Arab Spring

G'day Mate

I was soo sad leaving Greece. Not only was chilling in the islands a great summer experience, but I feel like I am leaving family that I will not see for another year! I took the ferry from Spetses on Sunday avo and jumped on a bus direct to the airport. Destination: Cairo

Ok, so I know that Egypt kinda just went through a revolution and all - but has that ever stopped me before? As this would be my second visit to Egypt - I was curious to see if things had changed post Mubbarak.... I was a little apprehensive also because it was the middle of Ramadan, the holy Muslim month where believers fast every day from sunrise to sunset. I thought that the combination of lack of food/drink, 35+ summer sun and a revolution would make Egyptians a little on edge. Curiously, it turned out to be just the opposite - the locals seemed to be very relaxed and just getting on with their everyday lives.... Ramadan also provided an opportunity for me to real get into the spirit of Egyptian living.... During the day a few shops and cafes were closed, however due to Cairo's sizable Christian and secular populations finding a bite to eat and a bottle of water to drink is not hard at all. At around 7.30 every night the restaurants would pack out all over town as Muslims flocked to break the fast with the Iftar meal. After that its out to the Ahwas (Cafes) for a tea and Shisha, or its time to hit the shops! When I say shops I mean thousands of flea markets fillings every backstreet possible in downtown Cairo! Its quite a sight to see what seems like every Cairo resident (all 15 million of them!) out on the street enjoying life into the wee hours of the morning.

So what did I get up to in Cairo? Well after getting mobbed by 100 taxi drivers at the airport I decided to get a "Government regulated" cab. This mobbing was the first sign I noticed that Egyptians are getting desperate - you see, due to the revolution, Tourism has dropped significantly and it is this tourism that brought a livelihood to so many Egyptian families. I jumped in my "official" cab and after being told that the driver knows exactly where my hostel was, we drove around in circles for almost an hour until finally we arrived! The hostel was right in the heart of downtown Cairo - I chose this hostel because it was not too close to the infamous Tahrir square - where all the protests had been held during the revolution. That evening I popped up the street to one of the many small Ahwas (coffee shops) and enjoyed a tea and a Shisha (for less that 1 dollar!!!)

The next day I headed out to the Ramsis train station to buy a ticket to Alexandria. The train station is being renovated so navigating proved very difficult due to my inability to read handwritten Arabic signs! After finally getting my ticket I went for a wander through the backstreets of downtown Cairo. Cairo seems to be one of those cities that has more cars than people (and thats crazy seeing how many people there are!), so it should have been no surprise when I stumbled across a whole suburb of car part shops including a street market where you can pick up everything from a "taxi" roof-sign to a starter motor for a 1975 Lada (these are in hot demand!)

I finally arrived at Tahrir square. The square is really a large noisy round-about packed with cars, people, donkeys and western fastfood restaurants. Since January it is also home to hundreds of soldiers, tanks, and riot control men. They looked very bored I must say! Also to be found are plenty of peddlers selling pro revolution and pro Egypt flags and T-shirts.

That afternoon I took a taxi to the famous Khan-El-Kalili market - a must for any Cairo visit! This huuuuuge market is built in the heart of Islamic Cairo and is surrounded by historic stunning mosques and madrassas. I only visited one mosque on my previous visit to Cairo so I decided to do a Mosque-hop! I visited about 6 different mosques - it is a nice place to relax from the chaos of the city and the heat which is why they were all packed with men young and old half asleep on the floor.

Heading back to the market I was suckered into looking at some "genuine" egyptian perfume. This guy drove a hard bargain, and after an hour of debate I managed to score a good deal - and even got a free drink! The sun had gone down at this point so off I went to the famous El-Fishaway coffee shop to join scores of Muslims breaking their fasts. As I was not fasting I enjoyed a tea and a turkish coffee. Fishway is a historic building right in the heart of the market and a great place to soak in the Egyptian Ramadan madness.

At 9 o'clock that evening I headed out to view a free show put on by Sufi dancers. This was the most amazing thing I have ever seen!!! The show is in two parts - the first shows off the incredible talents of the many musicians including drummers and flutists. The skill level was truly incredible and the beats were enough to get your heart pumping! The second half is the real deal - the whirling dhirmishes.... This tradition of spinning continuously around in circles is a trance like religious dance that has its origins in Turkey. The men that twirl wear incredible colourful costumes that stream out as they spin. And boy do they spin! - One man span non-stop for over 25 minutes!!! Eventually, while spinning, the men remove their costumes and spin them above their heads in a beautifully complex coreography of rhythm and colour. Truly amazing!

