Tours to China, Vietnam, Cambodia and South America
Girl with her pet, in Cusco, Peru
Details of the itinerary and the cost are on this page….
Have you ever wondered how my blog posts would sound in Vietnamese? Me neither. But you can find out by looking at these two links.
http://danviet.vn/68790p1c29/
http://danviet.vn/74264p1c29/
The writer of course asked permission to use my pictures and posts and he sent along this note:
These links include funny and amazing pictures that you took in Vietnam. Thank you very much for your help. I feel really grateful 
Nice weekend for nice couple I hope to see you in Lao Cai city one day. Please contact me if you have that plan
Peace,
Thu Thao
Gate in Forbidden City-- Hue, Vietnam
There are signs of a Jewish presence in China from about the 8th century on. Jewish traders traveled the Silk Route and some spent significant time in China. Others married and settled down there. The synagogue in Kaifeng was built in 1163 and from then on there was a Jewish community there.
Sephardi Jews from Bagdad started arriving in Shanghai at the end of the 19th century. Among them were the Kadoorie family, the Hardoon family, and the Sassoon family. These wealthy businessmen rose to the top of the Shanghai society of the time and established communal institutions and built notable buildings, among them the famous Cathay Hotel, now known as the Peace Hotel. It still stands with pride along with other European styled buildings on the Bund, Shanghai’s waterfront on the Huangpu River.
The Peace Hotel on the Bund, Shanghai
In the beginning of the 1900s, Jews began arriving from Russia. The two groups of Jews did not mix, but all established schools and newspapers and and restaurants, of course, synagogues. Their communal life was rich.
When life became dangerous in Russia and Eastern Europe, Jews began flowing into China. Between 1937 and 1939, over 20,00 Jews flowed into Shanghai. At the height of World War II, Shanghai housed between 18 and 20 thousand Jews. They lived in a ghetto area called Hongkou and the Chinese, who themselves were under attack by the Japanese, protected the Jews. After the war, and with the establishment of the State of Israel, virtually all of the Jews left Shanghai.
Today, in Shanghai, there are still some locations where that experience is remembered.
Plaque in park in the Hongkou area of Shanghai
In gratitude for their treatment of the Jews during World War II, the Chinese received contributions from Israeli companies and the State of Israel to build a community center in the park.
Plaque thanking the people of China
Across from the park is the building that was used by the Joint (JDC) which provided social services to the people in the ghetto.
Former home of "the Joint"
Here is one of the roads where the Jews lived during that time. Each building house several families. Life was not easy.
Homes in the Shanghai ghetto
There is an excellent documentary about the Shanghai ghetto that shows how bad life was and how the Chinese and the Jews helped each other in times of privation. Information about the film can be found here.
The Ohel Moishe Synagogue has been restored. It is no longer in use because there is no longer a Jewish population in this area of the city. However, the synagogue building itself is used as a museum and behind it, two more buildings have been constructed that show a phenomenal picture of Jewish life in Shanghai, highlighting several families’ stories. Visiting there is very moving and quite a relief from most museums that talk about Jews’ experiences during World War II.
Ohel Moishe Synagogue, Shanghai
Inside the synagogue
Inside the museum
You can read more about the Jews in Shanghai at this site.
Currently, Chabad has three locations in Shanghai with three rabbis working to enrich the lives of Jewish residents and visitors to Shanghai. Their wonderful monthly magazine is on line here.
Come join us in China! There’s so much more to learn and to see.
Since we went to Thailand, mainly to relax after our Vietnam/Cambodia tour, we saw only a sprinkling of places. For that reason, I feel as if I experienced being in Thailand like the blind men experienced being with the elephant. In case you don’t know the reference, here it is:
The Blind Men and the Elephant
John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887)
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a WALL!”
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, “Ho, what have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a SPEAR!”
The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a SNAKE!”
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he:
“‘Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a TREE!”
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a FAN!”
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a ROPE!”
