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Diary This is Jan's diary. If you want to receive this diary by mail, write your mail on the contact form.
‹ Previous (17/02/2008) MONTH Next (2008-04-17)› ‹ Previous (2008-03-04 - Israel - Palestina) COUNTRY Next (2008-04-06 - Israel - Palestina)› Jordan Amman (see on map) 18/03/2008:
Yesterday I went again towards the border of Jordan with Palestine. I felt like visiting these troubled lands again with some Palestinians, but i was shitted scary, for i feared that (as the previous time) the Israeli authorities would return to stick an adhesive in my passport or even to seal it, complicating the future entry in Iran. For this reason, when the Jordanian authorities told me that my visa only allowed me to visit Israel one more time, I cheered up and I relaxed. Next, taking advantage of being retained in Jordan waiting for the Carnet de Passages of the car, which if everything goes well has to arrive next Sunday, I decided to try to cross another border, this time that of Syria. I chose another border, but the authorities immediately saw that i had been refused once, and after verifying in the computers they informed me very nicely about my name being on the black list, and that even if i tried to bribe them (how I did with 300 $) they could do nothing to change it. And like this it would follow even to the end of times, or even if Syria changed the legislation. And today I have decided to visit the Roman ruins of Jerash, the second touristic attraction of Jordan, which i had not visited yet because i had not lost in a complete way the expectations to enter in Syria, where for as i have seen, there is a former still more interesting Roman city, that of Palmira. In any case, Jerash has surprised me and i would have considered myself a sinner if i had let the passivity of the last days influence me not to visit it. Jerash surprises for the hundreds of columns that still keep standing, of stylised forms and capitals with floral engravings. It also surprises, apart from its temples, avenues, arcs and hippodrome, for the conservation of two big theatres, that confirm the interest that the Romans expressed for these shows, but, the big number of inhabitants especially confirm that they had to populate the former city. 22/03/2008: I have spent some days more waiting for the carnet de passage of the car (which finally has arrived today Saturday) and passing the hours bored and discouraged. Anyway, the few times that i made use of my spare time, i tried to clarify which was my next destination, that each moment got complicated, because when i was going to confirm the offer of the boat of Egypt to Turkey, I took measures of the autocaravan and I realised that in the container would not enter, when being 10 centimetres higher than the door of the container. I sent the Egyptian company a mail to see whether there was any other solution, but they did not answer me. So, the only solution that remains seems that of Israel, from where I have an offer (quite expensive) to arrive with boat to Athens, Greece. Tomorrow I will start to go again towards Israel, unless i receive some other offer from Egypt. On the other hand, I have also met some more days Akram and some of his friends and other couchsurfers, although in general I have followed the meetings without too much interest. In all these days, only one conversation with Akram caught me the attention enough as to note it in my note block. Akram was confirming to me that they believe firmly in the Islam, the men as well as the women, with the virginity and with the prohibition of the sex out of the marriage. Next he complained that in the Occidental countries many men (and women) have sex out of the marriage (and during the marriage) with ten, twenty or even more people different to the opposed sex. And according to him, it was a hypocrisy that these that fornicate with so many women how they want (even with prostitutes) criticise them, the Muslims, because they can get married even with four women, if the husband can maintain them and they accept the situation. I thought that it was quite a convincing reasoning to explain because in the Islam the men have this possibility, although I did not deepen either questioning why the women could not marry more than one husband. 23/03/2008: When trying to start the car after buying vegetables, I have discovered that the estárter did not work, even so, I have started off the car and I have just arrived to the border of Jordan with Israel. I have passed all the Jordanian formalities without stopping the car and paying the 20 euros of rates of exit for the third time. As I feared, to the first control before entering in the offices of the border of Israel they have made me stop the car, anyway, after inspecting superficially the vehicle, some boys that waited and an Israeli helped me push the car until it started off. Despite warning them about the problems of the starter they have asked me to stop the engine in the following control. Then the typical questions have started and discovering that i had been in Sudan, the things had gone again