little. The terrace was scattered with sofas and hammocks and a whole load of people lazing around in them. It was one of those places where you just know you'll be sucked in to the laziness. My days passed in a whirlwind of reading, napping and staying up late experiencing the Tel Aviv night-life. What struck me most was just how quiet the city was. If you wandered the streets any time before around 1am you'd be lucky to see over 5 people! It was completely nocturnal. After my first taste of night-life I could see why. Getting to a club at 2 and not leaving till 6 really takes it out of you for the next day!

I did however manage to see a few things whilst I was there, my favourites being the market and the beach. I'm always drawn to markets and this one was beautiful. I particularly liked the watermelon seller just outside the market...

The beach was just as busy as the market but a little harder to get to!  We rock climbed our way to the better beach and rented a couple of sun loungers for the day. Not only was it sunshiney beautiful, it was the perfect spot to watch kid's surf lessons and families coming together for barbeques at sunset. I got more of a feel for the place just sitting amidst the locals than I could have through any museum.

Tel Aviv also seemed to be a city for the artist, especially Florentine (the area where I was staying), the walls were covered in graffiti, some was beautiful, some was weird but all were amazing. This was my first meeting with Middle Eastern street art but it plays a bigger role here than I'd first imagined - more about that later though!

By the third day I was ready to move before I submitted to the sleepy lull that seemed to take over everyone there! Luckily I'd met two Austrian guys who were brave enough to rent a car and were heading in the same direction as me. We followed the coast North and they dropped me off in the lovely little town of Haifa.

My Final Asian Update...Only 6 Months Late!

With another trip on the horizon I felt obliged to update my slightly abandoned blog! All this neglect guilt prompted me to do something quite fancy, enjoy...

Click me!

: )

Sand Dunes, Ostrich and Vietnam's Best Seafood

The supposedly close by Mui Ne ended up being another 18 hour journey, not so painful though, my ability to sleep squashed up and bumped around was finally developing! I left the bus a stop too early and (in my stubborn "I don't need a moto" way) ended up doing a good 45 minute trudge, backpack heaving with Hoi-An goodies. Checking in to the dorm was sheer pleasure, it was possibly that best I'd been on the journey so far my jaw kept dropping as the lovely Aussie owner gave me a tour round the pool, air-con dorms and best of all sun-loungers on their own beach front decking. Heaven.

It was a pleasure to be so close to the sea again, especially after spending so long in land locked Laos. The whole beach had a very cool edgy feel to it and my "tan" started to look very poor in comparison to the beach bums who worked there! I arrived in the height of kite surfing/sailing season and just off-shore hundreds of kites cut through the sky, whilst colourful windsurfing sails scattered the sea. It seemed the laid back atmosphere was infectious, everyone I'd met had ended up staying longer than planned and had done little more than sunbathe, swim and be mesmerised by the talents of those at sea.

I met my new room mates that night and joined them for tea. It seemed the only viable option was seafood, it was the cheapest I'd seen and incredibly fresh! After a few beers and a walk along the seafront we settled in for an early night.

Whilst I'd planned to go on the infamous Mui Ne tour sand dune tour the next morning I found myself seduced in to a full day of beach lounging. It's rare that I enjoy spending so much time on the beach but here was perfect. In the evening we took in an interesting performance - a Filipino man with a cold singing Robbie Williams songs.


The next day I started off with similar activities but in the afternoon forced myself to do the obligatory tour and was delighted with all the little extras on offer! In the space of 4 hours I'd ridden an ostrich suffering from eczema, surfed the sand dunes and got some gorgeous pictures of a Lion King-esque sunset.


We went out for another seafood dinner that night, this time venturing a little further from the hostel down to a string of live sea food restaurants. For under £4 each a group of us shared a couple of squid, a mountain of mammoth tiger prawns and a huge snapper And to think five years ago I wasn't such a seafood fan. We finished off my last night with a trip to a Russian tourist favourite. A bar with house music and an ample selection of vodka. Neither were of interest to us but they had a pool table and two for one beers so we'd found our spot.

By the time my bus arrived the next day I'd had chance to soak up a final few rays, shake off a heavy head and prepare myself for another hectic city - Saigon, my last stop in Vietnam.

