All posts by andrea

Israel & Palestine

An Interesting Time in Israel and Palestine

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We had heard so many horror stories about the Israeli interrogation techniques at the borders. There are even entire blogs dedicated to how to behave and what to say when entering Israel with stamps from countries such as Iran, Lebanon and Syria in your passport. However, we didn’t experience any of that. Almost all the border guards at Eilat were very young and relaxed. (By the way you know you’re getting older when you catch yourself thinking “These kids are way too young to wear uniform and a gun”). They must have been stationed there as part of their military training. When we got there at around noon we were told that we were the first people crossing that day. With palm trees everywhere and the sea not far it felt more like a marina than an actual border crossing. What was really funny was that even though James and I were clearly traveling together we were treated totally different. While James had his passport taken away and every corner of his backpack was searched, I was asked to move on without them even looking into my bags and I got my visa stamp within minutes. James had to go through some security check and was interviewed a bit. But they were more interested to get the exact dates of entry and exit of the last few countries we traveled through for the paperwork.

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Jordan

A Quick Jaunt Around Jordan

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Even though the scenery didn’t change much when we crossed from Syria into Jordan, you could tell you were in a different country. Jordan is a lot more modern and you can feel that tourism is a major source of income. There is even a dedicated tourist police at all major sights who look quite threatening with their bullet proof vests, guns and tasers. On the contrary, they’re the most helpful people you can think of. In fact nearly everyone goes out of their way to make you feel welcome. People are very kind and gentle in Jordan, not pushy in the slightest like it sometimes can be the case in other countries. You can also tell that people are used to tourists and different cultures. There have been so many incidents where we turned to each other and said “How nice was that.”

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Syria

Christmas and New Year in Syria

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It wouldn’t be Christmas if you didn’t feel at some point that you’ve eaten so much that you’ll explode any minute. We’ll never forget the day when after a hearty meal our friend Patrik, probably the sweetest tooth we know, looked at a complimentary massive plate of sweet Syrian delicacies and said “I never thought the day would come when I wish I wasn’t stuffed and could eat more.” We didn’t think we’d get into a festive mood this year but as soon as we arrived in Damascus we were humming to Christmas tunes that were playing everywhere we went. Only humming since we haven’t mastered the Arabic version of Jingle Bells just yet 🙂 The Christian quarter of the old town was also heavily decorated with Christmas lights and blinking 2011 signs. Cinnamon-apple-waffles were sold in the streets next to falafel and sharma stands. So we felt it was time to give those cheap stands a break and indulge in anything that would make us feel “christmassy”. This actually turned into a week long feast as soon as Patrik arrived from Vienna.

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Lebanon

Stormy times in Lebanon

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We were curious to visit this troubled country that has featured heavily on the news for most of our childhood and teenage years. We had heard good stuff about Lebanon but for us it was unfortunately a very mixed bag. We’ve travelled around very poor countries, countries suffering from food shortages or trade embargos, police states, dictatorships. However, there is something in the air in Lebanon that makes you feel low all the time. It’s a country where the difference between rich and poor is enormous, at times even disturbing. Most poor people – street vendors, bus drivers and passengers – we met were very nice while the wealthier people were typically indifferent and sometimes even rude.

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Syria

Slowing Down in Syria

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As soon as we set foot on Syrian ground everything around us seemed to slow down. It started with the border guard automatically flicking through our passports for 15 minutes over and over again but getting distracted by whatever was happening around him. Holding the visa stamp in one of his hands he was getting himself a cup of tea, chatting to whoever was passing by, answering the phone while continuing to flick through our passports. Then he seemed to remember what he was supposed to do and started scribbling something in Arabic on a random page in our passport (in James’s case on the front page of his passport – that’ll be great for any future use…). Finally he stamped our passports although it took him another few minutes to hand them back to us.

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Turkey

Istanbul

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Important things first – we had our first bath for months and months 🙂 We got ourselves a great deal on wotif.com for Istanbul which turned out to be a one bedroom apartment with a proper bathtub for the same price as a hostel. We’re loving low season in Turkey and all cold and luke warm showers have been erased from our memory. The location was great too. Just behind the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet, the old quarter, but not too close that the daily morning prayer would wake us up before dawn. When travelling in Muslim countries this is always a major factor when looking for accommodation. Though by now we’re kind of used to the regular prayer times and we can even sleep through the stereo version. Well almost. Continue reading Istanbul →

Turkey

A holiday from travelling and some pretty amazing ruins

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We weren’t sure whether to head straight down to Syria next or to travel up the Mediterranean and Aegean coast to Istanbul which would mean crossing half of the country to get to the Syrian border. After all it’s almost winter and maybe not the best time of the year to go to the beach for a swim… Plus a lot of pensions shut down in Turkey from November until May and it can be hard to find a place with heating and especially hot water. But it was so warm in Cappadocia during the day that we decided to give it a try and headed down to Antalya, the main transport hub for the Turkish Mediterranean coast or the Turkish Riviera as it is often called. Continue reading A holiday from travelling and some pretty amazing ruins →

Turkey

“Something something tourist something”

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In Iran James was “Miiisster James”, I was sometimes “Miisiis” but mostly not addressed by my first name. In East Turkey all foreigners seem to be simply “tourist”. As there aren’t many around we stick out. Wherever we go, we hear blablaba tourist, blabla tourist and wish we could understand some Turkish or rather Kurdish since East Anatolia is predominantly Kurdish. Most people are friendly and helpful but we felt not as open as what we’ve experienced just across the border in Iran. Maybe that’s because of their somewhat difficult standing in this country or maybe because it’s one of the more conservative areas in Turkey. Trying to say a few words in Kurdish rather than Turkish to acknowledge the locals’ ethnic background definitely opens a few doors. Nevertheless we feel welcome and it’s absolutely safe to travel around since the truce between the PKK and the Turkish army. In fact if it weren’t for the army presence everywhere and passport checks on public transport, we maybe wouldn’t have even thought of the violent conflict that used to be in this part of Turkey. Continue reading “Something something tourist something” →

Iran

You’re never alone in Iran

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Our trip from Kashan to the village Abyaneh was really well worth it. Tiny alleys and beautiful old red mud brick houses with ornate balconies. What a contrast to city noise and pollution. It’s incredible that people have been living in these buildings for at least 1500 years. Time stands still here where old men with hats and walking sticks sit chatting on benches in the sun and women in colourful chadors with flower prints sit around in separate groups. We wish we could have stayed in Abyaneh overnight but there isn’t really any accommodation there. So we headed back to Kashan and took an early bus to Tehran the next morning. Continue reading You’re never alone in Iran →

Iran

Hello, salam! Welcome to Iran

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I’m so happy you visit my country. What do you think of Iran? We love it here. It’s such a beautiful country and everyone is so friendly. Before, did you think it’s dangerous here? No, not really that’s all just politics and the media. What do you think now? We feel very welcome. It’s not dangerous here at all. The most dangerous thing about Iran is the traffic. (Honestly it’s quite an adventure trying to cross a street and not getting run over by cars and motorbikes ignoring red lights and traffic wardens.) Do other people back in your country think it’s dangerous here? Yes, some but not everyone. We’ll tell them what a beautiful country Iran is when we’re back home.

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