serious. Anyway, it seemed that there would not be too many problems apart from the typical waiting and after an hour, they decided to inspect the car. I wanted to be present, but they have closed the car in a garage and I have had to wait in a room in front of a scanner of X-rays, across which they have kept passing different objects of my autocaravan: the spare wheel, all the butane gas cylinders and even the chemical toilet (that yes, making face of disgust and laughing). During the process a man has presented himself loading a big plastic bag with all the vegetables that i had bought in Jordan inside: Potatoes, onions, tomatoes, bananas, oranges, cauliflowers... He has informed me that i could not enter with fresh vegetables in Israel (international norms) and, after asking to eat three bananas, he has taken the sealed bag. I feared that they would break something of the car, during the hour that have been turning it upside down, but, no when I have been able to enter again, all the things were well messed up but in their place. Then I have listened with joy that i could enter in Israel after making the insurance of the car. I went to the corresponding office with all the papers, but when studying them, the girl of the insurance company has informed me: - You have the international driving licence expired - expired for only 15 days!! - I cannot do the insurance for you. And evidently, the Israeli authorities have immediately informed me that i could not enter the country and that i had to return to Jordan. The world fell another time for me. It was the third time in twenty days that a country denied me the entry and returned me to Jordan. Seemed a nightmare and my bad humour was naturally directed in silence towards the Israelis. My only consolation that I have had, is that these have had to sweat a little to push the car and to start it off. On the other hand, I have also recovered all the vegetables that they had stolen previously from me. Turning to Amman I have called to my father with the expectation that he had not sent the new renewed driving licence to an address of Turkey that i had given him, but unfortunately he has informed me of having sent it last Thursday and by error having also sent my Spanish driving licence, done that it could complicate the request of a new international driving licence. Besides, in arriving to Amman I have realised that an exterior protection of the fridge had fallen and had gotten lost due to the bad placing of the customs authorities. In any case, I have not wanted to despair. So many slips it seems that they are giving me quite a lot of patience. The next days I will dedicate them to fix the car (it will be more economic in Jordan than in Israel), to visit the Spanish embassy (perhaps to ask them for work in Jordan) and to negotiate a price of the boat that has to take me up to Greece. 30/03/2008: I passed another week in Amman, another parenthesis in the journey of which basically would stand out the joy that I felt yesterday when I received the international driving licence from Turkey. Previously, i had taken the car to fix, but after looking for the spare part of the starter in all Amman, I finally convinced myself of its nonexistence and a mechanic had to do the same manoeuvre that the boy of Edfu, in Egypt, had done. The operation was good to keep starting off the engine more or less well during all the week, and also today in the morning, when I have crossed the border of Jordan again and I have passed the first formalities again on the border of Israel. Today I have asked to be present in the inspection of the car, but they have again denied me this possibility and a boy has gone up to the car to drive it in a closed garage. But the engine has not started and the boy has called me so that I tried it. The starter did not seem to work again, but suddenly the boy has warned me that a strong smell of burning was coming out (I do not feel smells). I have gone outside, I have opened the capon and horrified i have realised that the engine was on fire, not all the engine, but there were some cables burning. Running I have gone up to the autocaravan, have pulled the fire extinguisher and have jumped in front of the car shooting against the flames. The flames have gone off immediately, without having provoked at first sight any severe damage, but my spirits were through the ground again. Anyway, the officers have continued with the process and they have pushed the autocaravan inward of the garage and after little while they have taken it out informing me that they have already inspected it. I have carried out the insurance of the car, this time trouble free, and the nice officers have helped me push the autocaravan another time and it has turned on with no problem and later I have arrived without any other incident to Haifa. * Another negative note of the customs of Israel was the exterior protection of the fridge, which the customs had placed badly for me the previous time and has been lost. The second time they commented me that the insurance of the customs of Israel would pay it to me and an officer called Igal Malca confirmed me that it would be like this, but once arrived to Greece they denied contact. Israel - Palestina Haifa (see on map) 06/04/2008:
