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Middle East - October 2017

October - November 2017
A 27-day adventure by Paulnangie's Adventures Read more
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  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 14

    Israel

    October 20, 2017 in Israel ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Today we drove north of Tel Aviv to the city of Haifa at the foot of the Carmel Mountains. On the way we stopped at the small village of Zichron Ya'acov where we visited the Aaronsohn Family Home & N.I.L.I. Museum. We learnt all about the sacrifice this family made to provide intelligence to the British forces on Turkish movements from 1915-1917.
    The acronym N.I.L.I. stands for "Netzah Israel Lo leshaker" - "the Eternity of Israel will not lie", taken from 1 Samuel 15:29. It was essentially the first Jewish underground.
    The goals of N.I.L.I. were:
    ▪To assist the British army in winning the war against the Turks by collecting intelligence material
    ▪To support the Jewish community in Eretz Israel who suffered from famine & disease
    ▪To draw the attention of the outside world to the situation in the country
    ▪To further the Zionist dream of a National Homeland
    Due to the assistance of N.I.L.I. spy ring, the British (& allied forces) succeeded in conquering Palestine from the Ottoman Empire, & this accelerated the end of the war in the entire region.
    At the port city of Haifa we stopped for a wreath laying ceremony at a small cemetary where 19 members of the 4th LH Regiment are resting in peace after fighting in the battle of Semakh on 25th September 1915.
    The drive back to Tel Aviv was 1.5 hours on the coast road & many wonderful landmarks were pointed out along the way. Once we arrived back at the hotel we went for a walk along the beach to the old port of Jaffa & explored her hidden pathways & history.
    Another great day done & dusted.    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 15

    Israel

    October 21, 2017 in Israel ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    We awoke to another jam packed day full of activities & places to visit. Our first stop was the ancient port city of Caesarea; the beautiful weather that we have experienced on this trip, has made for fantastic photo opportunities. The history of this once great city was incredible! Next we stopped just up the road to view the ancient aquaducts that brought fresh water to the city; amazing architectural & engineering feats & in a beautiful location along the Mediterranean Sea.
    The next hour was spent taking in the gorgeous views of the Israeli countryside (very similar to Australia) on our way to lunch at the ancient Tel Megiddo aka. Armageddon. Wow! The view was phenomenal! No wonder this was such a strategic stronghold for millennia! We could see the hills of Nazareth, Mount Tabor, Carmel Mountain Range & the Jordan Valley from here.
    After lunch we drove for another hour to Nazareth for a quick photo opportunity from the top of Mount Precipice. Hokey smokes, the view from here was breathtaking - way higher than Megido! We could have spent all day exploring the old city of Nazareth - we will definitely have to come back 😁
    We were back on the bus again for the 45 minute journey to the serene Sea of Galilee where we enjoyed a cruise before checking in to our accommodation for the next three nights - a kibbutz on the edge of the Sea of Galilee (Nof Ginosar). A beautiful, relaxing place to lay our weary heads after a long day of travelling.    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 16

    Israel (Golan Heights)

