random selected

I feel so welcome here

pajje 2016 Holy land , 0 Comment

Sometimes it’s an good idea to do some research before you start something. For example if you go on vacation the same week all schools are closed its quite likely there will be a lot of people at the airport. And don’t forget about Murphy, according to Murphy’s law (if something can go wrong, it will go wrong) the electronic check in system went offline and you don’t wanna know the length of the queue to check in. But to be positive I never really had any chance to get bored at the airport and since I had no time for breakfast at Arlanda my waiting time in Riga went really fast, even that Riga airport is really small and boring.

Once we arrived in Israel I was able to take two steps on the soil before two guards stopped me. Since we landed way out in the middle of nowhere we were suppose to take the bus back to the terminal and the rest of the passengers did while still was on the tarmac questioned by the guards. Obviously its weird to travel alone according to them and once I said that I love to travel they started to examine my passport and I had to answer a bunch of questions what I have been doing in Russia, Turkey, Albania. Not really any problem but it took some time and once they felt happy I jumped on the next bus to the boarder and passport control and there it started all over again.

To be honest it took forever and I don’t really feel welcome here but at least I’m checked in at the hostel now and they were nice, time to be social for a while before I hit the bed, it will be an early evening since I leave for Jordan tomorrow.

Petra, Jordan

pajje 2016 Holy land , , 0 Comment

I slept like a baby and woke up to a shining sun and lucky for me, a light breeze. The weather forecast promised 20 degrees but it climbed up to 25 and to walk around among stone ruins and climbing on rocks, it was warm at least what you could say. Since the bedouin camp was just outside of Petra, which is an enormous area we were at Petra early in the morning, both before all the other tourists arrived and before the temperature went to high. Even that the whole group succeed to get an sun burn and the fat American lady gave up on reaching the parts there you had to climb. However don’t be afraid, everybody with a normal condition can    make it and there is a lot of people who try to sell you souvenirs, rent you a horse/donkey/camel or horse with a wagon just to make sure that you can enjoy Petra (and they make some euros of course).

Petra was establish around bc825 and was habited until 1985 when UN classified it as a world heritage center. Well thats not completely true because the bedouins who lived there before 1985 are still living there even if they are not allowed to it today, however they have moved away from the tourist attractions. At the same time the bedouins now are working at Petra selling souvenirs and try to make money on all tourist, for example letting you sleep in their camp just like I did.

Going back from Petra to Jerusalem took us through the border control at King Hussain bridge, crossed the west bank and back into Jerusalem. Not that far and would be an easy trip if it not was for the Israeli border guards. In my little group 4 of 9 was “random selected” and then we guard found a keffiyeh i bought for protecting my head from the sun, I was fucked. Into an interrogation room, scan me and all my clothes and luggage for explosives and intensives questioning about who I am, what am I doing here, were have I been, why have you been to Turkey.
It sure took some time but finally they had nothing to go on and relunctantly they let me back into Israel after they marked my passport with a stamp I didn’t had before, lets see if that will give me problem then I will try to leave the country.