Last Stop. Cairo.

Cairo, Egypt

Flying, even a very short distance, with a hangover is horrible. But when the tickets are booked and flight is paid for you just gotta get on the plane.

My last night in Israel was spent in Tel Aviv. It was a big night and it resulted in an equally big hangover.

Anyway, following two short flights and a tedious and nauseous stop over in Jordan, I arrived in Cairo.

The next day was a write-off, I’ve been holidaying pretty hard, so I thought I’d better take a day off.

Today, however, it’s back to holidaying, so I hit the streets.  Fist stop was the Egyptian Museum, no cameras allowed so if you want to see a bunch of amazing relics you’ll have to google them.

Next stop, Tahrir Square then the bazar.  

I had seen a report on Al Jazeera about young revolutionaries painting murals on the walls near the site of the protests and I wanted to check it out for myself. 

Like other parts of this trip, it's been a strange to stand in a place that has had so much recent media. I found myself recognising parts of a city that I've never visited, and until recently, had no real concept of. 

I still managed to get lost on the way back to my hotel. 

Tomorrow, the Pyramids.

Graffiti near the square.

The National Democratic Party building burnt out behind the Egyptian Museum. 

Girls walk past Tahrir Square.

More graffiti goes up near the square.

An old bloke sits by the bazar with his prayer beads.

Cairo's streets at night.

Whose side are you on?

Jerusalem, Israel

When the Palestinian security guy with the snub nosed AK-47 asks you which side your on, there is only one answer. The answer made even easier when you’re chatting with him by the entrance to the tomb of Yasser Arafat.

The town of Ramallah sits in the West Bank, surrounded by the Israeli security wall. It serves as the capital of the Palestinian Authority. Despite the strife a few hundred kilometers away in Gaza, the West Bank is pretty quiet.

The downtown area is not unlike Amman or even parts of Lebanon, and apart from the occasional bit of graffiti, you’d have know idea about the tension that has existed here. On the surface it seems like any normal town; the people are warm, the falafel is delicious and coffee is strong.

Perhaps the most obvious sign of conflict is the wall. From the window of the bus that takes you from Jerusalem to Ramallah, you can see it extend over the hills and into the distance. You can also see Jewish settlers compounds.

Being in a place that you hear about on the news all the time is a strange feeling. 

Having spent a total of 6 hours in the West Bank, I’m far from an expert on the politics of the area. It seems like a nice place is all. 

After paying respects to Yasser Arafat, we headed to Bethlehem to check out the Church of the Nativity. Unlike Ramallah, this West Bank town was crawling with tourists.

The church was built on the site where Jesus is said to have been borne. Despite is huge religious significance, the tourists here are almost the main attraction. There is a steady stream of pilgrims into the church, singing Christmas carols and hymns.

It’s a remarkable place. 

Downtown Ramallah

A young dude in downtown Ramallah.

This amazing guy sells tea from the big silver kettle.

Yasser Arafat's tomb.

The honour guard at the tomb.

The security wall.

A guard tower at the corner of the security wall.

Pilgrims photograph the site where Jesus was born.

It was freezing in Bethlehem so this nice bloke called Sammy made us Turkish coffee.

Shalom Lebanon. Shalom Israel.

Beirut, Lebanon.

When I woke up on my first morning in Beirut, I noticed that my laptop had not charged over night. I checked the power point, tried several combinations of adaptors and chargers and still I had no luck.

So I asked the dude at the counter (the same guy with the gun, for more click here) and he said, “Oh yes, that is because we have black out every day because Israeli Air Force bombing in 2006. Now we use generator for lights only during the blackouts, the other power doesn’t work”.

For this dude, it was just a matter of fact; there was no anger in the statement. If anything, he seemed frustrated with the Lebanese government for not fixing it soon enough.

This was the first real mention of the war with Israel.  I didn’t think that the effects would still be so tangible.  

It was a strange feeling, because the next day, I checked out, flew to back to Jordan and crossed the border into Israel.

Here are some photos from my last day in Beirut. I was in the student quarter of Hamra for the most part. Like much of downtown, it’s full of bars and cafes.

Stay tuned for tales of Israel, the Western Wall, the King Hussein Bridge and the War of the Cab Drivers in the next post. 

Graffiti in the student quarter.

More graffiti

I wish I could translate this minni poster for you, but your guess is as good as mine.. 

As a University student I always wanted an old Datsun like this. I think it's a 120Y. A beautiful car.

The local beer is pretty damn good.

The 8mm Bar in Hamra. 

My travel dudes, Matt and Caroline in a restaurant in Hamra.

Smoking shisha and playing backgammon is bloody great. Thanks to Caroline for teaching us how.