Hoi-An, Shopper's Paradise

From the minute I stepped out of the taxi the streets of Hoi-An brought back the memories of Luang Prabang, a magical city that's able to retain it's charm even with intense tourism. I'd visited with the intentions of getting a few pieces of clothing made for when I got back to the real working world. On the first night I set out to the market and ordered 3 things for myself and a shirt for pops. It took me ages to decide on the items and the fabrics but Na the comical manager had no problem with me climbing around her shelves and pulling out almost every piece of material there! After my first real fitting I accidentally ordered another 2 things AND shoes. Oops. By the second fitting they were practically perfect, good quality, custom designs and a beautiful fit. If only we had this service for similar prices back home!


My budget was blown and I resigned myself to spend the rest of the my time eating market food drinking the cheapest of beers and enjoying a few early nights to get back on track. Well half of this worked - the market food was better than the restaurants and Na had given me a few tips on where to eat. In all but a few of the bars beer was cheap - 4,000 dong along with this and bumping into friends from Hanoi and Muang Ngoi meant early nights were once again off the card. I stayed in Hoi-An 3 nights and left on the fourth. By the 2nd night I'd sampled the interesting nightlife which consisted of being moto'd around to empty bars and then being served drinks in jam jars, or paying way over the odds to drink in one of the classier places.

Hoi-An is not just known for clothing, it also has some of the most distinctive food in Vietnam. Cau Lau was one of my favourites, it was like the equivalent of a roast pork sandwich - thick doughy noodles instead of bread, tasty roast pork slices finished of with crackling! No stuffing or apple sauce though. I had my first bowl of Cau Lau on my second morning in Hoi-An and was told by an English ex-pat that I'd chanced upon the best Cau Lau stall in the whole of Vietnam!
Hoi-An's also famous for it's many Chinese influenced dishes, including shrimp wontons, steamed buns and green tea. On the last day I got to learn more about the food in a cooking class, I went with Gen, a girl who I was sharing a dorm with. We had a 2 hour class for under a tenner in which we learned how to make spring rolls, spicy grilled aubergine (which was actually fried), papaya salad with shrimp and BBQ mackerel. We cooked a course and then ate it meaning by the end we were super full and pretty pleased with ourselves. I have the recipes so nearest and dearest prepare yourselves!


It's a lively and beautiful town, the sort I could have got stuck in if it hadn't have been for the time constraints. I braved another sleeper bus and headed for the sand dunes of Mui Ne
.

48 hours in Hanoi

I'd been forewarned about the craziness awaiting me in Hanoi but I arrived before rush hour kicked off so saw it for the first time eerily quiet. Joggers padded along the pavements and motorbike taxis patiently waited for the tourists to arrive. I checked in to my hostel, had a much needed shower and bumped into a chatty old guy by the name of Larry who invited me along on a little group outing to the citadel. Knowing my time in Hanoi would be brief I decided to work through the sleepiness and join him. There were 3 others with Larry including a lovely English boy from Brighton who kept me laughing all day. We grabbed a Vietnamese "fusion breakfast", hello chicken kebab! And then made a pretty successful go at navigating the bus system of Hanoi. One the 2 buses we met pretty interesting conductors - one constantly shushed us whilst the other slapped all who got in his way. By mid morning we reached our destination.

The citadel was a series of pagodas and buildings dating back 2000 years. We looped round the main ones taking in beautiful sights and yummy beef and ginger noodle soup before heading back to the centre. In the afternoon I wandered the city before taking decisive action and booking not only a train to Hoi-An for the next evening but a flight out of Vietnam and into Singapore! With that in mind I made the most of my little time left, going out for a meal with a big group from the hostel and then on for 20 pence beers! This was my first beer corner experience and I loved it, the beer (which is made from rice) was admittedly a little warm but it went down easily enough. The atmosphere is almost as good as the cheap cheap prices with groups of friends (locals and tourists alike) crouched on tiny stools amongst the hustle and bustle of Hanoi's streets.

The next day I made it my mission to get lost, not such a hard task but always interesting. I walked for hours seeing the most amazing things; women carrying huge shoulder baskets of fruit crossing 10 lanes of traffic, exercise classes outside the main cathedral and the infamous spit roast dog, teeth included! It left me cursing the less than reliable Asian batteries in my camera! In the evening I tried my hand at a few new card games, enjoyed the hostel's free beer and had high hopes that it might even help me sleep on the train.

