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19th May 2011 - 20th Jun 2011
The EMYR Part 2 - North Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt
As we left the security of Turkey and sailed overnight to Girne in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, there was a palpable feeling amongst the rally sailors that we were headed into countries historically unsettled and potentially dangerous. There was also the feeling that travelling as a flotilla with experienced leadership minimized any problems that we might encounter as individual boats. The next four weeks would tell which feeling was justified. When one thinks of the issues that plague the Middle East and the causes of those issues, religious conflicts and strong-arm leaders come to mind. Fortunately, in 2011, since we skipped Syria and since Mubarak had been deposed from Egypt just a few months before, none of the countries we visited still had dictators. Regarding religious conflicts – a neverending drama.
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Diary Photos
| 19th May 2011 North Cyprus: EMYR Dressed Boats in Famagusta |
| In order for the rally to bring a festive atmosphere to each port as well as to identify its boats as part of the EMYR, we were asked to “dress our boats” in each port. This was a new term to us, but we quickly learned that it was a familiar term to our European friends. After Wayne discovered that the cost of the long string of signal flags or country flags that could be purchased and strung from the top of the mast to either the bow or stern of the boat (or both) was 150 Euros, he decided to string together all the country flags which I had made in Trinidad for our boat’s dressing. It worked, especially when there was sufficient breeze to make them fly brilliantly along with those of neighboring boats. The rally committee had to inform us that my Republic of Cyprus flag could not be in the string of flags when we visited North Cyprus; that the Israeli flag could not be in the string when we visited Lebanon or Egypt; and the Syrian, Egyptian, and Lebanese flag had to be removed when we visited Israel. Maybe this provides some idea of the extent of Middle East tensions!
Before visiting Cyprus, my knowledge of this island was painfully non-existent. I admit to not knowing that it was divided into the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus in the north and the Republic of Cyprus, under Greek influence, in the south. In fact, I had originally made the courtesy flag for the Greek-speaking southern nation rather than for the Turkish-speaking northern Cyprus, which we visited. While I did recollect hearing about tension between “Turkish Cypriots” and “Greek Cypriots” in the news, I hadn’t even realized that Cypriots were residents of Cyprus!
I now know that Cyprus has long had an unsettled mixed population of Greeks and Turks. After World War II, it became a British protectorate as did much of the Middle East, but its residents were never happy with that status. In 1960, the entire island was given its independence as the Republic of Cyprus. For years thereafter, fighting between the Turks and the Greeks on the island continued until Turkey got involved and the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus was established, as it is today. Still, the tension between the two nations is evident. A UN peace-keeping force observes the border between north and south, which consists of two long barbed-wire fences and a no-man’s zone between. One of our German sailors boldly told our Cypriot tour guide that a divided city and country are no good – an opinion he had formed from personal experience in his home country. |
| 20th May 2011 St Hilarion Castle in North Cyprus |
| We hiked to the top of St Hilarion Castle on the northwest coast the island. It is named after a hermit and monk who escaped from persecution in Palestine, in the 7th century. By the 10th century, a Byzantine chapel and monastery had been added, to be joined by a fort in the 12th century. Richard the Lionhearted captured the castle on his way to the Third Crusade and it was used to defend the island from pirates and various invaders. It came into its own again during the Cyprus conflicts of the 1960s, when a group of Turkish militia easily held off an attack by the Greek Cypriot National Guard. With its system of three sets of defensive walls and towers, the castle certainly has a fairy-tale look about it and the rumor still persists that Walt Disney based Snow White’s castle on St Hilarion. |
| 22nd May 2011 Bellapais Abbey or Abbey of Peace, North Cyprus |
| We visited the North Cyprus cities of Nicosia, Girne, Famagusta, and Lefkosa. None were particularly memorable for their beauty, but many illustrated the long term conflict in the region between Muslims and Christians and Jews. This Abbey of Peace was in the small village of Bellapais, and was first built in 1198 when monks fled from Jerusalem when the city was captured. |
| 23rd May 2011 Pirate Party in Girne, North Cyprus |
