Israel: Jerusalem area (Nov 14-17)

Jerusalem is the holy city of Israel and is the heartbeat of Israel. Though much of the city has been modernized, there is the Old City which is surrounded by a wall. You can see elements of the city’s past (in Old City), present (most areas outside Old City), and future (ongoing construction projects). We stayed in Dan Panorama hotel. Jerusalem hotels are like New York hotels: due to high demand and limited landspace, rooms are small (by US standards) and expensive. There is an outdoor shopping mall which is a 10 minute walk from the hotel.

Nov 14: Today, we made our way north to Jerusalem. On the way, we visited Genesis Land where we rode camels to a Bedoiun tent where we had a full course lunch. It was a reenactment of Abraham’s hospitality. We all received camel riding licenses. After arriving in Jerusalem, we went to The Israel Museum where we saw the Model of the Second Temple Jerusalem, visited the Shrine of the Book (where the Dead Sea Scrolls and other rare ancient manuscripts are kept, and visited the Archeological Museum that had numerous artifacts dating back to biblical times. There is much to see at Israel Museum – you could spend a whole day here.

Nov 15: We spent today in the Old City of Jerusalem. We started with the Western wall where many people gather to pray. Next was a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Catholics reflect on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We then walked through the Jewish Quarter and then had lunch. We then visited the Jerusalem Archeological Park where we walked to the Southern Steps of the Temple which goes back to Jesus’s time. In the evening, we had dinner at King David hotel which often hosts presidents, diplomats, and celebrities during their visits to Jerusalem. Dinner was a formal full course meal with salad, bread, entrée (I had the fish), and dessert.

Nov 16: We visited the Yad Vashem, Jerusalem’s version of a Holocaust museum. The museum contains lots of artifacts as well as information on the Holocaust. In addition to the museum, there are memorials and there is a Garden of Righteous with trees dedicated to those who worked to save the Jewish during World War II. We then visited Jesus’s home town of Bethlehem and had lunch at Sheperd’s Valley Village Tent Restaurant followed by a visit to Church of Nativity, site of Jesus’s birth.

Nov 17: We started the day by going up to the top of Mount Olive and enjoyed panoramic views of Jerusalem. We then visited the Church of all Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed before being arrested. We visited the Garden of Tomb – a possible site where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. No one knows for sure the exact site of those events. In the Garden, we had communion to remember Jesus and his mission (same as having communion at church) and then a tour. Finally, we returned to our hotel where we had our final Israel dinner then headed for Tel Aviv airport to fly home.

Jerusalem pictures

Israel: Red Sea Region and Jordan: Petra (Nov 11-13)

Nov 11: As we made our drive towards Eilat, we stopped at Timna Park where we visited a replica of the biblical Tabernacle and then went to a resort where we filled small plastic bottles with colored sand (white, yellow, red, and black). We also got to see King Solomon’s Pillars and an amazing sunset. In southern Israel, we stayed in Eilat, at Isrotel Agamim. This resort hotel has a big pool consisting of a U-shaped river that connects to the main pool area – like a river feeding into a lake. The rooms on the first floor all have balconies that have direct access into the pool.

Nov 12: Today we crossed the border into Jordan for a daytrip. We did a 2 hour bus ride to the ancient city of Petra, one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World”. Much of Jordan is desert and there is not a whole lot to see outside of the Petra. The Petra combines human creation with the natural beauty of the mountains. The entrance to Petra was through the Siq, a winding trail through the valley and between the mountains. I liked the elephant carvings along the Siq. At the end of the Siq, we saw the Treasury, amphitheater, many tombs, and Roman market road.

Nov 13: We started with a cruise along the Red Sea. When boat parked, we could see Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel. Some of us did snorkeling but all we could see is the blue water. We enjoyed a bar-b-q lunch before cruising back to Eilat. After the cruise we visited a stone factory and we saw a demo where an employee cut and shines stones to use in making jewelry.

