Journeys

Writer's Block

lizcotton — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 00:56:00 GMT

Its been a long time since I wrote my journal. Its so easy to procrastinate. One has to be really disciplined, do it on a daily basis. I'm now determined to let the creative juices start flowing again, to write until one drops.

Jordan Valley: Following in the Footsteps of Moses and the Israelites

lizcotton — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:14:00 GMT

Heading out of Amman in a nice big bus with a nice smooth ride we head off down the Kings Highway in the footsteps of Moses and the Israelites. Our first port of call is Mt Nebo. This is the place where Moses is believed to have been buried. The views from here are amazing. We look out over the Jordan Valley, across to Israel, Jericho and over the Dead Sea and the dry Moab mountains. On a clear day one can see the minarets and domes of Jerusalem, but it is too hazy today. We visit the Greek Orthodox Church of St Georges with the oldest mosaic map of the Holy Land. This is a charming little church with sacred music eminating from within. The mosaics are extraordinary, beautiful, wondrous.

We wind down to the Dead Sea, 400m below sea level on a road of twisting hairpin bends. Haleluyear! This is the wilderness in which Moses wandered for 40 years trying to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. Somebody must have missed the plot. Moses was 120 years old when he died. He must have started leading the lost tribes of Israel when he was 80 years old. What kind of misguided people are following a crazy old prophet around in the wilderness for 40 years?

Oh yes, and Jericho! That's another one to add to the list of oldest continuously inhabited cities. My list is growing!

Our guide, Abdullah, refers to Israel as "The State of Palestine" all day. It's so deliberate. He just cannot get his tongue round "Israel". I'm rather glad I do not have Jewish clients with me on this trip as they would be highly offended by his blatent disregard for the State of Israel.

We leave the fertile lands behind and dry, barren mountain landscapes take the place of olive trees. Bedouin tents, sheep, goats and camels dot the landscape. We visit Bethany Beyond the Jordan where it is believed Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist.

And so, on to the Dead Sea Spa Resort. A swim in the Dead Sea found us floating and almost able to read a newspaper on our backs. The salt levels in this sea are amazing. The salt gets into every orifice! We then covered ourselves with mud, including hair. You stand in the sun and let the mud dry, then wash it off in the Dead Sea, and finally rinse yourself off in fresh water. Hours later one is still smelling of smelly mud but feel refreshed and rejuvenated with skin like a baby's bottom!

Sitting on the balcony, tonight,I am watching the twinkling lights of Jericho on the Israel side of the Dead Sea. Its amazing to ponder on the ancient history of this area. In the distance, the sound of the last call of the Imam to the faithful to prayer, and next door, at the Kempinski Hotel, a cultural music evening, Bedouin music! I'm sure there's also a lot of belly-dancing going on too!

Damascus: Jewel in the Desert!

lizcotton — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 05:08:00 GMT

What an amazing, fabulous and exotic city! We started with the tiny St Pauls chapel, set in the ancient city walls. What a charming little shrine. The National Museum is full of archaeological treasures and gave us a brief insight into approx 4000 years of the history of Syria, in a nutshell. It has given us an insight of what we can expect in the next couple of weeks that we will be travelling around Syria. Its not long before we are out in the rain, and its getting colder and colder. Almost suspect it could snow! Well, what's a group to do? Leave it to Jaseen, he's always full of bright ideas! Take us for a walk in the old souk. Round and round the medieval labyrinth of alleyways designed to confuse the silly tourists! How do the locals find their way around this place, all enclosed within the ancient city walls? I love it!! The lavishly decorated 18th century Azem Palace is amazing. Reminded me a lot of the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Lots of marble and very beautiful Arabian architecture. The Umayyad Mosque is pretty impressive but most of all I loved the tiny little chapel of Ananias, who set up the Christian Church in Damascus, when the Christians were being persecuted, so they went underground.

Dinner tonight at the Omayyad Palace Restaurant, also in the old City. Being in the Muslim sector of the old city, no alcohol but zero percent beer. We really should start finding little restaurants in the Christian sector. Tonight they also had Whirling Dervishes of the Sufi movement. Its a fascinating philosophy! Again, the food was out of this world!

Another exciting day.

Damascus: The Heartbeat in the Old City!

lizcotton — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Well, we have arrived in this absolutely glorious old city and staying at the Old Damascus Hotel situated in the atmospheric Old City. Its like being in a time warp. This place hasn't changed in many centuries. The narrow alleyways twist and wind their way to confuse the tourist. Its a city filled with mosques, minarets and old souks. Our hotel is an old mansion. Looks like nothing from the outside, just a humble door to the alleyway, but inside is this superb palace of a place with lots of stories and history to tell. The ceilings of the rooms are very high, the walls are thick and the rooms are small and dark with tiny windows to keep the heat out. Inside is this fabulous light and airy central courtyard where we will be having our breakfasts. There is also a roof garden from where I should imagine there is a fantastic view out over the rooftops of this gorgeous city filled with treasures of architecture, religion, art, sculpture etc The imam calls his faithful to prayer, and the first call is going to reverberate through the alleyways at 5am tomorrow morning. Its very evocative and I have no problem with this!

The food is exquisite. Lots of fresh veggies and Mediterranean style olives, lettuce, humus, etc. Tonight we dined at ..... House in the old city. Another beautifully restored old mansion full of character. There was so much food, the table was absolutely groaning, and we battled to get through it. I'm going to love it!

