Jeroen Bolhuis

JeroenB

Jeroen Bolhuis




Middle East » Jordan » South » Petra March 1st 2010

Visiting the last country in the list of many Almost at the end of my travel, but one highlight not to be missed in what would be the last country of this travel, the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan. To get there was quite a challenge. From Tel Aviv I went by bus to Jeruzalem and switched again to a bus to the border with Jordan. The busdriver said he would remind me where to get off. But after a hour I saw a big sign with: ‘Border crossing’ pointing to the right. The bus was not taking a turn there so I realised that the busdriver forgot to give me a signal. So I ran to the front of the bus to make it stop. He dropped me on the side of the road and I ... read more
I like this picture
Petra
The scenery of Petra

Middle East » Israel » Jerusalem District » Jerusalem February 23rd 2010

Desert, desert, desert… So from Cairo I went to Saint Catherine in the Sinai desert. It was a long ride, but the scenery was very nice. In the bus I sat next to a woman who had been to Saint Catherine many times and she new a nice place to stay. It was perfect, really a nice place where I had my own room and I met very interesting people. Because it is a sort of pilgramige destination it attract a lot of different (or maybe spiritual) people. I went the next day to Saint Catherine Monastery. It is the oldest existing monastary on the foot of mount Sinai where Moses received the ten commandments. In the monastary I saw the burning bush that spontaniously cought fire according to the Bible. When I saw it I ... read more
Inside St. Catherine Monastery
Prayers at the western wall in Jeruzalem
View over the city

Africa » Egypt » Upper Egypt February 7th 2010

Coptic Cairo From Alexandria I went back to Cairo for just one day. There I went to see the Coptic (Christian) area with my Indian friend. It took only fifteen minutes by metro to get there. There were small churches and a synagogue in a small area. Nice to walk around there and taste the atmosphere of the area. In almost all of them I went inside to have a look. Near a Greek Orthodox church I had some lunch and enjoyed the peace and quiet. So different from the other parts of Cairo. Just outside the area I saw the oldest existing mosque of Egypt. I went inside, but although old, I didn’t sense anything special about it. In the evening I went to the trainstation to get my train to Aswan. It took twelve ... read more
Abu Simbel
Karnak

Africa » Egypt » Lower Egypt » Cairo January 26th 2010

Dreams come true. Now a dream really comes true. I always wanted to visit Egypt and see the pyramids with my own eyes. From Madrid in Spain I flew to Cairo. After arriving late in the evening at the airport and negotiating about the price for a taxi I dived into the traffic of busy Cairo. The traffic is crazy. They manage to create five rows of cars next to eachother in a three lane road and there seems to be no rules. I noticed a lot of woman having the same driving style as the men. The cabdriver shouted at them to move away. Or maybe that woman shouldn’t drive, I don’t know exactly. In the back of the cab I almost choked because of the smell of petrol and burned oil. But finally I ... read more
The big pyramid up close
The Sphinx
Islamic Cairo

Europe » Spain » Andalusia January 26th 2010

To be at the right time at the right place From Tangier I went by ferry to Spain. I arrived early in the morning to buy a ticket. The man selling it to me said the boat would leave at 9.30. So after getting the exit stamp in my passport I walked towards the docks to see if I could enter the boat. But there wasn’t any. So I returned back to the ticket selling office to ask about it. He said I had to return at eleven and then he would know exactly when the boat would be there. He truly said the boat was leaving at 9.30 first, so that turned out to be a lie because he just wanted to make money. By then I really felt like wanting to leave this country. ... read more
The streets of Malaga
The Alhambra high on the hill in Granada
Inside the Alhambra

Africa » Morocco » Fès-Boulemane » Fes January 14th 2010

Escaping city life From Marrakech I went to Essouira. It is a coastal town with a more relaxed atmosphere. I enjoyed walking over the beach and exploring the old city. In contrast to my first week in Morocco I was now by myself. The combination of being in this more peaceful place just doing my own things made it a pleasant experience. After two days in Essouira I went to Rabat. First I had to take the bus to Marrakech. It is so beautiful driving through this almost biblical landscape. Most part very dry land covered with rocks and once a while someone riding on a donkey to who knows where. When we arrived in Marrakech a lot of streets were flooded because of the massive amount of rain from the last days. There I had ... read more
Inside the medina in Rabat
Fes
The way of transportation

Africa » Morocco » Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz » Marrakech January 4th 2010

Comparing cultures, cities, religions…. After a couple of weeks back in Holland it was time to be on the move again. So I packed my bag and spread my wings to the next continent. Now I am in Marocco. After arriving at the airport of Casablanca I took the train to get to the centre of the city which took me around a hour. From the train station I took a taxi to get to the hostel. Feels good to be back in a developing country, sitting in a taxi that overtakes lanes, almost bumps into other cars with his crazy driving style, but finally brings you in one piece at your destination. In Casablanca I met a guy from Israel and one from Australia. Together we went to the Hassan II Mosque. It is the ... read more
Marrakech
Hanging up the lamps

South America » Chile » Arica & Parinacota December 1st 2009

ATM’s: Again Trouble Makers After crossing the border with Chili I took the bus to San Pedro de Atacama. It is a small town and very touristy. While I was sitting at a terras in front of the restaurant having a coffee I started talking with people who were sitting on the next table. They were very friendly people from Santiago and nice to have a chat with. To escape Santiago city life and to relax they decided to stay for a week in San Pedro. Suddenly there was a girl standing next to my table. She appeared from nowhere and I was surprised. Like an angel. She was from Holland as well and later we had something to eat in a restaurant. She lived until she was eight in Columbia and then moved to Holland. ... read more
Iquique
Election time
Arica

South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Salar de Uyuni November 17th 2009

From Potosi I went to Sucre and stayed there two nights. It is three hours from Potosi by bus and a very nice town with crisp white buildings. It is funny because I noticed the confidence of the people. They are proud of their town. Usually when I search for a place to stay I look in my guidebook and pick one where I want to go. This time there was no place that responded to my interest. So when I was at the busterminal I asked the taxidriver to drop me off in the center of the city. The first place I visited was not so nice so I decided to continue my search. After a while I met the two Germans again who I have met before in Potosi and they said their place ... read more
Train graveyard
Flamingos
One of the lagoones

South America » Bolivia » La Paz Department November 13th 2009

On my way to Bolivia From Puno I took the bus to Bolivia. It was an incredible ride alongside lake Titicaca. After crossing the border I had to change buses at Copacabana. So I had a walk around and found a place to sit and chat with other travellers. It is a nice peaceful place, but my plan was to go to La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. So after a ride we finally entered La Paz and it was beautiful to see the center of the city lying there in the valley surrounded by mountains. The bus dropped me in the center of the city and I went inside the first hostel to have a look. The guy at the reception was very friendly and I liked the room. So I decided to stay here. ... read more
Let the games begin
The quiet streets at Potosi
Pure art




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