Now let’s look at the United Arab Emirates. The story is quite different. Modern, streamlined, and welcoming. These people have decided that they are building a future with endless possibilities. It is as if they have taken their direction from Herzl- “if you will it; it is no dream.” They are building the biggest, the boldest, the best. They welcome innovation. The accomplishments of this country, founded in 1971 are staggering, but what is most impressive is the way in which we Israelis are greeted and treated. I am not exaggerating (much) when I say it’s like a family reunion. People are happy to see us, anxious to accommodate us, interested in hearing whatever we can share with them. They have a culture of acceptance and kindness. What’s more, the people are respectful, quiet, relaxed. Work gets done, but one doesn’t feel a sense of panic or frenzy.

Our welcome to the country included a very long walk in the airport which is probably size of a small Israeli yishuv. We walked and walked. Then we walked some more. Oh yes, and then we walked some more.

At that time everyone entering The Emirates had to have had a negative Covid test within 72 hours of boarding the plane and then was tested again at the airport. The efficiency of the process was remarkable. They had perhaps 20 people at desks, scanning passports, making labels, and sending us off to be tested by a cadre of at least 20 different people in cubicles lining a long wide hall. The entire process took less than 5 minutes. Results were texted to us the next day.

There were so many highlights of our tour that it is impossible to share them all, but here are a sprinkling… The Dubai Mall, home to over 1700 stores, countless restaurants, the largest suspended aquarium in the world, and of course, adjacent to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.  In the picture on the right below is a model of what will be the tallest structure in the world, now under construction in Dubai.

Below are some buildings we saw from the front of our hotel and in the right-hand photo, one can see in the distance the Dubai Frame- a structure that provides a view of Dubai from 150 meters in the air.

Below is a view of the Jumeira Mosque.

Here is an example of the attention to detail one finds here- with decorations even on highway overpasses.

We were fascinated by the twisted building below left.

The sand in the desert here has at least two tones and it in itself is beautiful. Our ride across the sand dunes was breathtaking in every sense of the word.

And no trip to Dubai is complete without at least one photo with the Burj Khalifa

Here we are at the Global Village, a wonderful place to walk and enjoy the sights of many nations!

And the Miracle Garden!!! It is a taste of paradise!

Seeing Dubai from the Dubai Frame is a real treat. There we also see their vision for the future. It looks very very bright.

You don’t have to believe me. Come see for yourself. We have a very few more spaces on our tour leaving February 9. There’s still time to sign up. Come join us!!

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Arriving in Surabaya, I had no idea what to expect- certainly not a beautiful hotel- spotlessly clean with gigantic, well-appointed rooms. Surabaya is on the eastern end of the island of Java, the same island where the capital, Jakarta is located. However the distance between the two is  662 kilometers (411 miles). Our tour did not take us to Jakarta.

Surabaya was the location of the only official synagogue in Indonesia. The synagogue was built in 1948 and demolished in 2013. On its site stands a 17-story hotel.

What brought us to Surabaya was the chance to see Mount Bromo, one of many active volcanos- this one able to be reached by horse and climbing steps. On our way, we stopped in a typical Javanese Indonesian village.

Mount Bromo is beautiful!

We traveled to the Mount Bromo area by jeep since the approach is across a long stretch of sand- which we accessed on horseback.

Then we climbed about 200 steps- on uneven rocks covered with ash from a recent eruption (2 weeks before!) Getting to the top was a real accomplishment!

Walking down was no easier…

By the time we returned to the hotel we were exhausted. But we were looking forward to our next day’s flight to Yogyakarta

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If you are an American- or if you come from pretty much any country but about 8 in the world, you can fly directly to Indonesia and enter with no problem. However, if you are an Israeli with only an Israeli passport, there is a significant amount of paperwork that must be done in advance. In addition, one cannot just arrive in Indonesia. One must fly to at least one intermediate spot and have your passport processed and the visa affixed at the local Indonesian embassy, and then you can enter Indonesia. Although for our fellow travelers who had only Israeli passports it was a bit of a hassle, for us, it meant that we would be spending two days in Singapore- a place we had visited before and really enjoyed.