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
This is one of the reasons that the best way to travel if you want to really understand what you are seeing and its historical and cultural context, is on an organized tour. But, nonetheless here are my impressions…
We flew from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second largest city. It has a population of about 1.6 million in the province, 250,000 in the city. It is located in northwestern Thailand. Once we checked into our hotel we saw this sight
Chiang Mai from our hotel room
Notice the rainbow! Our visit to Thailand really did feel like being over the rainbow– so many beautiful things to see…
We arranged for a tour that took us to an elephant camp. We saw the elephants do tricks like lifting their trainers with their legs or trunks, playing soccer, and painting.
Here come the elephants!
Holding each others' tails
Sitting
Painting
Notice, however, that the elephant has tusks. The elephants dipped their brushes in the paint and painted, but each had a trainer holding a tusk and it appeared to me, they were helping the elephants to aim. So was this really freetrunk drawing?
Another artist
It was impressive to watch them painting!
Soon it was time for us to climb the steps to a platform for our own ride on an elephant.
The platform
My croc getting onto elephant's back
Riding the elephant
On the road there were a number of platforms where they sold bananas and sugar cane to feed the elephants. Although we were pretty far back on the elephant, he was able to direct his trunk toward us and “inhale” the bananas as we fed him. As a “thank you” he would puff hot air from his trunk at us! I thought it was amusing, especially since I had read that among Cambodians, a kiss traditionally consisted of placing one’s nose next to the other person and blowing air out of it!
After about 45 minutes, we arrived at a small market and for our return trip, rode on an ox cart.
The ox carts
Sitting behind our driver
It was a partly cloudy day and there had probably been some rain earlier in the morning. The paths were muddy and uneven. Shortly after we started moving, our driver went over a bumpy part and fell off the cart. the oxen continued moving and we both feared the cart would run her over. But in a fraction of a second, she popped up from the ground and hopped back onto the cart all the time laughing- and for the next few minutes, telling her colleagues what happened to her and laughing again.
Our last adventure there was being poled down a river on a bamboo raft. It was very beautiful and relaxing.
The raft
On the river
But the day wasn’t done. Next time: the tigers and the orchid garden
We arrived in Bangkok after a two week stint guiding and providing all of the services for a kosher tour to Vietnam and Cambodia, meaning our working from about 6 a.m. to about 11:00 p.m. every day- and sometimes longer. So, we were not in the mood to run around Bangkok to see all of the must-see sights. In addition, two of the travelers who stayed on for an additional day had gone shopping and we agreed to meet them after our brief few hours of sightseeing. So, we took the train to the Siam Paragon Shopping Center .
Big, large, enormous, huge… all of these terms pale when describing this mall.
If you have been to Franklin Mills in Philadelphia, you’ve been in a mall that is approximately 150,000 square meters.
If you’ve been to Palisades Center in West Nyack, NY, you’ve been in a mall that is 205,996 square meters.
This mall has 500,000 square meters of retail space.
And it is definitely upscale! Every well-known designer shop I could think of is there.
And it is spotlessly clean and beautiful!
There were stores selling Maseratis and Ferraris and stores selling electronic equipment– huge selections and huge quantities. We walked into one department store that was close to the size a mall itself. the housewares department was a dream! We saw Corelle patterns that I’d never seen before (of course I’m not sure that we have all of the latest patterns here in Israel.)
We liked this flatware:
After walking and walking and seeing a lot, but not nearly all of what the mall had to offer, we went back to the hotel to rest and then we went out to the might market.
It seemed that most of what they were selling was the same merchandise we had seen in Vietnam and Cambodia except that the prices were higher. But we wanted to get back early because we were going on to the next part of our adventure in the morning!
(The picture above was an advertisement!)
Wat Pho is a temple area that houses a most impressive statue called “Reclining Buddha.” The statue is 46 meters (150 feet) long and 15 meters (50 feet) high. It is gold-plated and stunning to see.
