Bethlehem and Jerusalem are practically neighbors. The trip from Jerusalem’s Old City takes no more than 10-15 minutes. At least it would if you didn’t have to cross “The Wall…”

Israel‘s 8-meter (26 foot) high “Security wall” separates Israeli-controlled Jerusalem from the fully Palestinian-controlled areas of the “West Bank” (or, as one Palestinian said to me, “Occupied Palestine”). Similar to a modern day version of the Berlin Wall, this “security wall” effectively serves to imprison the Palestinians, as, short of a special permit, Palestinians are not allowed to enter Israel-proper (West Bank-based Palestinians are not Israeli citizens) and vice-versa for Israelis (with exception to those settlements you’ve heard so much about…).

F0r foreigners, though, the journey between the two cities is a relatively painless one. And after clearing the prison-like checkpoint to enter the Palestinian Territory, you’re free to go (nobody ever looked at my passport, despite my having gone back and forth twice).

What I found particularly fascinating about this wall, and in fact Bethlehem itself (which I was otherwise no fan of) is the graffiti that lines the Bethlehem side. These are scenes of protest, images of political prisoners, statements of support and just plain artwork. It’s a flash point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict right in front of you…

I was really taken by this and would love to share some of those images with you now:

What do you think?

What are your thoughts on this wall?

Original Content: Photo Essay: Graffiti on Bethlehem’s “Security Wall” from Aaron's Worldwide Adventures - Unlikely Places. Ultimate Experiences.. All rights reserved.

“Where you go? Nuweiba?,” the man asked. “No, Taba,” I replied from the back of the jeep that had ferried me from my beachside hotel to the bus station.

“Taba, 250 pounds,” he said. I balked.

“Okay, 180 pounds.” I balked again.

“I go to Nuweiba anyway and I take you there for 50 Egyptian pounds. I take others too. We go now.”

Knowing that Nuweiba was halfway from where I was in Dahab on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, to Taba, the border with Israel, I agreed. After all, I was in a bit of a hurry as I was hoping to get to Aqaba in Jordan in time to catch the last bus on to Petra.

Little did I know, however, that I would be embarking on a journey that would have me questioning why I had even begun to speak with this man. A journey that would make me a witness to some strange oddities and perhaps, some illegal activity. And a journey that would make me wonder if I’d seen the last of my days…

Nuweiba-Bound

He walks me towards his pickup truck, at which point I realized that there were no others. The guy lied to me right off the bat about that! That should have been a red flag right there, but I sat down next to him in the front seat of his battered old Chevy pickup truck that was probably older than me. That’s about when things started to get real interesting.

Checkpoints & Fingerprints

Egypt is full of checkpoints and every town, particularly in Sinai, seems to have them. So as we approach the Dahab checkpoint, the driver stops suddenly to talk to some people on the side of the road. Soon, it’s clear that they’re arguing and my driver reaches under the cover of his dashboard and pulls out a book to show them. A book containing fingerprints. Lots and lots of fingerprints. No good. He pulls forward.

“10 pounds!” he barks at me. “What?? Why?!” I asked. “You give me 10 pounds now and I charge you 40!” Begrudgingly, I opened my wallet and pulled out a 10 pound note. He backs up and uses the 10 pound note to bribe the men he was just arguing with. And we’re off again.

Nuweiba

Upon arrival in Nuweiba, he stops short of the bus station. “I have a friend, he take you to Taba for 100 pounds,” he tells me. I didn’t even have that many pounds left. But maybe the friend is willing to bargain and the bus is an hour away, so we wait. And wait.

Finally, the friend comes and agrees to take me for 80 pounds.Tired of waiting, I accept and we take off in another pickup, though this one is slightly newer.

Suddenly, the driver makes a sharp U-Turn. “One minute,” he says. “I take care of this and this.”

Roadblock

He drives off the road and suddenly jumps out and starts throwing tires into the back of the truck. A couple of kids run over and start collecting tires for him. They jump in the back with the tires and my bag.

As we begin to go the right direction again, the driver tells me to roll up the window. There’s black smoke up ahead. As we approach, I notice it’s a burning stack of tires. The kids jump out and start unloading all the tires onto the road, effectively creating a road block with tires that would presumably have the same fate. I barely had time to wonder if what I’d just witnessed was legal before the driver hits the gas and speed off towards Taba, though at this point I was seriously starting to wonder if I’d ever get there…

Vehicle Change

It wasn’t long before a hotel van passes us. My driver honks at them and then they all pull over to discuss. “You go with them to Taba,” I’m told. You pay now 80 pounds and then money done.” I reconfirmed this fact several times before proceeding to the empty passenger van. The driver pays them and, once again, we’re off!

Resort Days

This was a much more pleasant ride, at least until we veer off the main road to some beachside resort, complete with its own village and golf course. The van parks in the back, which appears to be some sort of an employee area.

“One minute,” the man in the passenger seat says, as he heads for a building. 15 minutes later, when he still hasn’t returned, I ask the driver what time we’d be leaving. “One minute,” he replies, as he exits the van to go look for the guy. I’m now sitting there alone.

The driver is gone so long that I’m starting to wonder if I’d been abandoned. Just as I was about to get out and look for someone, he returns apologetically and we’re off again after this lengthy half hour stop.

