Sadness

Sadness is a funny thing. It can roll in with no warning, like a surprise thunder storm on a sunny day. Why the rain? Why the tears. As water gives life and is needed for growth... The same can be said about tears. In this moment I'm deeply sad. Waves of emotion are rolling in. Today my inner ocean is not calm. Like a crashing sea - An internal storm. I've lost something dear to my heart.
Deep sadness helps one appreciate moments of ease and joy. I know the calm will come. But now I sit in the deep blue... To embrace the moment and be present is a noble thing. To be present can be very peaceful, yet it can also be hard.  It is said that one must experience pain to know joy. Happiness is a part of life just as is sadness. We can not have one without the other. But why does the sadness hurt so? Maybe a life lesson, maybe a time for growth... A chance to learn and move on, holding in my heart both joy and sadness.

Israel

I was not expecting to be surprised at how much I liked this country. It's beautiful. From the coast to the beautiful desert mountains to Jerusalem... Stunning! I find The Dead Sea fascinating. In Israel, the people are friendly and even fashionable. When arriving in Jerusalem all of my senses were over taken. There is the Old City where the street markets are to die for. Then you have Mt Zion, Mt Sinai, The Jewish Quarter, The 12 Stations of the Cross, Via Dolorosa, The Western Wall... Literally I could go on and on. Jerusalem offers to much to see and it's just one city in Israel. There is also Tel Aviv and coastal cities like Eliat. History runs deep in this region. Religions are varied from Jewish to Muslim to Christian. Languages spoken and written within the area are Hebrew, Arabic, and English - it's common to see a street sign with all 3 languages. I feel like Israel represents the old and the new all in one. Tradition meets modern lifestyles. It has it all from cobblestone streets to street graffiti to diamonds. I want to return...and not only because they offer the best hummus I've ever tasted in my life! Honestly, this is a place a I will visit again and bring my loved ones with me... It's that amazing! Some of my favorite photos were taken while walking the streets in Jerusalem. Enjoy...

The Dead Sea

A place like no other. Honestly, I live by the ocean and I've never seen anything like this before in my lifetime. Located on the coast of Israel, The Dead Sea is famous for its richness in minerals. People come from all over the world to soak in this water. High in salt, known for this amazing mud it produces, and rich in so many other minerals it's no wonder Dead Sea spa products are sold everywhere, yes practically everywhere. The water is a combination of blues, greens, and turquoise so bright and stunning. It is said that the waters of this sea are healing. Good for almost any skin condition and supposedly does wonders for the body and face. When entering the water locals recommend that you be over 16 and not stay in for longer than 20 minutes. All I can say is this... I can't wait to return. The Dead Sea is truly amazing!!!

Camels and Pyramids

A city of 22 million people and we are at the pyramids alone... A dream I tell you!
The day started out uncertain as it often does when traveling, yet ended amazing!
Madonna and MacGuiver were our trusted camels taking us through the desert.
The most hilarious was the camel ride through the market on the way to the pyramids. Picture a blonde girl in pig-tails being let through a market on a camel with her Serbian friend. All the women are in black burkas and staring. It was crazy, chaotic... like a funny move seen! I couldn't stop cussing, which only made matters worse! An embarrassing moment I will never forget.
There are 72 pyramids total in all of Egypt. The time was priceless; our own private day.
We were being led into the dessert by two Egyptian guides. One of which had 2 wives. They allowed us to climb the pyramids. The pyramids are made of 2 different rocks (granite and alabaster). The stones are huge. Our guides gave us some granite and alabaster rocks from both pyramids. Felt so lucky. Here we are at one of the 7 wonders of the world all by ourselves. Allowed to treat the pyramids as our own playground. Never in my wildest dreams did I think they'd let me do yoga poses and climb on the pyramids. A dream come true I tell you!

