My Time Capsule: April 2012

24.4.12

Israel & Palestinian Territories: Floating in the Dead Sea

Israel & Palestinian Territories, June 2011

Stripped off my clothes at the crossing border between Jordan and Israel. That's how I started my pilgrimage to the Holy Land. As soon as our bus entered the border, some fully armed officers came to inspect our bus. We were led to the immigration hall where they started sorting our group. Older people were easily pass through and got their passport back. I was put among younger people group and our passports were being held because we had to do the full body check. Oh crap !!! I'm flattered if you think I look young but I'd prefer to pass through together with the elders.
They asked me to open my suitcase and examined my stuffs carefully like it's a time bomb. After that I was led to a small cubicle for the body check. My mind was suddenly racing with thoughts....did I put my Victoria Secret underwear this morning ? Who knows the officer looks as good as Josh Duhamel in army uniform in Transformers ?
I had to slap my face for panicking over such irrational things. Turned out it was a female officer. She asked me to undress, checked here and there, told me to dress up and voila ! they set me free.
Holy Land please welcome this drama queen :)


Jordan River where Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist

beautiful city of Haifa

Bethlehem in Palestinian territories
Thanks God, no more drama for the rest of the trip. We didn't face any problem going in and out the border of Palestinian territories while visiting Bethlehem and Jericho.
The only problem, due to the Jewish kosher law, I was not allowed to bring my chili sauce to the dining area. Jewish has very strict regulations about how to serve food. For example it's forbidden to eat dairy with meat at the same meal, no cheese with eggs and so on. That means I didn't get my mushroom, ham and cheese omelet for days :(
In every dining room there's a Jewish Rabbi who walks around to check the tables and make sure that no one breaks the law.

Jerusalem


entering the wailing wall of Israel

Jewish family


huge sesame breads



the church of the Holy Sepulchre


Highlight of my trip was Dead Sea, the lowest and the saltiest spot on earth ! I was really excited about it. I've read about it, seen the pictures, watched on TV and I was still curious about how to float in the Dead Sea.
My first impression about Dead Sea was it's freaking hot. I think it was more than 40 C when I got there.
I quickly ran into the water before my skin turns crispy under the fierce sun. At the beginning it felt really weird and my first attempt failed miserably. Only my butt was floating proudly. Then I stood up again trying to balance my body. I sat back slowly and spread my wings arms... and woohoo! I was floating in the water ! Beware not to drink the water though, it could kill you because of sodium overdose.
I've been told that the water is very good to treat skin diseases and relieve pain in patients with osteoarthritis. The mud is like an instant botox for the skin, it makes your skin feels really smooth.

Dead Sea

yayyy....I'm floating :D
Despite of the wars and conflicts, I think Israel is a very beautiful country. It was an eye opening journey for me. I did learn a lot about the culture, people, religion and many more. Re-visited Israel is definitely on my bucket list now.

15.4.12

Review: Warung Janggar Ulam

I've always love the idea of outdoor dining, whether it's a beach restaurant or a mountain terrace cafe. Recently I finally went to one restaurant that has been on my "visit list" for quite some time. The name is Warung Janggar Ulam in Ubud area, which is very close to Sawah Indah Restaurant.
This place is surrounded by lush greenery and rice fields. I really love the gubug lesehan which means a hut where you can sit on the bamboo mats floor. With soothing sound of dripping water in the pond and cool breeze on my face, it's so peaceful I could fall asleep :p

tranquil ambiance

surrounded by greenery



fuchsia colour banana ???
Crispy Fried Duck
 They offer a wide range of menu from poultry, fish, seafood, veggies and many else.
I ordered Crispy Duck set menu which consists of fried duck, rice, vegetables and sambal (chili paste).
The fried duck is quite nice, the skin is crispy with tender meat. Unfortunately for me it's a little bit under
seasoned. Well maybe it's just my fuzzy taste buds though :p


BBQ Pork Ribs
 BBQ pork ribs served with french fries and salad. It's marinated with some sauces and spices before it's grilled to perfection. The meat is so tender and tastes sweet.


Grilled Mussels
Grilled mussels is my favourite of all. I really love the sauce which tastes sweet, salty and little bit spicy. What a delicious combination. It's also served with rice, vegetables and sambal. This is a "must try" menu when visiting this restaurant.

Rujak Janggarulam

Crispy Fried Banana
There are also some light bites on the menu if you don't feel like eating something heavy, such as spring rolls, fried banana, pancake, fruit salad and etc...
FYI they provide Free Wifi there. I will definitely bring along my laptop next time for blogging or editing pictures in one of those lovely huts. Bliss!


would you like to join me here ? :D


Warung Janggar Ulam
Jln. Raya Goa Gajah, Peliatan, Ubud (opposite gas station)
Phone: +62-361-972092

8.4.12

Jordan: Petra the Rose - Red City

Jordan, June 2011

Have you watched Transformer: Revenge of the Fallen or Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ? Then you might recognise this place because both were filmed in Petra the Rose - Red city.
It's a historical and archaeological city in Jordan that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduit system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans.
The impressive eastern entrance leads steeply down through a dark, narrow gorge (in places only 3–4 m (9.8–13 ft) wide) called the Siq ("the shaft"), a natural geological feature formed from a deep split in the sandstone rocks and serving as a waterway flowing into Wadi Musa. At the end of the narrow gorge stands Petra's most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh (popularly known as "the Treasury").

Being there felt magical and the view is magnificent. I wouldn't be surprised if Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. I couldn't find the right words to describe how beautiful it is. And my pictures below just don't do it justice either.

Welcome to Petra


Indiana Jones Shop


the Obelisk Tomb

entrance to the Siq

walking through the Siq


beautiful rock details

horse carriage

finally we reached Al Khazneh

Al Khazneh (the Treasury)

pretty cammie






Have you ever been to any places that took your breath away and made you lost for words ?

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