Beaches, Forts and a few Adventure Sports :)

Hi everybody

It 17:50pm here in Muscat and its 27 degrees!! We've been lucky with the weather these past few weeks but all that looks set to change tomorrow or Friday, more on that later.

Its been two weeks to the day since my last post so here are some of the highlights. Last Wednesday the Red Arrows paid a visit on their way to the Dubai Air-show. It seemed like half of Muscat was out to see them display off the beach by the Intercontinental hotel. Overall a great afternoon out and I managed to get some great photos.

 

3 days later Dad's Arabic course was running a trip to the town of Nizwa for a look around its souks and impressive fort. What many people don't know is that Oman was once a major trade hub for the whole region, one of the most important commodities Oman traded was frankincense which is still being produced in the south of the country today. Old forts dot the country on what used to be the old trade routes across the interior of Oman down to the coast. Nizwa fort is very well preserved and offers amazing views out across the town of Nizwa. The information boards throughout the fort give you a great idea about the fort's role and how its defences worked. Including murder holes for pouring boiling date syrup to false floors for attackers to fall through! 

The top of Nizwa Fort

Looking west from the fort's wall's

Looking north-East from the fort's wall, the mountains in the background

are part of the Hajar Mountain Range

 

One downside to travelling around in Oman is the very long distances between places. As a result, driving is essential if you want to get out and do anything. Luckily, the roads networks in Oman are extensive and very well maintained so driving for the most part is a largely comfortable experience. With the long distances its a nice bonus that fuel is very cheap here. The picture below is the petrol pump display after filling up our Mitsubishi Pajero on the way home from Nizwa. We filled up with 47 litres of petrol for £7.50 (equivalent)!!! 

 

£7.50 for 47 litres......... go on then :)

 

Luckily, Matthew and I are able to drive out here, so we've been out and about in the Pajero. As we'll probably end up going off-road on some of our future trips Dad took us to practice on some empty sandy brush-land just down the road from our house. We had a great time and I can't wait to try it again soon. 

Me and the Pajero during our off-road practice,

So now we come to the last few days and my definite favourite highlight of the last two weeks. Learning to Kite-surf!! Matthew and I signed up for 6 hours of lessons on Alzaiba Beach about 40 mins from home. On Monday we started with learning how to control the kite in "the wind window" and how to use the kite to "body drag though the water.

Me and Matthew and our instructor, Oleysha, exit the water at the end of our Monday lesson

Me and Matthew

Yesterday proved to be quite challenging. The aim being to stand up on the board! Not as easy as it looked as I found out..... I managed a few 2 second attempts but the others largely ended in horrific face plants :/. Matthew managed a few longer attempts but we both still need more practice

Me preparing to attempt to stand up

And a few seconds later......

One of my better attempts :)

 

Unfortunately progress on kite-surfing has to be delayed for the next few days. The wind has died down and we're expecting a huge storm on Friday. Oh well, something to look forward to after the storm has passed :).

 

So what's next? Alongside kite-surfing, Matthew and I are going to be completing our PADI scuba diving course. The online course is now complete, all that's left is to head down to the dive centre for our confined and open water dives. After that, hopefully we'll be able to get some scuba diving in with Dad. Next weekend we're off to Dubai to watch the "Dubai Rugby Sevens" and take a look around there. Can't wait!

 

So that's it for this entry, thanks for reading everyone and see you next time :). 

Start of an Omani Adventure :)

Hello again everybody,

My latest post finds me in the beautiful city of Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman (no I'd never heard of it either before a year ago!). Find the attached map to get your bearings.