Egyptians

Smoke. Drink tea. Are very friendly. Drive like crazy. Walk in front of fast cars not thinking about their lives being put in danger (no joke!) 70% of the population is Muslim. Most women wear full traditional burkas. Masques are everywhere. Prayer five times a day is the common chanting sound in the country. Graffiti is seen in most areas . Tradition flat bread sold on the street is typical in town. For transportation there are cars, mopeds, 2 men riding a motorcycle with no helmets is the norm, men on horses or using horse and carriage. Fresh produce, especially bananas are sold on the street. You see men out and about more than women. Even in the masques, it's mainly men. Women are recommended to stay and pray at home but if they do enter the holy place, there is a separate place for them to pray and they must be fully covered. I went to visit a temple with my male friend who was allowed to enter in jeans and t-shirt, I was required to wear a full covering. It was bright green. While I respect culture, needless to say I was not happy at the restrictions placed on women. It felt very demeaning. I looked like fucking Kermit the Frog just because I was a bloody woman. Culturally I respect it, but as a free woman it was very hard to be judged against just because I'm female. While I love love love Egypt, I could not follow the Muslim tradition and it's great that not all women do. Freedom of religion is practiced in this country. Cairo is very liberal, yet many still follow the Muslim faith.
I had the opportunity to see a typical Egyptian wedding and funeral... The beginning of a season and the end of another. Both eye-opening. The wedding was a full party. The bride wore a hot pink wedding dress. She was beautiful! Egyptian women are very pretty. Her female friends were dressed so lovely. It was refreshing to see young women dressed in fashion with their dark hair flowing as they danced. A fun, festive event with a lot of music.
The thing I noticed the most is that there is always things being built. Lots of projects and construction. It shouldn't surprise me really, known as a country for building the great pyramids to this day they are still building all over the city.
Most Egyptians greet you with a smile and overall so nice and helpful. I think they are beyond kind and loved my time in the country. Note...while prices are high, they expect you to negotiate. It's common every day to be working for a cheaper price. It's expected. I found that to be the most exhausting. As a blonde female I stood out, but I was always treated with kindness and respect. It was so much better than I expected. After traveling much, I can say I'm very found of Egyptians, even if culturally it's okay to have up to 4 wives!

Somewhere on the Red Sea

It's raining today. Sailing somewhere over the Red Sea. It's early. I'm one of the few up. Drinking Italian coffee and staring at the sea of dark blue. I have not felt this sick in a long time. Caught a terrible cold and have no other words to say other than I feel pretty rotten. Listening to background music in French and Italian, it's pretty nice to be one of the only Americans on the boat. Most are Italian followed by Germans then Eastern Europeans. 5 languages spoken in all. I find it very fascinating.
Today is pretty much a wash. Too cold and rainy to do anything. I'm too sick to care.
Going to try and soak in the Turkish baths and heat room to try and cure this bloody cold.
As I sit early this morning I keep thinking of all the history around me...from Egypt to Jordan to Israel where I will land tomorrow. My mind can't really take it all in. I think of all the biblical passages I grew up on. Tomorrow I'm going to walk the path of Jesus visiting the Last Supper, the tomb, the Mount of Olives. It's incredible that I get to see all of this at such a young age. Crazy cold that I have and all the aches I'm feeling, I still feel blessed. Lucky am I to be here in this moment - runny nose and all...

Cairo, Egypt

4:30am, that's when my Alitalia flight landed! Mechanical problems in Rome - just glad to be in Africa. Greeted at the airport by our hotel. Had to purchase a $15USD visa for the country. Easy process so far. Met some nice people on the plane (2 Egyptian engineers who gave us their cards and said to call them if we needed anything... We were invited to go with them to their families if we felt in danger... In danger?!) Found out that we were flying in on the 2nd year anniversary of the Revolution... Advised not to leave our hotel as protest would be happening! What?!
In bed that morning/night I hear sunrise chanting from the prayers being offered for the day. The whole city sings of this Arabic melody. I lay there and ponder what's happening. Will we be safe? Will we get to see they pyramids? My life is more important than riding a camel, yet I felt a deep disappointment that we had flown all this way to be told not to leave our hotel...
4.5 hours later we awake and ask the hotel if they can at least hire a driver and show us the pyramids (in Giza outside of Cairo), they say it's not recommended today. We smile and stupidly ask again... They agree. We're off to see they pyramids, a little nervous but more excited than anything. Sometimes in traveling adventure requires risk. There's a balance. I'd never do anything too crazy but will walk the line from time to time.
Happy to say the day was amazing! Better than could have been expected. Had our own private tour of the pyramids! Was able to climb on them... The site was empty, it was like a dream...