| The EMYR traditionally includes a Pirate Party in Girne. While we did little preparation for this costume party, most of our fellow sailors showed up in elaborate and creative attire. We paraded through the streets of the old city of Girne carrying our nation flags on our way to the seaside hotel where dinner and dancing ensued. Obviously, the local townspeople look forward to this event every year as they lined the streets and cheered our passing. At the end of the party, as we trudged, exhausted, back to our boats, they were cheering much more enthusiastically for their soccer team, which had just one a match with a strong rival. |
| 24th May 2011 St. Nicholas Cathedral in Famagusta, North Cyprus |
| Built in 1298, this cathedral was converted to a mosque in 1571 and all of its human images were removed, as is the custom in mosques. Nearby was a school where Judy and I heard the haunting voices of children singing, in English, the tune “Give Peace a Chance.” Ironically, as we left North Cyprus later the same day and headed to Lebanon, we were required to ensure that we did not cross into Republic of Cyprus waters lest we face arrest by the their officials. The struggle in Cyprus goes on. |
| 25th May 2011 Oscar Charlie in Lebanon |
| Lebanon’s waters are under the control of the United Nations, and its patrol boats are referred to as Oscar Charlie; possibly the “OC” stands for Operational Control. As we entered Lebanese waters, all fifty plus sailboats had to cross an imaginary mile-long “gate” between two GPS coordinates ten miles off the coast. Oscar Charlie’s ship monitored our progress from the gate to our marina, and the Lebanese officials insisted on performing a security check of every vessel at the marina’s fuel dock before we were allowed to moor. After a few of sailboats were laboriously checked, the officials decided this was too time consuming and allowed us to moor in the marina first, before the security check was performed. The security check of Bright Ayes was done by a young lad of about 14 years of age. The official who sent him onto our boat suggested that I keep my eyes on him. Not to worry! I followed him around carefully as he opened and closed each cabinet door. |
| 26th May 2011 Cooling off in one of the marina’s four pools |
| Surprisingly, the marina in Jounieh, Lebanon, is described as one of the most exclusive marinas in the Eastern Med. While the facilities for boats were mediocre at best (if more than two boats plugged into shore power, the breakers would pop, for example), the facilities for people were quite luxurious. Of the four pools available for our use, we enjoyed the Olympic-sized salt-water pool the most, especially after a long day climbing among Roman ruins. |
| 27th May 2011 Beirut by night |
| When I read a description of one of our tour options “Beirut by night, ” it included a visit to Beirut’s souk. A souk is technically an Arab shop or a group of shops of local merchandise. In our prior experience, a souk was a series of narrow alleys lined with rather primitive outdoor stalls selling cheap souvenirs. Instead, downtown Beirut was much more like an upscale mall in a U.S. city than a typical Arabic souk. The shops were nearly all empty, making this photo noteworthy. A woman in typical Muslim garb was a rare sight here. I asked our tour guide to describe who typically shops in these stores and who lives in the beautiful apartments in the surrounding streets overlooking the Mediterranean. Her response was that the Lebanese do not! Most of the clientele come from visitors from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and other wealthy Middle Eastern states. Since downtown Beirut had been a war zone for so many years, it has been completely rebuilt as a contemporary city. |
| 28th May 2011 Razor wire amid the flowers in Lebanon |
| The Lebanese military is everywhere on the streets and roads of Lebanon, often wielding machine guns and backed by an armored tank or two. When I tried to photograph one young soldier, I was severely chastised by him. So this photo must suffice to display the undercurrent of strife found there. Prior to our visit, I had often heard Lebanon described in the news as a fledgling democracy. Now I understand why. Our guide continually referred to “the war, ” and when I asked her to give us the basics of the conflict, I was astounded. At the end of World War I, Lebanon was “given” to the French, who remained until 1948. The day the French granted independence to Lebanon is celebrated as Lebanese Independence Day. At that time, Palestinians began to enter Lebanon by the thousands as a result of the creation of the Israeli state. In the 1960’s the Palestinians formed militias in Lebanon which began acting as if Lebanon was their country. These militias were the beginnings of Hezbollah. The Lebanese army split into two factions, one supporting the Muslims and Hezbollah, and one supporting the Christians. During this struggle, the Syrians came into Lebanon to serve as mercenary soldiers, causing much more divisiveness. Israel began occupying the southern part of the country to rout the Hezbollah militants, which had taken to attacking Israel. What a mess! The day when the Israelis left in 2000 is celebrated as a second Independence Day. The Syrians finally left in 2005, and the day of their departure is celebrated as Lebanon’s third Independence Day. As our guide said, it’s not all bad – they have three holidays from work as a result, all celebrating Independence Day, while most countries have only one!