We hit the Taba checkpoint, a good 4km or so from the actual border, when the driver says “Finish!” “No, border,” I argue! “Money, money,” he says, waving a 10 pound bill. At this point, I have no more money, “No, money done. I pay already,” I insist. My persistence seems to have worked as I was driven all the way to the border for no extra money.

Border

As I set my feet on solid ground again, I could not believe that I was still in one piece and had arrived at my final destination without being kidnapped or arrested!

Leaving Egypt was incredibly simple. Entering Israel, not so much. But I made it through fairly painlessly, mainly because of my insistence that I was going straight through to Jordan (it netted me a “Transit” entry stamp valid for 5 days…and yes, I already had one Israeli passport stamp so another one didn’t seem like much…).

Jordan

By the time I made it across the Jordanian border, it was now 3:00pm and the last bus to Petra had just left. As I wandered towards the collection of taxis, the dispatcher approached me.

“I know where you want to go. You want to go to Petra. Well there is no bus until tomorrow so you can take a taxi for 50 dinar (roughly US$70).” I was floored. So I opted to wait for other people heading that way.

So, I waited… and waited… AND waited. Finally, half an hour later, 2 other foreigners come through and low and behold, they too were bound for Petra! As I’d come to learn, they too had started their morning in Dahab, but they had both take the bus that I didn’t wait for. The bus that cost a mere 25 pounds (US$4.13) and I had spent 130 (US$21.54)!

D’oh! Well…at least I stimulated the Egyptian economy and made the days of what very likely could have been two criminals (or something…)!

But you know what? I walked away with a story that I think I’ll remember for the rest of my life!

Oh and please do note that Egypt is an incredibly safe place. In retrospect, it was a pretty dumb decision that day to take this “taxi,” though intercity taxis are usually a quick and efficient way to get around Sinai.

Original Content: Leaving Egypt: The Day I Thought I Might Get Kidnapped from Aaron's Worldwide Adventures - Unlikely Places. Ultimate Experiences.. All rights reserved.

When I was in Israel, I took a seat on a bus bound for Eilat, which was apparently a very popular destination at the time. Foreigners packed the back of the bus, where there were not enough seats to go around. Thankfully, I had one, situated next to an ever-so-young Israeli soldier carrying a machine gun (don’t worry, it’s a sight you get used to seeing in Israel…). Across from me sat a quiet solo traveler who I worked up a conversation with.

“I live in Iraq,” he told me. Say what now?

This new friend of mine ultimately convinced me to come to Cairo with him and over the next several days, we became pretty good friends. And one thing from our short time together always stood out to me. His invitation that I go visit him…

It was kind of an idea I put on the back burner. Flights are expensive and I didn’t exactly have a lot of free time coming up. But as my spring schedule became clearer, so did the fact that I would end with a gap in my schedule. And about two months ago, I started toying with idea. I could use some of 128,000 frequent flier miles with United to get myself to Istanbul and get to Iraq from there. Hmmmmmmm….

Flights booked, it became official! I’m going to Iraq! Well, Iraqi Kurdistan to be technically correct. You see, my friend teaches English in Erbil, the capital of the northern Kurdish region, which, for many intents and purposes is essentially its own country from the south (which you may have heard a lot about in the news in the past 10 or so years).

Photo Credit

If it sounds a little strange, it’s not quite that far off. Fellow travel bloggers Anil from foXnoMad and Earl from Wandering Earl visited in late 2010 (they also both contributed to my Middle East Travel in a Post-9/11 World post) and had great things to say. But let me address one thing first:

Safety

I’ve had a number of folks respond with a certain degree of hostility when I’ve mentioned that my upcoming travel plans included Iraq, particularly from folks who are absolutely convinced that it is not safe. And to you I say, throw your misconceptions out the window and do some research on the subject!

The Kurds were largely insulated from the violence that plagued the rest of the country following the 2003 US invasion, which, for all the conflicting opinions on the merits of it, did the Kurds a great service by ousting Saddam Hussein. You may recall that he wasn’t too kind to them, and the infamous “No Fly Zones” were implemented for their protection, as they were being gassed and bombed. But since 1991, they’ve had a fair degree of autonomy.

Is it 100% safe? I don’t think any place is. At the end of the day, stuff happens everywhere and there’s not much you can do stop it. Realistically though, Kurdistan is safer than many “safe” European and American cities.

Wandering Earl wrote a pretty good post detailing the security situation in Kurdistan.

My Travel Plans!

First stop on my trip is Turkey, as I am flying into Istanbul May 14^th to 15^th. I’ll have about 3 weeks to explore there (yes, that’s not a lot of time) and after Istanbul, the current plan is to head East. Like way East to the border regions with Armenia and Iran for a little off-the-beaten-path sites (yes that means skipping Cappadocia and Ephesus, for now, at least). That puts me where I need to be to attempt an overland crossing into the Iraqi Kurdistan.

Once in Kurdistan (June 3^rd), I’ll spend 10 days exploring and visiting with my friend. And then, get this, I am flying from Erbil to Denver (June 12^th to 13^th) for this year’s TBEX Conference and I was able to book that with my United frequent flier miles!