Singapore is clean, beautiful, and well run. People are happy, polite, and helpful. We visited a few wonderful sites there- although we had been before to the orchid garden, it is such a magical place that returning there was a real treat.

We also loved visiting the Jurong Bird Park where we saw magnificent birds from all over the world- most flying free in huge cages that went on for tens of meters or more.

We went to Marina Bay where we saw the famous “Merlion,” symbol of Singapore.

and the architecturally fascinating Marina Bay Sands Hotel/Casino/Convention Center, designed by Moshe Safdie (the same man who designed our city, Modiin.)

We ate at the Chabad restaurant and saw the beautiful synagogue center. And we visited Gardens By the Bay- an enormous park containing two huge glass buildings filled with trees and plants and flowers from all over the world. It’s mind boggling!!

But after two magnificent days, it was time to take off for Indonesia and really begin our adventure.

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The landscapes in India are breathtaking- from the foothills of the Himalayas in the north to the rich farmland of Punjab, to the rugged desert climate of Rajasthan, to the exquisite backwaters of Kerala. There are palaces and fortresses of unbelievable beauty. But all of this is just the background to India. Because India is its people- their love of life, their kindness, their smiles, their caring, their gentleness. The women in their modest clothing are almost regal- whether they are dressed in gold and diamonds for an extravagant wedding or whether they are working in the fields or carrying filled baskets on their heads.

But mostly it’s their kindness, their devotion, their caring. They live happily among roaming cows and bulls and buffalo, monkeys, dogs, peacocks. And just as we see when we visit the Galapagos, the animals are for the most part calm and quiet because they are not threatened.

The people we work with in India have become like our family. They are warm and friendly and accepting of us. They are respectful of our religious needs, helping us without having to be asked.

So as I sit here for – how many weeks has it been?- in my living room and think about what I miss most, my first answer is, of course, my children, grandchildren, and extended family- and my second answer is my family in India.

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In addition to the fort, there is a magnificent white Cenotaph, a building dedicated to the memory of one of the Maharajas. Indians are traditionally cremated and their ashes spread in the water of a river- so there are no actual tombs in this memorial area. There are some exceptions to the rule of being cremated- chiefly little children, very pious people, and those with communicable diseases. There is a very interesting article on it here:

Jodhpur has a number of famous products. Among them are fine textiles and spices. Some of the finest Masala spices are mixed and sold in Jodhpur. You can read about the spice girls of India here.

Mehrangarh Fort

Detail of the Fort

An inner courtyard

A Miniature painting

This type of painting was called a miniature not because of its size, but because of the fineness of its detail. This is an art form that is Rajasthani.

A ceiling in one of the rooms

Inside the palace

The Blue City

Dreamy Landscape

The Cenotaph from the outside

Inside the Cenotaph- note the sun coming through the translucent marble!

There is so much more to see, but we must go on to our next destination…

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What a surprise I had! Our three week tour of India not only filled me with the most magnificent sights and sounds, but introduced me to a culture and people who were so very special that all I could think of was how much I wanted to return.

Being tour guides, we are among the luckiest people in the world… the company that arranged our tour, India Kosher Travel,  was willing to hire us to lead tours to India!

I want to share with you some of the amazing places we visit and sights we see on our tours to India.

Our tour begins in Udaipur, a very beautiful city in the state of Rajasthan, that is blessed with lakes and gardens and a magnificent city palace. It is the former capital of the Mewar Kingdom. Because of the beauty of the city, it has become a favorite resort of the Indian people as well. Some of the most magnificent and extravagant weddings take place there- using the City Palace and an island in Lake Pichola as venues for the wedding- both of which are lavishly decorated for the weddings by hundred of people. These weddings are attended by thousands of guests and the partying goes on for days!

