Israel Check-In, February 2015

Back in Israel after 34 years. Aerial view of Kibbutz Shefayim where I lived for a few months in 1977 and met my wife, Regina. We came back and stayed on different kibbutzim in 1981 as well.

Eilat, Israel

Funky hostel in Eilat. I walked over the border from Aqaba, Jordan, and hitch-hiked into town. Last few times into this country took 3+ hours. This time...20 minutes. Go figure.

Buddy running the hostel was an artist. So happy to be warm after a few days of 3C in Petra. Going for a swim, asap.

The beach at Eilat. Once one of my favorite places. Have slept on this beach many times. Now all squeezed out by restaurants and hotels and within 100m of the airport runways. Freaks me out. I expected change, but was not ready for this.

I go for a swim, have a beer and sit to watch sundown. I see a lot of sunrises and sundowns when backpacking. I am very emotional here...I spent some formative time in this country. They say you can't go back, and tonite...I agree.

The Gulf of Aqaba. The hills are as beautiful as I remember. Back in the 70's, I hitch-hiked down to Sharm El-Sheikh, which is now part of Egypt. Slept outside in a big sandstorm in Nuweibaa. Quite scary.

I love Middle Eastern food and music. Quite happy to be here, even with all the emotional baggage.

Was scheduled to work on a Wwoofing farm near the Dead Sea, but had to change plans. Jerusalem had a big snowstorm (not my photo), so I headed up to Nazareth, a town I had not been to in my previous travels.

Nazareth, Israel

There is a very funky hostel in the Old City, very well-run by a mix of Jews and Arabs. Arabs make up 20%+ of Israeli citizens.

Just a gorgeous hostel, with a free, hot breakfast that is a great social mixer. A lot of people here for a cross-country trail run thru olive orchards.

I used to collect old radios, and still have one just like this. I will be walking the 4 day Jesus Trail from Nazareth to Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee.

The start of the Jesus Trail...Mt. Precipice.

Along the trail, in Zippori National Park, there is a stunning Byzantine mosaic.

The tiles are about 1 cm square and up close, the detail is just amazing.

These things were everywhere and just crack me up.

A field of poppies after leaving the Arab town of Cana. We stayed in a brand new hostel run by a local Arab woman. We got to eat with her mother and hubby and kids and it was a very special evening.

Laura, a pastor from Chicago, was my travelling mate the first 2 days. She was making a little documentary, so we stopped in the churches built where Jesus made water into wine and fed the multitudes.

I stopped at a goat farm in Ilaniya. A very funky place. My next travelling buddy, Pius, had been there the day before, working for his food and lodging.

Because of the season, I am dealing with rain and slogging thru mud. Lots of time to enjoy the little things.

My first view of Sea of Galilee, thru the Horns of Hattin. This makes me very happy, mostly because the mud is wearing me out.

What is this, you say. It is what a large pile of cow manure looks like, just after you have sunk your hiking shoe into it.

Doesn't take a lot of elevation to make me happy. I used to live close to here, on a kibbutz about 12 kms inland.

This is just so beautiful. I will be clambering over the cliff on the right and then down the path in the middle Then off the trail to hitch-hike into Tiberias for a hostel for the night.

I can see the Sea! Highest point around for a bunch of kilometers. Only 3 days to get here, but I am happy to be on foot in the Holy Land.

This cliff face has been closed due to weather, but since I snuck into the Park, no one knows I am here and presto, the trail option is open for me. Bit dicey on the iron rails, but I am in no hurry

Day 4. Pius and I are back on the Trail with a few German girls who stayed in Arbel the night before.

Mother and daughter re-connecting on the Trail. Both pretty cool people.

The Gospel Trail and Jesus Trail are essentially the same thing going to the same places. One pushed by the Israelis, the other by the local Arabs. Ah, the Middle East.

Of course, first thing I do is go for a swim. Last time I swam here was 1981. First time was 1977.

There are half-dozen churches in this area. This one is Greek Orthodox. Busloads of tourists everywhere. Bit of a shock after 4 days on the Trail.

This from the very utilitarian hostel in Tiberias. The painting cracks me up.

The next day, I hitch-hike up to one of my old Kibbutzim. This one is Parod, just south of Safed. The place had changed a lot. I had left there under a bit of a cloud (long story), so didn't make myself known...just wandered about and found the old buildings the volunteers used to live in. There was a volunteer strike a few days after I left, and when I returned for a visit a few weeks later, they let me stay for the Toga Party, then asked me to leave. They blamed me for the strike.

A little garden spot in the Artist Colony in Safed, still one of the prettiest places in Israel.