Last time I went to Egypt I saw the Giza Pyramids as well as the Sakkara and Dashur pyramids so I figured that there is no point seeing them twice. However I reconsidered, as I figured that I may not be back in Egypt for some time - so off to the Giza pyramids I went! The 9 pyramids and the Sphinx are truly a must see. They stand their so graciously in all their ancient glory. I walked around to take in the view from all angles - the vast Sahara desert to the West and Giza city to the South. In the far distance you can just get a peek at the even older Sakkara pyramids to the south-west. Another sign of the decrease in tourism - every fricken camel driver strongly encouraging you to take a camel ride - "maybe latter??!!!"

After returning to Cairo I headed to the Salah-Addin Citadel perched high up in south Cairo hills. Built in the 12th century by Saladin as a fortress against the crusaders it boasts a number of structures - most impressive of which is the main Mosque with its huge turkish-style minarets. The view from the Citadel is incredible and one can see the Nile river and its many flanking skyscrapers. On the horizon lies the Giza pyramids. Also in the complex is the national army museum. Just outside the entrance are 2 Israeli tanks captured in the 1973 war. Next to them are 4 Egyptians tanks from the same war - it is clear how inferior Egypt's tanks were! The museum was pretty interesting but not much on display regarding the many wars with Israel - not surprising really considering they lost them all!

That evening I was off to Alexandria. I had heard that it was once had a romantic european-style charm - but I imagine (and soon confirmed) that this had unfortunately been lost. The train arrived around midnight and I took a cab to my hotel. This hotel receives the award for the wost hotel ever!!! Dirty sheets, cockroaches, no air-con and useless staff!! Only good thing is that it was located right in the centre of town next to the waterfront.

Early start and off the famous Alexandrian library. Of course not the original library that has long been destroyed but the modern, super-high-tech, architectually stunning complex built right on the waterfront. Nothing much to see inside - just books and a few pieces of Egyptian art - however still worth checking out. I popped next door in a pricey cafe for a quick lunch and was surprised to see "Fat Freddy's Drop" advertised in the Egyptian youth magazine - go NZ! I grabbed a ride on a horse and carriage driven by this young kid (who tried to sell me hashish and prostitutes) around the downtown sites including a set of 5 beautiful mosques, the citadel and the markets. Post-fast I popped down to the beach for a tea. I watched scores of little kids splash about in the meditteranean - rather them then me.... the sea along the Alex coast is anything but clean!!!

My last day was time for a bit of archeology. First stop - the Roman theatre. A small set of ruins containing an ampitheater, and a Roman village. Next was the catacombs (which btw - no taxi drivers knew what this word meant - had to get it translated!!). Descending underground into an ancient graveyard is a Egyptian/Graeco-Roman tomb. As I explored the many tunnels and passageways of the tomb I was greeted to Indiana Jones music blaring out of some tourist's cellphone - it nicely set the scene! The final stop for the day was Pompey's pillar - another ancient Roman village flanked by a large pillar and two Sphinxes.

Friday - back to Cairo and time for a relaxed (albeit lonely) Shabbat. On Saturday morning I visited the Shar Hashamayim Synagogue in downtown Cairo. This is one of 2 open shules in Cairo (the other Ben Ezra I visited last time), however they only get minyans on Yom Kippur. Shar Hashamayim had been in the news recently because someone threw an explosive at the shule from a nearby hotel - it did no damage. The shule is surrounded by 15 or so soldiers and the caretaker (not Jewish) was more than happy to tour me around the complex.

On Saturday night I found out about the huge protests in Giza outside the Israeli embassy due to the IDF killing some Egyptian soldiers. One of the hostel staff members had just come from the protest and it was interesting hearing his perspective on the matter..... not so pro-Israel as expected, however not fanatic.

So long Egypt... Hello Dubai! I had 2 days to kill before I return home to Kiwi-land! First impressions of Dubai: Soooo clean (for an Arab country) and not many Arabs!!! So many internationals, mostly from Asia and India. Businessmen and woman everywhere!!!

My Hotel was pretty sweet and around the corner from the Dubai metro - a convenient driverless modern transport system. Islam is taken much more seriously in Dubai with all cafes and restaurants closed during Ramadan fasting - so if you combine this with 40+ degrees during the day its seriously a killer! I don't really know how people can live in a country that is 32 at midnight midsummer!!!

On the first day I headed out to the Dubai Mall - one of the largest malls in the world - famous for its aquarium and its proximity to the world's tallest building: The Burj Khalifa. I visited the Aquarium first - it is similar to Kelly Tartons with its huge tube passageway. It was cool to see divers training right above my head mingling with the sharks and rays! Next - off to the Burj Khalifa. This building is 828m tall - and standing at its base quickly gives you a sense of its massiveness! The viewing deck is on the 124th floor. Although this is not even near the top - the other skyscrapers start to look like matchsticks even from this height! Oh yea - thats the other thing about Dubai ..... millions of high-rise buildings everywhere!! In the evening I sat in a cafe out in the Dubai Mall promenade to watch the amazing water fountain show set to music. Good times!!