Cairo: Into the Heart of the Pyramids

lizcotton — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:09:00 GMT

Arrived Cairo this morning one and a half hours late due to delays at OR Tambo last night. This cut seriously into our Cairo sightseeing. However, we decided to forego breakfast at the Movenpick Pyramids Resort for breakfast boxes, and get stuck into sightseeing. Negotiating Cairo traffic was no mean feat! It has to be experienced to be believed! But worth it, for these monuments are absolutely awe-inspiring. They stand there out in the desert, monuments to an outstanding civilisation. We even got to going inside one of the pyramids. It was all rather whistle-stop rush sightseeing, but beat sitting around in Cairo airport for 7 hours. I must say, a lovely way to kill time. And no time for shopping!

It's NOT "just a job", it's a FABULOUS LIFE!

lizcotton — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:22:00 GMT

.... and, thereby lies the difference! Some people loathe their job with a passion. They go to work 5 (or maybe 6) days a week, 9am - 5pm. Some stay 40 years in the same lousy job! But, its comfortable. It provides a roof over their heads, puts food on the table, sends the kids to school and university and allows them to own a car, and, if they are lucky to have a servant in the house, and maybe even one in the garden, leading lives of quiet desperation. Not me! I love my job, its a part of my life. Three generations of travel blood coursing through my veins, urging me to get up everyday with a smile on my face and looking forward to the day ahead. Looking forward to being creative, to connecting with my soul purpose. Doing what I love sets me alight, sets my spirit soaring and gives me a sense of achievement, a profound sense of well-being and happiness. It allows me to serve my friends and clients to the very best of my ability from early in the morning (sometimes 05h45) till 19h00. How lucky is this lady to be striving to fulfill her dreams and call this her "job"!

The Cotton Club

lizcotton — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 23:59:00 GMT

This exists strictly in the realms of my imagination! Its always good to travel with adventurous souls. Not only are they fun to be around but they enrich everybody's travel experience. They leave their Western expectations at home and go with the flow, realising it is not within their power to change the country we are visiting in the short time that we have. Some friends have travelled with me so many times, I have lost count, but I really look forward to travelling with them. I am forever grateful to those members of the Cotton Club who don't even know they are members but who are very important part of the reason for the existence of the imaginary club!

Four more sleeps!

lizcotton — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 23:41:00 GMT

Despite the fact that I leave home at least four or five times a year, the feeling of excitement and the build up to countdown is still very tangible. Like a child, I literally count off the days till I'm on my way again. Four days prior to leaving I haven't even pulled my trusty old suitcase out. Mike (perhaps in my imagination!) and Kali go into a decline at the sight of the packing, so its best to leave this activity till the last possible respectable moment. In my mind I start packing and placing, putting things together, so that when the time comes, I am more or less "together". These days it comes easy. I don't even have lists. I just pack according to my heart. One has got to be philosophical. Its important to travel light. Less is more. If you haven't got something, you can always buy it as and when you need it.

Gallery: Me

lizcotton — Wed, 8 Apr 2009 15:12:00 GMT

Spontaneous Reservations!

lizcotton — Wed, 8 Apr 2009 00:09:00 GMT

Sometimes dreams fall into the realm of reality just like that! Its called "synchronicity". I'm not quite sure how it happened, but within a couple of hours today, I had tied up the Voyager flights and independent hotel accommodation at the Zambezi Sun Hotel, and all booked and paid for, no "ifs", no "buts". Mike seriously needs the break. I haven't been to the Vic Falls since 1970! A mere 39 years! So, I think we both deserve it, or should I say, we owe it to ourselves. The Vic Falls are on our doorstep, and it seems such a pity that we don't get to these awesome places more often. So there we go! All buttoned up on that one. So, we're going from 21 - 25 May 2009. That's only next month, after all ~ but still got to get through Syria, Lebanon & Jordan first.

Aleppo: Syria

lizcotton — Sun, 5 Apr 2009 12:06:00 GMT

I have just read that Aleppo, also vies with Damascus, Cusco (Peru), San'aa (Yemen) and Varanasi (India) for the oldest, longest continuously-inhabited city. All these ancient civilisations (Egyptians, Incas, Mayans, Aztecs, Sumarians etc) across the planet, no communication and not knowing that there was anybody else out there. The world must have been a beautiful place at the birth of civilisation. Those ancients were brilliant! They were architects, builders, artists, astronomers, scientists, mathematicians, ship-builders and sculpters. And, by strange co-incidence they all calculated/predicted the exact same date for the end of the world (21 December 2012). And now, these amazing places filled with history are a sprawling mass of humanity, overtaken by a rash of urbanisation and poverty. Slowly but surely, the more one travels, the more the pieces of the puzzle start falling into place. This is Mesapotamia, the Cradle of Civilisation. As my trip draws closer and I do more reading, I begin to realise just what an an awe-inspiring part of the world this is. This is my job, this is my Life. This is surely my passion.

Hello World!

lizcotton — Wed, 1 Apr 2009 17:30:00 GMT

I like that “Hello World”! Its a great start and just about sums it all up! Hello World! Here I come! In two weeks exactly I will be on my way to the Middle East. Taking a group of 12 pax plus myself through Cairo to Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Its going to be a wonderful experience especially as I have never been to this neck of the woods before. There’s a real excitement in visiting places like Damascus (one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities together with Cusco in Peru and Varanasi (previously Benares) in India, and the archaeological sites of Palmyra, Baalbeck, Bosra, Jerash, Petra and the Dead Sea. Alexander the Great and the Romans really left their mark in these places that also qualify as the Cradle of Civilisation. The mind boggles. They were around a long time before Christ. And, the Silk Road conjures up these incredible visions of caravanserais, carpets and camels as well as silks, spices and precious stones. Then there’s also the religious aspect. These countries were the birthplace of three of the world’s greatest religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. I think I’m in the mood already!

Gallery: Road to Damascus

lizcotton — Wed, 1 Apr 2009 02:12:00 GMT

Syria, Lebanon & Jordan