TravelStream™ news feed for member mikeysoft on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/mikeysoft en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Wed, 21 May 2008 22:46:22 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1206914700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1206914700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1206914700/tpod.html Wed, 21 May 2008 22:46:22 -0400 26 Days in Israel, Palestine, and Egypt.

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Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Delay at airport
They announced that we will be arriving early in Tel Aviv. Shortly after that, they said there is a short delay. After that, they said an airplane ran off the runway and the airport is temporary closed. You can see by the blurry picture that we went in circles over the Mediterranean until the airport reopened.

Arrival at last
Once we landed, the airport was crowded because all the delayed planes were landing. This caused a backup at passport control. We talked to several people in line. Most of then were young Americans. We told then our plans of crossing overland to Egypt through the Sinai. They said it was not advised to do that, mostly because of recent events in Gaza.


Problems in the Sinai?
After passport control, we got our bags and went to the ATMs to get some local currency. We also talked to the tourist office. He said crossing into Egypt via the Sinai should not be a problem. He said we are not Jew and the Egyptians have things under control.

ATM
ATMs are the best way to change money in my opinion. They are easy to find and you get an excellent exchange rate. A few days later, I asked a money changer want the rate was. I only wanted the information and did not exchange any money, he then gave me a better rate when I told him I was not changing any money. Later, I checked the exchange rate on the internet and found the US dollar was stronger so the money changer was stating a very poor rate. My bank statement reflected this better rate when I got home. You should be aware, that some banks charge additional fees for foreign exchanges so you should check before you leave for an oversea vacation. My bank did not change any additional fees, but Mimi's bank changed it policy and charge her a 3% fee. You should also check with the bank if you plan to use credit cards. CapitalOne does not presently charge additional fees for foreign transactions.

Transfer to Jerusalem
There are several ways to get to Jerusalem from the Tel Aviv airport. The cheapest way is by bus. But it is slow and you have to take a local bus or cab to the hotel once you arrive in Jerusalem. The fastest way is by private taxi. But that is very expensive. We took a shared taxi also called a shuttle. It was 49 Shekels, about $14 USD. The disadvantage is that they drop people off at homes and hotels so it may take a little longer. The driver drove to one hotel, the person said he made a mistake and it was a different hotel, the driver was angry and ask why he didn't tell him sooner.

Our Hotel
My research found two hotels that I liked. Faith ended up that that we stayed in both. I'll go into more about the hotels in later posts.

In the Old City
We stayed in the Old Wall City of Jerusalem. Cars are not allowed in most parts of the old city. No cars made it somewhat quiet at night. The walk ways were vary crowded during the day with tourist, but empty and the shops were closed later in the evening. This made is kind of spooky waking at night, but it was very safe.


A walk in the Old City
We were tired after we checked into the hotel but took a walk. We did not want to fall asleep only to wake up something like 3:00 AM. We had no different plans, just walked around to see the sites.

After a while we had to go through some security and ended up at The Wall. Jewish people call it the Western Wall because it is the remaining western wall of the old temple during Solomon's times. It is also called the Whaling Wall because of all the people prying there.

After security, you enter a big open area. The left area is for males, the right area of the wall is for females. I was met by someone that gave me a little history of the Wall and of Israel. I felt that was nice until he asked me for a donation. I gave him 3 Shekels, he wanted more but I told him that it. After he left me, someone else approached me and wanted to take me around and was praying (for me?). I told him I was not interested.


Mimi did not have this problem and took many pictures.

People put notes in the cracks of the wall. I think it kind of good luck or maybe the note will be read by God.

Dinner
We were getting hungry and heard about a Tai Restaurant outside of the old city. I use to be able to eat most anything without problems. Mimi sometime has stomach problems when she travels and wanted to go someplace she felt the food was safe. The travel doctor told me that most food in Israel was safe but we had to be careful in Egypt. The restaurant was not too far so we went. It was kosher Tai food and did not taste as good as normal Tai food. But they had some sauce on the tables which made it taste better. We ended up eating there several times because Mimi could watch them cook the food and was sure it was safe to eat.