What I really wanted to do the next day is to go snowboarding in the world's largest indoor ski field at the Mall of the Emirates - however it was closed for repair.... lame.... So instead I wandered through various malls (nothing much else to do here in this heat) admiring the ridiculously overpriced fashion brands that I would never buy! Oh - I also spotted the famous Burj Al-Arab - the worlds only 7 star hotel (whatever that means!).

To be honest - Dubai is quite boring.... The city is fake - everything is high tech and modern with very little historical or cultural places to explore... If you like shopping and expensive restaurants - it is probably for you.... I prefer Egypt!

Well my trip has pretty much come to a close! I just flew for like 19 hours from Dubai to Auckland (with a 45 min stopover in Brisbane). I am sick and jetlagged and still have to wait until like 8.30pm for my flight to Wellington!!

I really had the most amazing trip of my life!!! Made some amazing life-long friends!!! Had some once-in-a-life-time experiences!!! And truly discovered myself! I will be returning to some of these places soon I know!!! (Especially Greece and Israel!!)

I am looking forward to catching up with all my family and mates back in Welly!! Will see you guys soon!!!

Signing off......

Daniel

Deep Sea Baby!

Γεια σου, κόσμε!

Well here I am chilling in the gorgeous Greek island of Spetses, about 2 hours from Piraeus, the Athens port. Its absolutely stunning here! Its the ultimate summer holiday! Before I get to the details of my Greek experience, let me fill you in with the past couple of weeks.....

Ok ... so the last few weeks in Jerusalem involved sleeping in late, missing classes, drinking lots of beer at Kings bar and losing games of poker at 1 shekel per buy-in! I honestly think I had reached the point of burn-out when it came to Jewish learning! Don't get me wrong - my Yeshiva experience has truly been amazing and I love the learning - however there comes a time when you reach overload! I do not understand how the serious learners spend 10 hours a day for 5 years plus?!?!?! I can barely manage 3.5 months! I really picked up a lot of good skills and knowledge, and bought lots of books (going to regret the fact that I have to shlep them around Egypt!).

I enjoy going out to downtown Jerusalem. Even though we always go to the same bars (either Zollies or Kings) in crack square (known as American square by the locals because of all the annoying loud birthright kids!), its always a fun night - smoking Nargileh (free when you buy drinks) and chatting to random Jews from all around the world!

2 weeks before I left Rabbi Gefen (head of our programme) organised a trip to the north of Israel. Our first stop on the way was a small village called Mitzpe Yericho which overlooks the ancient city of Jericho. Unfortunately Israelis are not allowed to enter Jericho itself so we had to look from afar. The view is stunning - with the dead sea glittering in the background under the desert sun! The famous Jericho casino clearly stands out on the edge of the city - once a hangout for PLO militia and Israelis wanting to gamble.

Next the bus headed north to the ancient fortress of Gamla. Overlooking the Kinneret (Sea of Gallilee), perched on the edge of a pyramid-shaped hill protruding from a deep valley lies the ruins of Gamla. Gamla's story is not dissimilar to that of Matzada - where 1000s of Jews commited suicide in order to escape persecution from the approaching Roman legions. The walk down into the valley was easy - however the return trek in the blazing sun took it out of me!

Our journey continued up into the Golan heights - a controversial flat-top mountain range on Syria's border. This huge strategic piece of land once belonged to Syria, but was captured by Israel in the 6-day war and quickly annexed. It is easy to see why Israel won't give this mountain range up as it provides a protective shield against Syria who is not Israel's best friend at the moment!

From the top of the Golan is a stunning view of the Kinneret and its major port city of Tiberias. Looking out over the lake brings back memories of my crazy 7.5 hour bike ride around the perimeter! Good times!

We moved on further to the northern edge of the heights to a beautiful area known as the Nachal Jilabun. Along the ridge are hundreds of destroyed Syrian bunkers flanked by luscious Ecalyptus trees swaying in the gentle breeze. What's with the Ecalyptus trees you may ask? Well - that is an interesting story..... an Israeli spy by the name of Eli Cohen lived in Syria for many years prior to the 6 day war and became very close to the officials of the country. He once suggested that the Syrian army should plant Ecalyptus trees to shade the soldiers in the bunkers. Their agreement gave Israel a huge advantage in the war, as Eli Cohen secretly passed this information to Israel which ordered its airforce to bomb all areas with Ecalyptus trees.

