Day 122, 2011/08/31 Ravenna Italy to Koper Slovinia

Day 122, 2011/08/31 Ravenna Italy to Koper Slovinia  

Day 122, 2011/08/31

I have awoken to the sights and sounds of a port. We are in Ravenna. Finally of all those days at sea,it is finally nice to see land. The boat has been a hive of activity all night. They have been loading new trucks that need to be delivered to Turkey and Israel. Eventually, at about 8 am,the boat sets sail for Koper, Slovinia. The passage across the sea should only take 8 hours. 
And true to form, we arrive in Koper late in the afternoon. After docking, we are permitted to go ashore and see the sights and sounds of Koper. Clemens and I walk the entire town end to end winthin no time. Nice to be able to get off the boat after been confined to the boat for almost 5 days now. After having a couple of local beers we return to the boat to find that its been overrun by new cars. They are in the process if loading 1600 cars and hence every inch of the boat, including the top deck is been covered with cars. It is an impressive sight to see all these new cars. And the first thought that comes to mind is " And there is a recession? " 
The loading is scheduled to take al night, Clemens and I decode to hit the sack.

Day 121, 2011/08/30 Limassol in Cyprus to Ravenna Italy Day 3

Day 121, 2011/08/30 Limassol in Cyprus to Ravenna Italy Day 3

Day 121, 2011/08/30

We have been informed that, we are to arrive late this evening in Ravenna, Italy. The lady bike riders, hVe arranged to off load their bikes here while, Clemens and myself have decided to continue to Monfalkone. 

Day 120, 2011/08/29 Limassol in Cyprus to Ravenna Italy Day 2

Day 120, 2011/08/29 Limassol in Cyprus to Ravenna Italy Day 2

The day is spent doing loads of reading, eating and sleeping. 

Day 119, 2011/08/28 Limassol in Cyprus to Ravenna Italy Day 1

Day 119, 2011/08/28 Limassol in Cyprus to Ravenna Italy Day 1

Cargo ships are not the most exciting place on earth. We have very limited access on the ship, basically to the top floor. So the day is spent doing loads of reading, eating and sleeping. 

Day 118, 2011/08/27 Limassol in Cyprus to Ravenna Italy

Day 118, 2011/08/27 Limassol in Cyprus to Ravenna Italy 

Day 118, 2011/08/27

I awake after a good nights rest to discover that we have already arrived in Limassol, Cyprus. Another first for me. I have never been to Cyprus. Pity, we are only here for a couple of hours else, I would love to see an old friend Telly. We have just enough time to walk Round the port city for only two hours. Not really anything to write home about. 
Shortly after lunch, after off loading a couple hundred cars, the boat finally sets sails for Ravenna, Italy.

Day 117, 2011/08/26 Haifa to Limassol in Cyprus

Day 117, 2011/08/26 Haifa to Limassol in Cyprus

Day 117, 2011/08/26

After receiving tickets the day before, Clemens and myself decide to pay another visit to the local agents. The agents advise us that, the boat we are due to been on will actually be arriving early and impact will be here that morning and, will be leaving this evening. WOW!! That is the best news I have heard all week! So it is a big rush now. We head back to the hotel to checkout and collect our bikes and things. We are back by midday and then the wake game begins. While waiting another two bikes arrive. The riders are two Italian women, the one on a KTM 990. Impressive!!! Eventually, we are guided through passport control and customs and onto our Grimaldi cargo ship. After handing over our passports, we are shown to our cabins, which will be home for the next couple of days. They are really luxurious compared to anything i have seen in months, nothing like the ones on the Wadi Halfa ship. Eventually at about 6 pm we set sail. What a relief! Finally the last major stress has been lifted and it feels like my final goal, that of arriving in Europe is finally becoming a reality. 
 

Day 116, 2011/08/25 Haifa

Day 116, 2011/08/25 Haifa

Day 116, 2011/08/25

Since, I am here until Sunday the earliest, I decide to reduce my costs by moving from a hotel to a hostel. The Port Inn hostel, is also within walking distance of the shipping agents, which makes it possible for me to keep on top of things.
At the Port Inn, I encounter another fellow biker on a Ural, with side car. Clemens, an Austrian, has been on the road for the past 5 months. He has done most of Easter Europe and now also needs to get back to Europe via ferry. He has also booked on the same ferry and, is as frustrated as I am.
We decide to make a quick visit to the local agents just to see if there has been a change in status. The lady at the agency said the news was worse than we initially thought and that the boat would be delayed indefinitely. However, she did elude to another Grimaldi ship that we perhaps could be moved to which sea due on Saturday. Needless to say, Clemens and I are over the moon at this thought! After a couple of emails and phone calls, and is arranged and we now have tickets for the other Grimaldi ship called Spes. You do not understand the relief of knowing we have alternatives to spending indefinite time in Haifa. After dinner we decide to do some drinks with people from the hostel and end up getting really trashed and only get home at 3am. 

Day 115, 2011/08/24 Haifa

Day 115, 2011/08/24 Haifa

Just spent time walking around Haifa trying to see find the amazing views around town and, managed to catch up with some journalling and blogging. 

