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Rona & Aaron’s Excellent Adventure, Part 6

December 18, 2009 by

For what came before, go here

We arrived in SaPa at the Chau Long Hotel. The hotel has a feel not unlike that of a German or Swiss ski lodge. There’s a fireplace that usually has a burning fire in it and we are usually greeted with hot apple tea. Of course, since our bus arrived a good half hour behind the first bus, the tea was already fairly cold, but the fire was burning and there was a lovely ambiance. It didn’t hurt that the clock display behind the desk had the time for Tel Aviv labeled on one of its 5 clocks.

Our travelers got their room keys and settled in while we checked out the kitchen and the room in which we would eat during the time we were there. We quickly unpacked the food that needed refrigeration and placed it in sealed bags in their fridge. I went with our local guide to the market to buy another big pot for cooking the cholent – a bean stew dish that is cooked on low heat for about 24 hours and is traditionally eaten on shabbat– (our other pot had a lid that was bent and loose) and a wok. Then I returned and washed the beans we had brought from Israel and started them soaking in the cholent pot. I went upstairs to the kitchen to retrieve our plata (hotplate) and the person in charge said to me, “No cook in room.” I thought she meant that the cook was not in the kitchen, but upon reflection, I realized she was saying that they would not allow us to cook in our room. On our two previous trips, the hotel had not allowed us to leave the hotplate plugged in continuously in the kitchen so the guides had taken the hotplate into their rooms and had the cholent cook there. She was saying that I would not be permitted to cook it in our room. Just as I was ready to object, she told me that they would plug it into the wall on their serving table in the dining room and leave it plugged in all night. And that is what they did. Later in the day, they diced all sorts of vegetables that we added to the beans and barley and then we added some soy protein in chunks that we had brought from Israel that were very reminiscent of meat. With everything added, the pot was full to the brim. We covered it with a towel and checked on it a few times both on Friday night and on Saturday and they were true to their word. No one touched anything and the cholent was excellent– but I am getting ahead of myself.

We had a decision to make. Since it was raining, I told the local guide that I would prefer to go to the village that was on level ground rather than the one that was down a long muddy hill. She said that she had checked and that the monsoon rains had washed out the bridge between SaPa and the village I wanted to visit. So, there wasn’t a decision to be made at all. To the mud!!

We boarded the two mini-vans and headed to the village of Ta Van. Ta Van is a beautiful and interesting place with lots to see. We drove in the rain, more than once crossing torrents of water that were flowing from the mountains on one side across the road and down to the valley on the other side. Often there were no shoulders or guardrails. But we made it safely.

Our vans parked and the village ladies were happy to greet us and accompany us on our walk down their road to the village.

Some of the ladies were wearing galoshes. Some were wearing sandals. Our people were mostly wearing sports shoes. I was wearing crocs. What all of us really needed were skis. The road was very very slippery. There was precious little to walk on that would give one traction or stop the forward motion of the feet. There was a little grass on the edges in some places and a few rocks, but basically it was walk and hope that the little ladies and older teens that were holding onto our elbows would be able to steady us. Fortunately, no one fell (my greatest fear.) Two years ago, only one person fell and my coat is none the better for it. Uh, yes, I must confess I am not graceful, but at least I didn’t hurt myself…

Walking down the muddy road

Walking down the muddy road

The village was very picturesque, although not beautiful in the purest sense of the word. It was exactly the way it needed to be for people to live in it and to earn enough to have food and clothing. They also made money selling their handicrafts to visitors, many of whom felt indebted to them for steadying them on the muddy roads and paths.

Villager walking on road with rice terraces in the background

Villager walking on road with rice terraces in the background

Some of our travelers took magnificent photos of some of the people. I concentrated on the animal kingdom. Here are some other inhabitants.

Mr. Water Buffalo (aka John Deere)

Mr. Water Buffalo (aka John Deere)


Ducks!

Ducks!

We saw the regional school where children from other villages also study and where they dorm during the week. It was a lovely, pastoral walk. As we made our way back to the entrance to the village, that road that we had descended loomed in front of us. Our local guide had called the smaller van to come and pick up our people, but it became mired in the mud, even as one by one people got off the van. Even with only the driver aboard, the van was stuck. With no alternative, we started up the road. When we came to a small building with a 4-wheel-drive car parked outside, I asked the local guide if she would find the owner and ask him if he would take us up the hill for a fee. He agreed and in two trips, he took those of us who were at the back of the group. His vehicle was filled with mud from our shoes, but I suppose he was used to it.

