The Adventures of Matty: Shalom from the Holy Land!
ISRAEL | Saturday, 11 July 2009 | Views [243]
Hi Everybody, hope you are well!
I've made it to Tel Aviv, Israel, and will be staying here for the next few days.
If nobody has ever said it to you before, the Meditteranean Sea is BEAUTIFUL! So blue, and clear and crisp. But more on that later...
My second day in Jordan was absolutley incredible as I embarked on a tour of Norther Jordan. The desert landscape was utterly beautiful; so clear and vivid and different to the desert landscapes of Australia.
We drove past a number of towns, all constructed in the white stone that ear marks arab construction - the stone is plentiful in Jordan and adds its colour to the landscape continually. The tour itself took us to two Ancient Roman cities and a Castle from a few hundred years ago. Each was incredible in its own right.
We started at Gadara, the quivalent of a country town in the years of the Roman Empire. Toppled by earthquakes in the 8th Century it is in the process of being restored and is increasingly making its way onto the tourist maps. The architecture was clear to see and the work that these ancient people put into their special structures was incredible - even after being eroded by wind, rain and dust storms after all these years, ornate carvings on the structure eaves could be clearly seen. Walking down the streets was like stepping back in time to what life was like in those days.
After posing for photos with Syria in the background, we headed to Ajlun Castle, built in the time of the Crusades on one of the highest spots in all of Jordan. The views were simply incredible and the castle itself has been an archaeological treasure trove, yielding art, pottery, weapons as well as the story it tells with its own layout and mostly intact structure. It was quite exciting as this was the first castle I have ever been too, and it was amazing to walk through each room and seeing the way the arab lords and ladies lived.
Final stop on the tour was Jerash, a large Roman city in the process of being restored. Again, it was like stepping back in time as you could really imagine the ancient romans with their horse and cart going down the street as well as pilgrims making the long climb up Artemis' stairs to the Temple, or watching theatre in the north or south auditoriums. Walking under the immense arch way through which you entered the city added to this feeling as passing under it really gave you the sense that you were entering the past.
The next day it was up at the crack of dawn to make my way via plane, train and automobile (yes, literally) to Tel Aviv and the Ami Hotel. My first glimpse of the Mediterranean sea made me gasp - it is beautiful, so blue and clear and it goes right off to the horizon.
Tel Aviv is warm, with a constant, gorgeous sea breeze. The place itself reminds me much of St Kilda though, with the layout, buildings, the way people look and dress. Then I see a sign in Hebrew or hear the glottoral "h" sound we all know so well and I'm reminded I am actually in another country.
I'm taking a tour of the Dead Sea and one of Jerusalem, so these should also help remind me that I am in the Holy Land.
However, the biggest things that have convinced me so far is the fact that everything but restaraunts and a few food markets are closed today - it's the Sabbath - and the fact that when you go to the beach every second person is playing ping pong! I kid you not, lying in the sun on the beach overlooking the mediterranean, I was accompanied by the constant clap, clap, clap, clap of at least 7 ping pong games happening around me.
So it's Amman with its car horns that was the defining sound, and Tel Aviv with the ping pong clap!
I did some exploring of the local landmarks today as everything is closed, which is quaint in a charming kind of way, and got a bit more of a sense of how people lived and what the local streets were like. Again, it is very much like St Kilda, Melbourne.
That's all for now, enjoy and take care and I will speak to you soon!
Love Matt xx
