Shalom Israel

This will be my last post, while I am on the trip. We leave Israel tonight at 11:30 pm. Still trying to get a very late check-out, from the hotel. Ms. Marylin went on a bus tour yesterday and got heat stroke. She was a total wreck when she returned last night. I of course, was fine as I spent my day under an umbrella, on the beach! Oh, and of course, in a taxi, going to the airport for my wayward bag. We didn't do much last night, which was fine. We did watch Obama's speech. It was broadcast on Fox and
SKyNews. He has been very well recieved over here and there were thousands in the streets of Germany to hear him. I hope his trip through the middle east has been 1/2 as successful as mine. If the USA continues to act as the worlds' biggest bully, instead of an ally of peace, I think my children will witness the complete downfall of our country. We are doomed financially if we continue this folly of invading and occupying foreign lands. Empires rise, empires fall that is the nature of life and history which continually repeats itself. What will future generations read about the former USA? With every bomb we drop we are changing forever the course of lives.
Is this really how we want our country to be remembered?
With peace in our time..
Suzi

The Bag is Back

This is a view of our room at the Marina Bay Hotel. The neat bed in the background is
well, not mine. After a zillion phone calls my bag was located and I returned to the airport to pick it up. Of course, I was questioned by Israeli security because taking
the wrong back is a big deal in Israel. Hopefully, I will make it out tomorrow night
without too many more adventures. Does look like I will need to repack.

Jaffa/Tel Aviv

This is a view of Tel Aviv from Jaffa.

Good Bye Amman Tour Guides

This is Ahmed, his brother Mohamed and their friend. We went on a good-bye tour of
Amman. I don't know when I'll next visit this beautiful city.

Good Bye Amman

This is the Citadel at night. It overlooks all of Amman. Ahmed, his brother and a friend brought me there to say good-bye to their beautiful city.

Israel/Bag drama

We are in Tel Aviv on the last leg of our trip. Marylin is off to Masada and the Sea of Galilee by bus tour. I thought I was going to have a beach day but it turns I got
the wrong bag at the airport. Of course, me being me I didn't notice this till bedtime and guess what, the office hours of the airline are 9-5. So I am going to deal with that drama in about 45 minutes. Its drama because I don't speak HEBREW and everything here is in HEBREW.
Everything is not all bad.. let me talk about yesterday! We flew in on Royal Jordanian airlines. The flight was about 32 minutes. We didn't really understand why they served drinks before we boarded but we realized it was because there was not enough time to serve them inflight. The plane was half full so I got a window seat.The plane itself was a little beauty. Two across seating and get this, the stewardess wore an adorable red suit and the stewards wore nice suits too. Very formal, very clean, ontime and very 1960's. The airports are really hassle free, lots
of security but NO long lines. The government owns Royal Jordainian so they are not about to be cheap! Its pretty much the same with Egypt Air. They even run their own
hospital and health plan for their employees. We are in big trouble in the USA! I think being owned and operated by the government rather than stockholders is a big deal. They worry about their image rather than the bottom line.
Since it NEVER rains here there are no clouds in the sky and I could see everything
on the ground, ruins, rivers, and all the trees we planted in Israel, over the years.
Really very amazing.
We are staying at the Marina Bay Hotel. Another, how did this place get all those
stars. However, for $30 dollars US I got a key to the "Executive Lounge".. yes, okay
I got it for free at the Kempenski but well, that was yesterday. In addition to the
use of a computer there is a fully stocked kitchen, with snacks,beer wine etc and a guy just brough in new goodies including FRESH DATES, so my mood is much better. I wil deal with the airline thing in a few minutes.
What was in the bag? Oh just the remainder of my clean clothes and my chargers and camera cord. So what is poor suzi left to wear, well all the dirty things but I did find some clean stuff and my emergency bathing suit.. the totally covered one I'm pictured in.. I'm sure the "muslim girl" look will play well on the beaches of tel aviv..they get alot of Russian and Euro toursits who wear bikini's (this includes men) who feel they are never to fat, old or hairy to wear one!
We walked through Jaffa last night. It is a port city dating back to 1800 BCE and
was founded by Simon Macabee..it is still pretty much intact and tel aviv is the new
part..off for a covered swim and then airport stuff. I proably will end up going out
to the airport but I'm still dreaming the airline will drop off my bag and pick up the wrong one, let's see how it plays out.

Good bye Amman

We leave Amman today. I can't believe I am leaving it again. We had a very restful
couple of days here.I will go to the pool now and have a swim and a little nap!
I had to buy another bag to take all my "stuff" I will proably have to buy another ticket. Here is my trick, all my dirty things and presents are in my big suitcase
and the new small bag has my actual clothes for Israel. Let's hope I can stay organized enough. I'm missing everyone and can hardly wait to see my kids, dog and
my bird.

Packing again

We leave tomorrow for Israel and it seems that I have a small problem. Yes, all the
crap aka clothing on the bed has to go in my suitcase. Ahmed is coming tonight to take me shopping for yes, another suitcase. Oh by the way, in the newspapers here, if
a story comes from Jerusalem the datline reads,"occuppied Jerusalem."...just thought
you'd like to know!

