Crankworx this weekend

Last weekend I went to Vancouver to do some biking up on Seymour. It was very hot, so we also ended up tubing in the river by Glade's house. We did eventually get some biking in - a ride around the sea wall, and one lap down seymour.

Met up with Steve Hale, and Ian Doig as well (a couple of fellow Wawanians). Ian has just recently moved to Vancouver and is pretty excited about biking/skiing Whistler. I'm always suprised when I see someone from Wawa.

Apparently this weekend I'll be meeting up with another Wawanian (Sean Kirby is up for a couple of days.)

The main thing going on this week is Crankworx. The weather is looking a bit sketchy, but I think it's going to be a blast either way.

Back in Seattle

Well, I made it back just as the company asks everyone to cancel their business trips to Israel and Lebanon to avoid the situation over there. Looks like I really went at the best time this summer to get a feel for the area, and a sense for the issues therein. I am infinitely glad I went.

We are lucky here. Plain and simple. We don't need airport level security in every mall, we don't need a security guard checking our bags at the grocery store, we don't have tense relations with every country that surrounds us, we don't have to serve in the army every year, we can board any bus without worrying about someone carrying a bomb, and we all have the opportunity to live a healthy comfortable life. It might not always be this way, so cherish it.

The feeling we had on our last supper in Israel last Wednesday night as an apache helicopter flew overhead towards Lebanon was one I will not soon forget. It's the unknown, the stuff you clearly can't control... There was nobody running rampant in the streets, there was no real sign of danger from people nearby, there was no 'clear and present' danger at all... Just the unknown... Does Syria, or Lebanon have the ability to hit Tel-Aviv? Will someone else join in? We thought that they could not hit Haifa, but that was wrong... So who knows...

In Toronto I went to Becky's wedding and visited Ryan/Alana, and Marcel/Amanda. The wedding was great, and I got a chance to meet with a bunch of Wawa folks, so that was worth it.

That's enough for today :)

Day 7, 8, 9: Jerusalem (again), Dead Sea, Masada

I don't have time to do a full write-up, so here are the highlights...

Two days ago I went south to the desert. It was somewhat funny because we made a wrong turn and the reason we realized it was we saw a sign that was "gaza 30k", and my co-worker was all like... Hmm. We should have turned a while back. Anyhow, it was funny at the time. The car ran out of steering fluid, so the ride back was also interesting.

Yesterday I went to visit a family in Jerusalem and had dinner with them. They live 500 yards from the wall that separates the palestinians from the rest of Jerusalem. We ate dinner outdoors while a muslim 'come to pray' song could be heard in the distance.

Today I went to the Dead Sea (the lowest place on earth), and Masada. Yup, I float in the dead sea like everyone else.

Anyhow, there's some interesting stuff happening today over here. I'm heading out tomorrow morning, and should be in Toronto not too long from now.

I'll post more pics later.

Day 5, 6: Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Jordan River, Italy wins

I was not able to post last night because I got in too late. The internet kiosk in the hotel is in a room that closes at 10:30pm. I think I'll be back too late to post tonight as well.

Anyhow, I've seen a lot in the last couple of days.

First I took a tour to Nazareth. The most amazing thing we visited there was the Basilica of the Annunciation. This was the home of Mary, and where Gabriel announced that she would be the mother of Christ. At which point I imagine she said "ah Christ" - that has not been verified. Next to this church is the Church of St. Joseph where Jesus' dad worked as a carpenter.

Inside the Basilica

Then we went to the Sea of Galilee. This is where Jesus walked on water, performed the bread/fish miracle, and met Peter, James, John. It's 200m below sea level, so it's the lowest place on earth I've been so far. If I get a chance to go to the dead sea then I'll go even lower.

From there we went to the Jordan River. This is the place where Jesus was baptized. I stood in the water, and watched a couple of people get baptized. Good times had by all :)

Jordan River

Until next time!

Day 4: Tel-Aviv

Friday's a day off over here, so I walked around Tel-Aviv, walked in the sea, booked my next trip, and caught up on my e-mail.

Tomorrow I will be going to Nazareth, and Galilee. That should be interesting.

Day 3: Jerusalem

Fell asleap during the soccer match yesterday. Seems like France won on that penalty kick...

This morning I went on a guided tour of Jerusalem. I'm glad I went.

Some of the highlights...