How? Well, such a flight is not bookable on United’s website as they do not recognize Erbil as an airport. But their phone agents do (oddly, so does their automated phone system) and since 4 Star Alliance carriers fly to Erbil, I was able to get one! One thing that I find rather amusing is that their computer system doesn’t seem to recognize the airport either. So according to my itinerary, I’m flying from [blank] to Vienna (where I get to spend a night) to Toronto and finally on to Denver.

My Flights

I’m a bit of an airline dork so I’m rather excited to be taking advantage of some of United’s partners on this trip. On the way out, I’m flying Singapore Airlines from New York JFK to Frankfurt and Lufthansa to Istanbul. My grandmother, an avid traveler in her own right, adored Singapore flights and I’m getting to fly one of their new A380’s (the fully double-decker planes) so I’m pretty stoked about that!

On the return I’m flying Austrian Airlines to Vienna and to Toronto, with United on the last leg to Denver.

So There You Have It!

Welcome to a quick look at what’s coming up for me. Of course, I’ll be writing about it, but you can follow my real time adventures on Twitter and Facebook!

Original Content: I’m Going to Iraq! from Aaron's Worldwide Adventures - Unlikely Places. Ultimate Experiences.. All rights reserved.

You know how you can kind of hate a place that everyone just loves? A place whose historical significance and grandiose sights makes it a “must see” on everyone’s itineraries? A place that you feel guilty not liking? Luxor, Egypt is such a place for me.

Home to the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes, Luxor is just littered with historic sites, including the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the famous Nile River and other tombs associated with this massive necropolis. It’s one of Egypt‘s most famous sights and it’s not hard to see why.

Massive temple complexes with stunning details abound and there’s even an impressive ruin right smack in the middle of town…Luxor Temple.

With all these relics of ancient times that my history teacher used to drone on about right there in front of me, how on earth could have I have found this place to be a disappointment? Well…

It Feels Fake

Egypt likes to reconstruct their ancient ruins and I don’t necessarily fault them for this. Many countries do this to give folks some impression of what it looked like back in its day. But here’s the thing, it’s been so excessively done in the sites around Luxor that they no longer feel genuine (unlike Masada in Israel).

Take for instance the Temples of Karnak. This grandiose complex just north of Luxor is full of incredible hieroglyphics carved deep into the rocks that form the walls and columns here. Yes, it’s a very cool sight…

But the effort to reconstruct here has taken a turn for the worst, at least in my humble opinion. Towards the southern point of the site, a large crane had been erected, aligning pieces of seemingly newly cut stone around a concrete frame.

What’s more, the star attractions here are the enormous pillars in the Great Hypostyle Hall, papyrus-shaped and inscribed in hieroglyphics. Cool? Absolutely! But also made mostly of modern day concrete with bits and pieces of old-fashioned rocks thrown in!

Another shining example…The three-tiered Temple of (Queen) Hatshepsut over on the west bank has some impressive carvings, but it was largely destroyed, so it’s second level is entirely made of concrete! It begs the question…is this really what this looked like back in the day? Or were there a few “artistic liberties” integrated into it?

The Tombs Aren’t Much Different From One Another…

Sure, all those famous, famous royal tombs over at the Valley of the Kings are cool, but they’re entirely underground. Unlike the Great Pyramids of Giza, there is no above ground anything to see here. Instead you get to walk through a tunnel. Along the walls of this tunnel are the beautifully inscribed (and brilliantly colored) hieroglyphics offering directions for the afterlife.

The tunnels all lead to a burial chamber, where all that remains is the enormous outer casket. But basically, most of the tombs are almost exactly the same! Sure, some are deeper. Some change directions a few times. Some don’t have the hieroglyphics finished because the Pharaoh died before they finished it. Most have slight variations in the hieroglyphics.

Here’s the thing. It’s kind of cool to see one. Maybe even two. But beyond that, they’re kind of all the same because there’s nothing left in them other than outer casket!

You Can’t See the Really Impressive Tombs…

Look, I totally understand needing to preserve the paintings in the tombs. I really do. And I totally support them wanting to keep people out to help preserve them.

But, see, the most impressive tomb in all of Luxor is that of Queen Nefertari. The paintings in there are supposed to be the most spectacular. And you can’t get in to see it. Well, that’s the official word, but according to a guide I had, you can see it…for the right price… US$4,000.00 to gain entry for 15 minutes!

Does that strike you as ethical?

You Can’t Trust Anyone…

I consider myself to be a pretty hardened traveler. I know a scam when I see one and can easily brush away touts. But I swear the very first night I was in Luxor, I was about ready to deck a vendor, as they simply will not leave you alone regardless of what you do or say.

From horse-drawn carriage drivers (who shout at you that they need your business to feed their horses) to felucca (boats on the Nile) captains, to tour guides, to souvenir vendors… people follow you incessantly hawking their goods.

What’s more, it feels like everyone has an ulterior motive that involves getting something from you (see the guest post I wrote for the Globetrotter Girls about my encounter with a tour vendor in Luxor that quickly turned into an uncomfortable situation when sexuality came up). If it’s not an ulterior motive, it’s that seemingly everyone (and their mother) wants baksheesh.

You don’t even have to know the definition of this word to get what people mean. It becomes instantly clear the moment someone sticks out their hand and says “Baksheesh.” They are asking you, in a somewhat demanding fashion, for a tip. You hear it constantly… A guard at Karnak motions you into a room to show you carvings. “Baksheesh.” Someone offers to take your picture. They do. “Baksheesh.” You say hello to a little kid. They look up at you and say hi and then immediately… “Baksheesh!” Oh yes, people want tips for things they didn’t even do!