Ww boarded the larger of the mini-vans and headed back to SaPa. When we got back to the hotel, we were pleased to find out that the hotel will clean shoes free of charge and my travelers tell me that they did a fantastic job!

It was time to relax and prepare for shabbat. And what a shabbat it was! In a word: Perfect!

All about it next time…

Continue the adventure here

Filed Under: Rona & Aaron's Excellent Adventure, Vietnam Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Jerusalem, Israel

October 4, 2009 by

I am lucky enough to be living in one of the most amazing parts of the planet. Israel is truly a miraculous country. It is also a very beautiful country.

I live in Modi’in, a new city, only 13 years old, with a population of over 70,000. We are located about 1/2 way between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. A drive to either city is about 30 minutes long during non-rush hour times.

In June, we celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of one of our grandsons. On the way to the Western Wall, where the service took place, we passed some children on their way to school.

Morning in the Old City of Jerusalem

Morning in the Old City of Jerusalem

We walked a little further through the lovely stone streets in the peaceful light of early morning and saw beautiful scenes such as this

A street in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem

A street in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem

We then got to the area where the Hurva Synagogue had been. The Hurva Synagogue had stood on land that had been used for Jewish prayer since the 14th century. It was constructed beginning in 1836 and was completed in 1856. It was a big, beautiful landmark in the center of Jerusalem. In 1948, when the UN voted to finally recognize the Jews’ claim to the land of Israel, the Arabs were not willing to have a Jewish presence in the Middle East and attacked the fledgling state seeking to completely destroy it. Israel’s victory was nothing short of miraculous for the Jews were out-armed and out-manned.

However, despite the overall victory, the Jordanians had captured the Old City of Jerusalem and among their first acts was destruction of all of the synagogues. The Hurva was no more.

In 1967, when Jerusalem was reunited, an arch was constructed atop the ruined building to mark the site of where the synagogue had been. After that there was a great deal of debate as to what to do with the area. Finally, in the last year or two, construction began to restore the synagogue and this is a picture of it in June as construction was continuing.

The Hurva Synagogue, under construction

The Hurva Synagogue, under construction

And this is the reason for this lovely outing, my fabulous grandson, Matan, who celebrated his Bar Mitzvah that day! How proud we were of him then and how proud we are of him always!

Matan at the Western Wall

Matan at the Western Wall

Shadow Shot Sunday logo1

Filed Under: Israel Tagged With: , , ,

What you might not know about China

July 27, 2009 by

1. Most people think that because China is a populous country wherever you go there are hundreds of people. In fact, the streets of China are no more crowded than the streets of Jerusalem or Washington or London. In addition, the Chinese people love gardens and so there are vast gardens in the center of cities throughout China including Beijing and Shanghai. They are enjoyed by local residents as well as visitors and always feature a pond or larger body of water.

2. Many people think of China as a harsh place. In fact, the Chinese are friendly, welcoming people. They love visitors from overseas and they enjoy using whatever English they have to make conversation. They are warm and kind people.

3. People worry about anti-Semitism when they travel. They won’t find it in China. Chinese people think of Jews as the other great ancient civilization and they admire Jewish scholarship, ingenuity, and ambition. In fact, Chinese parents are very much like Jewish parents in that they value their children and they value educating their children and will sacrifice everything to give their children an excellent education.

4. People think of Chinese music as discordant. It is not so. Chinese music is many different things. It is Beijing Opera, but it is also the haunting flute melodies that one sometimes hears when walking through gardens. There is no place in my memory that rivals the gentle flute music in the Good Luck Garden in Hangzhou. Walking there was a truly spiritual experience.

The Good Luck Garden

The Good Luck Garden

Also, there are wonderful innovative Chinese artists like this one.

In short, China is better than you can imagine. It is the perfect place to travel. Come along with me!