South Israel and Jordan pictures

Israel: Jordan River to Dead Sea (Nov 10)

Nov 10: We started the day with a baptismal in the Jordan river. For all of us the baptism symbolized a new chapter in our spiritual walks. Next places were Gideons Spring and Gideon Cave(Judges 6-7), Qumran (discovery of dead sea scrolls), and En Gedi where David confronted King Saul (Samual 24:1-17). En Gedi was also a likely spot for inspiring many of King David’s Psalms such as Psalm 57. After arriving at Le Meridien Dead Sea hotel, we walked to the Dead Sea and took a float in it. Floating is easy to do and you cannot sink. The Dead Sea is very clean and the salt and minerals actually help your skin – my skin felt like silk. The Dead Sea is also at the lowest point on earth and is surrounded by mountains. The mountains help block the ultraviolet rays from the sun so you could spend the whole day in the sun and not get sunburned. So we started the day with a renewal in the Jordan River and ended it with a cleansing in the Dead Sea. The Le Meridien hotel was the most luxurious hotel of our trip. The Le Meridien Dead Sea hotel is a resort hotel which is a vacation spot itself.

The next morning, we took a cable car up the mountain to Masada, fortress of King Herod the Great. We saw lots of storehouses and homes of the Jewish who had fought the Romans. The views from the Masada are spectacular. We then visited the Masada Museum where we saw many artifacts from Masada.

Dead Sea region pictures

Israel: North Region (Nov 9)

We started with a drive to northern Israel and visited Tel Dan, an ancient city that we reached by hiking. Nice combination of an ancient city with a Dan River (which flows into the Jordan River), a large pond, and even lizards. Next, we visited Caesarea Philippi, where Peter proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah (Matthew 16:13-28). There is also a gate to hell near Caesarea Philippi.

After lunch we went on a Jeep ride in Golan Heights which included lots of off-roading through the terrain as well as drives through a river. We had herbal tea and fruits at Ein Shuh which is a hidden spring beneath trees and vines. The jeep ride is like doing an African safari without the animals.

More Northern Israel pictures

Israel: Sea of Galilee Region (Nov 7-8)

Nov 7: We headed up to Mount Carmel where we got views of the Jezreel Valley and the Israel Air Force. The Armageddon in Revelation 16:16-17:14 took place here. Next up was a visit to Meggido, including a walk through the tunnel that Meggido residents used to get water from the springs. We then went to Nazareth the hometown of Jesus. In Nazareth we visited Nazareth Village was a re-enactment of life in a farm and Galilean village during Jesus’s time 2000 years ago.

Our hotel in the Sea of Galilee region is in Tiberias - the Gai Beach Hotel, a resort hotel along the Sea of Galilee. The pool area is a perfect spot to enjoy a sunrise or sunset. A couple blocks away there is a large outdoor mall with stores, restaurants, and music – great place to be for nightlife. Gai Beach is in an excellent location though the rooms could use an update.

Nov 8: We started with a morning boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and we had a worship session with another boat of visitors. Many of Jesus’s miracles occurred on the Sea of Galilee including walking on the water and calming a storm (Psalm 107:29-30; Luke 8:22-25). We then visited the Mount of Beautitudes where Jesus gave a sermon (Matthew 5-7). We had a fish lunch at St Peters Restaurant – we had their specialty which is St Peter’s fish. After lunch we went to Capernaum, the town where Jesus chose some of his first disciples. Here we also saw the remains of Peter’s house and an ancient synagogue whose foundations date back to the time of Jesus. Next we went to Tabgha, traditional site of the multiplication of loaves and fishes (Jn. 6, Mk. 6), followed by a visit to the Church of Peter’s Primacy.

