just wondering, what was it like for tourists in '67 and '73?
i was there during the last intifada (an incident occurred down a street in the capital; bystanders looking out windows; relatives were concerned, but i felt really safe, after the airport, where a guard with sunglasses and a big smile asked me questions; that was before b'nei menashe made aliyah, so i suppose i looked weird donning an orange kippah, if memory serves; there was a bomb scare at the airport; people seemed aggravated, but not scared; learned to cut the line, when i noticed people were cutting, lol; slept in on har ha'zeitim and missed the bus to beit lechem; the excursions with my Swiss buddy were arduous, but quaint; digital cameras were not around so much then; i found the arab t-shirt salesmen too eager; very reminiscent of puerto rican in-laws who tend to talk face-to-face like boxers; the youth filming in tel aviv seemed a tad shell-shocked by the vendor yelling at them and just the overall mood that evening; they let me sit with them in stunned silence and i miss giving free light shows to idf soldiers; they taught me a lesson on how to spin glowsticks; hevron during sukkot was my favorite).
honestly, just wondering because there is a collective preparing a visit in November; it's costlier than when i traveled with my buddy Theodore (he's still there, as a volunteer police officer or something; learned to play the lyre with a dash of caribbean (?). i would like my mom, especially my dad to visit; our sinit friend is going with her husband. sorta apprehensive about attending planning meetings, since i tend to go off on my own anyway. i would like to visit an elder in tzfat, though.
The filipini sounds exasperated: "different rules of engagement" is what the embassy has photographed (folk dancing, smiling), but the reality on the ground over there does not seem suitable for a shire gathering just yet. pretty amazing that they were kidnapped at least twice and were released unharmed, huh. it was amusing and their smiles and waving were cute, but it is irresponsible of the Armed Nations to risk Fijim and Filipinim Islanders, when they are no longer cultivating harmful plants (the philippines went through a process of decaying the last remnant of material, recently).
what i find interesting is that the northern regions of America and Western Europe are experiencing severity, as well as NW China.
the philippines should instead focus on regional east asian issues, especially with china, who sounds neglected.
so russia egged on assyria on those two previous occasions? that's interesting. it's also interesting that russians volunteered to assist filipinim, all "300" of them, lol, but were rejected by the Nations. what would israel like to do should be priority.