I've been here for just under a week now and have been grateful for space to relax after what has been a hectic October. Lets start from my last few days in Israel;

I left Palestine on the 27th of September after an amazing 6 weeks, a few hours on the bus brought me to Tel Aviv for a final day of sand and sightseeing before my flight home the next day. After a long walk through the midday heat I managed to find my hostel for the night (The Florentine Hostel in southern Tel Aviv). I took the afternoon to walk along the amazing sea front and down to the old port of Jaffa to take some photos. The early evening was spent on the hostel roof having a few beers with the other people at the hostel before heading out at 10:30 to a nearby bar for drinks with the nightly bar outing. The bar we landed in offered an "all you could drink" menu for 100 shekels (about £15-£20), needless to say we all had a great time. I staggered back to the hostel around 1:30am (the morning of my flight home!) and collapsed asleep on one of the sofas on the roof. This wasn't out of necessity, I'd booked an outdoor spot to sleep on!

I woke up around 9 and had a quick breakfast before heading out to Jaffa for some last minute souvenir shopping. The sea air quickly remedied my fuzzy head! I picked up my bag from the hostel at one and after some final goodbyes departed for the airport. And so ended an incredible 3 months in Israel. It was an experience I'll never forget but it was nice to be heading home :).

 A stretch of the Tel Aviv sea front, in the distance is the old port of Jaffa

 

 Looking north from the edge of Jaffa Port

 

The roof of the hostel in late afternoon, I ended up sleeping

on a sofa just out of shot on the right!!

 

October was a bit chaotic as we have no address in the UK now (mum has moved to France whilst Dad is living in Oman). After being reunited with Mum and my brother, Matthew, we spent October splitting our time between our nana's house and our neighbours'. I caught up with a few friends that had remained in the area (many have bomb-bursted all across the country to start Uni) and managed to go on a few trips with my girlfriend. Matthew left for Oman on the 23rd of October whilst Mum and I stayed behind to finish up with the packing and for me to attend a briefing course for my trip to Nepal in January (more on that later). Mum and I eventually flew out to Oman on the 30th of October and we were all finally reunited in Oman after so long apart.

Destination number 2: Oman

 

So here I am in sunny Muscat, where its a lovely 30 degrees!! My time here is mainly going to be spent relaxing with my family and enjoying all this amazing country has to offer. Whilst I won't be living as independently as the last 3 months I still plan on having an adventure. Matthew and I have just started our PADI open water divers qualification and are well into the online learning portion of the course. We're also planning on trying out kite-surfing alongside any other kind of adventure that comes our way. 

 

 Me practicing mask clearing in our compound pool with dad's scuba gear.

Here, i'm filling my mask with water to simulate my mask becoming loose

 





Me and Matthew "buddy breathing" in the pool

 

I'll be out in Oman until the 15th of January when I fly out to Nepal for 4 months teaching English in a village outside Kathmandu. I can't wait to get out there but in the mean-time I'll make the most of my time in Oman. I'll keep posting whilst I'm out here so stay tuned for updates.

 

Thanks for reading, see you all soon :)

The Dead Sea, school volunteering and a rescue mission

Hello again everybody, again sorry for a big gap in posts (my biggest yet this time...). A lot has been going on these last 3 weeks or so so here's an all in one update for you. 

2 weekends ago I headed to the Dead-Sea with Osama (our go-to driver). The drive down took us through some pretty barren desert before the Dead Sea came into view. We had an hour and a half to enjoy the scenery, float in the water and get a good covering of the sea's famous mud (legendary for the good it does for your skin). Due to its VERY high salt content its almost impossible to swim and so you just float and enjoy the sun. Its a very weird experience! Getting in and out is a mission though, the mud is a nightmare to walk through and not having flip-flops close to the shore when you get out can lead to burnt feet from the sand (as I discovered!). Defiantly a great place to experience and the views were amazing!

View of the Dead Sea, looking towards Jordan

Dead-Sea mud.....don't know it until you try it :)

Just chillin' :)

 Work at Paidia slowed down for the next 2 weeks so they set me up to go and help out at a kindergarten in Bethlehem in the mornings. The day after I started I was joined by another volunteer and house-mate, Tati (from San Francisco). Since then we've been splitting our time between the kindergarten in the morning and Paidia in the afternoon. Julian (our fellow house-mate) goes out and about on his work for the Abraham Path (a project that aims to establish a trekking route across the Middle East!) but he's usually home in the evenings.