Just when I’d started to develop a sense of humor about the vendors, I found myself in a chartered felucca taking me across the Nile. We had agreed on a price just to go to the other side. But he stops in the middle of the river, trapping me in his boat….

“You want to go to Banana Island?” “No, thank you, just back to Luxor please.” “You want to see monkeys?” “No just to the other side.” “You want sunset felucca cruise?” “No I just want to go back to Luxor.” “You want marijuana? Sexy girl?” At which point I kind of lost it a little bit and this poor felucca captain became the subject of a bit of annoyance that resulted in a direct trip back to Luxor.

He was very honest in the end and wandered around for a while trying to find change for me, but man oh man it was not a pleasant experience!

So There You Have It!

Look, I’m glad I saw Luxor. Inevitably, I would have been kicking myself if I hadn’t. But at this point in my trip I was on a rather tight timetable and I honestly could have skipped Luxor entirely. It’s not that it doesn’t have some fantastic things.

Luxor Museum, for example, is fantastic. And the hieroglyphics are very cool to see! But there were too many other things that irked me about Luxor to actually enjoy my time there.

What Do You Think?

Have you been to Luxor before? Think I’m being a bit harsh? Let me know in the comments below!

Original Content: Dear Egypt: You Ruined Luxor For Me from Aaron's Worldwide Adventures - Unlikely Places. Ultimate Experiences.. All rights reserved.

Cairo’s an incredible city. It’s a fascinating breed of sheer chaos. I mean, how many places can you go where you can openly buy a Taser right on the street? Aside from experiencing the energy of the metropolis (and visiting the Great Pyramids of Giza), I had no plans when I arrived there. After all, Egypt wasn’t even in my travel plans. Thankfully, one of the two North American cohorts I was now traveling with was on a mission…to visit Coptic Cairo.

Coptic Cairo? I’d never heard of that before…

Early Christians whose religious beliefs predate the arrival of Islam to Egypt, the Copts have created a series of churches in their small stretch of Old Cairo that are unlike anything I’d seen before. Highly influenced by Moorish-style architecture, the remaining churches are not only incredibly unique, but filled with a rich history. Rumor has it that Jesus’ family hid out here while on the run. And rumor has it that this is where baby Moses was found floating in the river. So there’s quite a bit of religious significance here.

Stepping out of the handy Metro at Mar Girgis is like stepping into a small, closed off world. Often the subject of persecution, the Copts small section of this bustling metropolis is calm and peaceful, its street blocked to traffic by a police barricade implemented for their protection.

With such impressive architecture, I couldn’t wait to see what was inside!

The Hanging Church

The most famous of the Coptic Churches is the Hanging Church, seat of the Coptic Pope and so named because it’s suspended over an ancient gatehouse.

A walk up the stairs leads to a beautiful courtyard, filled with murals, beautiful windows and fascinating light fixtures.

A walk through the inviting entryway to the sanctuary, complete with its very own Welcome mat is a step into a unique world of symbolism, soaring ceilings and beauty!

A quick glance out the window reminds us that there’s more to this world outside…

The Church of St. George

From the Hanging Church, it’s really hard to miss the soaring dome of the nearby Church of St. George.

Inside this mammoth exterior is a stunning Greek Orthodox interior.

So there you have it! There are considerably more churches in Coptic Cairo, though photography is forbidden. The Church of St. Sergius supposedly marks the spot the Holy Family came to rest during their flight from King Herod and Ben Ezra Synagogue supposedly marks the spot where baby Moses was found.

If you do visit Cairo, I would highly suggest a visit to Coptic Cairo… It’s one of the few places in the world where you can experience this unique brand of Christianity and their spectacular and unique churches!

Sound Off!

Have you been to a Coptic Church before? What did you think?

Original Content: Photo Essay: Coptic Cairo’s Unique “Hanging Church” from Aaron's Worldwide Adventures - Unlikely Places. Ultimate Experiences.. All rights reserved.

Cairo traffic is surreal. It seems to be the one place in Egypt where the maniacal drivers that roam the roads of this fine country grind to a screeching halt, as the traffic creeps along at snail’s pace. It was with this knowledge that I, and my band of North American misfits that I had accompanied from Israel to Cairo, set off to visit the Great Pyramids of Giza.

See, the pyramids are located a hop, skip and a jump away from downtown Cairo in a suburb called Giza. While there is a city bus that leads from downtown to the pyramids, we figured that our best bet would be take Cairo’s handy Metro (with its female only cars) under the Nile River and get off in Giza, where it’s only 9km or so to the pyramids themselves. Easy, right?

A New Friend

It was no sooner that we’d left the Metro station in Giza, following the throngs of people to the street when we found we’d made a friend. A nice Egyptian fellow who spoke excellent English. “I’m an English teacher from Alexandria,” he told us. “I too am going to the pyramids. Why don’t you come with me?” A nice person in the Arab world! Exactly what some incredibly racist Israeli bartender in Eilat warned me would not happen a mere 2 nights before… So why not trust this guy?

