Travel Dreams

 EGYPT -ISRAEL - PALESTINE & JORDAN (8 March, 2024)

Traveling to the holy land was a dream comes true – for I am grateful to God for the opportunity I got this year to enjoy this trip. It was always my dream to begin my international travel by visiting the holy land first, the fascination began very early in my life.

As I read the bible and heard the stories from the Old Testament and Moses was a fascinating personality for me. As I grew and attended the bible classes and heard people sharing their experience of their visit to this place, I decided that one day definitely I would like see the Mount Sinai, be at the River Nile, and play at the Red Sea, and go around Galilee and float on the dead sea and take a whole trip understanding Jesus and what he spoke in parables during his time.

Finally this year I found out that ATM travels were organizing this tour and once I made up my mind to go everything fell in place. 

Here’s the preparation for the trip – thanks to the travel agency, and also to my couple of friends, Jenny & Neomi who helped me plan this trip perfectly.

1.   To always keep the passport carefully- even though my daughter was traveling with me, we were asked to keep our own passport and boarding pass with us on individual basis.
2.   To take care of our luggage and to travel light as we cannot carry more than 25 kgs by Air
3.   To keep a medical kit ready in case of any problems
4.  To carry small change in dollars – as it is easy for financial transactions- in all the 4 countries dollar was used.
5. To be always in the group and keep the group members informed in case of any delay in reaching the bus.
6. To those who are used to eating spicy food, pickles, podi’s (powdered dry chutney) can be of help. Some make chicken and fish pickles to add spice to their food.
7. Not to trust strangers with luggage especially during transfers, at immigration counters, crossing over to other places.
8. Be prepared for a culture shock especially using wash rooms there are no jet pipes, and only toilet papers are used. As Indians we may not be used to this, so carry a mug which could be helpful.
9. In some of the places especially visiting the places with religious significance to be dressed modestly –not to wear sleeveless, and to have a scarf.
10. Not to wear too much of gold jewelry and expensive

The travel agency had an itinerary planned for 10 days, and they followed it strictly. Except for once they changed the plan due to  an emergency issue in the tourist spot.  Here is our day to day itInary:

 Day 1 (17^th May, 2023)

I and Dorothy reached the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Shamsabad (Hyderabad) by 12 noon.  We connected with Mr Keith Martin who was our tour guide for the entire trip.  Our departure was at 15.50 p.m from Hyderabad to Muscat through Oman Airways.

There was no problem as the group was ready with the itInary and passport in the hand, so the check in was faster. We were around 40 people out of which we had some two groups of sisters belonging to two different congregations. There was one priest from Karimnagar, and one family from Andhra along with few more members from their extended family. 

We were happy to board the flight and we got our lunch in the flight which was a non vegetarian food with choice of cool drink, sweet and there was also bun and butter, a bottle of water too was served.  The flight was occupied by all of us, except for few seats wherein others who were travelling to Muscat were there. There was entertainment a small TV was attached to the seats so we could switch on channels and watch movies or songs. I sat down with gratitude along with two more sisters next to me and they were friendly, Dorothy got a seat behind me and she too was comfortable.

The duration of the flight was roughly around 2 hours and we got down at Muscat at 17.45 HRS. Then we waited at this Airport for another 4 hours just going around in the airport looking at the shops and display, this was well maintained airport and everything was sold in dollars. We had our own snacks and water so there was no need to buy anything. There was a provision for Wifi and we could use it  to connect with family and friends– we took opportunity and connected on whatsapp with them.  After which we had to Board another flight from Muscat to Cairo and the departure was at 21.50 HRS. There was some food offered in the flight which I chose a non vegetarian chicken biryani, with one bun butter, and some chocolate ice cream, which was enough for the journey which took us another 4 hours and we arrived in Cairo at 00.10AM. 

Day 2 (18 May, 2023)

The time zone changed from here and there was a bus waiting for our group to be picked up at midnight after we checked out from the airport and within few minutes we were put in Novatel hotel which was closer to the airport. We checked in with our baggage’s and it was a comfortable luxury place to rest and we were given instructions to be ready by 7 a.m and breakfast would be served and we had come out with the luggage after having our breakfast.  

As we were very tired we slept well but did not realize, being an early riser I still got up early and was ready and I told Dorothy that I go down and check if anyone has come for breakfast, Dorothy was still getting ready and when I came down to my surprise all the sisters and everyone were ready with their luggage’s and boarding the bus, I immedialty called Dorothy and we managed to pick up some bread, muffins and carried in our small packet to have it in the bus. For a moment I was anxious and frightened fearing that I and Dorothy would be left behind.