The first hours in Haifa, despite meeting with interesting people of couchsurfing, I felt totally bored, without joy and worried about the autocaravan, which i could only park in pending to be able to turn it off trouble free. Exactly entering in Haifa i had located a service of Fiat where in theory they could fix the starter, but the following day in the morning I could not start off the autocaravan because a car had parked in front preventing me to leave it fall. I was waiting some hours to see whether the car left, but I finally accepted the suggestion of Sara, a girl of couchsurfing, and visited by train a place called Acre (or Akko in Hebraico). The first historical mentions of Acre go back to 1500 BC that, occupying a strategic position, is well defended by the sea and some imposing walls. Throughout its history it has suffered different sieges and assaults, some of which unsuccessful, as the one of Napoleón that lost a battle. When going through the alleys inside the walls, the Arab atmosphere that was breathed, also with some churches and mosques that at specific hours toned the sound of the muetzinos up, surprised me. I started to discover that Israel is a much more complex country of what i thought, that was not only inhabited by Jews. Sara, the Israeli girl from Haifa, explained to me that Acre had been suggested under the domination of the Arab Palestine according to the partition by the ONU in 1947, but during the Arab-Israelian war of 1948 was occupied by Israel. Then, 75% of the population left the city, although in the interior of the walls the Arabs continue being majority. When returning from Acre, Sara explained me a little more on the multiculturalism of Israel, introducing me the Druze, which have a religion split of the Islam with more than one million believers all around the world, a majority of which is living in Syria and Libya, but with about 100.000 living in Israel. One of the peculiarities of this religion is the choice, when entering the adult age, of belonging to the group of the called "ignorants" (80%) or to the group of the “believers", who are put in charge of studying the teachings and of following a life according to the faith. Traditionally, the Druze have always been very nationalistic defending the country that receives them. It is for this motif, that the Druze in Israel are implicated with the State completely, complying the 3 years of military service during which carry out numerous tasks of spy as they speak Arab as mother tongue. Anyway, despite complying with the homeland, the Druze hardly see its laws similar with the rest of Jews, and are treated with discrimination in public sites, jobs... Israel is also the centre of another religion, the faith Bahá'í, with a magnificent tomb and gardens that send in the lap of the mountain of Haifa. I also showed interest in this modern religion (its main prophet died in Acre in 1892) that counts about 6 million followers in all the world and I was surprised for the beliefs based on the unit of God, of the religions (all are different stages or revelations closer to God) and of the human kind (they do not believe in nationalism, races, social classes or any other prejudice that classifies the human beings). The Bahá'ís look for the peace in the world, advocate the elimination of the ends of wealth or poverty, defend the independent scientific research... On the other hand, they do not have church, and do not believe in the monastic life, rather with the spiritual growth through the daily life. One of the few doctrines that would not allow me to be Bahá'í is the belief in God and the life after death. The visit to Acre, the religious discoveries and the conversations maintained with Sara and other boys of couchsurfing filled me again with energy, with desires of keeping knowing world, including Israel. But the fact that i had the autocaravan fixed, with a second-hand stárter for which I paid a little more of the account, also collaborated. The following day I visited big avenues and many sites with Sara and a couple of Germans, the modern Tel Aviv capital, with high buildings. In one of these sites, the German couple explained that were anarchist and of left and that, on the contrary to the rest of ideological compatriots of Europe, were pro-Israel. When asking them if the pro isrealian feeling was owed to the anti-Nazi fight or to the extreme right in Germany, they answered me that very probably was like this. Deepening in the complexity of Israel, Sara and other Jews with whom I talked, explained me that the Jews of Israel are not usually too religious, except for those living in Jerusalem, even so, they all share the same culture, celebrating the same traditions, talking the same language (modernised at the beginning of the 20th century from the old sacred texts), eating koshar foods, and especially maintaining a strong nationalistic or Zionist feeling, which justifies the constitution of a Jewish State. Numerous times I asked to