Category: Sites

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Pompeii of the East – Jerash

After we meet our new guide, Audi, we immediately head towards Jerash stopping along the way for a feast of a lunch.  There are spreads and dips and different meats and pita and more of every dish than we could possibly consume.  I feel like I could survive purely on their twice-baked pita and fresh hummus.

After lunch we are just minutes away from Jerash, one of the best-preserved Greco-Roman cities in the world.  The size of this Roman city combined with the amount that has already been excavated rivals sites that I saw in Rome.  We walk through the Temple of Artemis and Zeus, the Roman Forum, Hadrian’s Arch, a very well-preserved theatre and the mile-long Street of Columns (also known as the Cardo).  I feel that if I go through all the pictures that my dad and I took, there wouldn’t be an ancient column missing.

After a complete tour of Jerash and a tour that felt like it was a private tour because of the lack of other tourists, we continue on to Amman to spend the night.  We venture out of the hotel for a walk, which we don’t realize is completely downhill until we turn around, and because of the pollution of the city, some jetlag, and our heavy lunch earlier, upon our return to the hotel, we skip dinner and head to bed rather early.

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Jordan Border Crossing

It takes three cars, six gates, a couple bag searches, a pair of new visas, and a little patience, but we eventually make it through the Allenby Bridge – King Hussein Border crossing and enter into Jordan.  This border, which connects the West Bank and Jordan is the only designated entry and exit point for Palestinians.  Also, Israeli citizens are not allowed to use this terminal, but tourists in possession of an advance visa can enter.  My dad and I fall into this last category, and because we all may have some obsessive compulsive tendencies, I have a copy of both of our visas, my dad has a copy of both of our visas, and the driver that picked us up in the morning even has a third copy of both of our visas.  I think we were pretty well covered.

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Next Year in Jerusalem

Every year at the end of the Passover Seder, we finish with the words “next year in Jerusalem,” and today, here I am in one of the most sacred places in the world.  And not only one of the most sacred, but it is also one of the most historic.  Jerusalem is a city that has been destroyed and rebuilt a dozen times, and thus it is a city that wherever someone digs, there are layers and layers of history to be uncovered.  That also means that when a project such as a new light rail gets underway, the project will take much longer than expected because creating the foundation for the rail requires digging, digging inevitably turns to excavating, and each new archeological site slows down the light rail’s progress.  I believe that the new Jerusalem light rail was supposed to take 10 years complete and wasn’t completed until 20 years had passed.

As a tourist, coming to a city that has layer upon layer of history means that there is so much to see, and if that tourist happens to be traveling with my dad, than he shall try to attempt to see as much as possible within a day.  Soon after we get picked up from the hotel by our guide Moti (short for Mordachi), my dad begins sharing his list of everything that we would like to do and see during our day together.  The guide immediately questions if this is going to be a one-day or a one-week tour.  My dad laughs and says, “one-day”.  The amazing part is that except for the sites that were closed because it was Shabbat, we made it through most of the list.  We saw the City of David, including walking through its underground water tunnels and sewers.  We walked through the Christian quarter on the Villa Dolorosa, and ended up where Christ is believed to have been crucified.  We explored the Muslim quarter, and stopped for falafel, hummus, pita and a Coca-Cola.  We put small messages into the cracks of the Wailing Wall and watched as people danced and sang as they welcomed the Sabbath.  We noted gates a plenty, each with their own historical or biblical significance.  And we partook in a very real, hands-on history lesson from Moti. I believe the purpose of religion is to build community, provide support, and bring families together, and there is a lot of Jerusalem that achieves this; however, the segregation amongst communities is equally present.  Each religion has its own quarter in the city whether that be the Muslim quarter, Christian quarter, Jewish quarter, and so forth.  In addition, when it comes time to pray and announce one’s presence, there seems to a battle for airwaves between the Jewish chanting, the Christian bells, and the Muslim calls to prayer.

Jerusalem is a very complicated place built on thousands of years of history.  Trying to cover all of it in a day is impossible, but in this one single day that left me exhausted and a bit cold from the rain, the grandeur and the importance of the city to so many people past and present becomes clear.

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Addo Elephant National Park

Addo Elephant

When planning this trip a couple months back, the four of us were debating whether to go to Addo or Kruger.  Kruger is one of the largest game reserves in all of Africa and is one of the more famous parks in the world; therefore, choosing not to go here was a big decision.  The factor leading to this decision is mainly that it is currently the wrong season to visit.  At this time of year, Kruger is supposed to be hot, humid, mosquito-infested, and rainy.  Moreover, the increased rain causes the grass to grow higher making it more difficult to spot wildlife.  We are lucky that we chose to stay away because while at Addo we learned of headlines that read “Hundreds of tourists stranded as Kruger National Park floods“.

Elephant Embrace

While at Addo, we enjoy driving around the park searching for game and finding elephants, zebras, kudu, turtles, ostriches, warthogs and more.  We spend one night at a very comfortable cabin and the second night in equally comfortable tents in the middle of the park.  At one point, we even find a section of the park that is lion-free and walk-able so we take a nice hike.

