From Peter’s prayer place - to plates of plenty

I closed my eyes and felt the cooling zephyr wafting off the waters of Joppa’s little harbour.  It was easy to imagine Peter, a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, retreating to the roof to pray and receiving a vision from God and a message that turned his entire world-view around – and ultimately opened the way for people beyond the Jews – like me! - to hear the good news of Jesus.

“Do not call anything impure that God has made clean”, said God, preparing Peter’s heart and mind to receive the three messengers, sent by the non-Jewish, God-fearing centurion in Caesarea Maritima, who were at that moment approaching the front door.

 

Today the old city of Joppa (or Jaffa) is a hive of building activity as the old stone buildings are being restored, and the wealthy come to live where the breezes from the Mediterranean make Israel’s summers bearable.

Check out this ancient “air conditioning” – a wall of clay bottles through which the breeze would have blown to cool the room. A short drive from Tel Aviv towards Jerusalem took us to the Biblical garden of Neot Kedumim (see earlier post) where their entertaining guide Edna held us spellbound as she explained the symbolism of many of the fruits and trees mentioned in the Bible.

Perched next to a 2000 year old cistern she spoke about importance of water, and its symbolism, to the Jews – both now and in the Bible – and with just a little encouragement from the rest of us S courageously volunteered to demonstrate how the Old Testament’s Rachel would have drawn water from the cistern.

Our Biblical lunch at Neot Kedumim was a delicious smorgasbord of tastes – olive oil, sour cream, salads, chick peas, fish, quiche, baklava, sultanas, yoghurt, fig honey and more.

After such a meal, and with the afternoon free, would we take to our beds for a post-prandial zzzzzzz?  Not for some!

Hong Kong transit

Travel, they say, broadens the mind (and the waistline, but that’s another story), and I have to tell you we’ve all learnt plenty on this first day of our big trip.

After a slightly uncomfortable flight where air turbulence prevented our dinner being served until late, and thus shortened our sleep time, we arrived in Hong Kong at 5am, most of us with a predetermined agenda for our 11 hour stopover.

S and L wanted to try out Chek Lap Kok International Airport’s pay lounge and shower facilities, while most of us had sightseeing on our minds – though we were definitely open to a little shopping should the opportunity occur (and quite determined that it would!).

We were transported swiftly into Central Hong Kong on the spotlessly clean and quiet Airport Express train, then went in search of the open-top #15C bus to the Peak Tram. “Too early”, we were told. It doesn’t start ‘till 10am. The sun was quite high and the air was hot and heavy, so we were astonished to realise that it was only 7 am.

One attraction that doesn’t keep tourist times is the Star Ferry.

So we hopped on board for the 9 minute trip across to Kowloon where we separated for a time.  Some went in search of coffee, others ogled the famous Peninsula Hotel and its fleet of green Rolls Royces, and some photographed the colourful buildings of this overbuilt shopping precinct.  And in spite of the early hour, when nothing appeared to be open, M, J, BB and R hunted down some great bargains.

Back across the harbour the Peak Tram took us on a perilously steep climb to the highest point on the island.  You can see from the perpendicular lines of the apartment buildings in this photo just how steep the angle is. It was worth it for this spectacular view of Hong Kong from the belvedere at the top.[Note to self: Must re-watch the DVD of the wonderful “Love is a Many Splendoured Thing” which was filmed here]

Hot, footsore and weary, we arrived back at the airport with two and a half hours to spare for our El Al check-in.  Although we had been warned, we needed every bit of this as each of us was individually interviewed at tables before proceeding to the actual check-in counter.  Comparing notes later we found that while the questions had varied they generally concerned why we were going to Israel, how long we’d known each other, what we were carrying in our bags, who knew we were travelling to Israel and whether we’d been given anything to take there for someone else. 

Those of us with combination locks on our cases were required to disclose the combination, and those with padlocks simply found, on arrival in Tel Aviv tonight, that the padlocks had been sawn off and discarded and their cases were now completely vulnerable to theft. It was clear, from the way items had been moved, that our cases had been searched.

It’s been a big day. 

We’ve learned that nothing can be gained by rushing into Hong Kong to go sightseeing at 7am.  S and L learned that, on an 11 hour stopover, you can enjoy a hot shower, fresh coffee and fruit (even a little nap) at the airport for a very small fee and still have time to go shopping and enjoy some Chinese noodles.  R has learned that bargaining is easier than he thought – in fact he didn’t even have to try! D2 has learnt that combination locks are probably better when dealing with El Al.  B1 learnt, when his flight from Hong Kong ‘to Helsinki’ (rather than Tel Aviv) was confirmed this morning, that getting messages passed on from travel agents to airlines can be a little like ‘Chinese Whispers’. And M has learnt that when your case goes missing in transit on a Thursday there’s absolutely no chance you’ll have it before Sunday because everything, including flights, stops for the sabbath.

It was with a tremendous sense of excitement that we boarded our flight late this afternoon.  And the excitement mounted when, with only minutes until the boarding gate was due to close, and our bags all stowed ready for take off, we could still see half the seats in the plane vacant.  Rows were eyed off and plans hatched for converting them into makeshift beds.  Maybe we wouldn’t have to spend a second night sitting bolt upright, our necks lolling at a painful angle as we tried to sleep!  Maybe we could dispense with the ‘fun’ of trying to eat dinner by taking turns with our neighbour for elbow room!