The hike through the Jilabun was fun and consisted of two refreshing pitstops in tributary lakes. The first lake was cold and full of freshwater crabs! Some of the boys discovered a cliff to jump off into the lake - and after a little convincing I found myself following suit.... good times! The second pitstop was another small pool, this time with a waterfall cradling the cliff-face. The sun was low by the time we got there which created an artistic rainbow in front of the falls. We swam into the pool and found that we could swim behind the waterfall! It was like going into a watery bubble - not being able to see or hear anything beyond the falls and the cliff walls. The day trip ended with a BBQ in Tiberias and a visit to the grave of Rabbi Akiva.

My last night in Jerusalem. A sad day.... especially due to the fact that it was almost Tisha B'Av - the commeration of the destruction of ancient Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple. Jerusalem really has a special place in my heart and I have always felt at home in the holy city. I really wanted to see the old city and the Kotel one last time before I left so I rounded the troops and we all headed down. We took our usual route through Damascus gate and down the Arab market. Usually at that time of night its empty and quiet - but what we forgot is that Ramadan had just started and we were pleasantly suprised by thousands of Muslims feasting, drinking tea, smoking nargileh and enjoying life! The coloured lights strewn across the old city walls made the whole atmosphere feel something like Arab Christmas! Some of my friends felt quite uncomfortable in a place with so many Arabs - personally I love it! I find Arab culture to be extremely interesting and I just love Arab tea! Anyways - we eventually arrived at the Kotel where I said my last prayers. We then grabbed some icecream and hung out with the Aish kids (young guys who attend the Aish HaTorah Yeshiva) in the Jewish quarter.

At 3.30am a Sherut (service taxi) picked me and my friend Izzy (an American friend of mine who is also studying at Ohr Someyach) and off we went to Tel Aviv airport.

We arrived in Athens, not sure if we were supposed to be meeting my friends in the airport or at their place. So first stop was Syntagma square in downtown Athens - on a mission to find a sim card (because surprisingly they dont sell them in the airport!!!). After hooking up with Vodafone we headed out to meet my Greek family (technically we are not related - but I love them!). We were picked up by sisters Idili and Nefeli and we wen

t back to their place to chill.

We were lucky enough to spend a night in a sweet Greek apartment with a sick pool! So we spent the 2 days that we were there swimming, chilling, smoking nargile and just enjoying life! Oh - I forgot! Before we left for the pool apartment, Izzy and I went exploring Athens. We go off the subway at Monastiraki and got ourselves lost in the flea market on a mission to find Nargile (yes I know - I am addicted and am seeking help!) I quickly discovered that Greeks do not haggle - in fact they get offended when you offer them a lower price!!! It was cool exploring the funky restaurants and shops that snake their way around up to the base of the Acropolis. We actually ended up climbing the Acropolis hill to check out the stunning 360 degree view of the city.

For Shabbat we joined the Chabad who are now providing meals out of their brand new Kosher restaurant! Thanks Chabad - we love you!

Ok.... time to leave the mainland! Izzy, Nefeli, Idili and George (my Athenian brother from another mother!) joined me on the adventure of a lifetime! (Ok a little lame - whatever!!) We jumped on a "flying dolphin" ferry and set sail to the Island of Spetses. On Spetses we joined Petros (the number 1 radio DJ in Greece) and made our merry way up to the family villa where we stayed until now.

The villa is amaaaaaaazzzzziiinngg!! Perched up in the hills, it has the most incredible views of the Mediteranean waters. The villa has 3 levels with balconies to chill and take in the view. Its a ten minute walk down to the port and centre of town. Although small, the town has many bars, cafes, restaurants and clubs spread out along the rough coastline.

The weather here has been incredible. 35ish during the days and 20ish at night. Perfect weather to kick back and bronze up! With the exception of Tisha B'Av, our days here have consisted of swimming in the crystal clear waters (a different beach everyday), sun-tanning on the stony beaches, having a few beers at the beach bars, partying at the exclusive clubs, taking in the breathtaking views, riding on horse and carriages, staying up to the wee hours of the morning to watch the sun rise and a whole lotta chilling!!!

There are almost no cars on the island so everybody gets around on scooters and mopeds - I have almost been hit at least 20 times! The houses here are whitewashed with red roofs - it reminds me a lot of the south of spain. The main road around the island is serviced with with horse and carriage and there is a public bus. Alternatively one can catch a water taxi for an exorbitant price. Spetses, like many of the Greek islands is a hangout for the mega rich - as the many bays are lined with super-yachts. Life on the island is very chilled - a great way to end my intense trip around the world!

Anywho.... I have to go work on my tan! I'm getting pretty black - jealous much?

Lots of love..... :)