Today Lebanon is two parts Muslim and one part Christian. The Muslim population is divided into Sunni and Shea. Lebanon’s government is headed by a Christian president and two Muslim ministers. The Muslim ministers wield most of the power. When born, a Lebanese is given an ID card that declares his or her life-long religion as well as his or her citizenship. In an attempt to unite the country, there is an effort underway to remove religion from each citizen’s ID card and allow them to choose their own religion. We are once again grateful to our country’s founding fathers. |
| 30th May 2011 Baalbek as it was thought to look Roman times |
| Baalbek's awe-inspiring temples and city ruins are among the largest and finest examples of Roman architecture in the world. We were amazed by the ancient feats of engineering required to build these magnificent stone monuments. Baalbek originated in Phoenician times as a place of worship to Baal, the Sun God. Still B.C. the Greeks took over the city naming it the “City of the Sun.” However Baalbek entered its golden age in 47 B.C. when Julius Caesar made it part of the Roman Empire. |
| 30th May 2011 A small piece of Baalbek today |
| Maybe because of the area's fertile soil, which could feed the eastern inhabitants of the Roman Empire, the Romans selected Baalbek to build the largest religious temples in their empire. Over a span of 200 years (60 B.C.-150 A.D.), four magnificent temples were constructed to honor the divine Roman gods of Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and Baachus. These temples also served as a monument to the wealth and power of Imperial Rome. Through the years, the temples were successively partially destroyed by Christians who turned the Temple of Jupiter into a basilica in Byzantine times; converted to a fortress during Arab conquests; and turned into a mosque in the 8th century. What mankind didn’t do to damage and destroy the temples, earthquakes did. In the late 1800’s a German team excavated and reconstructed the Baalbek ruins. Thanks to the efforts of German, French, and Lebanese archaeologists, we were able to envision a glimpse of what the site looked like in its original grandeur. |
| 31st May 2011 Hezbollah Country in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley |
| Hezbollah was born and is still very powerful in the Bekaa valley where Baalbeck stands. I saw several large billboard portraits of three men, and I assumed they were the three leaders of their government. I was wrong; it was three leaders of Hezbollah, Ayatollah Khomeini among them. Yellow flags with black Arabic letters were flying all along the streets, and our guide explained that they were the symbol of Hezbollah. The same symbol appeared on yellow t-shirts that were being sold to tourists at Baalbek. Upon hearing that one sailor in our group had purchased one, our guide commented that wearing his new t-shirt in any airport in the world would guarantee him a two-hour delay! |
| 1st Jun 2011 Byblos ruins from the Bronze Age, 2800 BC |
| This rather uninspiring photo of rocks and trees is actually remains of the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Its name comes from the Greek 'biblion', meaning book. The word 'bible' is derived from the same word. Yet Byblos was inhabited even earlier. About 7000 years ago a small fishing community settled there, as evidenced by the remains of several one-room huts with crushed limestone floors. Even the ancient Phoenicians, when they inhabited Byblos in 1000 BC, considered it to be a very old city. Our alphabet was thought to have originated there. And as expected, the city’s history is rich with the culture of its conquerors over the centuries: Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, etc. etc. etc. |
| 1st Jun 2011 A downtown Beirut Mosque by night |
| Our guide in Lebanon shared some personal reflections on her country and its citizens. She explained to us that most residents of Lebanon today were born and grew up during a war. As a result, they live for the moment. They eat, drink, drive, etc, with abandon, and they always strive to be unusually optimistic. If their home was bombed, they immediately repaired it. It was part of life. They buy the most expensive car they can afford, long before they consider long term purchases such as housing. We saw more Porsche’s, BMW’s, Mercedes, and Ferrari’s than we’ve seen anywhere, but this is certainly not to say that they are a wealthy people. It seems the constant threat of violence took a toll on the Lebanese people. Our tour guide told us that she remains frightened by sudden noises, amusement park rides and fire works. Mental illness is all too prevalent in Lebanon, a form of what we would call PTSD – post-traumatic stress disorder.