And so we were whisked away, following our new friend across a busy intersection (which, much like the streets in Hanoi, felt a bit like a real-life game of Frogger) and into a share taxi. The fare? A mere 1 Egyptian pound (roughly US$0.16). There he conversed with us, offering friendly gestures such as snacks and cigarettes (the latter of which are quite popular in the Middle East). We were hitting it off well!

A Slice of Southeast Asia…in Egypt!

We exited the share taxi and made our way to…a tuk tuk! In Egypt? Really? Yes, it seems this staple of Southeast Asia had made its way to the streets of suburban Egypt. Just with a bit less color and a lot more closed in.

It was a fun ride as we zigzagged our way through a maze of small dirt streets bursting with colors. The unique fabrics that the locals wore, the patchwork of animal feces on the streets and the fresh produce, standing out against a very monotone desert landscape. This was a Bedouin neighborhood, our new friend informed us.

Soon, the imposing pyramids were in view up ahead. They looked exactly like every picture you’ve ever seen of them, rising like giants out of the otherwise desolate desert sand.

The tuk tuk came to a stop along a wall; on the other side, the pyramids themselves. Our friend paid for our ride and we stepped out, only to find ourselves at… A shop. A shop that sold pyramid tours by camel or horse. “This is the best way to see the pyramids,” he told us. “I’ve done this before.”

Red Flag!

We, however, were seasoned travelers and as soon as we arrived there, a red flag went up in my head. This was one of the most widespread travel scams in the book, seen across the world in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. You make a friend who takes you to a shop against your will. You buy from the shop in a high pressure sales pitch. They get commission.

Inside, we were pitched packages. 220 pounds (US$36) for a 3 hour camel tour, including entry to the park, entry to go inside the biggest pyramid, entry to the Sphinx, entry to go inside the Sphinx and use of an animal. Plus we could use the entrance right by the shop. Sound too good to be true? More on that later….

An “Escape” to Breakfast

Hoping to escape these guys, we insisted on getting some breakfast before making a decision. Our new friend insisted on following us, buying an incredible local breakfast from the surrounding Bedouin shops to share with us (“It’s my Egyptian hospitality!”). Bread, amazing felafel, pickled vegetables, some mashed potato looking-thing.

We ate back at the shop, having already made clear to this friend that we were not interested in buying a package.

Making an Exit

“It’s a 7km walk to the entry gate for people!” he warned us. Now I knew he was pulling our leg since we could see the pyramids right in front of us. And thus, we made our exit, with no argument from the shop owner or our friend, his seeming associate, who stayed put in the shop.

It took us 5 minutes to walk the alleged 7km to the entry gate. The entrance fee was 60 pounds (US$10). Had we wanted to enter the big pyramid, that would have been another 100 pounds (US$16.50), but we passed as there’s nothing to see in them anymore (and we entered a smaller one that was free). And there’s no such thing as an entrance fee for the Sphinx and it’s not possible to go inside it!

Thankful that we’d succeeded in not being bamboozled, we laughed about the experience we’d just had. Sure was a hell of a lot more interesting than a plain old taxi ride! And we got to sample some interesting food…for free!

Lesson from This Experience…

If you find yourself in this situation…walk away! As nice as people might seem, some of them are trying to sell you stuff. But hey, if you get a good story out of the experience, isn’t that all that really matters in the end?

Sound Off!

Have you encountered travel scams before? What about at the Great Pyramids of Giza?

Original Content: Scammed at the Great Pyramids of Giza: How You Can Avoid Being Bamboozled! from Aaron's Worldwide Adventures - Unlikely Places. Ultimate Experiences.. All rights reserved.

Rain sure does have a way of putting a damper on your plans, doesn’t it? As a hardened traveler, I’m a pretty firm believer in making the most out of any situation. After all, rain can bring some pretty wild experiences (see: collapsed bridges in Laos…). But this wasn’t just any experience. This was Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, a day that had started out nicely but was turning sour fast.

If you’re just joining me in this story, I might suggest that you read Part I first to read about the good parts of this special day in Bethlehem. If you already have, you’re about to learn why I declared this night to be one of my biggest disappointments.

The Rain

Those bright blue skies earlier had given way to a torrential downpour, one that had manifested itself while I and some fellow CouchSurfers had settled in for some dinner. We had planned to meet up and enjoy the entertainment that was supposed to go on all night in Manger Square, right outside of the Church of the Nativity. They hard already started singing Christmas Carols in Arabic on a large stage in the square and we were eager to get back there to hear more.

But as we wandered back to the square, we found that the rain had scared everyone away. Gone were the performers. Gone was the stage. Gone was the crowd. Manger Square looked like a ghost town…and it was only 7:00pm!

There was really not much of a point of being in Bethlehem if there was nothing to do, a point that was not lost on several of the CouchSurfers in my group, who said their goodbyes and made their way back to Jerusalem. And so, we were down to just 3.

Mindless Boredom

What to do…. Here we add 5 hours to go till the Midnight Mass started and, though we knew we wouldn’t be able to go to the mass, we were all keen to check out the live broadcast out in the square. The rain poured on.

Why not take a walk? After all, it’s probably the biggest night of the year in this town so surely everything will be open, right? Well, by 8:00pm the market was pretty much closed up and so was just about every other shop. And it was raining…and at this point, freezing too, so spending more time outside was not such an enticing concept.