Day 115, 2011/08/24

Day 114, 2011/08/23 Haifa

Day 114, 2011/08/23 Haifa

With some time at my disposal I decide to do the possible maintenance only bike. Since I do not have any spares to do a full service, I decide to get the air filter cleaned. In addition, I try see if I can solve my starter motor problem. 
After what appears to be a successful morning, I decide to give the local agents a call. Bad news, the boat is running late, and will only be here on Sunday. Nothing more frustrating then been forced to sit and wait. 

Day 114, 2011/08/23

Day 113, 2011/08/22 Haifa

Day 113, 2011/08/22 Haifa

With two days to kill, I decide to simply remain in Haifa. First thing on the agenda are the Bahai gardens. They are spectacular! Pity they are closed until the beginning of October for maintenance, so I only get to see a small portion of them.
I also find some amazing falafel and schwarma places and make the most of them.

Day 112, 2011/08/21 Jerusalem to Haifa

Day 112, 2011/08/21 Jerusalem to Haifa

Day 112, 2011/08/21

Jerusalem has been fantastic but, I am keen to get to Haifa. My mind is playing games with me and I just want to put it at ease by getting to Haifa and close to the port. After booking a cheap hotel in Haifa, I hit the road West towards Tel Aviv. According to my calculations, it should be a relative short ride of about 180 km today. And it sure is! One thing about Israel is that it has some absolutely amazing freeways, which are easy to navigate, even without any GPS. In less than two hours I arrive in Haifa, and seek out the port. My hotel is not far from it hens,  it makes for a good landmark and starting point. After stopping to ask for directions, I eventually find the Eden Hotel, my accommodation for the night. He Eden Hotel is a low budget hotel, in the heart of Haifa's CBD district called Hadar. It is nice and clean and the room has aircon, which is a necessity for me in this high humidity environment. The owner also instructs me to park my motorbike in the hotels foyer which makes me even more happy.
After securing my bike and off loading all my luggage, I decide to give the local shipping agents a call, and am told that we are still on track for departure on Wednesday. I am instructed to call back on Tuesday.   

Day 111, 2011/08/20 Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho and Hebron

Day 111, 2011/08/20 Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho and Hebron

Day 111, 2011/08/20

Saturdays in Israel are Shabat so, almost everything is closed. The hostel however has a guided tour that is going to the West Bank. I am always keen on getting bit sides to this story and believe there is more to this Israel than just what the Israelis have to say about it. I manage to add myself to the list and end up joining some of the fellow tourists that were on the previous days Mount Olives tour. The tour was to go to Bethlehem, Ramalha and Jericho however, as a result of much persuasion from one of the Spanish girls, it was finally changed and Ramalha gave way for Hebron. Hebron, is a city that is truly on the front line when it comes to clashes between Israelis and Palestinians. The city is largely significant to both Muslims and Jews because, the patriarch of monotheistic religions, namely Abraham,is berried beneath the main Mosque in town. Added to this, there are a number of Jewish Settlements which are situated physically in the town rather than like other cities where they are located outside. This all leads to a very tense and possible explosive situation between the Palestinians and the Jewish Settlers. 
That is precisely what happened a couple of years back where a settler managed to enter the Mosque with a semi automatic weapon and ended up killing a number of Palestinians. That incident, combined with the continues acquisition of Palestinian land by Jewish Settlers has left Hebron in very high state of tension. And boy you can feel it. All access points to the Mosque, bar one, have been closed, and access to that one is turn is manned by heavy armed Israeli solders. Also, numerous roads have been cordoned off, shops closed and passage limited to only Jewish Settlers, or Non Palestinian foreigners. So we manage to enter however, our guides were not. Felt like was back in the apartheid years in South Africa. Amazing! Well not really, actually extremely sad that, is this day and age, that these situations still exist! Truly eyeopening!   
After seeing first had what life is like as a Palestinian in the occupied territories we head back to Bethlehem to do the normal touristy sites. After an amazing late lunch of humus, chickpeas and felafel, it is off to the church of the nativity. The church itself is rather plain all things considered, but apparently it is because the church is under the control of more than one christian group and hence reaching consensus on what needs to be done to restore it, is seldom reached. That is why I love religion so much! The church has a chamber below it where apparently Jesus was born. A big star marks the spot. I simply take a picture but, many pilgrims take turns to get down on their knees to kiss the spot. 
We still want to see Jericho, so we are all bungled into the bus and head off. Not far out of town we are however on fronted with a large traffic jam which proceeds to delay us for two hours. The cause of this delay, an impromptu Israeli roadblock. Lovely stuff! We are told by our guide that these are common in the occupied territories and cause major disruption to peoples day to day lives. Needless to say this road block screws up our plans of getting to see Jericho. Well, I guess this life in the West Bank! 
I get back to the hostel at around 7pm and quickly confirm my dinner arrangements with Errol. Errol is an old work colleague of mine. We use to work together at eBucks many years back. He has subsequently immigrated to Israel and now lives in Jerusalem. Fortunately, he does not live far from the hostel, so manage to meet him close to his side of town. We catchup on all that has happened in the last couple of years and he explains to me why he has immigrated to Israel. He is full of questions on my trip and I tell him all he wants to know. 