She also expressed their frustration in their lack of self-determination. During their long war, the international community was deciding everything for them. And media distortion of what was really going on in Lebanon was a constant irritation, coloring the world’s decisions regarding their future. When asked if they will likely join other Arab nations of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria in revolution, our guide said no. They have seen enough war and unrest. Their fervent wish, like the children in North Cyprus, is to give peace a chance. |
| 2nd Jun 2011 Judy and an Israeli gunboat after our interrogation |
| While we considered sailing into Lebanese waters to be a challenging feat, sailing from Lebanon into Israeli waters was even more interesting. Copies of our passports and boat registration had been sent to the Israeli navy well in advance of our arrival. When we left Jounieh, Lebanon, for another overnight sail, we were required to sail straight west 12 nautical miles, thereby exiting Lebanese waters before we could sail south to Haifa, Israel. Some of our fleet turned south too soon, and the night air was filled with the sounds of Oscar Charlie laboriously hailing each problem boat by its GPS position and threatening some if they did not sail further west immediately. As dawn approached the next day, each of our yachts was contacted by the Israel Navy on the radio when we were about 18 nautical miles off shore. The Israeli gunboat in this photo zoomed from boat to boat to read each boat’s name from its hull and radio them with a series of questions to prove we were who they already knew we were! Then before we actually entered Haifa harbor, a similar gunboat milled around the entrance with its RIB’s. The RIB’s approached each sailboat, extended a net on a stick, and asked that we drop our passports into the net for yet another check. If you’re considering sneaking into Israeli by sea, our advice is, “Forget it!” |
| 2nd Jun 2011 Haifa’s Baha’i Gardens |
| Haifa has a beautiful setting at the foot of Mt. Carmel, but it was developed by the British as a commercial harbor. This destroyed much of its natural beauty, but caused it to be become a wealthy shipping port. We were impressed by Haifa’s personality. It is a religiously mixed city, as is Jerusalem. However unlike Jerusalem, Haifa is known as the city of coexistence. Jews, Christians, and Arabs all live and work hospitably together. Our guide suggested that maybe this is possible because the people on Haifa are less passionate about their religion than those in Jerusalem. There are also other less-known religious sects centered in Haifa, most notably the Baha’i who are responsible for the beautiful shrine and gardens in this photo. In our travels we have become quite disenchanted with formalized religion as we’ve seen its byproducts of war, intolerance, and manipulation for its own gains. The Baha’i faith is a breath of fresh air. Its followers believe that no religion has a monopoly on the truth and the same God is the basis of all the major religions. They teach tolerance and their aim is to reconcile the teachings of all the prophets. No one is born Baha’i – you choose your religion at the age of 15. |
| 2nd Jun 2011 The Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth |
| From Haifa we toured Nazareth, the Jordan River, and the Sea of Galilee. Nazareth is considered the origin of Christianity since here Mary learned that she would be the mother of Jesus. It is also the home of the boy Jesus. However, Nazareth today is certainly not what we imagined it would be. We were somehow expecting magical scenes from the religious movies and books of our childhood, but instead we found a maze of narrow alleys full of souks taking advantage of the large number of tourists and religious pilgrims. Then there is the modern Basilica of the Annunciation built in 1969 over the ruins of the original Byzantine church which houses the cave of the annunciation where angel Gabriel is said to have appeared to Mary. It failed to capture our souls or excite our imagination. |
| 2nd Jun 2011 A baptism in the River Jordan |
| We had lunch in the Kibbutz Ein Gev, whose business was running a large buffet-style restaurant on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. From there we stopped on the banks of the Jordan River where Christ was purported to have been baptized. For a small fee, you can also choose to purchase a white robe and be baptized there. |
| 3rd Jun 2011 The Mount of the Beatitudes on the Sea of Galilee |
| From Nazareth we visited the sites around the Sea of Galilee. We started at the Church of Multiplication in Tabgha, where Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding feast. Beneath the altar is thought to be the stone where the miracle was performed. But the guide explained that Jews have a different rock nearby that they believe to be the site. Such was the case with several religious sites shared by the Jews and Christians. I guess this serves to spread out the tourists during peak season! We enjoyed breathtaking panoramic views of the Sea of Galilee from the Mount of the Beatitudes, where Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount. We learned that Mussolini funded the building of the beautiful church on the mount seen in this photo in 1935. |
| 3rd Jun 2011 Israel’s boundaries in 1949 |
| At the Mount of the Beatitudes, our charismatic guide provided his own sermon on the mount, complete with visual aids, explaining the history of the state of Israel from the Jewish perspective. He stated that President Obama’s recent demands that Israel return to its 1949 boundaries was not possible for Israel. With those boundaries, he said, Israel could not survive agriculturally or maintain its relative security.
