SI MONTHLY NEWS September 2006 Travel reports
From SI Exco News
Israel and Turkey, part 1
Date 29th May 2006
We, constituting a group of 12 SERVAS Travellers reached by 1075 Turkey airline on 29th May 2006, at Istambul at 8.45 a.m. local time. We had to wait there for almost 6 hours for the flight to Tel Aviv and reached Tel Aviv at 4.20 p.m. National Secretary Ms. Claudia Sagi was present at the Airport and guided us to the special bus by which we went to a particular stop where hosts were waiting for us. Ms. Nurit was my host. She was staying alone and her daughter was at Jerusalem. We went on talking about her experiences in India and prepared Rice and Vegetables and Salad. She prepared the melons for us which were very sweet.
30 May 2006,
Visit old Jaffa, drive via Rabin SQ to Caesareavisit to old Roman Theatre and Roman city Crusade City and Aquaduct. Drive to Akko visit the old city -back to Haifa.
Ms.Nurit left me at the same bus stop at 8.00 a.m. because she had to go for her yoga classes. The bus was to reach there at 8.30 a.m. but the bus came late and We started our bus tour at 9.30.a.m. Our bus guide Ms. Daliya began her commentary.
“Tel Aviv is the city which does not sleep. During day-time people are working and at night People come here for fun. It has a population of 350 000. It was built in 1909, before that it was all sand. The City of Jaffa is 5000 yrs old, the first natural port in the world The entire Israel is near the Mediterranean Sea. It is a salty sea. While looking at the sea shore, I remembered the Goa sea shore. Akko is a very old city. Haifa is in Mountains. Hitech technology diamond cutting and polishing is the flourishing business here.
We went to Jaffa Clock Tower which was built in 1906 to commemorate the Sultan’s birthday. Jews, Christians and Muslims stay together here. Jaffa is known for port sports, fishing vessels and excursion boats.
When we came out, a wedding couple was giving poses for the photos. Dr. Ramesh Sharma said that they may be Jews or Christians but in any case not Muslims. While inquiring, we came to know that they were Muslims! With the change of religion, the customs of the country do not change.
My host Mr. Tsur came to receive me & Ms. Azone at Haifa, though he was late. He drove the jeep to his village. There were beautiful scenes on the way and we came to know that Nazareth was very nearby. So myself and Miss. Azone decided to go to Nazareth.
We had dinner of noodles and basmati rice and vegetables which was very good. Our host Oma Yaqubi had traveled to India long ago, before their marriage. They have four children now, two sons and two daughters. The children are also given responsibility of work at home whatever they like. The daughter 8 years of the age prepared a very good desert with jelly on the top for all of us.
31 May 2006
It was a free day in Haifa but myself and Miss. Azone were in a village, some 20 miles away from Nazareth. We decided to go to Nazareth. We were ready at 9.00 a.m. and Oma took us to Nazareth. She left us near the church. I have heard many a times ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ and therefore I desired to see it. It was in Nazareth of Galilee that the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to announce the birth of Jesus. Today, it is a city of 70,000 people- a focal point for a large segment of the population of the Galilee. Over two-thirds are Christians.
We went to St. Gabriel’s Church and Anglican Church of Nazareth. There was complete silence except a few visitors. While coming down from the church, we visited the Monastery of the Sisters of Nazareth including the excavations in the basement of the building.
In the evening, we had SERVAS Meeting of hosts and Guests. Oma took us to the Meeting and the Father of the children Tsur looked after the food etc. and everything for children. In the meeting, everybody introduced oneself and one’s work. Ms. Claudia explained the whole proramme and we had informal discussion. We came back at 11.00 p.m., everybody was sleeping at home. With Four children, Oma does so much of Social work among the immigrants which we came to know while talking to her in the car.
Dr. Geeta Mehta,
Peace secretary, SERVAS India
Director, K.J. Somaiya Centre for Studies in Jainism
Visiting Central Asia
One of the nicest Servas visits my daughter Monica and I ever experienced happened at our recent trip to Uzbekistan. We had gone to Dushanbe in Tajikistan for the wedding of my friend Muborak’s daughter in late August and spent a week in that city enjoying wedding celebrations as well as trying to find some people who might be able and willing to start Servas in that country.
It was difficult to contact people from Tajikistan but eventually we reached Anatoly, the Uzbek National Secretary, who assured us that a visit would be arranged when we got to Samarkand. After an 8-hour drive via the beautiful Fan Mountains with a very capable driver but on horrendous roads we were relieved to see Anatoly actually awaiting us at Registan Square in Samarkand. So as not to monopolize visitors, we were taken to another host who spoke little English but made up in a warm welcome at his home and family. The two children, 11 and 12 years old, were eager to practice their English with us.
That evening Anatoly invited us to his family where we enjoyed a sumptuous meal together with several other Servas members. Vladimir, one of the Servas hosts, volunteered to take us around the next day and we gratefully accepted his guidance. Most people in Samarkand speak Tajik and some Uzbek, but Vladimir speaks Russian, German and English fluently in addition to a smattering of several other languages. In fact we learned that the majority of people speak several languages of the region and start learning foreign languages in early grades.
Samarkand is one of the most fascinating cities we have ever visited. The splendor of the mosques, madressas, mausoleums and especially the Registan caravanserai is breathtaking. While most of the historical buildings “only” go back to the 1300s, the city itself appeared like a jewel even to Alexander the Great in 329 BC. One can barely imagine what it must have been like for the wary travelers of the Silk Road after weeks or months of travels to arrive at a place like that.
That evening the Servas community again organized a dinner for us, this time on a farm outside the city. Once more we were guests at an extended family with several Servas members present. As customary, many toasts were called for. Luckily, we were allowed to drink whatever we preferred, no hard liquor required. Since some people were fluent in English, translations went back and forth and we had a lively exchange of ideas and experiences.
Later our host of the evening, Holikberdi, proudly showed us his extensive gardens, his greenhouse construction, the poplars he grows as building material and presented us with some of his prized red roses. We felt very privileged to be welcomed so warmly and allowed to enjoy such generous hospitality.
Next morning we left for Bukhara and once more Anatoly and Rafiq helped us by negotiating the taxi fare for us. Several hours later we arrived in Bukhara were Rafiq had made reservations at a very nice B&B just a few minutes from the city center. He even called soon after our arrival to make sure we got there all right.
How fortunate we were to find such terrific Servas hosts half a world away, how grateful we are to them for such a splendid experience.
Helga Smith, New York, USA
Addendum:
Helga did not mention that she met Muborak when Helga was a volunteer New York City host for UN Presenter/participants providing short term housing for those working with the UN. One of the Helga guests was Muborak Sharipova, a sociologist, a social and NGO activist originally from Tajikistan. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Tajikistan and other Cental Asian countries had a civil wars (1992 - 1997) which resulted in tremendous losses, economic crisis, deep poverty and other social problems. Muborak and her team of women have interviewed 1000 abused women and 5000 abused children in Central Asia. In keeping with the UN Millennium Goals for reducing crimes against women and children, Muborak has make at least 4 presentations to the UN, the last one being in 2005. During these visits to NYC to make presentations to the UN, Muborak and Helga became friends and Muborak joined Servas as a Traveler. Any one who has read the Kite Runner that is on the NY Times best seller list for over 100 weeks, will understand how women and children are abused in frustration and as a way to gain control/power in the times of change after the Soviet Union which supported equal rights for women withdrew from Central Asia.
Mary Jane Mikuriya
Amir Levi visited Malawi and sent some lovely pictures. Here is one of them showing some of the magnificent hills there.
uploaded by Amelia