It was just a feeling and then once we boarded the bus and took comfortable seats we were fine and happy. We had a guide here and her name was Christine along with another guide and his name was George who accompanied us throughout Egypt, while Christine came along only up to the meausum – and she was very friendly and cheerful and entertaining us with question answers session and giving us chocolates when we answered right. It was great travelling in the bus and it was entertaining as the bus went around the city of Egypt, giving us a glimpse of the building and spoke about the ancient civilization and introduced us to the popular Pyramids, we reached this place and there was so much crowd, looked like people all over the world are here to see these beautiful pyramids. It was  a tourist spot and lot of children and adults selling caps, stone pyramids, key chains.

I was so happy to be here couldn’t believe that my dream has come true; I was also happy to meet the other groups who traveled from Hyderabad by different flight – so we roamed around and looking at this huge pyramids and stories about how the royal household used this place to bury their family, by preserving the dead person’s body, which they dis through the process of mummification – the life after death was important for Egyptians as they believed that their soul would live on forever. We spent some time watching these beautiful pyramids and clicked some pictures for memories – the guide took a full group photo and I bought it for my own album.  Then we moved on for lunch and this was arranged at River Nile on a Cruise – it was a buffet lunch and there was so much food spread out – I thanked the lord for his mercy and kindness and ate everything with gratitude, tasted falafel, shawarma, bread, chicken, kebabs, my favorite was the fish. I loved the fish here and relished it and also enjoyed the desert which was rich with dates and fruits.

After lunch I went around the cruise and it was so beautiful to see River Nile (Read old testament form Exodus 7:17-21) – and the bible story from the  old testament came alive to me as I stood there in awe. I recalled the story of Moses wherein his mother protected him by putting him in a basket and let it in river Nile… so many thoughts racing through my mind. I took pictures for my own memory and lived that moment fully and joyfully for I knew that this was once in a life time experience.

Then we moved on to Holy Family Church and visit the monastery of the  Virgin Mary Church  and then another ancient church called the Floating Bible Orthodox Church of Virgin Mary known for having a Bible that was floating around opened despite being water logged at  Maadi the suburb of Cairo outside the church in river Nile. The church was well maintained and we could sit for some time and pray in silence after which we could go around as there was fences around the church as it was touching river Nile.  Then we took a break for a cup of coffee as it was a long journey to the hotel, surrounded by the desert we had a comfortable journey.  

This was a time to talk to one another in the bus and we shared the snacks we brought from our hometowns, and enjoyed the varieties of salty, sweet biscuits, and some brought chocolate cookies, and still others brought some homemade savories. The drive to St Catherine Monastery (456kms) in Sinai en route pass by Elim, Marah and Refidim.

We reached the a place for Dinner called “La Meride” which was adjoining the Red Sea, The food was delicious buffet and we ate to our hearts content and got back in the bus to continue another 8 hours of journey to reach another hotel by 1a.m. midnight. This was a beautiful place for rest and the rooms were clean and we were surrounded by mountains and there was lovely garden in the centre. After some rest we got up early and it was such a pleasant sunrise – I still cannot forget this image in my mind and took a few photos and captured it in my memory. We began with breakfast  and it was again a huge buffet plenty to eat and it was served hot and we had neat round tables set so we could serve ourselves and find tables to sit with our friends.  There were also two more groups and the place was busy with people moving around some arriving still, and others leaving.

Day 3(19 May 2023)

We started off after breakfast for another 180 kms drive from St Catherine to Taba. We proceeded to st Catherine’s monastery which is at the foot of Mount Sinai, one of the oldest Greek orthodox monasteries of the world.  In 2002 this place was added to the list of  the World Heritage by UNESCO. The bus stopped a little away from the monastery and there are sharing vehicles available for 10 dollars so all of us took the sharing vehicles to reached the monastery as it has timings. Some of them who wanted to walk they walked till the monastery.

This was a place I always longed for to see; whenever I read about Moses climbing the Mount Sinai –( Read Exodus chapter 24 & 32) I always wondered how it would have been for him to climb this mountain and so many memories. So right on this day I was standing in front of Mount Sinai.  I was so thrilled and filled with enthusiasm and was feeling overwhelmed by this mountain which was so huge and spread out, and so much security. There was another bus full of persons from our city and so we were happy to meet and take pictures here and were happy to be together. As per the scheduled time the monastery opened and we were allowed to go around the monastery, where we saw the Burning bush (read the old testament of the bible Exodus 3:2) this was the place wherein Moses went up to pray, and received the Ten commandments from God and we also drank from the Moses WellJ  where he met his wife at the well, which is now preserved, connected to a tap.