So we confined ourselves in a nearby hostel, where one of the CouchSurfers had booked themselves a room for the night. In this case, a room meant a gym mat on the floor since they were completely booked. I was lucky enough to get a room on the outskirts of town at the last minute. And we killed a few hours by sitting around trying to get warm and dry off.

By 11:00pm, we were back on the Square, resigned to the 3 souvenir shops that were open which sold nothing but Christian paraphernalia. At this point, we were all so drained and miserable and sick of the whole experience that we’d started making some fairly sacrilegious statements, so we thought it best if we chill outside.

The Mass

As we wandered back outside (where it was still raining) we saw a bunch of people standing behind a barricade holding up their cameras. We went to see what was up and somehow ended up on the opposite end of the barricade, right along a line of heavily armed Palestinian soldiers. There was a series of black cars in front of us, one of which had license plate #1 on it. It was Mahmoud Abbas’ car…

“Maybe if we just stand here, nobody will notice,” one of my fellow CouchSurfers whispered to me. That worked for about a minute before we were very kindly asked to move and we joined a group of people heading through a restaurant to what ended up being the entrance for folks with tickets, which we lacked.

Turned away, we found the screen where they were broadcasting the happenings inside the church. It looked quite nice. But there was a small problem. There was no audio!

So the 20 or so of us who were foolish enough to be standing out there in the rain watching the silent mass, did was seemed most fitting at the time. We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. And then, we went to bed!

Christmas Morning

It was still raining when I awoke on Christmas morning. I was so cold. Some of my stuff was still wet. And all I wanted to do was get the hell out of Bethlehem. I’d had a miserable experience the night before and I wanted to get to a warm place and into some dry clothes pronto!

Yes, there are things to do in Bethlehem on Christmas morning that anyone can do. There are plenty of masses one can attend, even at the Church of the Nativity (no tickets required for this one). But I, and my fellow CouchSurfing friends, wouldn’t have it! We were hell bent on getting out of there, so we scoured the Calle de Estrella, which had led us through the Old City, for some breakfast but resigned ourselves to the remnants of a hotel buffet.

Soon enough, we were back at Israel’s enormous “Security Wall,” separating the Palestinian “West Bank” from Jerusalem. A kind driver took pity on us getting drenched out there, that he drove us through the checkpoint. Upon arrival back at the Old City, it was still raining and still cold. We all needed warmth and this was not the place to find it!

Heading South

Eilat. We agreed that we would all be heading there. It’s the southernmost city in Israel, located on the Gulf of Aqaba that opens into the Red Sea. It was bound to be warm down there! So the next day I hopped a bus, with no terribly concrete plans. I’d already thrown my original plans out the window in favor of warmth! Wedged between Egypt and Jordan, Eilat was the perfect outlet to go to either.

Egypt honestly wasn’t even in the cards. That is, until I made a friend on the 5 hour bus ride who said, “I’m going to Cairo, you should come with me!” Famous last words as the next day my journey would take a sharp unexpected turn and I’d see this….

Sound Off!

How would you have reacted in this situation? And how has weather affected your travel plans?

Original Content: The Travesty That Was Christmas Eve in Bethlehem: Part II (A Very Wet Night) from Aaron's Worldwide Adventures - Unlikely Places. Ultimate Experiences.. All rights reserved.

“Millions of the faithful gather in Manger Square to celebrate the birth of Christ,” scream the headlines. After all, if there’s one place in the world that you would want to spend Christmas Eve, wouldn’t it be in Bethlehem? No, not Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, I mean the real Bethlehem. You know, the one where Christ is said to have been born? Sounds great, right? That’s what I was thinking when I planned to spend Christmas Eve there. I mean, after the magic of spending Hanukkah in Jerusalem, it was sure to be amazing, right? Sadly, though, I would be sorely disappointed in my experience…

Following the Star…

It started out as a happening afternoon, as I made my way through Israel‘s 8-meter (26 feet) high, prison-like security wall that separates portions of the Palestinian “West Bank” from the rest of Israel. After shunning the gaggle of taxi drivers offering to drive the roughly 20 minute walk to Manger Square, situated directly in front of the Church of the Nativity, I followed the throngs of people making their way towards the old city.

Up the Calle de Estrella (Street of the Star) the crowd went, only to be sidelined by a rather wonderful procession. Here was a parade of young people in uniforms that proudly bore the Palestinian flag, marching with instruments. They appeared to be the Palestinian equivalent of the Boy and Girl Scouts! The “Grand Marshal” of this procession? Why none other than Santa Claus himself, riding down the Street of the Star in a Jeep!

The procession ended right at everyone’s destination for the night…Manger Square. Ahead of me was the rather enormous Church of the Nativity, quite the place to be on this night with its famous Midnight Mass, which, as I knew, you needed a ticket to attend and those tickets would have had to have been obtained, oh, 6 months ago. But fear not, the mass was to be broadcast live in Manger Square for the all to see!

Church of the Nativity

Barricades surrounded the entrance to the church, but despite it being such an eventful night, you could in fact walk right in. As I approached the rather enormous-looking entrance way, it was hard to miss that the door got progressively smaller. In fact, it had been filled in so many times that you had to duck just to get in!