A motorbike taxi took me to the station and it was definitely more fun being in the middle of the traffic than just watching it from the pavement. Whilst waiting I met a lovely Chinese man who introduced himself by showing me a picture of myself on his phone followed by his passport, amused and a little unsure of what to do I showed him mine. He seemed to enjoy this and gave me a handful of satsumas before returning to his seat. The train boarded early and I found myself the only Westerner who'd scrimped and opted for a seat rather than a bed for the 19 hour journey to Hoi-An. It paid off, I was fed wafers and eggs with sugar from the locals, and they found great delight in some of the cheesier songs in my collection. By the time I arrived in Hoi-An I'd shook of the sleepiness and was ready to shop.

These photos sum it up better than I ever could...

Good Morning Vietnam...

We left Laos at 4am and spent the following 17 hours on two different minibuses, both built in the 70's, crammed full with 10 too many people, rice galore, baskets of fruit, suitcases, our rucksacks and to top it of at one point there was even the obligatory chicken. All this time and we didn't even get to the right place! One thing is for sure though, Muang Khua was definitely the right starting point for the journey. Regardless of the rats and the rickety old buses we went on one of the most memorable journeys through all of my travels. From Muang Khua to Dien Bien Phu our little bus piled on the locals, climbed mountains that took us through and above the morning clouds, trudged through streams (not flooded roads - actual pebble streams!), and while the brave/crazy driver may have burnt his clutch out in the process, got us safely to Vietnam.


Myself and 3 other travellers were trying to get to Northern Vietnam - Sapa, but ended up in Lai Chau. This was the second leg of the journey that was considerably longer and scarier than the first half. We were kicked out around 9pm but to soften the blow the driver, who'd frequently stopped to toke on a suspicious smelling bong, gave us a 50,000 dong refund and helpfully said "No Sapa". Welcome to Vietnam.

My short time in Vietnam had introduced me to the beauty and diversity in landscapes, the friendliness of the locals (who were greatly amused at our attempts to order food and beer) and the unfortunate hostility towards tourists that seemed to breed mostly in those who worked in the tourist industry.

I finally got to Sapa after a good sleep in Lau Chau and similarly overcrowded bus the next morning. It wasn't how I imagined it but was still amazing. A take on a Vietnamese ski resort, with no skiing of course! The town is perched on a mountain top, blanketed in clouds morning and night, and has become a hub for literally hundreds of tribes ladies who are looking for someone to take home (on a homestay, nothing sinister!)

I only spent 2 days there, despite the ridiculous journey. After a little refreshing nap and shower Dan, the guy I'd been travelling with, and I explored the markets and a little of the surrounding area before falling victim to the incredible coldness and the tempting sight of a "Traditional English Pub". Curiosity won and we climbed the steps to a funny little room that was the spitting image of a country pub - but put to the test they had no English beers and no roast peanuts, we settled for a beer Hanoi and a sauce full of sunflower seeds. We stepped up our cultural experience in the evening, going for a traditional Sapa banquet featuring deer and lots of Chinese style spices, all washed down with a lethal "wine".

The second day was incredible, an early 7am start was necessary for the trip to the nearby Bac Ha market. The market is an undeniable tourist trap, but simultaneously is the one day a week when locals can get anything they need, from new cooking pans, to a toke on fresh tobacco, to updates for their i-pods or even a live buffalo!


I stood for a while watching the bidding on a buffalo and was amazed to find the selling price was incredible - in dong and dollars! We were left to our own devices for dinner and I was going to do what I normally do - follow the locals, but it turned out they were eating offal soup, apparently from all the undesirable parts of the horse! So I gave that a miss and went to seek something a little less stomach turning.

From here the day trip included some unexpected extras - a trip to a local village where the children instantly cried at the sight of 20 tourists tramping around their garden, and finally a quick stop at the Chinese border. Though I was shocked we were this close to China I was also at a bit of a loss - what do you do at a border if you are not crossing it!? I took a few snaps, declined having my flip flops shined and grabbed a tea before jumping back on the bus.


I was dropped off at Lao Cai on the way back and had three hours to fill before catching my first Vietnamese sleeper bus. I mainly spent time eating - a really light noodle soup with thin noodles and lots of mint, followed by an abundance of fresh fruit including my first taste of Asian satsumas! I got extra snacks for the bus, charged my ipod and set off.

It was neither comfortable or pleasant and the 12 hour journey was only punctuated with one toilet stop with urinals for men and women! I dozed a little and sometime after sunrise, while the traffic was still quiet the bus pulled up to Hanoi bus, the bus driver didn't stop shouting until we were all off. As the bus pulled away I shook the tiredness off and got ready to explore.