The monastery has a church inside built with the byzantine architecture- a sense of awe when I saw a Rabbi sitting in the side – the whole place was decorated with beautiful chandlers ( photography not allowed) so I knelt down here for some time and this was a peaceful place with vibrant energy. The whole set up transported me to the time of Moses as to how they maintained the temples with holy of holies the inner chamber was closed and only the Rabbi is allowed to enter. After this we passed the Red Sea and checked into the Hotel La Playa, located at Taba.

Day 4 (20 May, 2023)

We reached the Red sea resort and the ambiance was simply awesome. I loved the stay in this place as the room given  to us opened up to the sea directly. I was so fascinated by this sight and was ready to jump and play in the Red sea. Since we reached post lunch and rested for a while in the room and a 3p.m. I told Dorothy (my daughter) that I will like to go and play in the waters, while she rested I went and along with the other co travelers I went right into the red sea, which was so clean and beautiful. I enjoyed playing in the water  and clicked a few pictures for my memory. The sea was calm and so huge and it was a pleasant evening, breezy and cool and I had fun in the water, after which Dorothy too joined and together we went into the resort pool and started swimming there for an hour till 6p.m stretching our hands and legs in the water and played like kids. 

The next day after the breakfast we checked out and transfer to Taba border and cross over into Israel. The immigration check took us half day, there was a long line people waiting to cross the border. In a hurry I left my airbag and thanks to Dorothy as she was behind me she picked it up. They checked our entire passport and after all their procedure they let us move, Dorothy’s pass port was withheld and they asked her to wait. I was wondering and then I came to know that they immigration rules are very strict especially when youngsters cross they check them for security reasons. Here at the border we bid goodbye to George who was an interesting guide and was also entertaining, taking us to places and encouraging us to buy small mementos, also took us to the place where aromatic oils, scents were available, showed us place where we can get good delicious dates in Egypt.

Now we had a new guide and his name was Shaadi, a serious looking person and he was showing from the bus where we are heading to for lunch to Yodvata. As the bus was moving, he showed us Jordan which was on the right side and a small beach amusement park. He shared his knowledge about Israel stating that Israel manufactures only one type of cars, also told us that Red sea is known to be special because it is the only sea that does not have a river flowing in and there are variety of fishes, he also told us that they accept only US dollars which is widely accepted.  Shekels is the local currency in Israel, and its filled with dates. He also mentioned that there are 9.3 million citizens in Isreal excluding the Palestine’s. Israel is complicated politically and socially. And we were told that we will be staying for 3 nights  here in Bethlehem. The drive was 355 kms drive to Bethlehem through Dead sea road and we arrived at  Ararat for dinner and overnight stay in Bethlehem.   

 Day 5 (21 May 2023)

I loved this Ararat hotel in Bethlehem. I and Dorothy were put up on the 5thfloor. The view from the balcony was super and I could not stop but take a few pictures. The hotel staffs were good; the place was neat and clean. We had all the facilities – like the hot water and fully furnished room with water bottles, and nice mattress to rest and very comfortable for both us a large full double sized bed and everything about his place was good.

We had our breakfast and were ready to drive for 56.0 kms  towards Mount Olives, Ascension church and the place where Jesus had the last supper, followed by the  way of the Cross, we walked the Jesus way through the market place, visited the Garden of Gethsemane, Mount Zion, tomb of David, Ek Karem, reached the tomb of Jesus, the stone rolled way. This day was a great experience as we walked along the guide to various places, the garden of Gethsemane was protected with a boundary wherein we cannot move inside, and I saw the old trees caged and protected…

I was quiet from within as I reflected the life of Jesus and how he prayed at this particular place before he was crucified and put to death on the cross. The trees here witnessed all of these events in silence. I walked in silence too as the group was praying as we walked to Golgotha, the last destination where he was hung on the cross. It was a climbing up high and not easy, and either side were the shopkeepers watching us, one or two sisters found difficult to walk and we helped one another holding each others hand as we walked the way of the cross. So many Lenten seasons we have prayed the way of the cross in the church and I let my imagination run to picture these events, and today here I felt so good to have literally walked the path that Jesus himself walked. I felt privileged, favored and blessed and overflowed with gratitude for all these experiences in my life.

Then we moved towards Palestine for lunch break after which we visited the Nativity Church, Milk Grotto and the Shepherds fields which was beautiful too. I did not spend any money at all though I saw a few shops on our way. But I felt like having an orange juice, as I saw the organs looked great so I spent 3 dollars for a big large size glass and enjoyed the delicious fresh fruit orange. Then we returned back to the hotel for dinner and rest.