Honestly, the inside the church is pretty lackluster looking. After visiting the gorgeous Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem (where Christ is said to have been crucified and buried), I was rather disappointed. But I was here to see the very place where he was born right? To my right, I noticed a large crowd of people and I figured that they must be waiting to get down to the Grotto.

The Grotto of the Nativity

It was a very long, disorganized wait to get to the Grotto, as people tried to shove their way to the front of the clump gathered by the top of the staircase. Palestinian soldiers carefully controlled the flow of people in and out.

I had been waiting 20 minutes or so when a soldier shouted, “This is the exit! Entrance is there!” He pointed across the room at an exceptionally long line of people that wrapped its way around the building. Nobody budged.

See, I may have been waiting at the exit (which I hadn’t realized till just now), but they were letting people in on my side. And they continued to periodically do so. At least until one of the soldiers asked an Indian fellow how many were in his party. “8” he replied. “No! This line is for small groups only! Large groups over there,” the soldier replied, pointing across the room. Then that suddenly turned into “All Indians in the other line, go!”

The rest of us wondered what would happen to us. But I had quietly mentioned to someone who looked like they were in charge that I was just 1 and as the soldiers started pushing people away, someone tugged on my sleeve and motioned me in…

The Grotto itself was nothing to write home about. I made a quick round. Saw the “spot” that everyone was trying to touch. And made my way out.

The Excitement Builds

Back on the Square, the excitement was building. It was now 5:30pm and the large stage that had been set up became the center of attention! After some speeches that I could not understand by a bunch of well-dressed people, singers took the stage singing tunes that sounded awfully familiar. Christmas Carols! The same Christmas Carols you hear played endlessly in stores back home, but sung in Arabic!

I had seen on CouchSurfing that there was a meetup planned for the night, so I joined in the group, which amounted to 5 of us. We were all hungry and left the confines of the lovely Christmas Carols for a delicious dinner of felafel and hummus. Sure, it wasn’t the kind of Christmas Eve dinner one would expect at home, but you can’t argue that this wasn’t traditional…at least for this part of the world!

By the time we finished eating it was 6:45pm and that’s right about the time that a large thunderclap hit. And then, it started to rain. And by rain, I mean pour, and my night would not be the same again…

The Story Continues…

What would happen in the next 5 hours to make this night a true a travesty? Find out in Part II!

Sound Off!

Do you have any interesting Christmas Eve stories? Let me know in the comments below!

Original Content: The Travesty That Was Christmas Eve in Bethlehem: Part I (The Good) from Aaron's Worldwide Adventures - Unlikely Places. Ultimate Experiences.. All rights reserved.

Hanukkah (or Chanukah, depending on which transliteration you go for) is a pretty exciting time in Israel. The candles, the cheer, the doughnuts…

Yes, the doughnuts, a special Hanukkah treat that Israelis are down right obsessed with. See, I went to Israel expecting to find that Israelis ate latkes as a Hanukkah treat like their American brethren do, but nary a latke was to be found amongst the sea of doughnuts with nearly any imaginable topping or filling. Why, you could even get yourself a doughnut complete with a shot of a alcohol! Sounds crazy, right? Well it’s true!

But I’m guessing you didn’t click on this link just to read about doughnuts, did you…

Hanukkah at the Western Wall

The Kotel, also known as the Western Wall or the Wailing Wall, is the holiest site in the world for the Jewish people. Given this, I simply knew that I needed to stick around Jerusalem to witness the happenings on the first of the 8 nights Hanukkah. And there was excitement brimming as I joined the scene down at the “Wall,” as it had come to simply be known by during the week or so I had spend exploring the windy streets of the Old City.

First, a little background. The Western Wall is so aptly named because it was the western wall of the Second Temple, built on the Temple Mount, the supposed site of the original Solomon’s Temple. You may also know the Temple Mount as the site of the Dome of the Rock, though that came after the Second Temple had been destroyed. For many Jews, the Western Wall is a site of pilgrimage.

Directly in front of the wall stood a large menorah, which for the celebration of Hanukkah is referred to as a hanukhiah. As the sun became low in the sky a group of Rabbis took to the stage and began to pray. The crowd echoed along, divided into the orthodox-segregated gender groups that are required at the Wall. I was fixated on filming the scene before me when suddenly a friend tapped my shoulder and pointed to a building off the right. There, a man stood carrying an enormous torch. And as flames burst into the sky from the over sized hanukiah on the roof, music blared and people began to dance.

The celebration was a sight to be seen, as men formed hands in circle to do a traditional dance and young children, not in the orthodox section, introduced their own not-so-traditional dance moves. But before long, it was time for yet another lighting. This time it was for the hanukiah directly in front of the wall. The crowd had grown.

No dancing followed this second lighting, but instead speeches of well wishes and stories from the Rabbis, including one in English. By now, a real sense of camaraderie seemed to have passed through the orthodox sections, as strangers linked arms in celebration.

Perhaps the most poignant moment of the evening was the Muslim Call to Prayer, which could be heard coming from the Temple Mount at the same time that the Rabbis were praying. It was a shining example of the 3 different faiths that (mostly) cohabitate well within the walls of the 1 square kilometer Old City. It can be heard on the video I put together of the event:

Hanukkah in Jerusalem: The Video

The Sun Sets, The Celebrations Begin (with Audio)!