Our work at the school sees us helping the kids learn shapes, numbers and colours mainly through colouring exercises. We also read them stories every now and again and playing with Lego is a favourite when work is done. Its great fun helping them learn but they can be a handful at times, especially when Lego starts flying around the room!!

Tati helps Jonathan with his colouring work

Me and Charlie mid-colouring exercise

Me reading to the class, Zeid and Alfred (lying across their tables) prefer to  take a nap!

Our evenings have been filled with movies, AIC lectures twice a week, games of "Carcassonne" (a classic city building board game) and the occasional night trip to Manger square for a beer and some people watching. I've really got to know the area over the past few weeks and the maze of streets now feel a lot like home. Learning local landmarks such as Manger Square has been a a great help in getting around.

Globalisation gone wrong?

So, what of the rescue mission in the title? Well, last Friday we found an adorable puppy hiding under a car from some stone wielding local kids. We talked the kids away and gave the puppy a temporary home in our courtyard whilst we searched for a more permanent home for her. Luck was on our side as yesterday Tati was able to take her across into Israel and to a shelter outside Jerusalem. The staff there will work to find her a loving new home in Israel. Dogs here aren't given the best chance of life here so it was nice to give just one a chance :).

Me and the puppy on the afternoon of her rescue

Final cuddles with Tati the night before Tati took her to the shelter

Work at Paidia culminated last week with the starting of a thursday "after-school club". We gave kids a chance to use the climbing wall, play a bit of football and get messy with paint whilst their parents drank coffee. It was great to muck around with the kids and I swear I'm getting better at football! Hopefully this project will continue after I leave. On the subject of leaving my last day of work here is a week tomorrow! And after that it's only a day and a half until I fly home! Time has gone really fast these past three months and I've had an amazing time. But it 'll be nice to get home and catch up with friends and family :).

That's it for this entry guys, thanks for reading and see you again real soon.

My first 2 weeks in Bethlehem

Hello again everybody, again sorry for the delay on the latest post. I've been very busy these last few weeks getting settled into the routine here in Bethlehem and I've only now had a decent chance to check my photos and get the blog written. So, here's what's been going on in my first 2 weeks here in Bethlehem.

 

I arrived on friday the 16th and was greeted the other side of the check-point by a crowd of taxi drivers keen to show me around. Luckily Paidia's (the charity i'm volunteering with) driver, Osama, found me and got be safely to the volunteer house in eastern Bethlehem. After a welcome brief from Rana (a Paidia staff memeber who looks after volunteers) I unpacked (into a wardrobe for the first time in nearly 2 months!) and settled in. Lila (my "up until wednesday just gone" house-mate) came home in the afternoon and gave me a run-down on what's best to do in my spare time whilst i'm here.

 

Saturday offered me a chance to finish settling in and explore a little, in the evening Lila and her friend Jon took me to the AIC (Alternative Information Centre). It offers bi-weekly talks on issues in the West Bank so its a great way to understand what's happening here. After the talk we headed to the AIC bar for a beer and chat with some of the other people at the talk. 

 

Me at the AIC cafe with a "Taybeh" beer (the local favourite!)

Lila had Sunday afternoon off so we met up with John in Manger Sqaure in the center of Bethlehem after a walk around the souq and back-street shops. We ended up at the peace-center cafe and whittled away the afternoon playing cards (sometimes with the waiters aswell when they got bored!) and drinking iced lemonade with fresh mint. 

Looking towards the entrance of the Church of the Nativity

Me with an iced lemonade

Me, Lila and John (on the right) playing cards at the peace center cafe

 

My first week at Paidia saw me help begin with the planning for a new community project; "FC-Paidia". The aim of this project is to get kids and youth teams from the local area into Paidia's own decent football facilities (over playing in the street or courtyards) so they have a better environment to play in.