Sea of Galilee Region

Israel: Mediterranean Region (Nov 5-7)

Nov 5: We all met up in JFK airport and boarded our evening flight to Tel Aviv. After arriving Israel, at Tel Aviv airport and clearing immigration we met Zoharf (our tour guide and bus driver for the trip) and boarded our bus and then we headed for Joppa, a small town a few miles south of Tel Aviv. Here, Jonah attempted to flee from God. There is also a statue of the whale that swallowed Jonah to save him from drowning. Our hotel in the Mediterranean region is the Ramada Hotel and Suites in Netanya, just north of Tel Aviv. This is hotel has nice views of the Mediterranean Sea and lies along a trail for people to jog/run/walk along the sea. There is also a small area with cafes and restaurants.

Nov 6: We started the day with a drive to Gezer where the Gezer Calendar was discovered. Then we visited the Valley of Elah where the David vs Goliath battle took place as in 1 Samual 17. We then had lunch at Elvis diner, an American diner in Abu Gosh that has a statue of Elvis. Afterwords we headed to the Biblical gardens that is filled with wineries, tomb, a good luck tower, and ponds.

Nov 7: Today started with a drive to Caeserea, the main port into Israel during the time of Jesus. We got to see the Roman theater and port. After one last picture of the Mediterranean Sea, it was time for us to head inland towards the Galiliee Region.

Mediterranean Region Pictures

San Francisco: Labor Day weekend 2012

My now annual summer trip to San Francisco. 

1) San Francisco neighborhood walking tours: Japantown, Chinatown including a visit to a temple, and the Financial District including the site of the First US Branch Mint which has been converted to a small Asian art museum. Interesting fact: The east part of the bay used to come to Montgomery Street and then a seawall was built in the Embarcadero area and the space between Montgomery Street and Embarcadero was filled with dirt and sand expanding San Francisco. So San Francisco east of Montgomery street was once all water.

2) Day trip to San Jose via Caltrain to visit my friend Angela. I visited her church, The Home church, which is the most diverse church I've attended. There are ministries for Americans, Chinese, Ethiopians/Africans, and Mexicans. I went with Angela and 2 of her friends to the Tech Museum - San Jose's crown jewel. Like the name implies, the museum is a hands-on display of technology and its uses.  There are displays where you compose music via a touchscreen, see parts of your head mixed with those of other visitors, create a roller coaster, play with the San Jose sharks hockey goalie simulator, and feel an earthquake. We got to feel an earthquake of 6.9 magnitude which is the magnitude of the 1989 earthquake in San Francisco. We even got a group picture by an infrared camera. There is also a Farmer's Market near The Home Church with fresh fruit samples  - the fruits tastes very sweet. Often overlooked in favor of San Francisco, downtown San Jose is a good place for groups of friends to  hangout.

3) Segway tour of San Francisco's hills. I have done segway tours before but this was my first that involved hills. The tour started out with San Francisco Maritime where we had views of Alcatraz Island and the San Francisco skyline. The tour guide mentioned the temperature of the San Francisco Bay is around 55-60 F - makes Austin's Barton Springs pool look warm by comparison. And yes, people do swim in the bay. Then came the hills, including 2 rides down the crooked Lombard street. I have driven down Lombard, walked down it, and now Segway-ed down it. Many pedestrians took pictures of us - we were like celebrities. Segway-ing down Lombard is actually straight forward (notice the irony? haha). You just lean back slightly and turn the handlebar according to the curves. We visited some hidden neighborhoods where we had great views of Bay Bridge, Treasure Island, and the Transamerica Pyramid.

4) Walk across Golden Gate bridge, one of my San Francisco traditions. This time, there is a visitor's plaza with a gift shop, garden, information displays, and models of the bridge. One model demonstrates how the bridge responds in heavy winds, vehicle traffic, and earthquakes. Another demonstrates how cable tension affects the difficulty of raising the bridge.  Lower cable tension means the bridge is easier to raise but require taller towers which cost more to build.  Engineers had to balance the cost of building the towers with ease of raising the bridge. Several color patterns were considered for Golden Gate bridge - one display shows the bridge in a checkered pattern.