    October 22, 2017 in Israel ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    Today we had another beautiful day of sunshine & blue sky - the weather has been perfect thus far! We started out a little later today which was good, as we needed a moment to catch our breath.
    We are still located at the Kibbutz on the edge of the Sea of Galilee & essentially travelled north east today to the border regions with Lebanon & Syria - we were exploring the Golan Heights!
    Our first stop was Mount Bental, with a wonderful coffee shop (Coffee Anan) & lookout at the top. Mount Bental is a dormant volcano & is also a strategic UN outpost used to survey the happenings over the border in Syria. If you stopped & were quiet, you could hear the odd gunshot in the distance - we later found out that four missiles were intercepted mid flight the night before...
    From here we headed down the mountain & closer to the Syrian border, where we stopped, overlooking Golan Volcanic Park, & listened to a talk given by a recently retired Brigadier General & Chief of Staff (Northern Region) from the Israeli Defence Force on the current military situation & it's recent past - it was so fascinating & informative. From here we could clealy view the border fence & crossing, the destoryed town of Quneitra on the Syrian side, & the UN Peacekeeping base on the Israeli side. The difference in the fruitful abundance of the Israeli side in comparison with the desolate wasteland on the Syrian side was immense & incredibly thought provoking...
    We were back on the road again & heading north (only a few minutes up the road) to the Druze village of Mas'ade (Masada) - The Israeli Druze are a unique religious and ethnic minority among Arab citizens of Israel. Mas'ade is a small town of approximately 3,500 not too far from Mount Hermon - the highest point in Israel & home to Israel's only ski fields (there was no snow there at this time though). We had a wonderful falafel for lunch here before continuing up into the hills, passing Nimrod's Fortress along the way.
    Our next stop was the ruins of the ancient (4500 BC) Israelite City of Dan (Tel Dan) & taking in the incredible history & beauty of this world renowned National Park. We saw where the spring that forms the Dan River is located & I even managed to dip my feet in a pool of cool waters. We saw a 700 year old flour mill & the oldest arch known in history - a Canaanite gate. After spending almost 2 hours exploring this ancient area we were back on the bus again & descending into the beautiful Hula Valley where we were just in time for a tour of the Hula Valley Bird Centre & a trip on one of their camouflaged tractor trailers to view the migrating birds come in to rest for the evening in the grassy marshlands. We saw flamingos, herons, cranes (they are so big & noisy), black ibis (a little more glamourous than the 'dump birds' we have at home), kingfishers, pelicans & ....a wild boar! It was incredible! The setting sun reflecting off the mountains boardering Lebanon created perfect picture opportunities & topped off the day.    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 17

    Israel

    October 23, 2017 in Israel ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We had a rest day today and bypassed the itinerary. We got up to date with all of our washing; had an afternoon nap; explored the museum onsite at the kibbutz - Galilee Miracles Centre & enjoyed a walk along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It was wonderful to just rest & catch our breath.
    The museum was fascinating & contained a boat found, not far from the kibbutz, in 1986 that has been dated to the first century BC!
    The boat was over 8m long & was made using 12 different types of wood. It was found after the waters had receded, during a severe drought & the tale of its excavation & restoration was really interesting.    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 18

    Israel

    October 24, 2017 in Palestine ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    Today we left the beautiful northern region of Israel & headed south to Jerusalem! A journey that took approximately 2 hours because we stopped along the way, to lay a wreath in honor of the fallen, just outside of Jericho.
    It was an interesting view from our window along the way, as the border with Jordan was visible in many places, just on the edge of the road. We saw many warning signs of landmines beyond the barbed wire fence 🤤! Unfortunately, we had to bypass the city of Jericho altogether, as it is a Palestinian controlled territory & our guide, Zel, being Jewish, would have had to have sought special permission to show us around. The history of fighting, wars & land control is fascinating & far more complex than we realised. Zel filled us in as best he could; his maps made it alot easier to understand, as we could visually see how frequently the borders have shifted in the past 100 years.
    Our first stop in Jerusalem was the beautiful Mount of Olives, with its incredible views over the city. A few photos were taken here before we were back on the bus & winding our way down to the Old City - a 0.9sq km walled area within the modern city of Jerusalem.
    We pulled up near the famed Southern Steps & headed in via the Dung Gate. Our first stop was the famous Western/Wailing Wall, where we all spent some time reflecting - it was pretty awesome to be right there in the midst of it all. Next, we wove our way through the ancient streets & alley ways, taking in the history of bygone eras at every twist & turn. In amongst the maze that it is, we ended up at the Christian Quarter where we steadily made our way through the throngs of people shopping in the marketplace. At the top of an alley we arrived out into the plaza containing the Tower of David. The history at every turn was incredible. We enjoyed a beautiful lunch at Christ Church, a refreshing oasis hidden behind tall gates - the break was a welcome relief in order to absorb the massive amount of history we has just absorbed in walking the 500m or so.
    After a quick half an hour of exploring, we made our way out through the Jaffa Gate & back on to our bus, bound for the hotel - Dan Jerusalem. We had an hour to settle in & change before we headed back out to the Tower of David for a special concert by our band, followed by an incredible special showing of a sound & light show. It was spectacular!
    It is now 9.50pm & our eyes are barely staying open. It is off to bed for us in preparedness for our next adventure tomorrow...    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 19

