Neil The Wanderer

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Some people who know me as a frequent traveler have expressed bewilderment with my jet setter lifestyle, thinking that everything is easy and comfortable when you hit the road. There is some truth to that, of course. Those awesome moments when you see and experience something for the first time, those are something you just can’t get enough of.

But the truth is, there were a lot of times during my life as a solo traveler when I felt extremely uncomfortable and vulnerable. This is especially true when visiting richer countries that regard Filipino tourists as “suspicious”, given the track record of thousands of workers who jump ship and overextend their stay.

For example, during my first visit in Japan in 2005 at the height of the crackdown against illegal entertainers, some immigration guy approached my fellow travelers and I in a train station in Nagoya and demanded that we present our passports and tourists visa. All were sorted out but it was the start of many more uncomfortable encounters with immigration agents.

But I think, the most nerve wracking experience I had was during my recent travel to Israel.

I knew beforehand that getting through security and passport control was going to be quite tricky for a number of reasons:

the long queues at the passport control

1. Israel is one of the most politically volatile places on the planet because of its longstanding feud with its neighboring Arab countries and the Palestinian Authority which it controls. A week before my visit, West bank sent some missiles.

2. This country is a haven for Filipino workers and there are lots of workers posing as tourists.

All my pre-arrival fears were starting to come true after my stop-overs in Hong Kong and Zurich, Switzerland.

In Hong Kong, there were minimal problems knowing that it is a major tourist destination for Filipinos since there is no visa required.

But in Switzerland, all Arab-looking passengers were set aside and were screened thoroughly. I also experienced tighter scrutiny not as a potential danger, but as a potential immigrant. In the end, I got a free pass.

It was when I finally landed at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv-Yafo when all my weird experiences began.

As soon as I got out of the airplane, not a minute passed before two Israeli immigration agents approached me. Out of the more than 200 passengers on that plane, I think that only three people were approached outside the plane.

Everyone else was staring at us and I felt a bit humiliated.

arrival hall at Ben Gurion airport

The Israeli agent asked the usual questions. Why Israel? What are you going to do here? Where are you staying. Those easy questions, I handled very well. But when she dug deeper, I felt cold sweat trickle down my face.

Why are you traveling alone? How Long are you staying? How much money do you have? Do you know anyone in particular in Israel? She asked for the specific place I was staying and directions on how to get there. All the while, she was looking at my passport, certificate of employment, and she was also staring intently to my eyes.

After 10 minutes or so, I think after she was convinced that I was a legitimate tourists, she finally let me go.

Then came the further scrutiny at the passport control.

The agent informed me off the bat that Israeli is a good destination for workers. And that most Filipino tourists who visit are part of a tour. Solo travelers from the US and Europe are quite common but not so common among Filipinos. I was gonna argue but decided to just keep quiet.

I asked for a separate stamp, since I read that Arab countries do not let travelers who have been to Israeli through.

She questioned me why, insisting that she can cross the border easily even with her Israeli passport.

She asked for my ID and certificate of employment and demanded that I explain what a PR manager/media relations person does in everyday life.

She asked some of the questions asked earlier by her fellow agent and when I gave her satisfactory answers, she let me go.

She gave me an entry visa valid for three months. It was in a separate sheet of paper, which you will use to get out of the airport electronic barriers.

It was tough!!!! and it was definitely one of the strictest passport control experience I’ve ever had.

To be fair, I think they were strict to all at the passport control. But Western tourists and those belonging to travel tours got it easier.

So if you wanna visit Israel, anytime soon, you have to prepare yourself for some serious immigration security.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

After several connections and a lot of travel time, I finally reached my main destination: the Holy City of Jerusalem in Israel. And the first thing I visited? The Wailing Wall.

I have long been fascinated by the wailing wall. This structure separates the Jewish and Muslim quarters in the Old City of David, but it is considered holy to all.

This is where you slip a piece of paper carrying your innermost desire/wish to the Father of the Universe. Ever since I was a child, I have wanted to touch the wall and feel the presence of God. I was hoping that once I touch it, it would answer all my questions about life, religion and other profound things.

In the days leading to my trip, I have prepared a lot of possible things I would pray for once I was finally in front of the Wall.

I considered wishing for something that would matter to a lot of people like world peace maybe, or that there be an end to famine and drought in Africa. I also considered the end of wars.

Getting to the Wailing Wall

The Old City of David in Jerusalem is a complex and really confusing network of paths alleys that connect the Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian quarters.

As discussed, the Wailing Wall or simply the western wall is located inside the Jewish quarter. The easiest way to get to the wall is by entering the Jaffa gate and traversing the labyrinth of streets and alleys inside the old city.

My advice is to arm yourself with a decent map from the information center.

Before you enter the wailing wall square, you will encounter a checkpoint and you will be searched for suspicious items and metals. There are lots of time when you should question the necessity of checkpoint. This is not one of them. Due to religious and political sensitivities, they have to conduct a thorough check of all people entering the square.

After the checkpoint, its smooth sailing from there.

Around the square, there are bible scholars everywhere. You’ll spot them easily. There is also an information booth where you can learn about the wall’s tumultuous history. You will get you white cap from the booth as well.

If you want a more subdued and quiet atmosphere, go to the wall earlier in the morning and avoid Shabbat since most tourists and Christians take the relaxed atmosphere as an opportunity to visit the place.

