Jordan

So Rute (another traveler that I met in Egypt)and I jumped on a bus from Nazareth and headed into Jordan. The landscape is a bit bleak with square grey buildings jutting up beside piles of rubble. People walk down dusty roads and men sit outside of little shops. We head towards the big city of Amman. And Amman is bustling like Cairo but not as big or as intense (remember Cairo is like NYC on Meth...Cairo is CRAZY...at least for me) Amman is a bit more laid back and really it reminds me in some ways of NYC. In Cairo and in Jerusalem it is like people go out of their way to rip you off....really it is amazing....and I understand that people need to make a profit but ...well, Cairo, Jerusalem and Nadi have been my worse experiences with this type of thing....anyway Jordan is a pleasant surprise!) People are chill and tell you reasonable prices when asked. Even the stares on the streets did not linger for long and usually had a smile attached, its the little things that make me smile. There is even a fixed price for taxis which made the taxi experience actually pleasant (never thought I would use taxi and pleasant in a sentence together for a while) . Aside from the fact that we were made to sit in the "family" section of a restaurant (woman don't sit in the males only section, is what I concluded...but honestly, if that is the case, they can have their male only section cause I was quite happy with the families...of course Rute was pissed:) Anyway I really loved Amman and the hostel was great, Abissi Palace if any of you are going there. It is run by a lovely woman that seriously gets Hostess of the Year award, she is just so informative, pleasant and helpful....I wanted to stay longer and get to know her and her family more...but well, Rute and I had already discussed going to Petra. So ce la vie, we were off to Petra...and Petra is an experience, it is magical. But before Petra we go to the Dead Sea there we float to our hearts content. Seriously it is the most comfortable feeling, better than a tempupedic even!!!! LOVED it!!!

PETRA and more BORDERS
I had never really thought much about going to Petra but I am SO glad that I went...thanks Rute:) Anyway it is beautiful as you can see from the photos. Many people there still live in the caves though most have moved into villages. The people in Petra are Bedouin. The men are mostly guides while the women sell crafts. Some of the guys pointed out the caves they were born in...and other pointed out the caves they wouldn't mind taking me to...flattering really cause they are all about 20. We had a dynamic guide named Harron that really...well, he is a charmer to say the least. Most of those guys are very charming and my Bob Marley T-Shirt was a definite hit with them. I would love to go back and do a documentary on these guys. You should see them jumping on horses, camels and donkeys, practically standing up while riding through the desert. They all speak about 4 languages, and the comedic timing of Harron was flawless....I had a flashback to my casting director days because many of these guys have that, dare I say "spark"....It is a trip...and well...if I was 20 I just may have taken a trip to the cave...ha ha...So Petra was great and the camel I rode has a special place in my heart. I love camels....feel much more natural to ride a camel than a horse for me...I wonder if I can get one in the US ?...I can buy one cheap in Cairo:) So a couple days after Petra, Rute and I parted ways, she was heading to Turkey and I to Egypt to swim again in the Red Sea. My last night in Jordan I got food poisoning and lost about 5 pounds in 5 hours, during this time I had to take taxis, buses and walk across 3 borders, Jordan, Israel and Egypt. I finally made it after I almost went off on a woman from a huge tour group. She wanted me to wait for her entire group to go first at a Passport Check Point because she did not want to be separated from them, basically I was standing in between her and her precious group. "Trust me lady your group is hard to miss...and how 'bout you let me go in front of all of you...how 'bout that ?" You don't want to mess with anyone with food poisoning....it could have been real messy.So now I am in Dahab, in a quiet part where I sip mango juice and swim everyday. I will likely rent a room in a huge house with gardens that is not far from the beach...all for $7 US a day!!!!!! I will attempt to learn some Arabic...but wow these words are tough to pronounce...anyway, till next time.

Red Sea Swimming and Borders

Oh what a relief it was to get to the Red Sea. I spend two days swimming in the calm waters and my second day I take a plunge into the magical Blue Hole. It is a spectacular diving site. But I snorkel and watch the divers around me plunge down into the deep blue lower depths. I snorkel among schools of fish and spot something big and blue that resembles a little shark (but it is not one) while free divers glide around like mermaids (free divers take one stomach erasing huge breath of air and go into the deep blue...without a tank, just a large fin connecting bother their feet) The little beach side town of Dahab is nice but I am looking for something a bit quieter. So I head to Nuweiba with another traveller Rute (a Portuguese Canadian woman that speaks 5 languages) We stay for two days in a lovely quiet Bedouin community on the Red Sea. We live in huts and savor the quiet. I LOVE it!!!!

