We're home

Desert landscape
Originally uploaded by mercoop.

Well, we're back from the Holy Land. It was amazing. I almost can't believe we were there! I put all my photos online, with descriptions, so enjoy. This is one of my favorites. I took it on the road between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, in Bedouin country.

Happy New Year!

Happy holidays!

Happy Chanukah, everyone! And Merry Christmas!

It's the holidays, but things are very different here from in the states. Most people in Jerusalem are Orthodox Jews. So, no Christmas lights! All the restaurants are kosher - you have to send out a search party if you want to order meat and cheese at the same meal. Even the McDonalds here is kosher! And everything is closed on the Sabbath. Except the Christian, Armenian and Muslim quarters of downtown. But we were warned against going into the Muslim quarter. We looked at a few restaurants yesterday for lunch - no hot food on the Sabbath either. Such a different world. It's cool, though. It's comforting almost to be in a place where Jews are the majority.

Next stop: Tel Aviv.
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We float!

We're leaving the Dead Sea. All I can say is: Amazing!! Floating on the water is the coolest feeling. They say the Dead Sea is like a fountain of youth because of all the minerals found in it. Well let me just tell you - my mom laughed harder than I have ever seen. And we all joined her. The sensation was just so cool! That's enough evidence for me :)
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In the Holy Land

We're in Israel! Today was our first real day here. Getting here was an adventure in itself, though! We had a nine-hour layover in Newark so we hopped on a train into NYC for dinner. Picture it - Saturday night in New York City right before Christmas. It was crazy! But we got to see Times Square and the tree at Rockefeller Center, which was very cool. Especially considering my only experience with NY prior was a one-day trip 10 years ago.
So three hours in the city and a 10-hour flight later, here we are, in the Holy Land.
I don't think I understood how appropriate that name really is until now. I didn't realize how much history is really here. Today we saw the Bahai Temple in Haifa, a Jewish synagogue from the 1600s in Safed, and a fortress built by the Crusaders in Akko. It's kind of overwhelming. Tomorrow we make our way to Jerusalem. More history to come!
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Two days till Israel

In two days we'll be on our way to Israel. These things have a way of sneaking up, don't they? I don't feel particularly well prepared. I mean, I pretty much know what I'll be bringing, and we're booked with a tour group so I don't have to worry about planning. But how do I prepare mentally? I guess that's what the eight-hour layover in Newark and 13-hour plane ride will be good for ... groan ...

I've been thinking about this for both trips, though. I can read all the books I want about a place, look at a million pictures -- but I can't fully prepare myself for something I've never experienced. And that's the whole point, right? To go out and experience different places and cultures, to see another world? So I'm really really excited, but in a weird way, I'm not sure what I'm excited for. If that makes sense.

I remember the first time I went abroad. It was to Italy for my senior trip in high school. It blew my mind. I'd traveled a lot with my family, around the U.S. We'd visited spots along the Oregon Trail and seen the Grand Canyon. And I think this country is beautiful and has many very cool things to see. But the U.S. is so new compared (to? with? where's my AP Stylebook?) Italy. I stood in the Forum on the Ides of March. It was SO COOL. It was like I was walking into a fairy tale. Those stories I had read (in history books) were real! Julius Caesar wuz here!

The thing is that I had studied European history (though it was NOT my subject) and I even took Italian that year. But nothing had fully prepared me for what I saw and did when I was there. It was exhilerating.

So here we are, getting ready for a trip to Israel, a place I've been reading about all my life. I can't wait to find out what it's like to actually be there.

Gift ideas?

I'm staying at my friend's family's house in Tokyo, my first stop. I want to give them a thank-you gift, for letting me stay in their home, and I've been trying to come up with something distinctly American -- something they might not be able to find in Japan. Any ideas?

How much planning is enough?

It's so tempting to try to plan out every minute of every day. I'm reading about all of the places I'm going and there are so many amazing things to do and see. It's hard to decide where to start. Well, at least I've gotten that far ...

When I first started researching, I was a little annoyed by the rules for tourists in Asia. They seemed so restrictive. Example: Most of the Asian countries I will be visiting won't let me in until I show them proof that I'll be leaving sometime in the near future. Nice, huh? So from a planning standpoint, I have to have my ticket to Thailand before they let me into China ... and then I have to have my ticket OUT of Thailand, etc. So I got a round-the-world ticket from a company called Airtreks. I won't plug it yet ... I haven't gotten ON all of the flights ... but it made my life a whole lot easier (and cheaper) than it could have been. I even got a two-night stopover in Malta, on my way to Morocco, for a little R&R.

Needless to say, this past week has been a busy one. I've booked hostels through Thailand. Those are easy to cancel if plans change, though. And I booked a super cool trip in Egypt that includes a ride on a camel through the dunes and a float down the Nile. At this point I'm actually glad I had to book all my flights because it makes planning less intimidating.

So, I'm trying not to plan every minute of every day ... but an outline sure helps.

The itinerary ... a rough guide

I'm working on all of the specifics right now, but here's a basic rundown:

December: Israel with my family! Bonus!
January: Japan, China, Thailand
February: India, Egypt, Morocco
March: Spain, France, Czech Republic
April: Germany, Netherlands, England
May: Scotland, Ireland

It's all coming together

I got a BlackBerry today! It's super cool!! So I'll be able to e-mail, etc., while on the road without worrying about getting myself to a computer :) The sad thing is that I will be saying goodbye to my 213 number ... a number I've had for the past five years, at least. Ah well. A new number for a new life, right!? Don't expect phone calls, though ... I didn't get a phone plan. Just a data one. (I'll have my old number for the next two weeks :))

In other news, I got my backpack today! And my passport arrived, complete with an Indian visa. So, things are falling into place. It's crazy, in just a couple of weeks I'll be someplace completely different from anything I've ever known. I'll be leaving before I know it!

Lots of stuff left to do ... so I'd better get to it :)