Regarding its agricultural survival, he explained that the Sea of Galilee is Israel’s chief source of water. It is fed by the Jordan River from the Golan Heights. While the Jordan River valley was green during our June visit, we were told that it will be brown by July due of lack of rain water. If Israel loses the Golan Heights, he felt sure that much of the irrigation water from the Jordan would be diverted by the Palestinians, as it had been before the Six-Day War. Almost all Israeli crops are irrigated by pipes with tiny holes that drip water onto vegetation. Israel uses extensive “tissue culturing” to increase production on their crops of date palms, bananas, avocadoes, etc. None of these is native to Israel, which has managed to turn the desert into a productive agricultural region using water from the Sea of Galilee. He stated that while most of the world considers Israel’s major problem to be its security, the scarcity of water is equally as serious.
Not only this guide, but each guide we had in Israel provided us with his or her version of the history of the land now known as Israel. Suffice it to say that this strategically-located nation has a very complex and controversial history. It became apparent to most of us, particularly to the Europeans among us, that we were being presented only the Israeli Jewish perspective. As a result, I have elected not to provide a summary of the history of Israel which was related to us, except to state, as one guide did, that Israel has always been at war. And to reiterate how the charismatic guide at the Mount of the Beatitudes closed his sermon, “I would like to have some optimistic words about a peaceful future for Israel, but I don’t have any.” |
| 4th Jun 2011 Israel's Masada |
| From Haifa we sailed south to the port of Ashkelon, just north of the Gaza Strip. From there we visited Masada and the Dead Sea. We hiked up 1300 feet to the top of Masada, a rugged natural fortress of majestic beauty in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. It was a fortress as early as the first or second century BC before being enlarged and enforced by Herod the Great, who added the three-tier palace complex seen on the left side of the fortress in the photo. Note that the middle tier is actually at sea level. On Herod’s death, Masada passed into Roman hands, but was captured in 66 AD during the first revolt by Jewish Zealots. After the Romans crushed the rebels in Jerusalem, Masada remained as the last Jewish stronghold. It was under Roman siege for two years before the walls were breached by about 10, 000 Roman soldiers in 73 AD. Rather than submit to the Roman soldiers, the Jews inside chose to commit mass suicide. Today, it stands as a symbol of the ancient kingdom of Israel. Jewish school children take field trips to Masada to learn its story, and “Masada shall not fall again” is a swearing-in oath of the modern Israeli army. The view from the top of the fortress over the desert and the Dead Sea is breathtaking (or was it the hike up that was breathtaking?). Luckily, we took a cable car down. |
| 7th Jun 2011 Floating in the Dead Sea |
| The Dead Sea, 1348 feet below sea level, is ten times more salty than the ocean and surrounds a mountain of salt which keeps it replenished. It is so salty that a quarter of it is actually solid. Because its water source is the Jordan River, over-exploited for irrigation, it is now in danger of disappearing and becoming solid salt. Floating is nearly impossible because your body bobs like a cork in the heavy water. Our big mistake was not remembering water sandals for the short walk the edge of the sea and into the water. Instead of sand, the shore and sea bottom is very rough salt crystal. Ouch! |
| 8th Jun 2011 A view of old Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives |
| From our home base marina in Ashkelon we also visited Jerusalem. If you have never visited this city, my recommendation is not to go in the summer and to plan at least three days there. Our one day whirlwind tour was perhaps the most disappointing of all the tours we had. Our guide attempted to show us too much in too little time in the crowded city, and most of us became too exhausted and confused to enjoy the day.