Over the Border to Israel and Palestine:
So we (I travel with Rute for a little while) take a taxi to the border and are greeted by sweet but stern faced 18 year old (looking) soldiers (and it is a TRIP to see all these young folks with big ole guns...makes me think that maybe a good solution to war would be to have only people over 50 be required to fight...I could see it, people complaining of arthritis and hip pain..., then calling some kind of truce and borrowing each other's Bengay:). Wouldn't that be a sight....Rute's idea is to get rid of all borders in the world...and when I think about it, as idealistic as it may sound...wouldn't that be kinda nice?....I know I know, in a perfect world...but shit it sounds better to me at this moment than the walls, check points, guns and dividing up land over and over....and I know it is all complex and historical (but truth be told, I don't know much about the biblical references, I was raised mostly with Hinduism and the most biblical I ever got was likely reading "The Red Tent"...so I don't know much about all that)...but with the religious significance being the case, isn't that even more of a reason for there to be dialogue, and more love put into peacefully working it all out...or more of an attempt to anyway......and I know, some will say, it is not that simple, it is really complicated.......but then again sometimes I think......is it? Oh the humanity!.....sorry I digress, so we arrive in the country and within minutes we are lied to by a taxi driver (yes again...remember Fiji and Cairo, this what happens when entering most new countries...ce la vie...but I believe in karma...Rute doesn't :) and we take a 5 hour bus passing thorough vast desert lands with random multiplex hotels....then we get to Jerusalem where we stay at a cramped but interesting ancient hostel. The roof view is amazing and I consider sleeping there but opt for the 9 bed dorm. At 5 am a girl decides to make a shit load of noise organizing her clothes in a plastic bag and chomping on an apple...I tell her that that is a No NO...and really she should know better :) but I say it nicely...well, as nice as I can be at 5 am. Anyway, Jerusalem is way too intense of a city for me (how am I gonna deal with NYC? and LA?:), cobblestones are everywhere, big guns,traffic, people, and just vibes...but anyway we try to enjoy it and really do at times, (a million thanks to the lovely man that insisted I use his store's restroom rather than the public one ...oh and the food was great...eggplant in a falafle is an amazing thing...wow did I spell that right?:)...but we have been insulted on the streets one to many times (by these young guys selling things....now that does not encourage me to buy) to really get in a huggy frame of mind,...anyway Rute is really pissed off about it and when she is pissed most everyone knows :) as for moi, I try to find a chill hammock frame of mind...for some space of time anyway, but lets face it, that is only me for but so long:)but it does help me to go to to the roof and admire the beautiful views....anyway ....so we meet up with another traveler (we had met in Dahab) and head to Bethlehem. We immediately meet a man who is nice enough to give us a free tour; we then meet two women at the museum that live there and they talk to us for an hour. We have a delightful and informative time and soon head to Nazareth. The bus ride is lovely, through hills and valleys, I think about trying to couchsurf there and envision staying in a kibbutz or picking olives...but well, my day dream ends but in a nice way because I am in a sweet town of Nazareth. The small cities are warmer and just more my thing nowadays. We have a lovely stay with Ramzy, a police officer, police officers in Nazareth even drive the elderly to their doctor appointments...nice huh?... (Ramzy is an older man that has converted his 700 year old..or was it 300?...anyway it is a crazy old family home into a hostel). He is a sweet man that makes us endless cups of Turkish coffee; but Rute and I leave in the morning for Jordan.....and Jordan is where I am now, so if you have the interest, time, or are just bored off your ass, tune in later for more about it :)