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The Garden Route

On our way from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape, we make sure to stop at some of the most beautiful coastline that the Africa and the world have to offer.  This stretch of coast is better known as the Garden Route.  Some of the highlights include Mossel Bay Beach where we enjoy a seafood feast at a beachside restaurant called The Pavilion.  Other pit stops include Wilderness and the famous Knysna along the way to our first night’s destination in Plettenberg Bay.  In Knysna, we take a short hike to a beautiful spot to enjoy sunset.  Clasmmates Jan, Carmen, Inessa, and I find a nice quiet hostel in this small town after enjoying a fun open-air dinner.

Mossel Bay

Knysna

On the second day along the Garden Route, we begin by enjoying a relaxed breakfast in Plettenberg before continuing onwards.  Our first stop of the day is at Nature’s Valley Beach.  Nature’s Valley includes two parallel beaches, one next to a fresh water lake and the other facing the ocean.  We walk between the two several times enjoying the warm water and the hot sun.  This wide, sandy beach is a perfect start to the day, which ends at Addo Elephant National Park, where there is a bit of excitement upon arrival as we first go to the wrong entrance and then have to travel along a bumpy dirt road before barely making it in time before the park closes.  We quickly order some food to be ready for us after an evening game drive through the park, and all proceed to pile into an open-air truck to see what wildlife we can find.

Footprints at Nature's Valley

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The Botanical Gardens and Johnny Clegg

Many of us who had just finished our school program spent one evening at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens listening to the South African musician Johnny Clegg.  Clegg’s sounds can probably best be described by imagining an ethnically South African Dave Matthews Band.  We all brought snacks and local wine to this family-friendly concert with its unique backdrop.

Johnny Clegg

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Around Cape Town

The Penguins of Boulders Beach:

Boulders Beach and Penguins

Stellenbosch Vineyards:

Stellenbosch

The Cheetahs of Spier Winery:

Cheetah

Hike to the top of Lion’s Head:

Lion's Head Hike View

Hout Bay:

Hout Bay

Cape of Good Hope:

Me at Cape of Good Hope

Ostrich at Cape of Good Hope

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Setting Table Mountain

Table Mountain 1

Although I hiked to the top of Cape Town’s famous mountain only the other day, I could not resist returning to its summit to enjoy a clear sunset.  Luckily, there is a shortcut to the top by means of a cable car.

Even on a clear day, the table cloth, an appropriately named layer of clouds that fly over Table Mountain every afternoon, appears as the rock of the mountain begins to cool.  The clouds, the mountain, the ocean, and the city all make for an unforgettable sunset.

Table Mountain 2

Table Mountain 3

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From The Mountains to The Sea

I didn’t get enough heights from my paragliding adventure and searched out that dizzying, gut-wrenching feeling caused by looking downwards from great heights the same afternoon after my Lion’s Head paragliding flight.

Cape Town Stadium Roof

The recently built Cape Town Stadium is partially covered by a glass roof, from which we can see Table Mountain on one side, the Atlantic Ocean on the other, the sun above us, and the pitch below us. With the day being close to 40 degrees Celsius in combination with the reflection off the glass, we all feel like we are being slowly cooked. However, I do not come to this realization until retreating back down to a more natural height.

Cape Town Stadium panorama

A fun fact about the stadium’s roof is that it is very flexible and ready for some of Cape Town’s windier conditions. The roof can flex both up and down as well as side to side to accommodate some of Cape Town’s harshest wind conditions.

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Flying into Cape Town

Paragliding over Cape Town

Stefan says to me, “On the count of three, we will start running.  And don’t forget to not sit down.”

“Right,” I reply. “I guess I’m ready.” I ineffectively try to wipe the sweat from my face on this scorcher of day.

I think of all the not-so-reassuring words that fellow flyer and classmate Matt has given me throughout the last couple days in preparation for this moment.  “Even in the worst case scenario, at least there will be little pain.”

I’m waiting for Stefan’s count of three to begin any moment and it feels like I’m waiting forever.  I find myself holding my breath in anticipation until I cannot hold my breath any longer because of my quicker heart rate.  I tell myself that I get more than my money’s worth for these types of adventures assuming that the best measure to use is heart rate per dollar.  My fear of heights causes my heart rate to scale quickly at such moments.

Paragliding Over Cape Town from Andrew Stein on Vimeo.

“One.  Two.  Three.”  We start running and of course I begin to try to sit in my harness well before it is time.  I receive a quick scolding and immediately stand up and resume running.

Before I know what has happened, we are seemingly weightless, Lion’s Head Peak is to our back and Cape Town’s coastline is ahead of us.  We hit a small thermal updraft and climb a little higher before beginning our descent.  Once I feel supported by the parachute above me, I begin to relax and couldn’t be happier that I was convinced to fly via paraglide over this great city.