Most of my friends see my life as being very interesting and exciting ... i have never considered it to be too special or out of the ordinary; i guess i am just doing what i love doing and following the paths that God is taking me to. Amazingly (or maybe not) it always seems to be a surprise ... God has a way of surprising me that sometimes scares me. I know it might sound like a cliche, but just as somewhere on my blog is written, God's ways are always unpredictable.
Getting thereI had to travel back to Israel this past weekend for a renewal of my visa. I've done it before, so i had everything mapped out - i knew exactly where to go, how to get there etc. It seemed like a very simple procedure, although quite exhausting, having to travel by bus from Cairo to Taba during the night for 8 hours. After a busy day at school on Thursday and dinner with a family (the same family had me over for dinner before my previous departure to Israel - we thought we should make a tradition out of it) i managed to get on the 11 pm bus to Taba. John kindly drove me there. There were feelings of confidence and fright mixed up together ... but i somehow thought everything should work out. The main reason of my concern was the bus ride - as the Egyptian drivers have different rules than any other nation, or should i say no rules at all?
The bus ride turned out to be pleasant, mostly thanks to the pillow Nichole's mom has given me. They didnt play any Arabic music, as they often do, nor the Coran. However, i was ready to plug in my ipod, just in case... I was the only foreigner on the bus and one of the three women, which can be quite scary at times here, especially if you are culturally super sensitive. I didnt have a problem with that at all. I lowered my chair and slept the whole way through. I did wake up arund 2 am because the nature called ... Of course there was no place to go ... so i had to wait; my bladder is quite strong anyway.
"Mushkela" = Problem
Around 7 am the bus stops; what i thought to be one of the regular stops, turned out to be a flat tyre. That is when i said: "Now is the time to find a toilet!" We were in the middle of the desert! But not too far, there was a small security office and i stopped there and asked to use their bathroom. I entered this huge bathroom, with only a sink and a toilet that was not flushing; it smelt really bad, but i didnt really care. The need was increasingly forcing me to use that toilet. I thanked the men for letting me use it and headed back to the bus. At that point the bus driver had taken out his trousers and shoes and he was wearing some sort of pyjamas. He was trying hard to unscrew the "buttons" (or whatever they're called) in order to take out the wheel. Other 6 men made a semi-circle around him and were watching; this is the way things are getting done in Egypt: one man works, 5 are watching or worse, trying to give advice on how it's better to do the job. After half an hour, the driver seems to have abandoned ... he gets angry, calls people and doesnt quite seem to know what to do.
At the same time, people get off the bus and hitch-hike. I totally look like the stupid foreigner who doesnt know what to do and worse, doesnt understand a word of what they're talking about. Different ideas start running through my mind: should i hitch-hike? I've done it before in Holland, Norway ... it should be ok... but what if something happens? So, in the end i decide to stay on the bus. 45 minutes later a bus comes and this guy with really black hair peaks in ... and waves his arm, calling the remaining people. A bit confused i follow and then i understand that the company has sent another bus to take us to Taba. My little heart is all excited thinking i will soon be in Taba.
Panicking
Afer a couple of hours of driving, the bus slows down ... i look around saying to myself: "i do not recognise this place, it doesnt look like Taba to me!" Then, i spot a huge sign saying: "Nuweiba Port!" That is when everything in me started moving ... my stomach, my hair, my heart beating fast, my knees shaking and arms trembling ... I go to the bus driver and tell him i dont need to be in Nuweiba, i need to be in Taba! He looks at me with worying eyes... an tells me to get on the bus. he takes me to the main bus station and shouts from the bus to the man behind a counter that seemed like an official desk; he probably told him i need to get to Taba; so he sent me to talk to the man (it was the same guy with dark hair from earlier). Almost with tears in my eyes, i tell him i need to go to Taba, he goes: 11 pounds!! That thing just didnt help me at all! So typically me, i show him how indignated i am by saying: "I HAVE a ticket to Taba and i have already payed for it!! I do not see the need of paying again, as it was not my fault that the second bus driver took me to the wrong place!" At this point tears start coming out and i leave and go and sit on a bench. I burst out in tears, thinking of how lost i am and having no clue what to do next. I started calling people: Nichole, Heather, Wendy, John ... nobody answers, as it was quite early in the morning. In the end, Heather calls me back and i start crying on the phone. I was panicked, scared and feeling lonely. Heather tries to calm me down, which she managed in the end. I find out the next bus is in an hour, which is not that bad, but i kind of wanted something to leave right on that moment and take me to my destination. Then, Wendy calls and i start crying again, then Nichole calls and i start crying again.... You might think it sounds stupid, but i am a woman, and women cry a lot (especially me!!) ... Everything was kind of under control, but i just freaked out and felt really lonely and abandoned in the middle of the desert in a country whose language i do not speak (and refuse to learn it, according to Kelli). I have travelled to many places on my own, to countries and cities i do not speak the language of, but it always seemed to have worked out just fine.
