Mar Musa

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So after leaving here I went and met up with Jillian and went to a cafe where there is a 'traditional' Arabic storyteller. Met up with Tiana (Finnish) and Pascal. It was very dramatic though I dont really know what was going on - lots of loud bangs and teary eyes being made!!

We then went for supper up the road from the hotel and I was starving! It was a selection of Mezze but they were not traditional we had a couple of dips, jacket potatoes and other veges in a tomatoey sauce, Aubergines and so on - yummy!!

Went to bed and woke up ready for my monastic adventure!! Packed a small bag and bought some food for a picnic lunch. Jillian and I then got a taxi to the bus station where we had a slightly surreal encounter as we tried to find buses to Nabk and on finding the service minibus we had to surrender our passports before being taken to various police people!! Anyhow on board the bus we set of on what was to be a pretty boring journey lots of hills that looked pretty similar to each other and a surreal number of fir trees. Anyhow we agreed to pay the microbus driver 300 Syp to take us as far he could to Mar Musa and so off we trundled.

On arriving there we walked up a short distance before getting our picnic lunch out Bread and processed cheese yum! We walked on with the occasional stop for breath and to take in the view and eventually arrived at the monastry whereupon we had to go through the smallest door I have ever laid eyes on - I was pretty much bent double whilst going through it.

There were quite a few people up there and we sat and relaxed before being shown to where we were sleeping - A massive room with about ten bunk beds in it was to be home and we were informed that Meditation started at 7:30 followed by Mass. We decided to go for a walk and walked up the wadi where me met a friendly wild dog!! Who followed us for quite a while. The monastery is building a new visitors section so we walked over there before finding a path that led us up to the top of one of the mountains whereupon we encountered some of the other visitors. Sitting looking at the valley below was very peaceful and we headed back to the main area in time for meditation.

The chapel was stunning with a number of painted wall frescoes anyhow it was all conducted in silence after an initial prayer in Arabic - it was quite dark as it was all done by candlelight so in some ways it was quite eery. After Mass again in Arabic it was suppertime - before this we were told that the fuel had run out and so the generator was working on a limited battery supply. This meant that everything following supper would be conducted by candlelight - due to the height it was freezing cold and so wrapped up in jumpers/blankets/pashmina's we looked a true rag tag bunch!!

Getting dressed and into bed in candlelight was interesting but quite fitting as well in some ways the monastry is very modern and yet it harks back to the mediaval ages in others.

Monday

Waking up around 7 we finally emerged from our room shortly after 8 whereupon we walked down to the kitchen area to help with washing up and getting breakfast ready. The base of the meal was the same - bread, Mar Musa goats cheese, homemade jam, olive oil and zaatar. At supper there was a warm item like soup as well. Once Brekkie had been cleared away vegetables for lunch were brought out - peeling and chopping them worked well although no one seemed to know exactly what was being cooked!! In the midst of this the first 'tour group' arrived and there was to be a continuous procession throughout the day.

My hour is up so I shall continue this tomorrow

xx

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