Soft Ground : the Bahariya Oasis and the White Desert

So you can likely tell how much I LOVED the White Desert. Both the Oasis and Desert was a much needed experience. It began with a 5 hour bus ride out of the hazy city of Cairo. The cheerful Bedouin (Bedouin are Indigenous people that are usually nomadic desert dwellers) guide and owner of the camp, Badr picked me up at the bus station and we drove to the camp site in the Oasis. His camp is sweet, simple and inviting, everything is made from the palm trees and other natural materials. I did not see metal or plastic...that is what I have really appreciated most about some of the places I have been lucky enough to see this year...Anyway, we then went to a spring and had a soak (and yes I wore a one piece...for these occasions is why I bring it). I asked him if I should wear a shirt over the bathing suit, but he said I was okay so I quickly jumped in the water, Badr is very interesting, he has lived all over Europe and speaks about 5 languages, he has been married 4 times, but not all at once, like his father:) He missed the desert while living in Europe so he moved back and opened his camp. Badr introduced me to several Bedouin men that prepared the "best" tea. The community is known for their tea and tea time usually is accompanied by a puff of the sheesha (really nice fruity flavor) pipe. Badr then drove us to sand dunes where I was beyond happy to feel the soft sand beneath my feet. We stayed till sunset then cruised back to camp for dinner...and yes I was his only guest for much of the day, but at night a group of about 5 young men from Israel showed up. They were great fun to chat with, we talked about politics, tea, gas :) and even the series Dallas...it was nice to have more company, but they just stayed the night, they had been in the desert for a week and had to get back to their studies. The next day Amy showed up, she is a young woman that also stayed at the same hostel as I had my first night. So in the morning her and I headed out into the White Desert with our 2 young Bedouin guides (not Badr...these two are Zeeko and Mohamed); we don't speak Arabic and they spoke about 20 words of English...but we all managed to communicate rather well, especially Zeeko with his very obvious crush on Amy. But he kept it as professional as any 20 year old with a crush can :) We had a great time driving through the luminous white sands; it was spectacular. The desert is a special place for me, I have always loved it and could have stayed for days. I saw the moon rise at about 3 am, and the sunrise at about 6am. I could smell the wind and the sand and the freshness of the earth. The only thing I wished for was a toilet :) but of course I got over that. Shukran
White Desert!!!!

FIVE hours packed on a Minibus speeding through the desert:
Now the 5 hour minibus ride back to Cairo was a different story. So I am told that the big air conditioned bus is full. So I must get on the local minibus that is crammed with people. I wonder "do I believe this guy" "is this some crazy scam?" "Well I am not giving up any loot so what could he have to gain from a scam like this?" So I get on the bus. I am the only westerner and the only woman with skin showing and there are only 4 of us women in a van of about 10 men. And just when I thought more people could not fit on the bus...the driver picked up about 6 more (I had flashbacks of Cape Town minibuses...except the music on this bus was not Beyonce or Techno, it was all Arabic melodies emanating from Adam's cell phone which he insisted on holding up so we could all enjoy...frankly though I wonder if some folks just wanted to sleep...the two ancient gentlemen in front of me looked far from thrilled by the music) Ce la vie...So I sit in between two men, one very nice guy named Adam, the DJ, he is so sweet and helpful, and another guy, about 18 a bit too excited about sitting next to me :) I had to push away his hand multiple times...until Adam traded seats with me when we stopped...thanks Adam :) Anyway the ride was an experience to say the least, I was moved when at sunset we pulled over and the majority of the men got out to pray...it was a really beautiful sight...and well I was really glad they prayed especially because the driver drove like a maniac and Adam and the 18 year old bonded in laughter over my facial expressions and my random nervous giggles...but I was not alone, an old man in front of me kept mumbling "Allah" After 5 hours we made it to the insanely chaotic streets of Cairo where the bus driver tried to pull a scam on me by telling me to take a taxi that he stopped rather than one I would stop...see it is likely that he would put me in his friend's taxi and try to get me to pay more...of course when I asked him the taxi rate he quoted it a 3 times what I knew it should be...so I gave him the "get the f*** outta here" look and hailed my own taxi. A lesson to ya'all if you don't already know, get taxi rates quoted to you from reliable sources beforehand, and get directions written down in the local language especially if the letters are different. .....Anyway, I made it back safe and sound....and soon I will head off to Dahab, the Red Sea and hang around Sinai.