As I’ve said, I have dreamed of visiting the wall for so long and thought of heroic, dramatic wishes to make.

But as soon as I touched it, all my prepared script vanished into the air. The moment I touched it, I instantly fell the presence of something Holy and it reached out into my heart, making me wish what my heart ultimately desires.

I prayed for the speedy recovery of someone really important to me. I prayed that she be given more time with me and with our family. If possible, I prayed to God that she recovers speedily and gain back the confidence and courage to face life’s challenges. I prayed that she discovers her real self.

And I pray for her to be happy.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

The immigration officer gave me a head to toe appraisal, and nodded in approval.

“Yes, you look like an average tourist, but nevertheless, we cannot let you pass,”, he said firmly and with finality.

It was a Saturday and I was trying to cross the Arava border from Israel to Jordan.

I’ve been trying to reason with Jordanian immigration office to let me cross the border without a visa for the better part of an hour, showing them numerous printed articles reporting that Filipinos can indeed cross this border, provided that I stop in the business town of Aqaba in Jordan first, before proceeding with any further travel within Jordan.

At that point, all my dreams of seeing Petra and Wadi Rum were fading along with the dessert sun. It also broke my heart when I realized that all hotel and adventures fees I paid for my Jordan trip will all go to waste.

Adding insult to injury, the Jordanian government had no choice but to ask me peacefully to walk the the half kilometer gap between Jordan and Eilat, Israel.

I couldn’t hide my shame and disappointment as the immigration officials in Tel Aviv questioned me about my sudden turn-around. My situation was indeed suspicious and it led to a more thorough security check (they emptied my bag, bodysearched me).

It was official. My first-ever trip to the Middle East was a bust and all the highs I’ve experienced during earlier days while roaming around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were overshadowed by this disappointing incident.

I hastily took the first available bus and went back to Tel Aviv, obviously heartbroken and short on funds.

Little did I know, that my fate would turn 180 degrees with a little help from a very generous guy from Tel Aviv.

BoatSurfing in Tel Aviv

I blew my budget on a rushly booked hostel back in the city. I had to skip meals just to stretch my budget and make it last for another three days, before my scheduled flight back to Manila.

Without any expectations, I posted an emergency request on Couchsurfing and within minutes, Elad, a super cool guy, sent by the heavens, offered me a night’s stay at his place.

After an exchange of information and after some chat, we agreed to meet along the Tel Aviv Marina.

All along, I thought that we would be meeting there and we would then proceed to his house. Understand that the marina, is quite near other busier districts of Tel Aviv.

When my host finally appeared, he shocked with me the news that I would indeed be staying inside his boat, “the Grand Illusion”.

Parked at the Tel Aviv Harbor, the boat looked average from outside, Inside though, it can accommodate 3-4 people at the same time, There were bunks at the opposite side of the boat, a kitchen, a study table, and a master’ bedroom.

On that day, Elad was scheduled to accommodate two guys arriving from Slovakia and only offered to host me given my circumstance, which I really appreciated.

This situation, gave me the chance to try out a super cool activity, I never would have experienced otherwise: sleeping on the boat roofdeck, while floating in the Mediterranean, under billions of shiny stars.

The two Slovakians took the bunk beds inside and Elad obviously needed the master bedroom. So I volunteered to sleep under the stars. It was March and the temperatures were dropping to as low as 8-10 degrees Celsius and it couldn’t be more perfect for me.

Sleeping on the roofdeck, inside my handy sleeping bag, the slow rolling waves were gently swaying the boat and it gave me peace.

Staring at the midnight sky, I had the chance to look back on the past days: my fun nights in the city and my ordeal at the border.

Those long hours of introspection gave me the chance to put things in perspective and appreciate the blessings that have come my way.

I realized then, that perhaps, fate postponed my Jordan adventure so I can slow down and enjoy things more. Fate gave me the chance to stop and look back on the amazing sights I’ve seen in the country, the great people I’ve met along the way. I also had a further appreciation on the inherent goodness of people, even those whom you’ve just recently met.

I was supposed to stay for only one night, but it then became three days and two nights. Along the way, I became friends with my host Elad, and became friends with the two Slovakians. Maybe it was their fun personalities or maybe it’s just hard to be strangers in a such a small, contained space.

I also grew accustomed to the life on a sailboat.

Every morning, I would jump down the sailboat using only a metal step attached to the starboard, and then trek to the Marina office to take a shower in the communal, public baths (no heater).

I would jog around the marina and sit down along the harbor as slowly, more and more people head down to the marina and then into the warm embrace of the Mediterranean. Sunets are typically gorgeous in Tel Aviv and the sunsets at the Marina were made especially sweeter by couples (gay and straight strolling down the beach, while holding hands).

Life on a sailboat is a simple one, I have come to realize. Everything you will ever need, you can find inside the boat or they are closeby.

When I first realized I would be staying on a boat, I honestly had some reservations especially about he lack of comfort items and familiar amenities, and they were proven justified. But after three days, all those reservations vanished and I realized that life on a sailboat can actually be a great adventure. All you need to do, is be more open to the simpler side of life.

Yes, my plans for Jordan fell through. But that might have been fate’s plan after all. If not for that ordeal, I wouldnt have experience this unique and amazing joy of living in a sailboat.