Entering the City Palace

Mural on the wall of the City Palace

On Lake Pichola

Lake Pichola from Maghar Ghat with a view of the Monsoon Palace

Fountain in garden in Udaipur

Next time- traveling to Jodhpur!!!

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The correspondence with Eddie about Tu, pictured below

led to a friendship, albeit over the internet, with Eddie, who has a homestay home, Lucky Daisy, in TaVan, near SaPa, Vietnam. He also has a delightful coffee house, Buffalo House, in the village of TaVan where he and his beautiful wife provide coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and the warmest, friendliest experience you can imagine.

I stopped there with my group a couple of weeks ago and although Eddie was away, his sweet wife, Hien was a most gracious hostess who offered me a very special surprise…

Tu, all grown up, and her precious baby!

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Rice fields

Once in YangShuo, we board a boat for a cruise on the Li River which has some of the most beautiful, breathtaking views of anywhere on earth.

Li River

Li River

We return to West Street for some really excellent shopping. Here it is before the tourists arrived.

One of the other places we go when we visit Guilin is Longsheng where we see the rice terraces and two groups who are counted among China’s 55 ethnic minority people.

Here we see one of the Yao women, known for their long hair, demonstrating how she piles her floor-length hair on top of her head!

Come join us on this or one of our other fabulous trips!

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Guilin’s income comes mostly from tourism, and a look at its sights explains why. It is a beautifully landscaped city, named “Forests of Osmanthus” after its city flower, the osmanthus. Osmanthus flowers are used to make perfumes and wines.
One of the most famous places in Guilin is Elephant Trunk Hill.

Elephant Trunk Hill

The Elephant Bridge

Elephants to ride on

Moon and Sun Pagodas

Moon and Sun Pagodas

Inside the Reed Flute Cave

New York skyline inside the cave

Chair lift to Yao Mountain

View at the top

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And an amazing day it was!

We started off at Traduk Temple, an 8th century temple and monastery.  It was finely decorated.  Having been destroyed and refurbished many times over the years, the wall mural is only about 20 years old.

While researching the temple, I found this wonderful video (click on the word “video”) of the restoration showing the traditional Tibetan way of working on such structures.  Tibetans have songs they sing for specific types of work and in this clip, you see them working almost as if they were a chorus line of singers and dancers in a show.  It is not a performance.  It is how they work!

Later we went on to Yumbulagang Palace. It is the first palace built in Tibet, according to legend, in the 2nd century BCE. Tibetan folklore holds that the first Tibetan king Nyatri Tsenpo was seen descending in this valley from a ladder from heaven. Herdsmen told the story and he became the first king. Over time, the palace retained its significance and it became the summer palace of the 33rd king Songtsen Gampo and his wife, the Chinese princess Wencheng.

The palace was high on a hill and the local people took advantage of the opportunity to profit. There were horses that one could ride to the top, guided by the people who owned them. Sadly, never having sat upon a horse, I had no clue as to how to mount one, and so after I almost caused the poor animal to fall on his side, I decided to walk up the mountain. My faithful husband and a few of our travelers walked with me, but most went up by horse. You can probably see them in the distance in the picture above.

The rooms inside serve as places of religious rite and pilgrimage rather than as rooms in which people dwelled. However, we did see some monks having soup, noodles, and yak butter tea in some of the rooms.

Here we are on the mountain with the palace behind us. Our raincoats were bought for us by kind travelers on a former tour who wanted to be able to find us in a crowd.

From the top of the mountain we were able to see the first cultivated field in Tibet. It is called Zortang. It is considered to be a very special field and until this day, there are farmers who will sprinkle soil from Zortang on their own fields to ensure a good harvest.

Here is Zortang

and yes, it is small.

Later in the day we made our way to Lhasa. But that’s a story for another day.

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