Jews which was the justification to constitute a new Jewish State in an earth occupied mostly by Arab or Palestinians. Without putting forward religious motifs, the answers remembered me that 2000 years ago the Jews occupied those lands, which throughout the centuries the prayers have always finished with the sentence: "the next year in Jerusalem" and that finally they had right to an own country after suffering so many centuries of persecution for their religion and culture in Europe and Middle East. When I gave an opinion to Sara that the arguments could be very little solid for the Palestinians, the conversation became a little tense; but when I gave an opinion more ahead than the cultural stereotypes, even though negatives, sometimes have one real backgrounds (the Jews are sometimes accused of not being easy on letting money or of controlling the world), Sara accused me very sourly of being anti-Zionist. I tried to defend myself explaining that the Catalans in Spain are also seen with a strong hand on their money and the Andalusians as dreamers and, even if in most of the individual cases it is not like this, yes that they reflect something of the reality. A Palestinian friend present in the discussion also opined that the stereotypes did not reflect any reality, even though later, when asking him whether his fathers were Muslim or Christian, he answered to me using a stereotype: - They are Muslim, but not Muslim bum-bum (terrorists)- making the gesture of explosion with the body. We all laughed. Sara also had other Palestinian friends living in some town in the north of Israel called Béna, which we visited the day before yesterday. Zaid and Alex were the two boys with who I conversed more. First they explained the history of the town, lived by Palestinians always up to the war of 48, during which, the Israeli soldiers killed 4 boys cold-blooded to oblige the rest of population to leaving towards Lebanon. Anyway, after little time, some few returned to the town from the fields of refugees and, as did not have more problems with the authorities, they stayed. But there were many Palestinians who could not return, treating the ones that returned as traitors, because in general they passed from fighting the occupation to fight for the equality of laws with those of the Jews. For example, Zaid and Alex explained me that they would be happy living in Israel if this were not a Jewish State, with Jewish flag, Jewish hymn, with Hebrew language and with Jewish laws, as the obligatory rule of Yom Kipur, a holiday in which all Israel is paralyzed so that the Jews ask forgiveness to God for their sins and - according to the boys - so that the rest of the year they can keep tearing the Palestinians remorseless. Perhaps, in any case, this situation will not last forever, because even if the Palestinians in Israel are only 20%, these have a growth much higher than the Jews and perhaps in the future they will be able to choose leaders who return the government to the Palestinians. In spite of the daily fight for their rights, Zaid and Alex were also worried about the situation of the occupied Palestine, or Palestine behind the green line drawn in 1967 by different UN resolutions. The occupied Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip) started to enjoy a certain autonomy, Israelí drowned economically and with the army always entering it when they considered appropriate. On the other hand, the wall that the Israelis have built to separate Israel from Palestine, does not follow faithfully the green line, leaving the wells of water out of the scope of the Palestinians or giving exit to numerous Jewish settlements in Palestinian lands. As the night was advancing, Sara kept acquiring a defensive attitude owed to the pro-Palestinian conversations finishing by becoming enemy with everybody, even with me. In spite of everything, i had gained a new friendship with Zaid and Alex, which remained sealed with the promise of visiting together West Bank in two days, today. Yesterday in the night, I met a new girl of couchsurfing and her colleague with whom I maintained an interesting conversation. When telling them that today i would visit West Bank, the boy commented to me indifferent: - I have been many times, as soldier. Afterwards they explained to me that the Israeli army is one of the most prepared and humanitarian ones of the world, in spite of the defamation of its enemies. And finally they explained me that in the schools of Israel, the Palestinians also have a subject of peace apart from showing subjects as mathematics or literature, however, basically they teach hate. And today, finally,me, Alex, Zaid and one of his Jewish friend have directed ourselves towards West Bank passing through Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. We have arrived very late, therefore we have only decided to visit Ramala, one of the most important Palestinian cities, close to Jerusalem. We have crossed the controls of entry without too many problems and been in the wall that isolates Ramala of Israel. Inside, the atmosphere was completely Arab or Palestinian, although tension