Back to the Hotel
We walked back to the Old City entering thought Damascus Gate. It was very spooky at that time of night.

We had a well deserved good night sleep.

:)


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1207015560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1207015560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1207015560/tpod.html Wed, 21 May 2008 22:09:39 -0400 26 Days in Israel, Palestine, and Egypt.

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Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

tbd
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1206984660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1206984660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1206984660/tpod.html Wed, 21 May 2008 22:03:53 -0400 26 Days in Israel, Palestine, and Egypt.

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Bethlehem, Bethlehem, Palestinian Territory

Trip to Bethlehem
Bethlehem is only about a 6 mile drive from Jerusalem. We were told to take a bus from the Arab bus station just outside of Damascus gate. We were told there would be a checkpoint but the bus would continue to Manager Square, in front of the Church of Nativity, where it is said Jesus was born.

We went to the bus station and got on the bus. We knew we were on the correct bus because it said Bethlehem. We were the only tourist on the bus, being the only tourist happens all the time and is not a sign of a problem. The bus continued after a checkpoint. There are a lot of checkpoints in the West Bank area.

We could see we were going to The Wall, a 24 foot high concrete barrier. I understand the Israelis started building a wall around the Palestinian Territory after The Siege of Bethlehem. The bus stopped at the wall and everyone got out.

We were hoping there was a bus waiting on the other side. It was slow getting through the checkpoint because the time they were taking for the locals. After a while, someone noticed we were tourist and let us through ahead of the others with a quick check of our passports. We also took a lot of pictures and if there was a bus, it was gone when we got to the other side.

I asked someone going the other way how go get to Manager Square. He told me you have to take a taxi, but you have to bargain hard, and told me the price he paid. They wanted a lot for the ride, I forgot the price but they started something like 10 times the price the other guy paid. We were able to get a ride for about 1/2 of what he paid. The driver also wanted to take us on a tour Palestine but we told him we didn't have the time.


Church of Nativity, at last
The taxi driver said he would wait for us and take us back or to other places if we want. We told him no thanks.

The entranceway to the church is very low. You have to bow down to enter. You can see the entranceway was higher but brick were added at least twice to make it lower. I have been told several reasons why it is so low. One is that people use to ride into the church on horseback so they made it lower. I was also told it was so that you have to bow to enter. A tour guide was telling his group it is low because the outside square had farm animals. It was low to keep the animals out. But most farm animals are not tall, so I don't believe that one.

It is big and open inside. There is a wooden floor covering the original mosaic floor. They have it open in one place to see the original floor. A guide was telling his group that the church was saved from being destroyed by Muslims because when they saw the floor, they said it is like Islamic art.

Jesus' Birth Spot
You have to go down into a cave like area to see the spot where Jesus was born. They have a star marking what is believed to be the spot.

Tourist Office
The taxi driver was there when we got out of the church. He asked us if we wanted a tour of Palestine. We told him no thank you. We think he just drove up dropping someone off.


We went to the tourist office in the square and asked what else to see and how to get back to Jerusalem. We told her our story about how we got there. She said we were overcharged for the taxi from the wall. If we were overcharged, what about the guy that paid double? Anyway, she said we took the wrong bus. We should take a different bus back that goes around the wall. There is still a checkpoint but you take the same bus all the way. She gave us directions on how to go to the bus. I hate it when they tell you it is just a few minutes down the road.

Milk Grotto
We went to the nearby Milk Grotto. It is where it is said Mary was nursing Jesus and some milk spilled making the rock white. A church was nearby. It was getting late but a man was very friendly. It was closing to tourist but he let us in. He told us he was a Palestinian Christen.

Trip Back to Jerusalem
We stopped at the tourist office again to verify directions to the bus. She again said it is just a few minutes walk down the road. Well..... we walked and walked and could not find anything. We asked and were told a building was the bus station. When we got to the building, we could see many busses below. The area is very hilly so the busses were about 3 stories down on the backside of the building. We wend into the building and down to the busses.  It was very chaotic and a big traffic jam of busses coming in and out. We asked several people for the bus to Jerusalem but no one knew. It was getting near the time of the last bus. A bus driver told us (translated by a passenger) the bus to Jerusalem is at a different place. He then said he would take us there in his bus. Very nice of him. Eventually, we got to the bus stop, and went back to Jerusalem.