The Old City of Jerusalem contains the cornerstones of three faiths. At times, both throughout history and in the present time, the three faiths seem determined to destroy each other. While the Mount of Olives is in itself a holy place for all three faiths, it provides a great view of the old city and the three cornerstones. The gold domed building in the center is the Muslim Dome of the Rock, built in AD 688, to proclaim the superiority of Islam and provide an Islamic focal point in the Holy City. We didn’t visit it and it is generally not open to non-Muslims. The Jewish Western Wall or Wailing Wall is just behind the Dome of the Rock, and the pale blue dome to the left is the Christian Church of the Holy Sepulcher. More on these last two cornerstones coming up. |
| 8th Jun 2011 The Basilica of the Agony next to the Garden of Gethsemane |
| The Garden of Gethsemane is said to contain some olive trees that date back to Biblical times. The basilica at the edge of the garden houses the rock where Jesus prayed the night before his arrest. Our Jewish guide told us that this was the rock where Christ lay in agony after he was thrust upon it following his arrest by Roman soldiers. Hmmm, that’s not how I remembered the story. I’m guessing that he didn’t have the same Sunday School training that I did! |
| 9th Jun 2011 The Western Wall – cornerstone of Judaism |
| We were not allowed to take any closer photos than this one of the famed Wailing Wall, which is the focus of prayer for Jews from all over the world. We were allowed to approach the wall, if we wore head covering, and we noted Jews fervently praying as they caressed the wall. Note the gold Dome of the Rock, cornerstone of Islam, is just behind the wall. Jewish tradition teaches that King Solomon built the First Temple here to hold the Ark of the Covenant, but the temple was destroyed by the King of Babylon. The Second Temple was built on its ruins, but it was destroyed by Roman legions. The Western Wall is all that remains of the Second Temple. By praying in its shadow for hundreds of years, Jews are expressing their faith in the rebuilding of the Temple. Arab houses covered most of the Western Wall when Israel gained control of the Old City after the 1967 war. Those houses, as well as the area around the wall, were destroyed by Israel at that time. |
| 10th Jun 2011 The Via Dolorosa |
| The route tracing the last steps of Jesus Christ from where he was tried and convicted to Calvary, where he was crucified and was buried, has more to do with religious tradition than actual fact. There is no historical basis for this route, which has changed over the centuries. Still thousands of pilgrims walk the route, and we did as well. It winds mostly among crowded streets of souks selling Christian souvenirs. If the intent of the walk is to help one identify with Jesus’ suffering, then we were successful. The way was hot and crowded, and we wished for its end at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. |
| 11th Jun 2011 Church of the Holy Sepulcher – cornerstone of Christianity |
| This famous church (upper left in this composite photo) houses the last five “Stations of the Cross” on the Via Dolorosa. Three of those stations are also in this photo: the Greek Orthodox altar on Golgotha (upper right), the Roman Catholic alter on Golgotha (lower left) and the Stone of Unction, being kissed by Christian pilgrims, where Christ’s body was wrapped after his death (lower right). The sense of tension and conflict in Jerusalem not only exists between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, but within this Christian church itself. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher has been the subject of fierce disputes, lasting centuries, between various Christian sects. Finally in 1852 a decree was issued to divide the custody of and the space inside this church among several Christian sects: Syrians, Ethiopians, Roman Catholics, Coptic Christians, Greeks, and Armenians. And to prevent one sect from violating the space of the others, every day the church is unlocked by a neutral Muslim key holder. |
| 12th Jun 2011 Jews in the State of Israel |
| I expected to see a country full of people in ultra-Orthodox dress, but we saw so few that I had to pull this picture from the internet. I was surprised to learn that only a small portion (20%) of Israel is composed of Orthodox Jews. In fact, we seldom saw men in the typical Orthodox clothing and haircuts with a single long curl on each side of their face where sideburns should be. Interestingly, Orthodox Jews are opposed to the State of Israel and do not recognize its laws, even refusing to pay taxes. They clam that the only true Jewish state will come with the coming of the Messiah. By the way, if you’re interested in learning what the long curl is all about, one of our guides told us that it is a metaphor for the Jewish custom of harvesting all of a crop except for a small piece left unharvested to the feed the poor. (Orthodox Jewish men get a haircut all but a small piece on each side of the head left uncut. The long curl on the uncut portion is simply a result of the nervous gesture of twisting the hair around one’s finger.)
