Singapore/Bali - the last post

As our trip had to be curtailed due to pending work commitments in Auckland, we decided that returning to Asia would be a good way to wind down and soften the blow of hitting the real world again. Singapore brought out the inner child in us as we headed to the Zoo. Lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) plus many other animals made the jetlagged early start very worthwhile.

Bali, although more chaotic, was a familiar haunt and once again we were lucky enough to be well looked after by Laura’s brother Michael. We hired a scooter and relived our South American days driving 1.5 hours north to the village of Sidemen, tucked amongst rice paddies and stands of coconut palms.  Here we visited the tiny village of Telengis and saw the community centre (Banja) which was built with money that Michael had fundraised in NZ. It contains a medical clinic and soon to be opened pre-school. Sami, our local contact, was a great host and took us around several schools in the area – even taking advantage of our English to try out some of the older students' language skills. Later in the evening we went for a wander through the village to meet the locals, coming back with giftbags full of fruit and stomachs full of Bali Kopi (coffee).

We are writing this back on the coast in Seminyak, from one of Michael’s luxury villas. Soon we will head out for what will be our final meal in Bali. Our amazing adventure is fast drawing to a close and despite knowing that the next few years at least will be heads down with study, work and mortgages, it is hard not to be planning our next adventure already. With so much of the world yet to explore and so many people to meet the only way to console ourselves is to know that someday we will be off exploring again. 

Walk like an Egyptian

Finally making it across the border two days later than planned, thanks to many Jewish and Muslim holidays,  we headed straight to Dahab, a diving/backpacker resort on the Red Sea Coast. Through a recommendation we met up with the team from Seadancer with whom we spent a couple of days diving. The water was amazingly clear and warm, and the coral reefs were phenomenal. We found all manners of sea life (actually the dive instructor did, we just looked) and really were sad we couldn’t stay longer - especially because we know the water will only be colder in NZ! 

Following from this we took a very long bus ride to Cairo. Straight away we hit the hustle and bustle of the city of 22 million when our driver dropped us in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, (the word of our trip) a taxi driver found our hotel. This was coincidentally located close to Tahir square and offered great views of the ongoing post Friday prayer protests which are happening in Egypt still. Of course we took in the sights of the pyramids, antiquities museum and Nile but perhaps the best thing we did in Cairo was join our (now) friend Modi for a tour around the sights that were pivotal in the January Egyptian Revolution. Modi was heavily involved with the organisation and he gave us a blow by blow description of what was required to overturn the government of Mubarak (don’t worry John, we have no intention of instigating anything in NZ …) Modi also showed off the best of Cairo in terms of the old city and it's beautiful parks, and helped us acquire our prized Egyptian possession – a tabla (hand-held drum). While walking around Cairo we became aware of the downturn as a result of the revolution. We hope for the sake of those that rely on tourism that people realise travelling here is no more dangerous than any other country.

The upper Nile cities of Aswan and Luxor were equally interesting. Perhaps the highlight here though was our tour through the Valley of the Kings. Here tombs that are thousands of years old are so well preserved they look like they could have been made yesterday. Our final destination city was Alexandria – once home to the famous library and lighthouse. For us it was a stepping point to see the battlefield of El Alamein and pay our respects at the War Cemeteries. It was quite a shock to see so many New Zealanders represented, perhaps the most we have seen of the War Graves we have visited so far.

Our thoughts on Egypt were mixed. On one hand you cannot neglect the constant hassle and occasional underhand attempt to prize money from the unsuspecting. But we feel this was well and truly outweighed by the care we received from our hosts, our feeling safe on the streets, and the experience of being surrounded by such a rich and ancient culture. 

Fence Sitting Israel Palestine Styles...

As per usual Lou and I came to this area with a vague plan, and as per usual this ended up changing in its entirety.

We made it unscathed across the border and headed straight to Jerusalem. This is an amazing city and is an instant education from a historic and religious point of view. We visited the Wailing Wall, Dome of the Rock, Ancient Souq and much more. Also while in Jerusalem we attended a Yom Kippur Synagogue service and experienced the city shutting down for this day of atonement.

We then headed to Bethlehem where a fantastic taxi driver gave us a great introduction to this tiny town. We checked out Manger Square and then headed out to visit the Refugee camp and security wall – a sight that reminded me of the prisons I had seen in NZ. We were also lucky enough to be given a tour by a local student around Hebron - a city that lives in constant conflict due to encroaching settlers.

From here we headed up to Nablus where a two day stopover turned into a week-long volunteer stint.  We painted two murals with school children from the Girls’ School at the Balata Refugee Camp.  This was a fun time where we got to know the children and had a little insight into their lives. We also met a fantastic teacher called Raneen, and volunteer co-ordinator called Nizar who showed us the sights (and the delicacies) of Nablus.

Following a great Oktoberfest at the tiny Christian town of Taybeh, we headed back to Israel and hired a car for a couple of days. The north of Israel is green, lush and fertile. We tasted wine, hiked and explored the northernmost reaches where Lebanon and Syria almost surround you.

It is impossible to enter this area without having some idea that this is problem central. Collectively the ongoing conflict in this region has accounted for more headlines per capita probably than anywhere else in the world. What we came to realise whilst travelling is that it is not possible to understand the conflict from newspapers and books. And it has not been possible to understand it in the just over two short weeks that we have spent here. So what do we understand? We understand that there are many minority factions from both sides driving a lot of the violence and oppression. We understand the balance of power lies too much with the Israeli government. We understand that the security wall is an abhorrent injustice serving only to suppress, humiliate and strip people with no aggressive agenda of their civil rights. And we understand that there are many people on both sides of this fence (excuse the pun) who sympathise with each other, and want to work toward a long term peace.

Remember that this is a country that prior to British and UN intervention had people from Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths living peacefully side by side. It is now a country where barbed wire and assault rifles are common place, held onto by soldiers that barely look old enough to be driving - let alone deciding over life and death. It is where our Palestinian guide was forced to walk down the non-settler side of the road, while we could walk wherever we wanted, and where a whole population has access to water, fuel, food and travel restricted. These restrictions are decided on by the same force that is protecting Zionist settlers who are slowly, but surely, encroaching upon and taking over land and homes that are not theirs, despite what they might say.

Little is offered from the international community to protect those who need protection and it seems now with so much bloodshed, injury and death sustained from both sides that a ‘one state’ solution just couldn’t work.  So what now?  We don’t have a solution and unless there is compromise we doubt anyone else will come up with one. We certainly hope for the sake of all those who have been affected, in all ways, that something is thought of soon. We also hope that more people read beyond the headlines to understand better the lives of those living in this awful situation, and perhaps offer some support to those that need it most.