Tomorrow, we go to the Dead Sea, Masada, and Jericho.


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1206963000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1206963000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1206963000/tpod.html Wed, 21 May 2008 14:17:00 -0400 26 Days in Israel, Palestine, and Egypt.

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Jerusalem, Israel

Dome of the Rock
We got an early start and were off to see the Dome of the Rock. The Dome is prominent in many photographs of Jerusalem. I'm sure you have seen photographs of it.

It is located on what the Israelites call the Temple Mount, above the Western Wall. The Temple Mount is the site of the temple during Solomon's time.

Tourists are only allowed to enter in one place, next to the Western Wall. This gave us an opportunity to view The Wall from above when we were in the walkway to the Dome of the Rock.

The dome is over a rock which has religious significance to the Jewish, Islamic, and Christians Religions. It is the third holiest site in Islam. It is said to be where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son. I was hoping to enter to see the rock. I was lead to believe we would be allowed to enter as long as it was morning and not Friday. However, you must be Muslim to enter the dome. We were very disappointed.

We spent about 3 hours there according to the time entries on our photographs. I think this is longer then most people. But we had a good time. It was interesting to watch a school field trip of all girls. We assumed they were Palestinians.

There was also a school nearby. Some of the older students invited us to try some of their food during recess.

Via Dolorosa
Tourist can only enter the Temple Mount area at one entrance but can leave at most others exits. We decided to leave near the Via Dolorosa.

My guide book said Via Dolorosa means, "The Way of Sorrow" but I always understood it to mean, "The Way of the Cross". It is said this is the path Jesus walked on this way to his crucifixion.

There are 14 "Stations of the Cross" marking events during Jesus' walk and crucifixion. The first 9 are marked by small chapels. The last 5 are in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We visited each of the first 9. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was very crowded. Our hotel was near so we decided to take a break and get something to eat.

At the hotel, we decided to visit the last 5 stations when the church was less crowded, maybe early the next morning because our hotel was so nearby. We decided to go to Bethlehem for the afternoon.

Bethlehem has a different type of Wall which you will see in my next entry.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1206935460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1206935460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1206935460/tpod.html Sat, 10 May 2008 20:19:48 -0400 26 Days in Israel, Palestine, and Egypt.

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Jerusalem, Israel

I picked two hotels for our stay in Jerusalem. One is the Hashimi Hotel. The other is the New Imperial Hotel. They are somewhat similar is several ways. They are both in the Old City. They are both very old hotels and used as Jerusalem hotels for centuries, yet they have been recently refurbished and brought up to date. They both got mostly somewhat good reviews on the internet. The New Imperial Hotel is near Jafa Gate, while the Hashimi is nearer the center of the old city but may be closer to Damascus Gate.

I ended up picking the Hashimi Hotel, faith also had us staying at the New Imperial Hotel after 3 nights. I will talk more about the New Imperial Hotel in a later post.

I picked the Hashimi Hotel because they were very responsive to my emails. Sometime the reply was instantaneous. While the New Imperial Hotel never replied to my emails. A VirturalTourist.com friend from Jerusalem which recommended the New Imperial Hotel called them. They said they have been having problems with their internet provider and I should call or fax them. This could be true because their web page had problems and was no longer active when I returned home. But it was too late, I already booked the Hashimi.

The lobby of the Hashimi was very crowded when we arrived. I overhear the owner telling his friend that business was very good. He has several groups booked along with individuals.

I liked the owner, he also had a brother that we didn't see too much. The owner was very helpful and tried to accommodate us. Like Mimi did not like the first room because it did not have a view. He explained they keep the view to the common areas, like in the breakfast area, and the rooftop restaurant. It was too cold to use the rooftop restaurant but both had great views of Old Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock.

Anyway, he moved us to the top floor and we also had a great view. The rooms were very small, had TV, and AC/Heater. We only used the heater because it was cold while we were there. The room was ok. It was clean as the whole hotel, but the bathroom has a smell coming form the drains. We think they did not use traps to block the smell coming thought.