Only non-religious Jews (50% of Israel) are required to join the military – men for three years and women for two. Orthodox Jews and non-Jews aren’t required to, but they may volunteer. |
| 12th Jun 2011 Entering Port Said, Egypt, information |
| While Israel seemed much more like the U.S. than any of the other countries we visited on the rally, leaving Israel and heading to Egypt was somehow a much-needed break from the tense environment we experienced in Jerusalem. As with all of the passages on this last half of the rally, the passage to Egypt was another overnight trip where we were instructed to arrive by 5:30 a.m. the following day. In order to enter the Suez Canal, we needed a pilot boat to accompany us. Since we didn’t want to pay for a pilot boat for each yacht, we needed to enter as a well-coordinated group with one pilot for the entire group, and we needed to enter early in the morning while traffic in the canal was light. In the anchorage outside the canal, each group of yachts (groups one through five) formed a small circle in its own corner of the large anchorage. Then at 5:30, we were to merge together into one large circle, maintaining a small distance between each boat, and then to wait for the arrival of the pilot boat to escort us into Port Said. But time passed slowly as we continued to circle. At 6:30 a.m. we heard an announcement from the EMYR committee on our VHF radios that apparently Egypt had, since its revolution, abolished Daylight Savings Time. The time was now just 5:30 a.m., and the pilot boat would arrive sometime soon. By 9 am, we were finally tied to the town dock in Port Said. If it hadn’t been so early in the morning and if we hadn’t been tired after the all-night sail, this would have probably been quite humorous! |
| 13th Jun 2011 Our Egyptian body guards |
| From Port Said, we took a two-day bus tour of Cairo and the Giza Pyramids. Our two buses full of sailors joined a caravan lead by a police car complete with blue rotating lights atop, then two pickup trucks carrying armed Egyptian soldiers. As if that weren’t enough, we soon realized that the man wearing a black suit who was sitting behind the driver in each bus was also armed. Yikes! Interesting - this was the first time where intense security was being used to protect us, instead of intense security being used to protect the nation we were visiting from us! |
| 13th Jun 2011 The Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square |
| We remembered hearing of the tragic looting of the precious antiquities in this salmon-colored museum during Egypt’s recent revolution. Tahrir Square is quiet now, but the charred building to the left behind the museum is a haunting reminder of the violence and bloodshed that took place just four months before our visit. It was a government building, according to our guide, and it was set afire, not by the protesters, but by the Mubarak regime itself to destroy evidence of its corruption. |
| 13th Jun 2011 Outside the Egyptian Museum |
| Unfortunately, we were not allowed to photograph the inside of the museum. It is most famous for its amazing King Tutankhamen galleries and its display of the desiccated mummified bodies of Egypt’s mightiest rulers. Many of the statues and relics from King Tut, dating to 1300 BC, have been found in the sands around the pyramids by donkeys and camels who literally stumbled on them. And the mummies on display are minus their stomach, kidneys, livers, and lungs, each placed in separate jars and entombed with the mummy. Each ruler’s heart is notably missing – it was weighed separately and was used to determine the destiny of its owner - the lighter the heart, the better the ruler’s status in the afterlife. |
| 14th Jun 2011 Shopping in Cairo |
| There may have been some great finds here, but our guide promised us that most of the goods now sold in this famous bazaar are made in China. And the pressure to buy is intense. As we walked through the narrow crowded streets, I was constantly asked what I was looking for. When I said, “Nothing, ” the reply was often, “I have that. What color do you want?” |
| 14th Jun 2011 Feluccas on the Nile |
| Who would have thought that a group of hard-core sailors would enjoy a sail on the Nile in a primitive wooden sailboat with its hand-sewn sail? We loved it, especially after the hot environment of the crowded bazaar. We were each handed a cold beer and invited to relax and enjoy the ride. |
