in the desert

The phone rang at 4:45AM and I shot out of bed and grabbed the receiver. The person on the line said something in Hebrew and hung up.

It took me a minute to realize that I was in Israel, in the desert, and that the phone the phone call was my wakeup call. I rolled out of bed, washed my face, laced up my sneakers, and hit the door. I met my driver, Niso, in the hotel lobby and we were on the road by 5:15.

It was still dark outside, and the surface of the dead sea, smooth as glass, reflected the lights of the hotel district. There are no towns out here in the desert – just the dead sea, a couple of beach access points, a kibbutz, and a small hotel district. In between locations, there are miles and miles of space- desert, rocks, mountains, and long roads leading away from Jerusalem and deeper into the desert.

We were driving down one of those long roads, headed towards Masada, an old fortification, built on a plateau just a few miles from the dead sea. We arrived at the trail head and started our hike in the dark. The ruins of Masada are only about 100 feet above sea level, but remember that we are at the dead sea, which is the lowest piece of dry land on earth - 1300 feet below sea level.
The hike was a killer – my lungs were burning and my calf muscles were twitching, but it was worth it - the view was stunning and we were able to watch the sun rise over the dead sea. The day before, I had floated in the super-salty water of the dead sea, and covered myself with the dark mud from its shores (it’s meant to be good for your skin). The water was so salty that it burned your skin, and so buoyant that I couldn’t submerge myself past my collarbone to wash the mud off my neck.

Anyway, the view from Masada was awesome - I took some snapshots of the Dead Sea and the surrounding area (you can see Jordan on the far side of the sea), I toured the ruins, and then hiked back down the mountain.
We then drove to meet with Adam, who lead us on a short hike, culminating in a repel down a 60 foot cliff – very cool.
That afternoon, we took a Landover through the Negev desert, hiked to a small oasis in the middle of nowhere, and had a wine tasting at a local winery / bed and breakfast.
It’s now 10:30PM and I’m finally about to sleep– it’s been a long day, by anyone’s standards. Tomorrow, we will visit the Machtesh Ramon, the largest erosion crater in the world.

Jerusalem

The city of Jerusalem is unlike any place I’ve ever been. The layers of history run deep in this city, and it’s hard to fully appreciate it all in just two days. It is a place where history and religious stories come alive, and it is a nexus of religions and cultures. There are Jews, Muslims, Christians, and representatives from many other religions and orders in this holy city.

There was so much information and there were so many sights and sites, that I’m still trying to take it all in. I saw The Temple on the Mount, the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall, and The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I went to the Yad Vashem and their Holocaust museum, saw the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Israel Museum, and stayed in a hotel with a view of Mt Zion.

Besides all the history and religion, Jerusalem is a lively and inviting city. There are hectic markets where locals rush to buy their groceries before the Sabbath, and there are bars and clubs and cafes full of young people.

This blog does no justice to the city, or to my experiences therein. I’ll have to revisit this at another time and try to do it justice.

jump.

My flight landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport at 4:30 AM. In a groggy haze, I made my way through the airport, not looking forward to the customs checkpoint. Before my flight, I had been singled out and searched excessively at Heathrow, and I expected a repeat of the strict Israeli security and too many questions at customs.

To my surprise, I was greeted at the bottom of the escalator by a young man holding a sign with my name on it (being a writer does have its perks). He whisked me through customs, introduced me to my tour guide (Mike), and I was off to the Sheraton Marion Hotel in Tel Aviv. Luckily, I had time for a nap before our tour of Tel Aviv and Jaffa.

That morning, awoke to the sun pouring in through my hotel window. It had been dark when I arrived, and I hadn’t realized that the hotel was right on the beach – and it was a very nice hotel. The weather was perfect, the beach looked beautiful, and so I took a walk in search of cigarettes and breakfast. Later, I met the rest of the group and we wandered around the city with our guide – our official introduction to Israel. Tel Aviv is a very modern city, and Jaffa is the old city adjacent– it is full of alleyways and artists, but has fallen on hard times in recent years and seemed almost deserted.

The next day we drove to Caesarea, an ancient port city built by King Herod, now restored with shops nestled inside ruins. The area has a beautiful coastline and in the summer it is a popular weekend hangout. Next, we drove north towards Haifa, but took a (planned) detour through some banana plantations to check out a skydiving center. Somehow, I ended up jumping out of an airplane that afternoon.