Ku Waits....in Kuwait...and Kuala Lumpur

So I am now in crazy Cairo with it's fast laneless traffic and beeping symphonies. It is a tough pill to swallow for me considering that I have been chilling beside rice paddies and beaches for so long....but change is good...I guess. Anyway the changes all began with a wheelchair. Yes Kuala L kicked my ass! My hips were insanely sore, between the pavement and the damp weather, my hips said "peace out gurl, you are crazy, have you forgotten about the 2 surgeries and the fact that it is bout time for 2 more?" (no I have not forgotten, it is called denial:) So yes I ordered a wheelchair at the airport; and was I happy I did. The KL airport is HUGE! So I got pushed around and stared at for quite sometime...and then when the flight was delayed, the stares and pushing would all begin again the next day...but I was happy about the 5 star hotel they put us in. I went to the gym, dangled my feet in the pool, lounged outside, took 2 baths, watched cable, ate 2 buffets, and slept, I accomplished a lot in those 12 hours. So after the bumpy ride to Kuwait where we were put in a -5 star hotel (but the staff was nice) where I laughed at the smells and the views...and the gym, the gym had 2 ping pong tables and a bunch of chairs...and a man sleeping on a couch. So what more can I say, except feeling the dry arid desert air was nice, hearing the familiar names and sounds was an unexpected treat for me. Sometimes I take it for granted the multicultural environments that I have been a part of. As a child many of my friends were from Iran; and though I know Kuwait is not Iran, there are many of the same names and sounds; so it was comforting to hear them and get carried back to some childhood memories. And now I sit here in Cairo where the sounds are not that familiar and the alphabet entirely different...and where the stares last longer than the usual 5 seconds....sunglasses are a big help...that and hiding my curly hair (makes me miss the Afro Pride of Fiji!)aside from those two things, many seem to assume that I speak Arabic and am part Egyptian. But the food is delicious, many people are very friendly...oh and the jeans and the shoes here fit me!!!! Anyway, I will venture out to an oasis and then a desert in the next couple days. Cairo is very interesting, exciting, and challenging...so far I have couchsurfed with a family, stayed at the sweet Bedouin Hostel, and now staying with a friend of a friend at the American University of Cairo......and I will share more later...after I come back from the desert :)

and the photos are of the massive mall in Kuala Lumpur, KL airprt and me, on kuwait airlines with Bippy, Simo smoking in the Bedouin Hostel, me with Noran, her husband and brother, me at the biggest mosque in Egypt, views

Bye Ubud!!!!!! U been Good to Me....rabid dogs 'n all

So I am writing this from a SCARY huge mall in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. There is even a rollar coaster in it....CRAZY....But let me begin with Bali...Ahhhh Bali how I miss it even though I just left:) So I had a wonderful time in Ubud and Bali for that matter. I stayed mostly in the sweet artistic community of Ubud then also ventured out to the beach (of course) to a dry (nice change) sunny relaxing vibe of Amed...and swam to my hearts content.....pain free!!! NO Pavement in Amed!!!! So here I sit in an internet pit stop typing to the thundering sound of videogames and techno music in the biggest mall I have ever seen and yes it is in Malaysia....That's Right folks one of my nightmares is a reality right now! But I am out of here in 2 days. Going to Cairo via Kuwait ...nice hot dry sunny weather like I like:)

Things that I will miss...and won't miss about BALI

1.Won't miss those rabid (okay maybe not all of them) DOGs...now I am a dog lover but seriously I have never cursed out so many dogs in my life...everyone says pretend like you're gonna throw a rock...sure I did that too but my first instinct is to curse....it worked...lucky moi

2. Will miss the friends I made and people I met. Really great community of people there, expats and locales. I went to numerous dinner parties, gatherings...it was just nice.

3. Will miss The Indonesia classes that Putu taught...she was a teacher with Starfish school. That is where I briefly volunteer taught English classes...she helps us communicate in Indonesian while she also teaches a class...I will miss all those teachers...and students!

4.I will miss my house-sitting house....and that outside toilet(freaked me out a bit at night...bats, roaches, I could go on...but all I ever saw was frogs out there) the house was so perfect for me, cute, small, lush and with a pool:)I loved it!!! and I even learned to love the little cat that came with it.And they also had every season of the Office...so no I didn't come to Bali to watch the Office...but I did, I even threw an "The Office" party:)

5.Won't miss the INSECTS!!! Ants are all over and man do they come in so many colors shapes and sizes..just like the Dove models...:)But I did learn to appreciate Bats...kinda and spiders...kinda

6. Will miss riding on the back of a scooter (of a random man heading the direction I needed to go)through MONKEY FOREST...yes I love those little greedy monkeys if I am cruising past them quickly so they can't punk me for my purse...

7. Will miss fruit juices...so fresh so good....All the food rocked!!!!

8.Won't miss those buckets of rain that poured down those last few days....wow

9. Won't miss those huge gaping holes on the extra narrow sidewalks.

10.Will miss so much !!! The rice paddies, the people getting ready to go to temple, the beautiful offerings made everyday placed at every entrance, the artists, the views, the houses with their courtyards, the beds in the living room, the beds in the courtyards...you can never have too many beds.