They also had a refrigerator in the hallway we could use. Mimi liked shopping for food in the outdoor market near Damascus Gate. She got fruits like watermelon, she even got eggs and the hotel owner let us cook them in the kitchen. The only problem was we often got back late at night and the night man was not very helpful to Mimi. Like he said he does not have matches for the stove so she couldn't cooked the eggs. He was more responsive to me and we were able to cook the eggs. We think he did not like being told what to do by a woman.

There was also a woman at the hotel which some internet reviews companied about. We had not problems with her. I think her only problem was that she always looked very serious and did not smile.

They were also helpful with things to do, but sometime gave incorrect information. Like we asked how to get to the Dome of the Rock. He drew on our map how to get there. However, when we followed the directions, we were stopped. We were told only Muslims where allow to go this way. We had to go a different way for tourist. The people at the hotel were Muslims and told us the way they always go.

Why we had to change hotels after 3 nights
We were asked how long we were going to stay when we checked in. As always, we don't know, if the hotel is really bad, we may checkout the next day. If the hotel is ok, we don't know how long we will stay in a location. He said he needs to know because he has a lot of bookings and needs to plan. So we told him 3 days, maybe longer and will let him know later. Very often, we tell the hotel the day before we will be staying the next day and never have problems.

A day later (I think we told him we wanted to stay longer) he said a group is coming and we may have to leave at the end of our 3 days. He would let us know the next day (the third night). The next day he said the group is coming with more people then originally planned so we would have to leave. We felt that strange because we were already in the hotel, but he had more loyalty to the tour group which comes every year. He said he will help us find a hotel similar to his and recommended the New Imperial Hotel. He called and they had room. I will go more into the New Imperial Hotel in a later post.

He also said we could use his felicity while we were in Jerusalem even when we were no longer staying at the Hashimi, such as the rest rooms, the free tea (I think the tea was free), and even cook eggs in the kitchen.


More about the Hashimi
Oh, the rate for a double room with private bath, without breakfast at the Hashimi Hotel was $50.00 USD a night. Breakfast was $5.00 USD extra per person. We did not take breakfast. The $50.00 was the email price, the web price was higher.


Most of the people staying at the Hashimi seem to be in groups. One morning the breakfast area was filled with young European (mostly blond) Christian school girls. Muslim families also stay there. We met a nice Muslim family from the US. Their little girl liked our watermelon so we gave her some.

I believe the hotel has all types of rooms, from double rooms with private bath, to small dorm rooms. I think they also have singles.

You should be aware that the hotel is clean, friendly, in a good location in my opinion, and is safe. However, it is not a fancy expensive hotel. There are many expensive hotels outside of the old city if that is what you are looking for.

The Hashimi web address is:
http://www.hashimihotel.com/


Rules You Can Sleep By!
The hotel has 3 rules.

1. The HaShimi Hotel is totally alcohol free.
2. Smoking is not permitted within the sleeping rooms.
3. Co-habitation by unmarried couples is not allowed. They must have separate rooms. (Just say you are married on the check-in form)

Click on the photo on the left to read the rules
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1209506400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1209506400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1209506400/tpod.html Thu, 08 May 2008 14:25:48 -0400 26 Days in Israel, Palestine, and Egypt.

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Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Note:You can skip this entry if you like. It is mostly about the flights. The entries about Israel and Egypt will be more interesting to most people.

This trip is an open jaw trip. Meaning, we are flying to Tel Aviv, Israel. We will go over land to Egypt. Then depart Cairo, Egypt for back home. This saves us a flight back to Israel to return home. We should have had open jaw flights when we went to Greece and Turkey back in 2005. But we did not plan to go to Turkey when we booked the tickets. We arrived in Athens and had to book flights for the next day to Istanbul. This wasted time and money. We went overland and over water from Turkey to Greece. Anyway, this blog is about Israel, Palestine, and Egypt, not about the 2005 trip. :)

Security would not let us take yogurt into the secure area.
We got to the airport around 4:00 pm. We were flying to JFK and then to Tel Aviv. The Tel Aviv flight was not until 9:00 pm so we were not sure when we would eat. Mimi carried a good supply of food because of this. They would not let us take yogurt into the secure area! So we eat the yogurt before they would let us in.

