Aaron's Worldwide Adventures
Israel is big on security. Think about it and you’ll totally get why. It’s something that is nearly impossible to miss on a daily basis. They’re also fairly notorious for their rather difficult border crossings, particularly if you have one of many potential “suspect” stamps, primarily from any Arab country. After 6 weeks in the […]
Bethlehem and Jerusalem are practically neighbors. The trip from Jerusalem’s Old City takes no more than 10-15 minutes. At least it would if you didn’t have to cross “The Wall…” Israel‘s 8-meter (26 foot) high “Security wall” separates Israeli-controlled Jerusalem from the fully Palestinian-controlled areas of the “West Bank” (or, as one Palestinian said to […]
“Where you go? Nuweiba?,” the man asked. “No, Taba,” I replied from the back of the jeep that had ferried me from my beachside hotel to the bus station. “Taba, 250 pounds,” he said. I balked. “Okay, 180 pounds.” I balked again. “I go to Nuweiba anyway and I take you there for 50 Egyptian […]
Rain sure does have a way of putting a damper on your plans, doesn’t it? As a hardened traveler, I’m a pretty firm believer in making the most out of any situation. After all, rain can bring some pretty wild experiences (see: collapsed bridges in Laos…). But this wasn’t just any experience. This was Christmas […]
“Millions of the faithful gather in Manger Square to celebrate the birth of Christ,” scream the headlines. After all, if there’s one place in the world that you would want to spend Christmas Eve, wouldn’t it be in Bethlehem? No, not Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, I mean the real Bethlehem. You know, the one where Christ is […]
Hanukkah (or Chanukah, depending on which transliteration you go for) is a pretty exciting time in Israel. The candles, the cheer, the doughnuts… Yes, the doughnuts, a special Hanukkah treat that Israelis are down right obsessed with. See, I went to Israel expecting to find that Israelis ate latkes as a Hanukkah treat like their […]
Think of the Holocaust. It’s a rather intense topic, especially for a museum, right? Having previously visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., I was ready for a gloomy experience as we pulled through the thorny gates of Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. Literally translated as “Hand and name,” […]
David Ben-Gurion, founder of the State of Israel, loved the vast desert covering the southern half of his country. Called the Negev, he made a point to be buried here (in Sde Boker, to be exact), and spending some time exploring this desert’s stunning scenery makes it easy to see why he loved it so! […]