was breathed and the people did not seem as hospitable as in the previous countries; however they looked suspicious at the registration plates of the car and asked us in an apprehensive way where we were from. We have parked near the centre and have started to walk, without fixed direction and to wonder where the amusement was found, but this has arrived alone by itself, very soon. In a sudden way we have seen ourselves surrounded by armed youngsters who have started to ask us about our origins, about the girl, for they had heard her talking Hebrew with Zaid. Finally they have informed us that they were of the Palestine police and that it was very dangerous for the Jewish girl to walk in Ramala, for if the population discovered it they could kidnap her or kill her in public; and that was not desirable, because the Israeli army would have a new reason to enter. They have driven us very nicely but well escorted to the main police station, and after having us amused during an hour, have recommended us to go out of Ramala the soonest possible. While we waited in the queue to cross again the wall and to enter Israel, a man has asked me again with apprehensive look: - from where are you? - from Spain. After a while: - Madrid? - No, of Barcelona. And finally he has commented me with complicity. - I like ETA a lot - The terrorist and independentist group of the Basque Country. After a week listening to opinions of Jews and Palestinians, I cannot deprive myself of describing the conflict with an example that I have kept fabricating and having kept perfecting. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Palestinians lived in a big home that was owned by the British. The home had 10 rooms, with a room occupied by a Jew and the rest occupied by Palestinians. There were Jews in other homes or countries that remembered the first that their grandfather had lived in, and due to the rough handling that the owners of the other homes gave them, some came back to the first home, buying the Palestinians two rooms. The Palestinians were not too happy with the new neighbours, but they were more worried about the abuses of the Britanic owner, who finally decided to divide up the house and gave the estate to the Palestinians and Jews. But the Palestinians did not agree and with the help of neighbours of other houses they started to attack the Jews. But the Jews counter-attacked with force and occupied 3 new rooms and emptied them substantially of Palestinians, who had to take refuge in other rooms or other houses. The expelled Palestinians conspired to recover the lost rooms but in each of the two subsequent brawls, the Palestinians lost a room, only two rooms remaining for them. And at present, as even there are Palestinians ready to fight for the freedom, the Jews have covered the doors of both rooms up with bricks, occasionally depriving them of water and electricity. The atmosphere is rarefied, and the Jews who want the peace do not want to return to the 3 rooms that they had at first. And even if most of the Palestinians accept an intermediate solution, also there are many that do not want to stop fighting until they expels the Jews of all the rooms. And thinking about this example, I wonder which could be the satisfactory solution to this complicated conflict, and sincerely, I do not find it. If somebody of you has it, the United Nations should be contacted. ---- In Béna I interviewed Alex, who was a little diffuse, even then gave an opinion that the main problem of the world was the borders. The main problem in his country is the religious and nationalistic fanaticism, which actions as the occupation of Palestine. The solution would be to understand and to try not to have manipulated opinions. Alex feels happy although he does not know the secret of happiness. Xipre Limassol (see on map) 08/04/2008:
The first hours on the boat from Haifa towards Athens, gave me sufficient motifs never to go round the world on the sea and to continue by land. The captain commented that the sea was not too curly, but looking the stern of the boat i could observe how this was raised about three meters on the horizon line for afterwards to go down under the line. I had the stomach well mixed up, and if I did not vomit was because at times, the waves seemed to calm down, for afterwards to return with force. In spite of everything I was capable of sleeping and today in the morning I have cheered up finding myself already in the border of Cyprus with a soothed sea. The boat has remained four hours parked in the port of Limassol, the main port of Cyprus, during which the captain has given us the right, to me and to another American traveller, to visit the town. In Israel I had been touched to see the Mediterranean Sea after a year travelling through Africa, and curiously in Cyprus i returned to have the same feeling of closeness to home when taking euro from an automatic machine. Curiously, i remembered the 20 euro notes as bigger... Cyprus is an island that, despite not having too much richness, has been intensely disputed throughout the history. After being conquered by different cultures, in 