Filed Under: China, Kosher Tours Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Fireworks in Hanoi

July 26, 2009 by

The last time I visited Hanoi, we had come back from a side trip to Halong Bay, a most magnificent place that I will post about in the future. We spent the day touring the Temple of Literature, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum area, seeing the homes he lived in and the One Pillar Pagoda. After a cyclo ride around the old town,

Two cyclos in Hanoi

Two cyclos in Hanoi

we transported our people to a small hotel to have a chance for a shower and change of clothes before dinner and the overnight train to Lao Cai. After everyone was settled in their rooms or decided to take walks, I stayed in the lobby to get the address of the restaurant where we were to eat that night. I was then to take all of our equipment (pots, woks, cooking implements, knives, cutting boards, dishes, silverware, etc.) to the restaurant and work on the cooking of dinner.

As I stood in the lobby, all of a sudden, I saw a flash of sparks. It was already getting dark and it looked like nothing so much as fireworks. I looked to see where it was coming from. It was coming from the top of a utility pole down the block from the hotel. It was sparking like a giant cake decoration sparkler. I turned to the desk clerk and said, “Maybe you ought to call the electric company.” She just stood there. I said to my English speaking Vietnamese guide (we always have a local English speaking guide with us), “Perhaps she didn’t understand; the electric pole is sparking (everyone could see that– people in the street had stopped to watch) and if someone doesn’t come, it could make all of the power in the area go out.” He went to the desk clerk and she again did nothing.

By then, it was time for me to go to the restaurant, about a fifteen minute drive away. My guide stayed to load people onto the bus and bring them later to the restaurant.

The people at the restaurant were lovely and cooperative, something that we found to be true of every place we prepared food in Vietnam and Cambodia. They had the fresh fruits and vegetables waiting for me and the whole fish ready for my inspection. Although it was a busy kitchen, they set aside an adequate area covered with tinfoil for preparation of our food completely separate from the other food that was being prepared that evening.

When our people arrived about an hour later, they came with their story of an adventure: they had just gotten to the lobby and were about to leave when all of the lights went out– in the hotel, in the shops nearby, in the streets. Fortunately, they just proceeded to the bus, but they left the entire neighborhood in the dark.

Filed Under: Kosher Tours, Vietnam Tagged With: , , , , ,

A “Jewish” mosque in Xian

April 22, 2009 by

One of the cities I love to visit in China is the city of Xian. It was one of the capitals of China and it is the place where Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor had his Forbidden City. It is just outside of Xian that his tomb is located and one day soon, I will talk about it and about how it is one of the wonders of the world.

But today, I want to talk about the mosque. You see, in China, beginning with the spice and silk traders, there arose a community of Jews. This community was documented to exist in the 12th century, but probably was much older. It consisted of Jewish traders and often the local Chinese women they married. As did every other Jewish community, they built a synagogue. The synagogue was built in the style of important Chinese buildings, incorporating the elements of feng shui. It was largely a rectangular garden whose sides were longer and whose front and back were shorter– with a series of gates beginning at the front that led through three courtyards, all beautifully planted, toward the back with small structures in the center that one could walk through. Along both long sides, there were buildings in which there were places for caretakers of the synagogue to live, places to wash ones hands (and probably mikvaot), and places for receptions. At the back, there was a large building which was the place where the services were held. Unfortunately, the synagogue was located not far from a river that would overflow from time to time and several times during its history, the synagogue was destroyed.

There were, however, sketches of the synagogue done by a Jesuit Priest, Father Matteo Ricci who met the head of the community when he, Ai Tian, went to Beijing, hearing that there were other people who read the Bible and worshiped one G-d. There was some misunderstanding as Ai Tian believed that Father Ricci was Jewish and he even went so far as to ask Father Ricci to become their Rabbi! Father Ricci traveled to Kaifeng to visit the synagogue and ultimately made the world aware of the community.

By the mid 19th century, the synagogue fell into disrepair and by then there was no rabbi serving the community. No one but the rabbi knew how to read the torah. The community sold their sifrei torah which can now be found in many places throughout the world.

So what does this have to do with a mosque in Xian? The mosque was built as a near replica of the Kaifeng synagogue.

For this reason, a visit to the mosque is a “must” if one wants to understand the experience of the Jews who once lived in China. Here are some pictures of the mosque in Xian that was built in a similar manner to the synagogue in Kaifeng.


The first picture is of the entrance gate to the mosque/synagogue. The second picture is of one of the gates to an internal courtyard. The third picture is of the plaza outside of the main building where wedding ceremonies were held, where sukkot were built, and which was decorated with flowers on Shavuot!

There is much more to learn about this community and about Jews in China through the ages. One place to get a taste of it is here.

Filed Under: China Tagged With: , , , ,
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