The complex of buildings was originally constructed beginning in 1788, but today’s complex bears little resemblance to the original construction. It was restored for a second time in 1982.
Since 1962, it has housed a school for traditional medicine and massage and to this day, people go to the temple for a traditional Thai massage.
What I found noteworthy were the amazing buildings in the complex. I could barely move without needing to take a photo, so here is some of what we saw.
Yes, there were lots of buddhas. In fact, there are estimated to be over 1000, and that isn’t even counting the gift shop!
Now can you guess which famous jewelry maker I think got her inspiration from Thai Temples? There’s one photo in particular that looks just like her work.
A visit to Wat Pho is a wonderful way to start a day in Bangkok! Even the buildings seem to be happy.
On our tours to Vietnam and Cambodia, we often fly via the airport in Bangkok. Here is what until recently I saw of Bangkok:
Yes, there are lovely shops.
But we never actually saw Bangkok.
This time was different. We took advantage of our opportunity to remain in Thailand for a period of time after the tour. Having anticipated a stressful tour, we were sure that we would need the time to recover. However, we had such a wonderful group of people that despite all of the work we did, we felt energized and elated rather than tired!
So, we arrived in Thailand with anticipation… and we were not disappointed.
We arrived late at night and didn’t check into the hotel until after midnight, so the next morning, we got a fairly late start. Four of our travelers were at the hotel with us because they were unable to be accommodated on flight to Israel and would instead be spending one day in Bangkok. Two wanted to go shopping and the other two, who had been in Bangkok before, were our guides for the day!
Our hotel was on the Chao Phraya River. From our hotel to the station of the water bus, our hotel provided a free boat ride that left fairly frequently. Once on the water, we got to see a glimpse of Bangkok.
Had we been on a guided tour, we would have heard about the population, history, and current status (political, economic, and social). Instead, we looked around and enjoyed the sights.
It was enormously relaxing to just sit on the boat and watch the city go by.
Next time: Buddha was relaxing too!
You can read a little about out recent tour to Vietnam and Cambodia here. Once I catch my breath, I will be writing a bit more about the tour and also about our own personal trip to Bangkok. Stay tuned for some awesome pictures, one of which answers a very important fashion question.
Until then, how about some pictures of one of my favorite sights, a rice field! This one is in the village of Pho, not far from Bac Ha.
Live in Israel? Want a get-away that relaxes without having to take out a mortgage? I may have found the place for you.
We purchased a night at the Tea Garden in Yad Natan (located on route 35 between Kiryat Gat and Ashqelon) and were very pleased with what we got.
The ride was pleasant and when we arrived, our cabin was waiting. We entered the reception area and saw immediately that there was a Chinese theme. Of course, I love all things that remind me of my trips to China, so I immediately felt at home. We were told to go and deposit our belongings in the cabin and to come back sans jewelry for our massages.
We entered this room
The camera lies a bit since there was very little light in the room and everything was very quiet. There were two massage tables in the room. We got ready for the massage, and then the masseuses came in. Since we had never done this before, we had only our experience of a Cambodian massage to compare it to. This was quite different. They used warm oil to massage us, a very pleasant sensation, and although I am the kind of person who usually doesn’t like other people touching me, I became totally relaxed and really enjoyed the experience. After a couple of minutes, they switched on some very relaxing music as well.
Once finished with the massage, we were given silk Chinese robes and slippers to wear back to our cabin.
This is my husband in the living room of the cabin, wearing the Chinese silk robe. Since we had left home late because of waiting for a repairman all day, I thought that instead of looking for restaurant once we were at the Tea Garden, I would bring some of the food we had left over from shabbat, namely some roast beef, sandwich makings and some fruit, so I grabbed some food and put it into a cooler. When we got to the cabin, we ate dinner.
Waiting for us after dinner was another treat, a jacuzzi in the bedroom with rose petals and candles and wine.