Back in Nazareth before heading to Tel Aviv. I ate in this place a few nights, arguing politics with the outspoken owner.

Tel Aviv, Israel

Picture says it all.

I am staying beside the beach in a great hostel, again with a big free breakfast. The beach goes forever in Tel Aviv. I get in lots of swimming, but no surfing. Content to watch.

Swimming with some Russians at sunset, so I get them to take a photo.

Picture at the water tower on Kibbutz Shefayim, same place as the photo of Regina and I back in 1977 (inset). Easily one of the happiest days of my life.

I introduced myself to some kibbutzniks and told them my story. Got invited to have a meal in dining hall (mid-afternoon) for old-times sake.

Most of the old volunteer quarters are gone, but this was the old style. The place is dramatically changed. There is a big water park (declined to go there), a big mall. The beach is fenced off, I had to sneak under. Glad I took a week or so to show up here, or I would have been devastated.

I go skinny dipping everywhere I go. Not a big deal here on the Mediterranean. I am at a nude beach here, maybe the only Canuck.

I wander thru the refet (cow barns) to the kibbutz graveyard. No need to worry where the mall is...you can see it from the cemetery. Just jarring. Shafayim used to be a farm with about 300 people, now a small town.

Back in Tel Aviv. I am living at the beach.

I take a day and head to Jerusalem, to tour the old places. While at the Western Wall, I get into a bit of a scuffle...in the 70's and early 80's, I think it was males only...if not always, then most of the time. I wander towards the Wall to pay my respects...lots of yelling, a few people swatting at me. I am in the Women's section. I make amends and they give me candle Hannukah gifts for my daughters.

You can't get to Dome of the Rock (background) anymore, unless a Muslim with a local Muslim. I try to sneak in thru one of the old markets entrances, but get stopped by Israeli police.

The only problem with this meal is the Western prices. I have a hard time eating on the cheap in this country. This same meal in Jordan would be less than 50% of the price here.

Israel. Peace out.

Saudi Arabia, Jordan (Petra) and NYC

Grandpa B and Langston at the beach in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Dammam, Saudi Arabia

It took a bit of work to get a visa to Saudi Arabia. Usually, I vote with my feet...you make the visa process difficult..I go visit one your neighbours instead. But Sophie, Shaq, and first grandson, Langston (after the poet) were living in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, so off I go. As luck would have it, Shaq's mother, Aliyyah, was going to be there same time as me, so our families could start to get to know each other.

On landing, I was stuck in physically oppressive visa line for 3 hours with a few hundred Pakistani men on their way to start their work contracts. As it turns out, I could have lobbied to jump that line, you know...as a white, middle-aged Westerner. Saudi is a very hierarchical society.

Being a Grandpa is a hoot. It is as much fun as it is touted to be. Sophie looked good. Tired for sure, but definitely a Mom. So cool. Shaq took us all around to various places like the beach and local hangouts, and we got in daily walks, but the week was all about Langston, and everyone getting to know each other.

Shaq and his Mom, Aliyyah.

I am so very glad to be here. I love this photo.

My guy, Langston. King of his little world.

Sorry for Disturbing by Our Stickers!!!

Amman, Jordan

Jordan is quite a place. Every interaction I had with a local was warm and friendly. No exceptions. This gets in your head after awhile. The only other place that affected me like this was Indonesia. Though the garbage was not at Indonesia levels, the trash was still pretty amazing. Little black garbage bags by the hundreds, every where, on every tree and bush. Like inadvertent decorations.

Meals in Jordan tasty and HUGE! It became a logistics problem, certainly could not eat 2 of these full meals a day...and I was raised to clean the plate, so it was a problem. I tend to eat in places where the front of the shop is open, and you can see the food you will be buying. I also tend to be walking a lot and off the beaten track, so a lot of these places would not see someone like me very often. I point to food, say "Yes" a lot, say "Salad" and "Tea" and off we go.

I love not really knowing what will on my plate...and the cost. All food is an 8 out of 10 anyway and some of these very cheap meals are as good as I ever have.

Water cistern in the Citadel, above Amman, Jordan.

It's all fun and games until the first kid says...Baksheesh!

Would love to watch a university engineering class tackle this little build problem. Simple post&beam, eh?

The Romans were eveywhere. Still in Amman, Jordan.

My first hoopoe!!! This little guy was hanging around all afternoon. The Citadel. Amman, Jordan.

When you don't speak the language, just walk up to one of the many food stops open to the street and point to whatever is cooking. They will make you a plate.