At the border - Surprise!!
In the end i get on the bus and it takes about 1 hour and a half to Taba. I am all excited i am there. Now the next step is to just walk over the border into Israel ... it shouldn,t be too difficult i thought! Well, the Egyptian authorities kept looking at my passport; i went through 4 check points and they each looked at my passport for at least 5-10 min. I was too tired to talk to them or try to show them my previous visa ... I just stand in front of them without saying a word. They let me go in the end. Phew!!! i was out of Egypt! 2 more steps to Israel. I get to the border, i enter, they ask me about the purpose of my visit and have me waiting behind a group of Canadian explorers. It takes a while for them to check all their bags. One of them turns to me and apologizes for delaying me; i said: "i've already been delayed, so it makes no difference to me anymore!"
Surprisingly i was very calm and waited patiently for my turn. At last, the last Canadian hands in his bags to be checked! I am next!! During this whole time, part of the security personnel had taken aside one guy and were checking his stuff inch by inch. I had a short conversation wt hte Canadian man; he asked me where i'm from, being indignated by my accent; he thought i was from Wales. Suddenly, the security guards and all the personnel starts rushing towards us and shouts: "RUN, OUTSIDE, FAST!" The Canadian man tries to take his suitcase with him, somebody says: "No, leave it behind!" and they hurry us out through the emergency exit. We are taken outside. Everybody was worried and had no idea about what might have just happened. I assume they found something suspicious in somebody's bag. I call Heather to let her know about the situation. Kelvin aswers ... i try to explain things to him, when this Israeli security guard approaches me ... i get a bit scared, thinking that maybe i am not allowed to make any phone calls as that might be suspicius and i kind of imagine being taken away and interrogated. The man asks me if everything is alright.... I seem to be speechless for a second... i probably ended my coversation with kelvin without saying goodbye. I look at the guy and tell him i am worried because i do not know what is going on. He says: "It is only emergency procedures, so you should not worry!". Police came and other vans. They had us waiting outside for a couple of hours, but they kindly offered us water.
I try to read a few more pages from the book i have started that night: "The Shack". I am too overwhelmed and cannot follow the line of the story so i close the book. After a while we hear a voice through the speakers announcing us: "In a short while you will hear an explosion. Stay where you are and do not panick!" 3 explosions followed. 15 minutes later, the same announcement - 2 explosions followed.
In the end, they got us back to the gate and having to go through the procedure again, only this time asking if we have any guns.
I walked out relieved and taking the first taxi to the hostel. I get there, take a shower, run to the closest shwerma place, grab one, as shops were closing at 2 because of the Sabbath, and head to the Egyptian consulate. There i found out they are closed Fridays and Saturdays and open only on Sunday. Ruined my plans... but i did not have a choice - i had to stay in Eilat for another night and miss school on Sunday.
At least i got to go to the beach on Saturday after vegetating most of Friday in bed (or what was left of it) as i was exhausted!!
I will not give any details about the trip back, because getting there was already too much.
So... i guess this is another "story to tell my grandchildren from my rocking chair". Somebody told me once that my travels are always full of surprises and turn out to be an adventure.
In the past year i've been thinking a lot about writing a book one day, maybe when i retire ... i guess it might be sooner than that! Life is full of surprises! And that is what is so exciting about it - they come when you least expect it!