The Ministry of Tourism had arranged for one of us to skydive, and I was volunteered for the job. To be honest, I was completely terrified, but the staff made me very comfortable and before I knew it, I was wearing a jumpsuit, strapped to an instructor, and speeding down a runway in an old Cessna airplane. We ascended to 11,000 feet, they opened the doors, and I jumped. To be fair, the guy I was strapped to jumped, I just sat there trying not to freak out. The freefall was exhilarating, but it only lasted for about 50 seconds. After that, the ripcord was pulled and we floated gently back towards earth. The view was pretty incredible. Below me was the Stunning Mediterranean coastline of Israel, just north was the city of Haifa, and beyond that was Mt. Hermon and the border with Syria.

All in all, it was an incredible experience, and I’m glad that I went through with the jump, despite my original hesitation.

Currently, I’m in Jerusalem, which is an incredible city. There is so much history here, it’s really overwhelming. I’ll have post a Jerusalem update on another day, once I soak it all in.

London Still..

The last couple of days it has been nice to just chill out in London. I convinced Jocelyn to extend her stay and hang out for a couple days, intending to show her around the city. Somehow we both had some money issues (declined cards, overdrawn accounts, etc.) so that put a bit of a damper on the sightseeing. (I’m very broke.)

With my financial situation somewhat sorted out, I met up with Zoe for some drinks. Good times, cool old pub, very nice to catch up. Today I spent some time wandering the city with two new friends from the Contiki trip and we met up with Bec for a coffee in Covent Garden. Its been good to see some old friends and hang out with new ones.

Tomorrow I’m hoping to hang out with Paddy, maybe go to a club, who knows. (I have to keep reminding myself that I am broke, and that London is a very expensive city.)

Anyway, don’t feel like writing much or philosophizing about travel and friends and whatnot – just thought it was time for an update.

I’m staying here in London until the 22^nd, at which point I will by flying to Israel to adventure around a bit and get some material for a feature I am writing for Student Traveler Magazine. (I just got an email from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism reminding me to “bring rappelling gear"…???).

That’s all for now.

Back to London

This Contiki fiasco is finally coming to an end, and the camaraderie is in full swing as people take group photos, exchange emails, and make plans to visit each other in the future. Some of us are already nostalgic for these days of cheap Italian wine, crowded Parisian cafes, and too little sleep. I certainly won’t miss the bus rides, but I will miss the people.

We are currently in Paris, headed back to London tomorrow morning. I can honestly say that I’m glad that this part of the trip is almost over. Before I even came on this trip, I knew that Contiki wasn’t really my kind of travel – I’m more of a solo artist, and I certainly don’t like plans.

Still, somehow the hectic get-up-and-go, the too-long bus rides, the too-little sleep, and the drunken chaotic mess that is Contiki crawls under your skin and wraps itself around your heart like some kind of parasite. It gets in your head and pushes aside thoughts of “back home” and “old friends” to make room for new places and new people. Somehow, Contiki becomes your life, and as much as you want to hate the 6:00AM wakeup calls and the crappy continental breakfasts and the smelly, uncomfortable bus rides, at least you’ve got your new friends to suffer with.

I got to meet and hang out with some really cool people, and I got to gain new perspectives on old destinations. Somewhere along the road, you stop fighting the tour and just let it all happen. Those people on the bus with you, strangers just days ago, are suddenly your family. Those old tourist-trap cities are suddenly exciting and lively. It’s a whole different kind of travel.

That’s all for today. I’ve got to get some work done before night falls, as it is our last night here and I’m sure I have quite a bit of drinking ahead of me.

Cheers!

-Justin

All roads lead to Rome

Yesterday I rediscovered a city that I had once written off as just another old, dirty tourist trap. I always understood the cultural and historical significance of Rome, but I never saw past it.

I took my first trip to Rome when I was just 19 years old. I snapped pictures of the crumbling coliseum, wandered around the Vatican, and got drunk on the roof of some local hostel. I remember playing cards with my brother and some girl from New York, drinking Peroni beer and feeling like this was what travel was all about. In some ways I was right – a big part of the traveling experience has to do with meeting people. Making and breaking bonds as you pass from city to city, sharing experiences and posing with each other for pictures in front of monuments and skylines – this is all part of the journey. Still, during that first trip to in Rome I never took the time to really experience the city for what it was – I just thought it had some cool ruins.

Rome is a city of ruins, but not a city in ruin. It is a thriving, exciting, and beautiful place full of charming cafes, crowded pubs, careening motorbikes, cobble stoned alleyways, fancy shopping, great food, and yes, miles and miles of ruins.