Then a very strange thing happened. Dozens and dozens of passengers began to stream through the door, and within minutes every seat in the plane was taken.  I asked a young man who, with his two mates, was now occupying my bed, whether a connecting flight had just landed.

He laughed heartily at my suggestion.  “No”, he said. “Don’t you know we Israelis never board ‘till the very last minute!”

You learn something new every day.

In the Steps of the Master ~ Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee

In preparation for our trip I've been dipping into HV Morton's classic "In the Steps of the Master", originally written in 1934. So much has changed in Palestine / Israel since then, but his elegant turn of phrase is such a delight I felt compelled to share with you some of his observations. As I journal our travels for this blog, I will try to add some of HV Morton's words to my own.

Here he describes the sun rising over the Sea of Galilee ( a description you are very unlikely to read from my pen, since early mornings and I enjoy but a nodding acquaintance).

Rising at the exquisite hour of four a.m., when the world is hushed and cool, I went up to the roof of the hotel to watch the sun rise over the Lake of Galilee.

At this time Tiberias is covered with a shroud of silence and greyness. An Arab, who picked himself from the dust where he had spent the night, stole off into the morning stillness like a ghost.

There was one star still burning in the sky. Beyond the flat roofs of the intervening houses the Sea of Galilee was lying cold and grey like an old mirror, unruffled by any wind of dawn. On the opposite bank the savage Gergesene hills halted at the water's edge like crouching beasts. Behind those hills a faint pink glow filled the sky, growing every second more powerful; it wodened and spread, quenching the last star and giving, even before the sun rose, the thinnest shadows to palm trees and houses.

Men and animals knew that a new day had come. Cocks crowed in a chorus that was echoed from hill to hill. Arabs, their heads still shrouded in their robes, for they sleep fully dressed, led camels and donkeys to water. Sparrows set up an excited chirping, and swifts filled the air with their bright screaming.

Then suddenly the sun leapt over the hills of Gergesa - and everything was changed! It was warm. The lake was blue. I could see the snow shining on Hermon to the north. The bells of the Greek convent set up a deep ringing. There was a smell of cooking from somewhere. And the muezzin came out on the minaret of the mosque and called the faithful to prayer. So a new day came to Tiberias.

Bringing home the memories ~ #3 Dead Sea skin care

When we visit the Dead Sea, if you want your skin to feel silky smooth and soft you can do this....

Oh, the benefits of mud, mud, glorious Dead Sea mud!

Or you can buy these, and other skincare products containing Dead Sea minerals.

I know you're going to tell me they're everywhere in our shopping malls back here. But isn't it more exciting to have bought your Dead Sea skincare goodies at the source? A great Christmas gift for the friend who has everything! Soap and aftershave cream are just two of the products available.

[Can you spot a mud-slathered Di in the photo above, taken in 1995? Do you think the mud has done me any good?!?!?]

Bringing home the memories ~ #2 Hebron glass

Hebron glass is exquisite. Translucent and beautifully patterned, it is produced by a centuries-old process originating with the Phoenecians and only a few families guard the secrets to this process.

We have a set of goblets and a pair of candlesticks made from Hebron glass, and you can choose from many more decorative pieces if you want a reminder of your pilgrimage each time you give a dinner party. Most retailers can arrange for your precious purchases to be shipped home, and you need have little fear of breakages - Hebron glass is quite resilient!

Bringing home the memories ~ #1 Olive Wood

The olive tree is a common sight in Israel and, since it needs to be severely pruned to encourage it to continue to bear fruit, items made of olive wood are everywhere. Here is a simple little dove of peace brooch.

I was particularly intrigued by the Christmas tree ornaments and nativity scenes, and bought several in Bethlehem - where else? They are light-weight and make delightful one-of-a-kind gifts for family and friends back home.

It's been a few years since my trip, so I recently checked with AQIS to confirm that it's still OK for us to bring back olive wood items. Here is an excerpt from the emailed reply I received from Angela Reddy in the Timber and Timber Products Division:

"Non commercial consignments of manufactured wooden articles do not require an import permit or a quarantine entry. They must however be presented to AQIS on arrival in Australia for inspection to ensure they are free from live insects, bark or other quarantine risk material. "

So you can feel free to buy any olive wood items that take your fancy, safe in the knowledge that, as long as you present them for inspection on your arrival back here, you won't become one of the dubious 'stars' on Border Security!

6 in 6 - Ideas to fill a 6 hour stopover in Hong Kong

We actually have a little more than 6 hours at our disposal during our Hong Kong stopover, but I’m being conservative here.

1. Take your own (self-guided) tour encompassing the Peak Tram, the Peak, the Star Ferry, and Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. This website has a suggested itinerary and gives you the approximate timing for each stage.

2. Visit the giant pandas (LeLe and YingYing), and ride the cable car, at Ocean Park.(Citybus #629 from Central Station).

3. Check out The Peninsula Hotel.

4. Missing your family already? Take advantage of the free wireless internet access at Hong Kong International Airport and email them. Guess who might even be blogging…?

5. Find a spare resting lounge among the miniature gardens in the terminal and enjoy a quiet zzzzzzzzzz….Or take a refreshing shower in the Plaza Shower and Relaxation Lounge in Terminal 1.

6. Shop till you drop, at the airport or at these places. Or you could make the trip out to Stanley Market by taking bus 6, 6A or 260 from Exchange Square. It's a 55 minute ride, so you have to be keen!