After a long soak in the jacuzzi and a glass of the sweet bubbly wine, I was as relaxed as I have ever been in my life. Even thinking about it now gives me a relaxed, calm feeling. Of course they had balloons there too, maybe in celebration of our anniversary. In the living room was a wide screen TV that received YES satellite programs as well as an efficiency kitchen with fridge, microwave, and hot pot. There were tea bags, instant and Turkish coffee, sugar, sweeteners, and coffee lightener. Already prepared for us was a pot of tea warming over a candle and some lemonade. There were some cookies as well.
In the morning, they served us breakfast on our porch- omelettes, salad, cheeses, and bread. We had coffee from our room. It was quiet and relaxing.
Although the place was not luxurious, and the decor was pleasant, though not elegant, we had a wonderful time and plan to return. It is charming and a wonderful place to just get away.
You can reach them at 0773312633
Note: We were paying guests and were not asked to write this.
Usually I write about exotic places far from my home. But, in fact, one half hour from my home is a city that defies comparison. It has been the Jewish capital for over 3000 years, and wherever Jews have lived, when they prayed they turned toward Jerusalem. In the Galapagos Islands, we consulted with our compass so that we could face Jerusalem in prayer. In China and Vietnam, we turned toward the west, in the direction of Jerusalem.
Mount Zion, Jerusalem
About a year ago when I was in South America, some of the people on my tour were talking about the magnificent time they had when they went to see the opera Nabucco at Masada. So, when I heard that this year they were performing Aida at Masada, I immediately tried to buy tickets. Unfortunately, because the opera started late in the evening, a hotel stay had to be part of the package and because people were coming from all over the world to see the opera, the tickets were expensive and the hotels could charge whatever they wanted. We realized that we could travel to Europe on two 5 day jaunts for the price of one night at the opera!
Disappointed, I looked to see if Aida was being presented in Jerusalem. It was not.
A couple of weeks ago I received an email with this tempting offer: a night in a hotel in Jerusalem and two tickets to the Verdi opera, Jerusalem. The hotel was a newly renovated boutique hotel located within easy walking distance of the Sultan’s Pool Amphitheater, the venue of the opera, which lies at the base of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. How could I resist? Included were special gifts like chocolates and a bottle of wine, and a magnificent view from the large balcony overlooking the Old City.
We took the opportunity to visit the Begin Center, a wonderfully designed facility that teaches about the life and legacy of Menachem Begin, Israel’s sixth prime minister and the man who was the first to make peace with an Arab country, Egypt.
Entrance to the Begin Center
Begin's handwritten remarks for the ceremony on the White House Lawn
After an impressive visit to the Begin Center, we made our way to the Old City.
Up the steps to Mount Zion
We climbed up to Mount Zion, a place we’ve been many times, but never fails to entrance me. We walked toward the Jewish Quarter. We found it bustling with people. The city is full of tourists from everywhere in the world, and everyone was having a great time. There are now numerous stores and restaurants in the Jewish Quarter, but our destination was the Hurva Synagogue. The history of the synagogue is here. Destroyed in 1948 when the Arabs captured the Old City and murdered some Jews and exiled the rest, the rubble lay waiting for redemption. In 1967, with the reunification of Jerusalem, a decision needed to be made about what to do with all of the destroyed buildings. Eventually, only an arch was erected at the ruins of the Hurva and it stood as a symbol of what had been there. Fortunately, the end of the story is a happy one. A year ago full reconstruction of the synagogue was completed, and we were able to see it in all of its glory last Monday. It was particularly then since they were going to be dedicating a sefer torah that night and the next night was shavuot. The synagogue was festooned with flowers.
After dinner, we descended Mount Zion and went back to the hotel to get ready for the opera.
Walking down from Mount Zion
As Jerusalem mayor, Nir Barkat, said to the audience, “Next year in Jerusalem!”
Rona Michelson was born in Philadelphia, PA and lived there until her marriage in 1966. With her husband, a US Army chaplain, she lived subsequently in 18 different homes. Along the way she has had 5 children and received 5 university degrees … [Read More...]
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