| 14th Jun 2011 Each boat carried eight sailors |
| The Nile has long been famed as the world’s longest river, but apparently the Amazon is determined to contest its ranking. As we sailed along the Nile past the Cairo skyline, we delighted in waving to our friends in neighboring feluccas, even cheering when our boat raced ahead or out-maneuvered other feluccas on the river. |
| 15th Jun 2011 The pyramids from room at our ***** Hotel |
| After a long hot day in Cairo, our buses, with their escorts, left us for the night at a beautiful five star hotel overlooking the pyramids. A swim in the hotel’s pools would have been heavenly, but we hadn’t thought to bring our swimsuits! Most of our group had assumed that a five star hotel in the desert would have a pool, but not us! We looked longingly at them, sitting on bar stools in the water enjoying a drink from the mid-pool bar. Grrrr! It was hard to stay grumpy when our stay included a fabulous buffet dinner and breakfast. Tourism is really suffering in Egypt as a result of the revolution, so booking this hotel as part of our tour was no problem. The entire cost of the two-day Cairo and Pyramid tour was well less than the normal nightly rate for this hotel. |
| 15th Jun 2011 The Giza pyramids – a closer look |
| It had been a life-long dream for us both to visit the pyramids. They are just as amazing as we expected. Magnificent in their precision – placed with their sides aligning to true north with only a 3/60th degree of error. Certain internal air shafts line up perfectly with some constellations. Magnificent in their size – for 4, 000 years they were the tallest man-made structure ever built. Magnificent in their age – we are closer in time to the era of Jesus Christ than he was to the Pyramids. Simply pondering how they managed 4600 years ago to haul the huge stones from the quarry in Cairo to the sight of these wonders is baffling.
We learned that the top 30 feet of the three pyramids had been originally covered in gold, but it quickly was stolen. The largest and oldest pyramid, built for King Khufu, stands 460 feet tall and measures 750 feet along its base. The next is size was to hold his son’s tomb, and the third pyramid was built for his grandson. The tombs inside are very plain, large enough only for a body-sized tomb and the king’s possessions, which were buried with the king. Perhaps most amazing is the fact that we had the pyramids almost to ourselves. This place is perhaps the most famous of the Seven Wonders of the World, but very few tourists were visiting Egypt post-revolution. |
| 16th Jun 2011 The final stop for the EMYR: Herzliya Marina, Israel |
| On our last sail from Port Said back to Israel, Judy, Wayne and I were beginning to feel nostalgic about the EMYR 2011. We had grown accustomed to having guided tours of the sites in each port, to being treated to a dinner party hosted by each marina, and to being surrounded by friends nearly all the time. These were friends whom we had met for the first time several weeks before; with whom we had chatted for hours in tour buses, who had helped us dock our boat and who had accepted our help; with whom we had shared dinners, lunches, drinks, and our personal stories. These were friends with whom we had much in common: we were all sailors, self-sufficient to a fault, accustomed to making friends, cherishing their company, then bidding them farewell with little chance of ever seeing them again. After the final party in Herzliya, we all eventually went our separate ways. Bright Ayes remained at the marina for four days after the end of the rally, and each day we threw off lines on the yachts of fellow EMYR sailors and bid them fair winds as they headed out to sea.
We had an official song which we sang together at many of the dinners over the course of the rally. Someone in rallies gone by had written a verse for each country we visited, and we all joined in the chorus. At the final party in Herzliya, singing this song together was especially rousing and at the same time poignant:
“Those were the days, my friend; we thought they’d never end.
We sailed and danced forever and a day.
We lived the life we’d choose, while on the rally cruise.
Those were the days, oh yes, those were the days!” |
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