 

The Wednesday of that week saw me head into Bethlehem for a much needed hair-cut. Well, that was an experience! The barber just sat me down and selected a clipper head at random saying "it may be a 2 or a 3"! 5 minutes later he was done and I had the shortest haircut I'd ever had! On the upside, its a lot more comfortable in the heat now!

 



Me post haircut!

 The next night me, John and Lila headed to a hillside restaurant just outside northern Bethlehem. We had a great night playing cards, enjoying the few and having a few beers with some of the people we'd met at the AIC earlier in the week.

 

The view from the restaurant

The restaurant seating area

Lila and John

 

 After a weekend of catching up on some sleep and exploring Bethlehem it was back to work on "FC - Paidia" and begin planning another project, this time an after-school session for kids. A very busy week! On wednesday I got offered the chance to help out on a caving trip run by Paidia for a local scout group. Well.... any excuse to get out and about!! The walk down to the cave system offered amazing views of an ancient wadi.

Walking down the path towards the cave system

View of the wadi just up from the entrance to the caves

 

Leaving our bags at the entrance we put on our helmets and head torches for 2 hours of crawling through one of the deepest cave networks in Palestine. It was a great afternoon and a bit challenging at times but very worthwhile, it was great to see the kids out and about enjoying themselves.

 

"Team photo" just before we entered the caves

Breathe in! Me emerging from one of the many crawl spaces

An open part of the cave network

Going down! Our guide Jameel leads the way

Me coming out at the bottom of the gap in the above picture, and no I haven't forgotten to rotate the picture!!

Yesterday, Catheryn (another staff member) took me on visit to Hebron, a city 40 minutes south of Bethlehem. We spent the morning and early afternoon looking around the sites and souqs aswell as meeting up with a few of her local friends. No visit was complete however (according to Catheryn) without buying a box or 2 of "sider delight", a local jelly type sweet (only found in Hebron!). She was right, it's definately a must-buy and at 5 shekels a box (around 2-3 pounds) a bargain! Be warned though, its seriously addictive!!

A box of "sider delight", yum :)

So then, that brings you guy's up to date with what's been happening over the past few weeks. I've made some great friends and had some really good experiences. Its all flying by very fast, a month today I finish here in Bethelehem and head to Tel Aviv to get ready for my flight home the next day. Still, 4 weeks left and I've still got plenty to do here, game on!

Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you next time.

Hanging out in Jerusalem :)

So, the time has arrived. I'm now half way through my time in Israel after 6 amazing weeks of volunteering in the Golan Heights. I was sad to leave the great people and places of the Golan behind but its now time for the next stage of my adventure to begin. Starting with 3 days back in the sunny city of Jerusalem :).

I got back to Jerusalem on Monday afternoon after 5 long hours on the bus. After an afternoon of unpacking and some much needed internet access I headed out for an evening walk down Jaffa street in search of an ATM. Wouldn't luck have it that I bumped into Yan (who I'd traveled back with that morning) coming back from giving the latest group of Go-Eco volunteers an evening tour of the Old City. A quick chat agreed that a trip to the bar was in order :). So after a quick change of clothes at the hostel I met up with Yan and a group of volunteers from the city zoo and we headed to the "Bell Wood bar" just off Jaffa street. What followed was a great evening of fun and stories with beer and burgers. After a great evening I left Yan in the hostel reception with promises of a meet up in Tel Aviv for drinks when i'm next avaliable. Arrangements made, I headed to bed at midnight after a very long day.

Me and the Go-Eco group at the "Bell Wood bar", great night out!

 Tuesday was a day off, so I had a lie in and took some time out for souvenier shopping in the Old City. After the cool mountains of the Golan, Jerusalem seemed like the Negev Desert! After a fairly chilled out day it was time for the hostel's evening event, the "meet the manager BBQ". Me and my new American room-mates headed up to the roof for an evening of burgers, beer and free Araq (an Arab liquor) and grapefruit cocktails. A good night at the hostel and more new friends made :).