Day 6 (22 May 2023)

The next day we had breakfast  and ready for the drive for 134.8 kms towards the old city of Jerusalem, visited St Ann’s  Church (Mother of Mary),  where we saw the ruins of the temple where the paralytic man was healed, another church that was rebuilt and the place was filled with lovely rose garden, Church of Flagellation, via Dolorosa, Bethany, Jericho (view Mount temptation, Sycamore tree where Zacchaeus climbed, some of us tried to climb and pose near the tree for photographs, visited the tomb of Lazarus and then we had mass at the Good Shepherd church after lunch.  Post lunch  we  had to visit the Dead sea and we were prepared to float took extra pair of clothes, unfortunately there was fire and all the tourist buses were redirected so we went ahead visiting the Western Wailing wall, the only surviving part of the temple of God. All of us went near the wall and there were many who had brought petitions to put on the wall. I sat there in silence for some time, the security was tight and we were lead from the entrance gate to the wailing wall and then out to the exit gate, where we had lot of shops around for snacks and cool drinks. Then we returned back to the hotel for dinner and rest.

Day 7 (23 May 2023)

We had breakfast at this hotel in Bethlehem and checked out of the hotel to continue our journey for another 239.5kms heading towards drive to Haifa, visited the Mount Carmel, Elijah’s cave, which was inspiring to find his statue inside the cave, as I walked around the cave it gave me chills in my body to see how this prophet could have hid in this place with no ventilation.  Then we went around  Stella Maris – Famous Hanging garden of Persia – this was a beautiful place and I loved this garden it was a huge place filled with greenery, and we could make picture post cards out of the scenic beauty. The moved towards Nazareth proceeded for lunch at a nice restaurant and they served us rice, chicken and fish. I enjoyed the fish wherever it was served and loved the taste of olive oil as every dish had the olive oil taste.

Post lunch we proceeded to the Church of Annunciation , Mary’s well, Joseph’s workshop, St Joseph’s church, and then drive to Cana visited the wedding church, we bought some wine and it was very tasty and then we moved around the place which was filled with shops, I refrained from buying anything as it was all in dollars. And at th end of the day we returned back to the hotel in Tiberius..

Day 8 (24 May 2023)

We rested here in this hotel which was at the Sea of Galilee and we were on the 9^th floor of the hotel. I could see Galilee from my balcony, we had our breakfast and then a drive of 82.6 kms towards mount Tabor. Our bus halted below and there were other vehicles where we were asked to share to take us to the mountain top. This drive was fascinating as the vehicles were going in rounds as a spiral to reach us to the Mount tabor – I was reflecting on how Jesus could have walked with Peter, James and John for the transfiguration experience. We had a beautiful experience here as they have built up 3 churches, one for Moses, Elijah and Abraham. We had mass in this place and it was a memorable mass as we sat down there listening to word of God and then sharing our faith with one another.

After which we went towards the sea of Galilee and it was so much fun, we had a boat ride in the sea of Galilee and then we had people in the boat who sang and made all of us dance in the boat, it was a refreshing experience and we loved it, at the end of the boat ride, we had a Indian flag and national anthem was sung.  This was indeed a memory that I will carry as long as I live for such was the experience and the sea was beautiful, calm, serene, no fishing allowed, no swimming allowed, maintained so well. I clicked a few pictures here and it was simple awesome to be moving in and around the sea of Galilee. Then we proceeded to lunch at a place called Magadala where they served us St Peter’s fish which was a full fried fish a big one wherein we can share with another person and delicious lunch.  Then we visited River Jordan nd managed to take a dip in the Jordan river as it was closing time, went to Capernaum to see the house of st Peter and his mother in laws house, the Tabgha church wherein Jesus performed the multiplication of loaves, and taught the Beatitudes – which was written along the way to the church. Then we came back to the hotel in Tiberius for dinner and rest.

Day 9 (25 May 2023)

We had a buffet breakfast at King Solomon hotel and then headed for another drive of 154.9 kms Tiberius to Jordan for transfer, checked out to cross over to Jordan completing all the formalities. The immigration staffs were strict and they wanted to check as we are coming from Isreal they had to check everything and then enter Jordan.  We bid goodbye to our previous guide Shaadi and we were welcomed by another guide by name Safa  who was a lovely looking lady to take us around  Jordan, She was friendly and approachable and the moment she got into the bus she was quizzing about Jordan, checking our general knowledge.

Some the things we learnt was about the language spoken in Jordan was Arabic, and their currency was called Dinar which is 1.5 US dollar, higher than the dollar rate. The popular local Cookies called Barazak(which is made with sesme, ghee and sugar and she got us this sweet for us to taste. The country has also special dates called the Magula dates which is popular production. Amman is the capital city of Jordan and 11 million people live here and it took us one and half hour to reach the hotel. This place is surrounded by Jilad mountains, she also said that there are 150  types of Olive trees grown here and Olive branches are symbol of peace.