Day 110, 2011/08/19 Jerusalem

Day 110, 2011/08/19 Jerusalem

I decide to sleep in a little and then make an attempt to catchup on some of my blogging and uploading of website. I eventually find an internet cafe where I am able to connect my iPad and get the job done. 
Later in the afternoon, I decide to attend the guided tour to Mount of Olives. It is also very interesting since we visit some interesting sites such as, the place where Jesus is believed to have ascended to heaven, the Jewish cemetery, the field where the shepherds apparently spotted the star of in the sky the night Jesus was born, and also the garden of getsemine. Not bad for a single afternoon! After the tour, a number of us decide that, since it is Friday afternoon, and Shabat is approaching, a visit to the Wailing wall would be appropriate. The wall, on a Friday evening, is full of singing, dancing and celebrations. The only problem is that, we have to make our way from the Zion gate to the Wailing wall, in "peak hour traffic" in the Muslim Quater. Not am experience, I would like to repeat again soon. There were a number of situations where the situation could have easily resulted on a stampede and, to make maters worse, there were also situations where fully armed Israeli soldiers simply barged their way through the crowds. This create a lot of tension amongst the Muslims and on a number of occasions, the words "Allah Akbar" were shouted. This is normally what suicide bombers say before they blow themselves up! Lovely! 
Anyway, after much pushing and shoving, we finally make the Wailing Wall. The celebrations are not as elaborate as perhaps I was expecting, but interesting enough to have gone to the effort. 
The only downside of Israel over Shabat is that, EVERYTHING shuts down and it actually is difficult to find anything open. So a number of us decide to head for the Armenian restaurant for a lovely dinner before taking the long walk back to the hostel for some well earned rest.

Day 110, 2011/08/19

Day 109, 2011/08/18 Masada to Jerusalem

Day 109, 2011/08/18 Masada to Jerusalem 

I have the option of getting up before dawn and climbing Masada or, taking the cable cable to the top or, going for a swim in the Dead Sea. I must admit, the fact that i have had to get up at some ghastly hour the previous day, does not put me in the mood for climbing Masada also, I would then return hot and sweaty and still need to prepare my bike, and myself for the relatively short ride to Jerusalem. I do recall that, the previous day it was very hot witness all that biking gear on so, perhaps am early, leisurely start to the day is perhaps the best option. Also, i no longer have the assistance of my GPS to guide me so, I will have to navigate Jerusalem, in search of my hostel, most probably during the baking heat. So, I think I will heed to the side of caution and take  the easier option. After my first true, israeli breakfast, which is full of fresh produce, which is a welcome relief from all the fried eggs I have been comforted with on my trip, I hot the road at approximately 9 am. Well I try that is, the bike is playing up like the previous day in Dahab. The starter motor appears to be giving problems. At least this time, I have a decline I can use to assist me in getting the bike up and running, even if fully laden. After discussing the various possible routes to Jerusalem with the friendly guy at reception, I decide to take the shorter, more direct route to Jerusalem, through the West Bank. This also follows alongside the Dead Sea, which would make for some amazing scenery. The ride is not long and within an hour and a half, I arrive on the outskirts of Jerusalem. I see road signs that point to places like Ramalha, Bethlehem and Hebron. Hell, those are places one hears about all the time when there is reference to Palestine on the news, and here I am on a road that has signs pointing to it! I follow the signs however, that lead towards the CBD, and the Old City. The map I bought in Dahab, has shown that, my hostel is within walking distance of the Old City. The road leads me through a tunnel and shortly afterwards, I drive over a rise, and there it is, the Old City! What gives it away, is the huge mosque with the Golden dome called the Dome of the Rock. I mat admit, I am bowled over that, I have managed to ride my bike all the way here, and it is at that moment that, I am made aware of perhaps how remarkable my achievement has been. Up until now, I have been playing down the entire experience to people that ask. I keep on saying, "it is not that difficult", "any one can do it", etc,etc,etc! But here I am, riding my old bike, the ever reliable one into Jerusalem, the most sacred place in the entire religious world! And yes, I have travelled 14000 km to get here! 
After the euphoria subsides, I am immediately confronted with the fact that, i still need find my hostel. It is not long until I find the road on which my hostel is located and then not long before I find the hostel itself. It is the Abraham Youth Hostel, and appears to be pleasant enough.
After checking in, I discover there is a free tour of the Old City that afternoon at 2:30 pm, and decide to attend. The tour is run by a company which offer this tour for free, you may however, at the end of it, donate what you thought the tour was worth to the guide as a tip. Very novel concept, especially in this modern world of ours. The tour was extremely extensive and, in the three hours we managed to cover all four quarters that constitute the Old City. We also managed to visit the wailing/western wall. The dome of the rock was however closed since, it was Ramadan and hence only open later in the evening to Muslims. 

Day 109, 2011/08/18