Terima kasih Ubud
-thank you

Oh Ubud

Bali is a very quick flight from Darwin. The airport was quiet but the streets of Denpassar were a crisscrossing mess of scooters and bikes. But yet I felt relaxed :) And just for those that may not know,Bali is a mainly Hindu island, in the mostly Muslim country of Indonesia. And Ubud is cosidered a peaceful mecca for artists. The minute I got to the house I giggled! It was amazing, tiled, pillars, pool...I could go on and on about all the little superficial things that were mouthwatering...but really what I love most about Bali is the vibe of Ubud...even at night it gave me a little peace of mind...just what I needed...as you have seen, Darwin was a bit intense for moi:) Now Bali was not in my plans but you know what I always say..."you wanna hear "god" (rather whatever power out there that one believes in) laugh, start making plans" So I am so thankful I did choose Bali...and it is the cheapest place to get to from Darwin) Anyway the lovely house is where Travis was staying (his friend's place) You may remember I met bango-playing, scooter-driving Travis in Darwin at Noodles' place,. Anyway he is a really sweet guy with tons of great Ubud friends too!!!So I stayed with him for 3 days (then he left to be reunited with the good ole USA)Thank you Travis for letting me crash and couchsurf in a canopy bed (yes it was me and Bippy in a princess bed). And Ubud is so....oh I can't find the words now....anyway I have met interesting people and am getting used to hanging off the back of a scooter. I even lucked out and am housesitting for a family that is going to Thailand for 2 weeks. I may volunteer at a language school and a birthing center....who knows....and thanks again Mr. Bonderman!!!

Retta Dixon Home

"I am so glad I met Daniel, he is the one who took me to where I was taken from, I must have been about 4 years old. I was with my grandmother at the river, she told me to hide behind her so I did, she knew the men were coming to take children, but I peeked out from behind her...I was a curious child, and they saw me, and took me from her....my grandmother walked 80 KM looking for me...she never found me and she died 2 days later. Daniel took me to that place where they had taken me from, and I realized that they were able to see me, even if I had not peeked out from behind her...all this time, I thought I was to blame...but they would have seen me anyway....I never saw my grandmother again..."

One of the most profound experiences that I had while in Darwin, one that sits with me still while I type this 2 weeks later from Ubud, Bali; is that of the volunteer work with the Retta Dixon Home Reunion. Many of you know about the various "homes" in the US, Canada and Australia that took Indigenous children from their parents and forced them into a "school" or "home" whose main purpose was to wash the "native" away and force them into domestic lives. The Retta Dixon Home was such a place that housed "half-caste" kids from Aboriginal communities around Darwin. I assisted with doing filmed interviews of the men and women that stayed there, that had been taken from their families. Many were only allowed to see their families when they were 18 years old. It is so hard to imagine all that can be lost during that time; the culture, the ties, the history....so much...This was all not that long ago, some were in their early 50s...this is all so recent. I went with them to different sites of significance and saw exhibits of photos and art representing that time. It is interesting to talk to some White Australians about the experience, some are extremely empathetic and angry at their government while others think that "they should get over it, it was so long ago"....Well it was not that long ago and even if it was one does not just "get over it" As most of you would likely agree, it is part of a history that flows like blood through veins, like imprints in a rock that lasts through hundreds of years and seasons..history is part of the memories and experiences of how people can shape themselves and their world...just the experience of being present at their reunion affected me in ways that will be ingrained upon me forever. I am so grateful that these inspirational people let me be a part of their reunion experience and let me listen to their stories. Through my experience with the Retta Dixon home I met many unforgettable people and 2 of which were the only other African Americans I have met on my travels (in 7 months people!)

A Home Cooked Meal!!!!
So Stephanie is married to a Retta Dixon Home alum named Keith. They were such fun and really sweet people. She is from Chicago and it was so nice to hang out with them. Stephanie used to be a "house mother" for Aboriginal teen girls that came in from the "bush" to go to school. She has such energy..and is a great cook! My last night there we met at Daniel's house. Daniel has lived in Australia for over a decade and is the Daniel that is referred to in the first part of this particular blog. He is a counselor with "Link Up" and organization that reunites Aboriginal people with their families. He has done some really amazing work with the community. Anyway we all had a major feast at his house. It was great! Cornbread! Mac and Cheese, GREENS!!!!and Sweet Potato PIE!!! Thank you all

Oh and I met 2 more African American men then next day, basketball players that live in OZ (Australia) and then a couple days ago in Ubud another woman from LA....yes I notice these things okay:)and some of you may wonder why i notice these things..why not? I say:)

Oh and I will be house sitting in Ubud:) how great is that!

disclaimer: the story at the beginning is not exactly word for word but based on my memory.