1570, the Turks invaded the island inviting the families of the soldiers to remain permanently to create a new Turkish ethnic group that would remove the Greeks. The confrontation between these two groups generated multiple conflicts even that the United Nations separated the cultures by a green line, although keeping them in the same country (only Turkey recognizes a divided Cyprus). Lately it seems that both communities are approaching, although none of the two cultures have a great patriotic feeling: or they feel Greek living in Cyprus or else Turks living on the island, but not Cypriots. We take a bus towards the centre and the driver immediately gave us conversation, explaining us that despite being Cypriot Greek he has been living many years in Australia, but his friends recommended him to return because he was about to kill his wife(he explained it as if it was nothing). Afterwards he explained that he did not like Cyprus, because there is a lot of corruption of low level (in the hospitals, police, when looking for work...) and it is also a very expensive country. On the other hand, he did not believe in the reconciliation between the Turkish community and the Greeks whom have suffered a lot and the people who have lost relatives will hardly be able to forgive. In the centre we have walked through a park of sculptures, the town is modern but also with a Mediterranean atmosphere. It has surprised me that in the shops, all the texts were in English, with the prices in euros and English pounds; and that the bookshop of the port had books in English and Russian (or that I have deduced, because they were printed in Moscow). Greece Athens (see on map) 10/04/2008:
The 36 hours of journey from Limassol up to the port of Pireus has been much calmer. In the port I have had to pay the rates of storage and next have gone out towards Athens, but when arriving, the company of the boat has called me informing me that I have jumped me the customs, they were very severe and that i had to turn back. I have pretended a little not to understand and i have told them that i would go on Monday, although having Spanish number I do not think that it is necessary. Before nothing, I have directed myself to the Spanish embassy in Athens, where I have requested of renewing the passport in order not to have any evidence of having entered Israel and being able to enter troublefree in Iran, but on the contrary to all the other embassies visited in the previous countries, in Greece they have not been shown at all friendly even collaborative and they have told me that they could not renew the passport for me. In any case, in Ankara it waits me the passport dispatched in Addis Ababa, with which I can have some problems to enter Iran. Later I have gone to an insurance company and they have given me another address commenting that they could not assure the car, maybe it is only possible from Spain. They are small problems, but I do not have any longer the same energy and patience that i had some months ago. Although the last week in Israel it was very interesting and energetic, I find myself again without force. Before i always confronted the problems with optimism, but it now seems that the small problems turn into a big mountain difficult to be surpassed. Lately I have surprised myself sometimes with desires of returning home, and perhaps i would return if i had not bet everything in this journey. My future is found at the end of this journey. Since some time ago I have discovered that I want to be a writer. But I need to finish this journey to be able to publish my adventures and from here to have the open doors to new works and publications. But my spirits tell me perhaps that I will not be able to comply completely with all my dream. Apart from the possible problems in Iran, possibly we will not be able to enter in China by car, for it would mean to pay about 100 $ each day for an obligatory guide, neither it seems possible to enter Burma. Therefore, if we arrive to India we will be stuck. On the other hand, it will be difficult to embark the autorcaravan towards Indochina or Australia, for now I know that the autocaravan can not enter in any container. Perhaps the solution will be to sell the autocaravan in India and to follow the journey on foot, or to return in Europe for some other route. I am disappointed, but for luck tomorrow Alexandra arrives. After almost two eternal months without being together, I feel eager to hold her in my arms again and together to dream and to get excited another time by this long journey. It is true that she normally represented the pessimistic character and I the optimistic one. But I expect somebody of the two when being together again will provide the necessary energy to continue ahead. We have been too much time separate. In theory it only had to have passed a month, but the problem with Syria has delayed it. I need you Alexandra. Come to me, my love. ‹ Previous (17/02/2008) MONTH Next (2008-04-17)› ‹ Previous (2008-03-04 - Israel - Palestina) COUNTRY Next (2008-04-06 - Israel - Palestina)› |
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