Tag Archives: security screening

Border Crossing Aqaba to Eilat

June 29, 2014 ~j Leave a comment

After we had finished our Bedouin experience, we reunited with our German friend to taxi to the border crossing. To cross from Jordan into Israel, we used the Wadi Araba border crossing from Aqaba to Eilat. This is a pedestrian only crossing with about 100m of no man’s land to walk through to get to the custom’s office. I can honestly say I’ve never a tank gun pointed in my direction before then!

Directions to Egypt and Jordan, Eilat Israel

Once through customs (which was a total breeze, our local airport is more stringent!) we made our way to the rental car company. Renting a car in Israel was our first experience with driving abroad. So liberating!Car rental was not overly expensive, distances are not extreme given the size of the country–especially compared to Canada where driving for 10+ hours to get to somewhere in the next province isn’t unusual!

Eilat is a haven for bird watching being a crossroads for migratory birds from Asia, Africa and Europe. It’s also a coveted site for SCUBA divers wishing to dive in the Red Sea. You can even swim with Whale Sharks! We didn’t have time for either, not that you could pay me to do SCUBA. FYI: The water of the Red Sea–not red!

Once we had the car, we realized we needed a quick pit-stop for continuing our journey. We stopped at McDonald’s. Yes, I know, roll your eyes! But, it was different–kosher food laws and all, so we wanted to check it out. No bacon or cheese to be found on a burger anywhere!

Kosher food wasn’t the only shocking difference. How about these fellows and their accessories?

Israeli McDonalds — Is this different from your local McDonalds?

That’s not something we see at the arches here! Any thoughts?
~j

ps: We usually check out McDonald’s at least once while away. There’s almost always something crazy on the menu that we’ve never seen before. Sometimes the choices are HILARIOUS!

New Zealand, Oceania

The Home Stretch

March 14, 2012 ~j Leave a comment

Yesterday we arrived into Dunedin on our last bus drive of the NZ trip. We have a couple of days here before flying back to Auckland and then home. It will be nice to be back in the land where prices aren’t astronomical for the most basic things. I saw a sign for a 4L of milk for $6.80NZD. I have found free internet that worked with my tablet once; otherwise, it is usually wired, and $3/30mins. Who has wired internet?!?! I am glad I brought my cel phone or I would have had zero internet this whole time. Fuel which we haven’t had to buy is usually around $2.26NZD/L. But then we took a flight the other day for $29 including tax and checked baggage. Bus transport is equally cheap-$14 for a 5hour trip. At least the travel within the country is cheap!

Everyone we have met (except for 1 bus driver) has been super nice. The hospitality industry is amazing. Kiwis and other travelers have been friendlier here than anywhere else I’ve been. Even the airport security in Rotorua were smiling and happy. AND someone let me go ahead of them in the screening line. There was no pushing or rushing and everything was moving along properly. I guarantee I will NEVER see that in another airport.

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Peru, South America

Islas Ballestas: The Poor Man’s Galapagos

Gallery September 2, 2010 ~j Leave a comment

Islas Ballestas is a nature reserve about a 3.5 hour bus ride from Lima. We had to be at the bus terminal in Lima for 3:30am for a 4:15am departure, which meant we left our hotel at 3am to get there on time. Ugh, getting up early sucks, but it was worth it. (I did an earlier post about part of the bus trip.) One thing I forgot was that before boarding bags are searched, and video footage is taken of each passenger’s face. We initially thought the video was for security reasons. When we got home someone told us it was to identify remains of passengers if the bus is smashed beyond recognition in an accident. That’s always reassuring!

We arrived safely at a bus station in Paracas. The bus station was more like a glorified grass hut, but with plumbing. Check out the security device on the toilet tank.

Bus Station Paracas Peru

Our guide Luis met us on a tiny dock, we loaded up the boat and were out on the Ocean. We saw (and smelled) a bazillion birds. There were cormorants, gulls, pelicans, blue-footed boobies, and Humboldt Penguins! I heart PENGUINS! We also saw sea lions eating sardines right out of fishermen’s nets. The fishermen were none too happy, but the sea lions were living it up. Luis had never seen a sea lion “con pesca en bocca” in all the years he’s been a marine biologist, so he was super stoked about that.

Blue Footed Booby Islas Ballestas Peru

Humboldt Penguins Islas Ballestas Peru

Seals Islas Ballestas Peru

Cormorants Islas Ballestas Peru

Humboldt Penguins Islas Ballestas Peru

Seals Islas Ballestas Peru

Seals Islas Ballestas

On the way to the island, we passed the Paracas Candelabra. The huge geoglyph is hundreds and hundreds of years old. No one knows why it is there, or who put it there. (Pirates, Aliens, Sailors, are all theories.) Word is that the candelabra points to the Nazca Lines, but that doesn’t hold out if you google it. The geoglyph is several feet deep of dust. It hasn’t disappeared due to erosion because it is sheltered from the wind, and it never rains in the area. People are not permitted near the candelabra as the foot prints/tracks would remain imprinted on the crust.

The weather of the Paracas area creates also an anomaly for the Ballestas island. Due to the lack of wind/rain, and the island birds’ ability to produce so much guano an industry has been created. The guano is collected every 3 years to be used for fertilizer. It is illegal to set foot on the islands without special guano collecting permits. Not that that’s something I was interested in! Let’s just say you’re lucky there isn’t smell-o-vision to go along with the photos!

ps: I included a few of Jon’s photos. His zoom was better able to capture the birds.

Peru, South America

Tired Much?

May 27, 2010 ~j Leave a comment

We have made it to the airport in Lima. We have 2 more hours to wait until we board the final flight of the day to Arequipa. On Friday the 21st night we left for Vancouver at 10pm. It is now 12:20am BC time on the 23rd. I am one tired gal.

I was security screened in Vancouver 100% and had to be wanded and put through the new xray machine. Then in LA, I got the red light and had to be screened again. THEN when we got to customs in Lima I got the red light again! Seriously, you wait in line to press a button. If you get the red light you get searched. If you get the green light you go on your merry way. I must look sketchy today. I suppose that is what 30+ hours in transit will do to someone.

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England, Europe, France, United Kingdom

Tube & Metro Scams

March 2, 2009 ~j Leave a comment

Who knew it was easy to figure out the Tube or even the Metro?!? (It was easier than this fricken keyboard!)

Every book has about a trillion beware of pickpocket warnings; nothing can prepare a person for the amount of scams on the metro. In London there were warnings, but everything seemed kosher. The police/bobby presence was pretty crazy. At most stations there were sniffer dogs and officers or transit police–not to mention closed circuit cameras everywhere.

Paris is a whole other ball game! First day some dudes tried to offer an “African tradition” by which they occupy both of your hands in some ridiculous friendship bracelet making crap with coloured thread. All the while one of the other ones pats you down and takes your shit. Obviously we did not fall for it. Then there are the pathetic looking gypsy girls who approach with a “do you speak eenglish?” and then they hand you a printed card with a sob story on it asking for money. These chicks are EVERYWHERE!

And you also have the metro beggars who put printed cards on the empty seats asking for money because they are out of work and raising a family etc etc. Then you have your run of the mill pick pockets. I busted one who was trying to get into a woman’s purse. He was none too impressed. True story.

The Paris metro is the dirtiest grossest transit system ever. Read on my friends…

this bird flies