Jordan does not allow bikes on the road, only cars were seen, they have organized bike riding which is allowed at certain times. This country has supposed to be a hub for the Arabs for medical treatment because of potassium our of Dead Sea.  There are plenty of car zones for selling. Hummus, which is chickpea pasta with olive oil is popular, the bus reached RAWA hotel and vehicles transferred our luggage’s in this hotel and then proceeded for lunch.  Post lunch we went towards Madaba church and visit to only Christian town in Madaba and then leisure time for shopping. I did not purchase anything here as everything was expensive plus it was above the dollar rate. The public toilets are maintained very neat and clean especially for the tourist this is a blessing to have such kind of wash rooms. We went around window shopping and then  drop off at hotel for dinner and overnight stay in Amman.

There were a couple named Marie Ann and Richard from New York who were with us in this trip and they were friendly and adjusted with our group and  they had to leave as they had some function to attend back home at New York. There was another single lady called Ruth who also joined us along with Marie Ann and Richard, she was fun to be with and we chatted a lot and became friendly; she was a nurse by profession, retired and enjoying her retired life.  

Soon she started showing me her family pictures on her mobile and I shared mine too, we exchanged snacks and I felt she connected with me deeply as she shared some of her personal experiences of her life. She invited me to her place and gave me her contact and took my contact too. We saved our numbers on whatsapp and stay connected.

Day 10 (26 May 2023)

We had early breakfast and then we moved past Ragdhan Palace  and the whole place was beautiful with 9 palaces, it was a great sight to see these buildings . Raghdan place is used by the Royals to host meetings with state heads and dignitaries. It is constructed in a traditional Islamic style and was renovated and is well maintained with high security. We visited Mount Nebo a significant place mentioned in the Old testament of the bible, where in Moses was moving around this place and never reached the promise land. It is said that Moses died in this place. The top of the hill there is a memorial church and the Serpent statue around 700 meters above sea level. (Deuteronomy-12) will help us understand the significance of this place and understanding of the Serpent statue. This was a very gorgeous place and we took photographs as we moved around this place.

Then we visited the Roman theater a famous land mark in Jordan which had a capacity to accommodate 6000 people at time. The theatrical and musical performances are held even today, visitors are allowed to move around the gallery space, and there is an adjacent measum too, where they have preserved a lot of art work and beautiful paintings and some of the traditional items used for war, celebrations and attire too.

After which we bought some traditional sweets name Barazek which is sesames seed cookies. And we boarded the bus to continue our journey towards the Dead sea, as we could not go to this place while due to some accidental fire, the travel agency ensured that they we have the opportunity to visit the Dead sea from Jordan. We were all excited that we could finally visit the dead sea wherein there was a resort attached to it and the sea was calm and we got into it and  laid on our backs only to be floating around.

The sand there was supposed to have healing properties and they were selling the wet sad, we bought and shared it with one another and rubbed it on our hands, feet’s, face and floated on the dead sea which was fun, except the water was extremely salty and one drop into the eye gave burning sensation to me; and luckily our tour guide was there standing with a bottle of water and I could wash my eyes.

One has to be careful while floating on this water to ensure that water does not go into the eye. After which there were showers provided for us to wash ourselves and even change.  The lunch was provided in this resort and it was a buffet and there was chicken biryani served along with many other items including the desert. We enjoyed good food and came back to the hotel for rest and pack up for the next day departure.

Day 11 (27 May 2023)

We rested well in the in hotel RAWA as we had a long day in the city and visiting the dead sea, we could have dinner and early rise for breakfast and some who wanted to go out for shopping near by could do it and post lunch and late evening proceeded to the Amman airport at midnight after all the immigration check up went ahead for a 3 hour flight to Muscat and from Muscat with all the immigration formalities  we boarded to Hyderabad flight on  Day 12( 28 May 2023) at 9.40 a.m and reached Hyderabad by 2.35 p.m in the afternoon. Both the flights provided us meals on flight and we were tired so we were happy to return back to our city bringing back fond memories of a life time.

I am glad for my daughter who accompanied me and it was a pleasant and beautiful experience, I am grateful for the travel agency for making our trip a memorable one – they ensured we had a comfortable stay in all the 4 countries and we were provided with breakfast, lunch and dinner and everything was coordinated so well – that they made this whole 10 day experience not just memorable but an unforgettable one.

 RANDOM CLICKS IN EGYPT (10 March 2024)

To be continued.......