Once the sun had sense, the Jewish Quarter of the Old City was in full out party mode. Homes placed their hanukiahs in their windows or in glass boxes for all to see. Groups hosted private parties, complete with big bands playing their own traditional celebratory music. Check out the audio clip below to hear what some of those sounded like.

But the most striking moment was a band of young men, complete with guitar and drum that roamed the streets of the Jewish Quarter singing traditional songs (with a slight modern twist), serenading anyone who would listen. And with them, they carried a box of those aforementioned doughnuts, giving them to anyone who wanted one. I was so taken by this lovely example of holiday cheer that I followed them for a good 5 minutes and caught some of their song on audio clip, which you can hear below.

Hanukkah Experiences Elsewhere in Israel

One of the joys of Hanukkah is that it lasts for 8 nights, so I had plenty of options to encounter more intimate celebrations along my journey. And when I say that there’s a true spirit of generosity and friendship, I really mean it!

On night 3, I found myself in Tel Aviv, sitting on the beach having a few drinks with a few folks from my Birthright trip who had also extended (don’t worry, there are no open container laws in Israel). It was around 11pm when a man approached us carrying a hanukiah. He spoke no English, but went ahead and lit candles and sang prayers with us. And he made it clear that when the candles had fully melted, we should pass the hanukiah along to a nearby bar.

And on night 7, I found myself in a very touristy bar in the southern resort town of Eilat (which was a city that I was no fan of). Again, it was near 11pm and a man walked in with a hanukiah to light candles. Suddenly all the bar tenders threw napkins over their heads (hey, men are supposed to keep their heads covered, right?) and ran over to join in prayer!

Coming Together as a Society

I think the real beauty of celebrating a Jewish holiday in Israel is the real sense of community that can be felt. Sure, by and large Israel is a fairly secular society, but to witness people coming together in celebration, particularly for something that tends to be a fairly quiet affair in the U.S., was truly inspiring!

Original Content: Hanukkah in Jerusalem’s Old City (VIDEO) from Aaron's Worldwide Adventures - Unlikely Places. Ultimate Experiences.. All rights reserved.

Think of the Holocaust. It’s a rather intense topic, especially for a museum, right? Having previously visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., I was ready for a gloomy experience as we pulled through the thorny gates of Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust museum in Jerusalem.

Literally translated as “Hand and name,” Yad Vashem aims to do just that through its exhibits…Put personal stories behind Holocaust victims and survivors. Once a gloomy museum like the one in D.C., (don’t get me wrong, the museum in D.C. is phenomenal, but it’s rather depressing to visit it) Yad Vashem has undergone a total transformation in recent years into a striking complex. Situated atop a hill that also bears Mount Herzl, Israel’s National Cemetery, you could dedicate an entire day to remembrance.

What’s particularly striking about the new Yad Vashem is the design. The museum itself is underground, cutting through the hill like a knife. The long structure is shaped like a triangle, with a small line of windows along its apex.

The Museum: An Architectural Tour

If there’s one place to have a guide, I’m glad it was here. As we crossed the thin bridge that leads to the museum’s door, Malakai, our guide, equated it to the process of entering a black hole. And indeed, as you make your way through the door you are entering what appears to be a dark void, a chilling indication of the sorrows waiting inside.

But when you enter the museum, you find a long hall and a path that weaves its way through side exhibit rooms. And on the other side, you see a stream of light pouring in. “That,” Malakai told us, “is the future.”

As you proceed along the exhibits, you begin to notice that the floor arcs downward, with its lowest point at the center. This happens to coincide with the 2 exhibit halls that covered the Death Camps, perhaps the lowest point in the whole Holocaust story.

Heading towards the light, there is one final stop after all of the exhibits…the cavernous Hall of Names. This two story room is filled floor-to-ceiling with books bearing testimonial pages of those lost. Looking up, you see a dome covered with faces of victims. Looking down, you see a large hole chiseled into rock with a dark void of water at the bottom. Reflecting the faces from above, it’s a beautiful representation of those lost who we will never know about.

And as you walk out the exit, the triangle bursts open to reveal a striking view of Jerusalem. This is the future. This is hope. This is a reminder why the State of Israel exists. So that Jews can be safe from persecution.

 The Children’s Memorial

One nice thing about the museum is that it’s not so gloomy. It tends to focus more on the “heroes” of the Holocaust who started uprisings, hid out, saved people, or did incredible things in the face of difficult circumstances. That’s not to say, though, that the site is completely devoid of gloom…

The most poignant piece on the site is the Children’s Memorial. As you enter a dark, windowless room, you are immediately disoriented. You find yourself surrounded by candles (though in reality there is only one flame, reflected over and over again) and you have no idea which way to walk. All you hear is a voice announcing a name, an age and a country as the list of children killed in the Holocaust is read.

It’s a gut wrenching experience to pass through the memorial. And lest you be a basket case for your whole visit to the site, you’d be well advised to visit the memorial after the museum.

A Must Experience

Yad Vashem is seriously one of the most incredible museums I have ever been to. It’s an incredibly moving experience, situated on a huge, beautiful campus, filled with remembrance sculptures and halls and many other touches.  And best of all? It’s completely free to enter! This a place you simply must experience while in Jerusalem! 

Original Content: An Architectural Tour of Yad Vashem from Aaron's Worldwide Adventures - Unlikely Places. Ultimate Experiences.. All rights reserved.