Marylin and the Senators

Yeah, okay, I forgot who they are but Marylin does look so happy! These two senators are traveling with Obama. We could get photos with them but the secret service wouldn't let us near the candidate! Good grief, there were only the three of us in the lobby because we had a tip to get there early. We arrived at 1:00, they closed the streets and the hotel around 2 but we were safely in the lobby drinking wine and having snacks when they did that. Oh, there were soldiers with AK-47 everywhere and
even some secret service guys, way too exciting. I like the outfits they wear in Jordan cute camis with matching vests and burgundy berets.(Okay uniforms)

Marylin and Suzi in the Kempenski Lobby

We look so fab here, we were going to the 4 Seasons to wait for Senator Obama who is
in town today! He stopped at the 4 Seasons for a short siesta before a press conference and dinner with the king. We got the info from a source at our hotel.
So we had a lovely long lunch with Karen, in the lobby of the hotel! I also had
a mani/pedi in the beauty shop, while we waited. They had 5 filipinas doing nails.
It took 20 minutes as I had two girls working on me at once AND it cost 12JD or about
16USD.

Kempinski Pool

This is the awesome pool at the Kempenski. Where I start my mornings in Jordan.

Kempinski

We are in Amman today, Tuesday. We are homeward bound. We leave here tomorrow, for
two days in Tel Aviv and our flight on Friday. We arrived last night from Sharm. We were picked up at the airport by a driver from the KEMPINSKI. We are BACK. We even
have our same room. Ms. MArylin had actually booked another hotel, the Al Manor, to
stay. HAHAH, as if she wasn't going to stay here. We we were greeted by many welcome
backs, and of course our Kempinski beds.
This morning both the GM and RM of the hotel greeted me. Mohammed brought me my Turkish coffee, just the way I like it before I even ordered. Oh my gawd, if you ever
get the opportunity to stay at a Kempinski take it. These hotels offer service beyond compare, and the best part is we are paying less than we did for other
"5" star hotels in Egypt and Israel. Our rate is $153JD per night. We are on the
Executive floor so we get breakfast and snacks all day, drinks at night and unlimited
computer access from 6am till 11 pm. Yes, its all good.
Today my plan is swim, manicure, swim and then we are going to the Four Seasons for
drinks etc because guess what, Barak Obama is due in town today. He is being adored
over here, unlike other people who think Iraq borders Afganistan.

Sharm

We spent the past week-end in Sharm. Internet connections were pretty non existant and I must admit I was having way tooo much fun and way to busy to try and even find one. If we thought Luxor and Cairo were hot we were wrong. Sharm was even hotter.Thank goodness the red sea is there. We could snorkle right off the beach of
our hotel, The Concorde. Sharm is located at the red sea, in the Sinai Pennisula.
Okay so we HATED our hotel. We knew it was on the beach and big but we couldn't imagine how big until we had to take a BUS to our room. Of course I had a "SUZI" fit and 7 hours later I got another room. I can't explain to you how HOT it is in Sharm.
Walking more than 100 feet, in the sun, is like running a marathon. We spent 3 days
in Sharm. I felt good but still couldn't really eat because of the heat and the fact
that the hotel catered to the "Brits" so you know the food was awful.
We went ATV riding in the Sinai and snorkling off a boat. The water, fish and coral
are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Marylin was stung by a jelly fish and had a tenacle mark from her neck to her chest. Since I was wearning my "rash guard" and shorts I didn't seem to have been stung.

Sinai Sand

These are my feet in the sand of the Sinai Desert. Did the Jews really wander here for 40 years? We were in the desert for an ATV ride. The location was St. Katherine's
perserve. Mt. Sinai, is not called that in Egypt. It is called St. Katherine's as there is a monastary there now. Egypt lost control of the Sinai pennisula in the 1967
war with Israel but regained it after the 1973 war during a settlement brokered by
Anwar Sadat.Marylin rode her own ATV but Ms. Suzi was on the back of one driven by
our guide!

Sharm at Night

This is Na'ma Bay, in Sharm, at night. Shopping in Egypt is beyond belief. The stores
are open until MIDNIGHT. In Sharm, some of them actually had working credit card machines so you know it was all good. This area is right next to the beach. I mean
really what more could you ask for than cool water and hot shopping?

New Swim Suit

This is my new swimsuit. Yes, this is what observant women wear swimming here.
We have heard, in the last 3 weeks, there have been 89 arrests in Dubai for morales
charges. You can just never be to covered. The under layer is similar to the "speed"
suits you can buy in the US. Yes, I have a matching head cover too!

Sand in Sharm

Yes, this is the red sand of Sharm El Shiek..the water is clear and warm.. the sand
is, well, HOT.

Valley of the Kings

Today we went to the Valley of the Kings and Hatshup Palace. Okay, well technically I was there but really, was I gonna walk 2 or 3 Kilometers in the hot sun or just jump out of the van and take a few close up shots. Ms. Marylin, of course, went the distance but really , with my tummy aching etc, I didn't feel I could stand the stress. The photo is of a new mosque near the temple. Very Frank Lloyd Wrightish, the
way it blends into the desert. Once you past the Nile zone it is very very dry and HOT.
Tomorrow we leave for Sharmal Shek.. more swimming and diving and we are hitting
the final leg or our tour. I actually come home next week. I cannot believe it.
Tonight we are staying in at the hotel, going for a boat ride and oh yes shopping as
there is a whole arcade here.

Airport Good bye

This is Kareem, Marylin, Tarik and Me. We are leaving Cairo and these two men were
our guides. We paid $30 per ride to and from the airport. One guide and driver picks you up, the other guide takes you through the airport, security check-in etc. Its soo
nice and Egypt air is very nice. There is security everywhere in Egypt, but they are there to protect the citizens and tourists. Tourism is the #1 industry in Egypt. They
want to make everything easy and safe. What a pleasure.