will i am's delayed diary

The Orient Palace is decorated to be a predominantly Christian pilgrimage hotel. The check-in counter was flanked by statues of the Virgin Mary, and there was a large bas relief of Madonna and Child. But like many establishments catering to Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land, it is owned by Muslims. Other examples include shops selling religious paraphernalia. They probably know more about the merchandise part Christianity than actual Christians. To make a buck, it does not matter. No conflict of interest. The first place we visited in Jerusalem was the Chapel of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives . Before getting off the bus, Sherry warned us not to buy souvenirs from the Arab street vendors and children. Right outside the chapel was a mosque, a feature at many of the holy sites that we were going to visit. Islam and Christianity has a tangled history in the Holy Land. The chapel is really austere, with little decoration. On the floor is a small framed stone with an imprint ...

Back from our failed hike, we quickly showered and packed to check-out. Mum was never good with rushing, so she had a big challenge getting ready. She always had a peculiar inability to not fuss with the minor details. With a little help from me, she managed to get ready, and we had 15 minutes to eat breakfast before mass. Mass was celebrated at a small function hall in the hotel. Right after mass, we went back to St. Catherine Monastery. A chance for those who didn't hike to take a look. Tarrying was not an option because we had to catch the 10 AM slot to leave for Israel. Traveled through more desert to reach Taba, where we had our last Egyptian lunch at a very quiet resort ( maybe it was off-peak season ). Hany bid us farewell and we started the long process of exiting Egypt to enter Israel through the Taba Gateway. When we got off the bus, I nearly melted in the heat. 42c! Departing Egypt at Taba Gateway : Fill up departure card, and affix stamp. Line up to check...

Checked out of Movenpick and our bus was joined by a government security officer. His blazer couldn't hide the semi-automatic weapon he had at his hip. Made our way back to the Elizabethan monastery for morning mass. The poor sisters had to clean up after us again after we had raided their restrooms as the taps were still dry due to the waterworks out front. The sisters bemoaned the cruelty of digging up pipes in front of the monastery for the seventh time! DBKL pun kalah. We bid farewell to the pyramids and started our journey towards the Sinai Peninsular. Moses and his people traveled through the wilderness while we took the highway through the desert. Security was really tight as we approached the Suez Canal as its under Egyptian military control. Could see that each vehicle was searched but since we had special clearance, they didn't open our bags. The bus crossed underneath the canal via a tunnel and voila, we had left the African continent and reentered Asia. Our firs...