Yesterday was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. I wandered the Vatican, cruised through some ancient ruins, discovered an amazing park with children playing amongst orange trees just in front of an incredible view of the city, drank wine in a bookshop / bar built above Roman ruins (there is a big glass window in the floor - awesome), tossed two coins into the Trevi Fountain, and had dinner and more wine in a friendly little Italian restaurant. All this with a small group of people from the tour who I really like.

I’ve often said that sometimes it is the people, more than the place, that affect your experience in a city. Rome was perhaps a bit of both. Good times, good people, and one amazing, old, dirty, exciting, beautiful, and friendly city – with a lot of ruins.

Location: London

I arrived in London yesterday evening after a long and uneventful flight. Believe it or not, it’s not even that cold here –and that is coming from a person who wears winter coats and scarves in Los Angeles. I hate the cold.

Anyway, I’ve spent the last day and a half wandering around the city and recovering from jetlag. London is an awesome place. Pubs and kebab vendors on every corner, pedestrians everywhere, everyone in a rush to get somewhere. I spent the whole day just wandering around, my motive being to find a cheap watch. Well, I never did find a watch, but I did rediscover something that I have always loved about solo travel. Back home, one rarely takes the time to just sit and watch the world around them, but when you are on the road, with no real schedule, it’s so much easier to take it all in. The people and events of the world are much more entertaining than reality TV and computer games.

Example: For Lunch today I had a lamb kebab, which I ate in the “Leicester Square Fun Fair”, a mini-carnival set up in the middle of Leicester Square. There was a merry-go-round, a spinning teacups-type ride, and a couple of carnival games – no cotton candy in sight (those poor Brits don’t know what they’re missing!)

As I ate the kebab (delicious), I sat and just watched the world pass by. Couples walked hand in hand and business men rushed through the crowd with overcoats and briefcases. A little girl started to cry when her parents wouldn’t let her ride the merry-go-round. They tried to pull the old “we’re walking away, so you better stop crying and follow us” move. But she didn’t follow. She stood there and held her little hand out to the strangers that walked by, as if to say “stop! Help me!” Her parents hovered at a safe distanced, waiting for her to give up and come running, but she was persistent. An old silver-haired Brit was so disturbed by the tearful little girl, that he stopped in front of her, side-stepped her, and kept walking. Here’s to human compassion.

Eventually she ran back to her mom. The whole scene was sad and cute and charming – better than anything I’ve seen on TV in a while.

Anyway, the Contiki crew arrives tomorrow, and I’m still a little bit nervous about teaching this class. I’m sure it will go fine, but I want to be sure I’m well prepared, so I gotta run.

Oh, and check out my friend Sheila’s blog – she just started a big “around-the-world” trip, and she is awesome, so read her blog. Strangely enough, our flights left LAX about 15 minutes apart, so we got to hang out in the terminal for an hour or so before we both left.

That’s all for now.

NYE

Just after 2am, my booze-clouded mind convinced me that it would be a good idea to walk home from the bar.

It was New Years and I had somehow gotten separated from the pack and was sitting alone at a private booth in the Cabana Club on Sunset and Ivar. The table was strewn with empty bottles of beer, booze and chasers. It was beautiful.

Amongst the empties I noticed an almost full bottle of Kettle one, which I proceeded to shove down my pants. The night was over and the bottle was already paid for, so I didn’t feel bad for swiping it. (Kenny, I owe you a bottle of Kettle).

Anyway, I looked around for my friends outside, but didn’t see anyone. The cab situation was impossible, so I thought I would just walk down the street to hail a cab there. With the bottle still shoved down the front of my pants, I stumbled forward and started walking. I was distracted by my drunken state and an equally drunken text conversation, and I suddenly I found myself at the corner of Ivar and Melrose, with no cabs in sight.

Walking became a mission. I just kept going, plodding forward. I was alone, drunk, a bit cold, and yes, I still had a bottle of Kettle One shoved down the front of my pants. I can't think of a more ridiculous, or more “me” thing to do on Newyears (yeah, I’m weird like that). All in all I walked total of 4.3 miles (according to google maps). I stopped once to buy a pack of cigarettes and once to pee in an alley. It took about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Happy Nears everyone!

Check out all my pictures from New Years at the Cabana Club on Flikr.

I’m headed to London tomorrow, so expect a jet lagged update at some point.

-j

PS- If you’d like to receive an email whenever I update my blog, please enter your email in the box on the right. Thanks!