• We walked the Via Dolarosa (stages of the cross 5-9).
• We visited the holy sepulcher (stages of the cross 10-14, where Jesus was crucifided, died and was buried).
• Took some sweet pics of the Dome of the Rock.
• Touched the Western Wall.
• Saw the cenotaph of king david, location of the last supper.
• Mount of Olives...
• Etc. Etc... You know, the usual.

Seriously, there's a bit of history in those gates.

After the tour we went to the Holocaust Memorial. Not something I'd suggest for a first date location. One of the people we went with was a holocaust survivor while her friends and family were not so lucky. Needless to say it was a fairly emotional event for her. Some of the images they had presented will stick in my head for some time for sure.

An old lady came on our tour, it was a 2.5 hour walk in 30+ degree weather. I was very worried she would not make it, and she almost didn't. They need to post a warning about that on the tour books to avoid a bad situation.

We lost a guy on our tour at the holocaust museum. Apparently he heard the wrong meet-up time, and the tour left to go back to Tel-Aviv without him. He had to take a bus home - he didn't pay attention the whole way through the tour, so I'm not suprised about the outcome.

Umm... I saw a camel... That was cool.

Tomorrow is a holiday in Israel (they take Friday and Saturday off instead of Sat/Sun). I might work anyhow because if it weren't for a scheduling snafu I would have been working today.

So in terms of my schedule I think ít's work tomorrow in Tel Aviv, go to the Dead Sea and Masada on Saturday - if I can hook up a tour.

Day 2: Busy day in Tel-Aviv

Watched the world cup game until 1am. Italy scored two goals in overtime to win. Then it was off to bed.

Unfortunately I woke up at 4am because of the time difference... I stayed in bed until 6:30am, and then decided to take a walk/jog down to Jaffa from my hotel. That was about 30 mins in both directions along the mediterranean boardwalk. The sun was low enough that I didn't get sunburned, but bright enough to make for a few good pictures. I went back to the hotel, had a short workout at the gym, ate breakfast, and it wasn't even 9am yet... I read the local paper, and waited to be picked up for my first day at work here in Tel-Aviv.

Couple of interesting things I learned today:
- Multiple corporations give people in Israel cars, gas, telephones as part of their compensation package (it's the norm apparently.)
- The lights go amber before they go green: As soon as people see amber they rev the engines to bolt off on the green light.
- Scooters are the vehicle of choice to weave in and out of crazy traffic --- for folks that don't mind being on the edge of dying all day long.
- There is not much downhill biking over here, but so far I have mostly seen XC mountain bikes riding up and down the boardwalk, no roadbikes.

I met with one company today. We had a good discussion, and they left pretty happy, so I think it went well.

Unfortunately my scheduled day tomorrow is not going to happen as planned. I was going to go to an event planned by the marketting team, but turns out the whole thing is in Hebrew... So I'm taking the day off to go to Jerusalem on a guided tour. Hopefully I can wake up early enough, but if today is any indication that will not be a problem.

Now it's on to the other world cup semi finals game.

I'll take a lot of pics tomorrow. Have fun!

Seattle to Israel - A long day

Woke up in Seattle this morning, now I'm in Tel-Aviv. The flight to Atlanta was smooth, the 12 hour flight across the Atlantic was a bit less so. People were excited to land... So excited that everyone started clapping once the plane stopped.

Oh yes... I was once again "randomly" selected for additional secuirty screenings. It happens every time to me, so from my point of view it's not that random :)

Flying to Israel is a bit different than flying to Cancun. There are subtle differences and not-so-subtle ones. For instance, the only gate in Atlanta that required a second security check was the one going to Tel-Aviv. Also, the minute I got off the plane I was taken out of line and my passport was checked. Getting into the hotel lobby required an ID check etc... I can now consistently pull out my ID in less than 3 seconds flat. I imagine by the end of this trip I'll have that number down substantially.

I'm now sitting on the 14th floor of the Carlton hotel overlooking the Mediterranian sea. The beach is spectacular and extends to Jaffa, so I might take a walk down the strip the next chance I get. I walked a bit on the beach tonight, but it was getting dark, the scenery will be better in the daylight.

I will be booking a trip to Jerusalem either tonight, or tomorrow. That should be amazing.

I'm on another computer, otherwise I'd attach a photo. I'll do so tomorrow.

Anyhow, there's a world cup soccer match on tonight, other than a few things I need to take care of for work that's my plan.

Have fun!