The hostel roof on the night of the BBQ

Just chillin! Me enjoying a beer at the BBQ

 Wednesday was the day i'd decided to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, much recommended by many people i've met on my travels here. Situated on the slopes of Mt Herzl, it tells the full story of the holocaust from its beginnings, through to the individual chapters of its dark story and its end and repercussions around the world. It's a truly moving place to visit as the many objects from different chapters of the Holocaust make it a very humbling experience. It was a truly worthwhile visit and one I definitely recommend for any visitors to Jerusalem.

The Yad-Vashem Holocaust Museum

 After my late morning/afternoon visit to the museum it was time to get ready for the "Jerusalem Pub Crawl" organised by the hostel. After pre-drinks on the roof with a few room-mates we hit the town. Memories of the night are a bit blurry but I do remember rolling into bed around 4 in the morning (after starting at 9 in the evening!).

A pre-drink before the pub crawl whilst writing my diary

I woke up this morning slightly worse for wear, the ideal state to be in for A-Level results day!! Luckily my fears were unfounded and came away from the computer safe in the knowledge that I have a place at Plymouth university waiting for me next year :). After that weight was lifted, I started some admin for the next part of my adventure. Tommorrow I head into Bethlehem in the West Bank to start 6 weeks volunteer work :). I can't wait to start as it looks set to be another eye-opening and fun 6 weeks. Bring it on!

That's it for this entry, thanks for reading and see you next time :)

My last week in Nimrod

Hi everyone 

I'm in my last few days here at Nimrod and since I finally have decent computer access, I thought i'd give you guys a run down of my last week here. 

My long week of lonliness finally came to an end on tuesday (i've been on my own ever since Dan, Dom and Alex left) when the next group of volunteers arrived. Nice to have some company again but sadly I won't be able to get to know them as well as previous groups as I only have until tomorrow with them before I leave. What made tuesday also significant was that it signified the end of Ramadan. What makes it so significant here in the Golan? Well it was signaled from Syria with a morning of the loudest and most intense booms I've heard in all my time here. It was also the first time I saw the smoke from explosions across the border. Seemed to bring the whole situation very close to home :/. 

The smoke cloud from an explosion in Syria 

Never-the-less, work continues at the lodge. We've been especially busy this week helping out Guy with his latest addition to the house. He wanted a wooden pergola built over the top of the decking at the back of the house to provide some shade. So we all set to work debarking branches of wood and lifting and screwing them into place. By the end of the afternoon on Thursday the work was complete. No doubt Guy has more plans for the house so David and Aaron (2 of the new volunteer group) will be kept busy during their time here.

Aaron and David put the finishing touches to the Pergola we've been building

"Left a bit, no right a bit" David makes sure the branches are seated exactly in place

We had a combined surprise visit yesterday :). Firstly from Lilach and Guy's daughter Ameet, who came home after her first week of IDF basic training and also from Yan (the Go-Eco guide who looked after us during our orientation in Jerusalem). It was great to see him again and catch up, he's here to check up on the project and to see that we're all behaving ourselves. Yan and I will be traveling back to Jerusalem together on Monday so i'll have no excuse to get lost on the bus system! 

All in all I've had a great last week here, helped greatly by the latest edition to my modes of transport; the quad bike! For little trips down to the camping site or the lodges its perfect as it saves me having to drag rubbish bags back up the hill to the bins!

Me and my new favourite ride :) 

Sadly my time in Nimrod is only a day away from ending. I'll be sad to leave the great people and scenery of Nimrod behind me but I think it's definately time to move on to the next adventure. I'm spending 3 days in Jerusalem to sort out some last minute admin before my next (and last!) 6 weeks in Israel. i hope to fit in some sight seeing whilst i'm in Jerusalem (including a visit to Yad Vashem - the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem) before i depart on Friday for my next adventure. I also have results day to look forward to on thursday :/. 

I can't believe I'm half-way through my time in Israel! I've had a blast here in Nimrod and I can't wait to see what new adventures await me over the next month and a half. As always, I'll keep you updated as much as I can :). 

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.