    Israel

    October 25, 2017 in Palestine ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    Today we were back in the Old City & started out by exploring Hezekiah's Tunnel (Siloam Tunnel); an incredible feat of engineering from the 8th Cenury BC! The tunnel leads from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam. The curving tunnel is 533 m long, and by using the 30 cm altitude difference between its two ends, which corresponds to a 0.06 percent gradient, the engineers managed to convey the water from the spring to the pool. Absolutely incredible! The water was cold & crystal clear in the tunnel with the deepest part about mid-thigh height. The tunnel was very narrow & low in parts &, without the aid of our torches, pitch black - definitely not for the claustrophobic. We came out the other end unscathed & with another great memory.
    Back on the bus again & we were heading to the other side of the city to visit Yad Vashem - the World Holocaust Rememberance Centre; what a sombre & sobering experience. A must do for anyone visiting the city. You cannot help but be moved; both of us were welling up at the atrocities that occurred during this awful period in history. The Centre is meticulously maintained & presented, acting as a very fitting tribute to the memories of the millions that lost their lives (including 1.5 million children).
    Paul & I took a taxi from the museum back to the Old City where we spent the afternoon exploring & shopping in the Jewish & Armenian Quarters. The Jewish Quarter was our favourite; it was so peaceful watching families go about their business in the laneways. The silversmiths & scribes were fascinating to watch, perfecting their craft. It was a wonderful way to round out the day.    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 20

    Israel

    October 26, 2017 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Today we left Jerusalem & headed south to Beersheba with a stop at Masada & a swim in the Dead Sea along the way. However, before beginning our journey, we held a wreath laying service at Mt Scopus cemetary (Jerusalem) where our band played a beautiful tribute & our group were able to reflect on the sacrifices made by New Zealanders & Australians in WWI. Mt Scopus is to the Middle East what Lone Pine is to Gallipoli & Villers-Bretonneux is to France & Belgium. It was a very moving, beautiful service.
    After battling the morning traffic in Jerusalem, we were on our way heading along the coastline (& boy was it beautiful) of the Dead Sea towards Masada Fortress - the most visited site in Israel (outside of Jerusalem)! Our guide, Zel, told us about how much the water level has receded over the years & the problem that has been created with sinkholes occuring due to underground freshwater springs. Approximately 40 minutes later we could see the mountain that held the ancient fortress, separated from the mountainous ridgeline surrounding it. We caught a cable car up to the top as the heat in this arid, desert-like area was already at about 34°C & made it too hot for most of the group to contemplate walking up, via the zigzagged path that lead to the top.
    The view from the top; it was phenomenal! You could see for miles in every direction. The ruins were amazing and spread from one side to the other of the diamond shaped plateau - they really were completely self sufficient & very civilised on the mountaintop, thousands of years ago. There was remanents of grain store houses, mosaic baths & even a three tiered palace built into the side of one end!
    We had enough of the hot, dry heat up there after about an hour or so & made our way back down to the bottom (via cable car again) for a refreshing lunch before heading off to cool down in the Dead Sea.
    The Dead Sea - what an incredible experience! Even walking in the water was a struggle. Your legs are so buoyant due to the salt content. It was difficult even to right yourself after floating on your back. Those who cannot swim would have no problem here as it is impossible to sink 😁. We felt fantastic afterwards!
    Another hour down the road, & after driving up out of the valley back to above sea level, we reached our final destination - Beersheba; where Australian & New Zealand flags are displayed with Israeli flags on every light post along the main roads.
    Our bed at the Leonardo Hotel was welcome relief tonight!    Read more

  • TravelerMiddle East - October 2017
    Day 21

    Israel

    October 27, 2017 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Today was all about farewelling the riders & getting them set up for the beginning of their three night trek 'In the Footsteps of the Light Horse'.
    Our first stop was to Chauvel's Hill, on the outskirts of town, where we got group photos of all of the tour. We then headed to the Turkish trenches to see where the Turks opposed British Forces in 1917.
    Our final stop was at Park Eshkol for a picnic lunch. This was where the riders set up their tents for the night & were introduced to their horses for the first time. Someone got the word out & the media started arriving in droves; it was good to see so many Aussie crews there, including the ABC.
    Later this evening a concert was held in the park for visitors & locals alike - it was apparantly well received with the Mayoress giving a resounding welcome speech to the Australian Light Horse (we opted not to attend as we were beat from the big day).    Read more

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