Empty water bottles are ok
X-Ray also showed Mimi had a bottle in her carryon. They told us liquids were not allowed. She showed them the bottle was empty.


Flight to JFK
The flight from Boston to JFK was on a small commuter jet. The flight was very short so I booked Mimi on one side and my seat was on the other side so we could take good pictures. The quality of the pictures depended on where the sun was. I got some good pictures of Suffolk Downs and Revere Beach in the Boston area. Mimi had a good view of downtown Boston. It was getting dark when we arrived in JFK.


Flight to Israel
We have Elite Frequent Flyer status with Delta Airlines so are allowed to board early. However, the flight was already boarding when we arrived at the gate. The terminal was the old Pan Am terminal at JFK. I remember how great it was when I was a child. It needs lot of work to bring it up to a world standard airport terminal now.


This flight had it own security, even when we were in the secure area. Probably because it was going to Israel. I failed the metal detector. I did not know why because I had nothing on me. The personal screening revealed nothing. He said it must be because of my metal glasses. They also stop Mimi's water bottle. It has water in it now. They made us drink it before they allowed us to take the bottle.


The flight was a Boeing 767ER. ER stands for Extended Range for the long non-stop nearly 11 hours flight to Israel. I've been on longer flights, like over 14 hours to China on a 777. This was my first time on a 767. The seats were very cramped with little leg room. It is not the airplane but the airline that decides how cramped the seat are. Anyway, it was not very comfortable for the long flight.

I gave Mimi eye covers and ear plugs before the flight to help her sleep. The airline also gave us eye covers and ear plugs. They were not as good as the ones I gave Mimi but were still useful for me.


Only one alcoholic drink is allowed
We were allowed one free alcoholic drink on the flight. I had wine, Mimi also had wine which she gave to me. Last year (2007) there were no free alcoholic drinks on North West Airlines to China. The year before (2006), AA had free alcoholic drinks to China.

Dinner was just airplane food, nothing great. Breakfast was a joke. After dinner, we tried to sleep so we would not have too much jet lag when we arrived in Israel.

My next entry will be our first day in Israel.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1209583200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1209583200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/4/1209583200/tpod.html Mon, 05 May 2008 16:09:43 -0400 26 Days in Israel, Palestine, and Egypt.

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Tel Aviv, Israel

Tel Aviv Airport
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/china2007/1188862140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/china2007/1188862140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/china2007/1188862140/tpod.html Mon, 03 Sep 2007 19:30:17 -0400 27 and 36 Days in China

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Boston, Massachusetts, United States

I'm adding videos of this and other trips to my YouTube account at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelWithMike

Leave a comment on youtube if you like.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/china2006/1188856200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/china2006/1188856200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/china2006/1188856200/tpod.html Mon, 03 Sep 2007 19:27:26 -0400 41 Days in China and Tibet

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Boston, Massachusetts, United States

I'm adding videos of this and other trips to my YouTube account at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelWithMike

Leave a comment on youtube if you like.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/china2007/1178670000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/china2007/1178670000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/mikeysoft/china2007/1178670000/tpod.html Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:24:42 -0400 27 and 36 Days in China

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Hangzhou, China

Hi everyone,

We changed hotel to one on the lake.

The other day the wireless router went down on my hotel floor. I told them all they had to do was to recycled power on the router but no one knew anything about it. So I had limited Internet the last day or so. This morning I got up and found the router in the hall and fixed it.

Last night we met a 29 year old Chinese girl with a 72 year old UK man, yuck!

Anyway we are taking a bus to Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain) this morning so I have little time to update this. Huang Shan is famous for its scenery and is where Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed. May not have good Internet there but who knows? After that we will fly back to Shanghai before flying to Xi'an, take overnight train to Beijing, then fly back to Shanghai. Our plans may change.

I hope to update this page later, maybe when we're back home.
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