Petra (Wadi Musa), Jordan

To say that I enjoyed Petra would be quite the understatement. I absorbed the place. I was there for 3 solid days and an evening. I know the place inside out. I know a bunch of the locals who work on-site. I've been on all the hikes you may have heard of, plus a few more. I was enthralled. I would go again in a heartbeat. The size of the site is stunning. The colours are stunning. The locals that work there are pretty cool. The cliff monuments are just stunning.

I have been lucky enough to have travelled a lot and have been to some pretty amazing places. It is sort of like when you visit a big, famous city...like Paris, New York or Seoul. Or go to a big Broadway play. There is a reason they are famous...they blow you away. Petra is in that class. It should be on everyone's Bucket List.

My first view of of the Treasury at Petra, Jordan after coming thru the Siq waterway. I will be here for 3 solid days and an evening, and absorb the place.

I am so happy! I have been wanting to be right here at the Treasury for quite a few years.

I'm on break, pal. This is a union site.

This amphitheatre wasn't constructed...it was carved.

I needed these guys for scale. These are not little holes in the mountain.

If you wait long enough...you are the only person at the Treasury.

Walking back to town. I had a glorious day!

Mohammed made me more food than I could eat in a day. Feel like I am in America.

These are the carved waters channels along the Siq, allowing movement of water into the town at various times of the year.

Day 2. Homebase...the Treasury. I will hang here 8 times over a few days, including the night show, and a hike up a cliff across from the face. I love this place. The light is fantastic.

View from the Presidential Suite.

These little Mini-Me's cracked me up.

The colours on this site are just stunning. The place is so big and spread out. Everything is monumental

It was a painting like this that made me want to get to Petra someday.

If you wait long enough (and come in February) you can get shots devoid of other people.

I love arches and small spaces, so this is one of my favorite views.

Really, it is like I am the only one here. Must say, I enjoy the feeling.

I am drinking a lot of tea and coffee in Jordan. Not easy to get a beer (sort of like Saudi Arabia). In Wadi Musa, where I am staying, one beer is about $15.

I admire the tenacity found in desert climes. Would to know just how this little plant made it this far.

See all the colours in the rock. This is part of the hike up to the High Place of Sacrifice.

The views are non-stop and stunning, every one of them.

A lot of locals have their little shops on site, basically placed wherever they think they can way-lay you. It's off-season, on a little used hike, so no one here today.

Day 3. Sunny and cold. I have done the big hikes. Looking for an offbeat one today. Looks almost biblical.

This is like the pup-tent out in the backyard when you were a teenager.

I am hiking to a cliff up across from the Treasury. Most tourists are here for a day, maybe 2. You would not do this hike unless you had 3 days. Me, I'm here till I am done.

A little spot for tea, sitting on a sheer cliff, 100 feet or so above the Treasury. This makes me as happy as I get.

Having tea and lunch (canned tuna and pita), listening to Reggae music and chilling with Ibad, the guy who has staked out the best view in Petra.

I trade my English sign-making skills for the tea and lunch. The sign says...Treasury View...Simply Stunning...Bruce M..Canada.

Got a chance to leave my signature on the wall (Kilgore Trout..So It Goes...I was the same age as Ibad in the 70's, when both Reggae and Kurt Vonnegut were all the rage. Been a cool day.

Sunset from my hostel. The dorm was less than $10 a nite, but with no heat or hot water in February (3C)...Yikes!

The Treasury at night. Highlight of any trip.

The show was subdued and the crowd's mood matched it. A most wonderful experience.

I had coffee at the end of each day with Mohammed and Tarik. Mohammed found me at the end of the ceremony to say goodbye.

New York

New York is home base for me when I am travelling. I have been there at least once a year since 1976 and always pass thru there on my way coming or going. Sophie was living there before she moved to Saudi Arabia and Emily has been living there for a big chunk of the time since she left Halifax.

She lives on the edge of the urban renewal part of Williamsburg, which means that there are many funky new diners, restaurants and bars to choose from. I got to my favorite diner, an opera at the Met and a concert featuring Feist at one of my old music haunts...Webster Hall just below Union Square.

In New York to visit with Hank&Rose and daughter Emily. I scrounge standing room ticket for Bizet's Carmen at the Met. Again, this makes me very happy.

I hit the Seinfield diner most times in NYC. It does not rest on any laurels. The place is packed most mornings with locals. The staff is extremely good and the food is excellent.

Emily and I got a fair number of small, funky restaurants, as well as Webster Hall for Feist and the annivesary party for Cherry Tree records. Was last at this bar as The Ritz in 1980 for Ry Cooder. Great bar.