Day 5: Te Anau to Wanaka via Queenstown

You may be wondering why we travel in a loop and don’t rush to all places. Some context might help: we’ve traveled in the South Island four times already and have pretty much explored all the places. This time around, we only wanted to visit two places: Milford Sound and Mount Cook. These two are my favorites, especially Mount Cook. With a young kid, we also didn’t want to exhaust ourselves with long driving times, as tiredness can quickly elevate anxiety.

The magic of travel lies in the unexpected moments. These photos were captured during a toilet break near Lowburn Harbour Camping site, close to Cromwell. The interplay of light and water, coupled with John’s research paper (which extended our breaks as he finalized it during the first half of our journey), unveiled this natural beauty.

Day 6: Wānaka to Mt Cook via Lindis Pass

We are traveling from Central Otago to the Mackenzie Basin via Lindis Pass. We’ve seen this alpine area of tall, tussock-covered mountains in every season, but we can’t resist taking more pictures each time. This time, we did a little more—exploring the undulating terrain by walking on the slope for half an hour. The view is splendid.

Tip 10: Although there are no formally marked tracks in the Lindis Conservation Area, everyone is welcome to explore the undulating terrain. It’s also possible to walk, mountain bike or horse ride across private land to the Lindis River via Smiths Creek. This route begins is on the Tarras side of the pass – look for the parking area.Remember that this is an exposed alpine area and the weather can be unpredictable. Ensure you carry warm, windproof clothing and appropriate footwear.

As we passed through Twizel, the largest town in the Mackenzie region, we made a stop at High Country Salmon to buy a few fillets for tonight’s dinner. We know our favorite place just around the corner—White Horse Hill Campground, where we’ll be camping tonight.

Dinner was fulfilling, and the view was just unbeatable! We even watched the moon rise. As night approached, the sky and the mountains revealed their mystery and romance.

Good night and sweet dreams! Tomorrow is going to be a big day!

To be continued…

這個距離我家開車不到十分鐘的步道每次到訪都會有驚喜。這次的陽光毫不吝嗇的灑在每一處，讓那個性張揚的惠靈頓大風悄悄退去。天際線那些殘留的灰藍絲毫不影響牛兒們的胃口，不徐不疾，它們吃的歡暢，我看的痛快。

I must say camping further down south in a winter month with the little man is a new set of challenges (I regretted this trip on several occasions during the first couple of days of our journey). As new parents we certainly are very brave, lack of experience but luckily our journey continues. We thought we’d give a few tips for anyone considering a similar adventure while the laughter and pains are still fresh.

1: Be mentally prepared, do not be ambitious, take easy especially for the very first couple of days.

The first three days was very tough for us, we need to familiarise with the van, Ryan needs to adjust his surroundings, mum needs to set a new system to get things organised. There was no energy left for any driving more than 2 hours. We made couple of mistakes causing bit of frustration and an elevated anxiety. So keep the focus on setting up camper’s system for the first couple of days.

2: keep sane in a small place

Dad did a fair bit of research on this ahead of booking our van. We chose glider 4 from Wildness motor home rentals because it has a large living area with rear and front lounges. During day time rear lounge is Ryan’s play area (bonus: because of its unique setting Ryan practiced his standing pose and even started practicing walking!) and during the night time it fits a travel cot perfectly. We closed the rear lounge door with the white noise on, Ryan is sound sleeping for most of nights!

In a small living area, it is essential to have a system (i.e. everything has a place). When everything has a place, it makes a small area much nicer to live in.

3: Schedule driving times, happy times and nap times

We spent almost a week to establish our camper daily routine! 2 to 3 hours daily driving time is an ideal for everyone. 4 is definitely stretched! Ryan naps twice a day. We schedule our driving times around when Ryan is due to morning nap. We always have decent lunchtime and afternoon nap stops (often 2 to 3 hours) as everyone needs to be recharged.

The most important point is arriving campsite before 4:30pm, we can leisurely enjoy the views, cooking dinner, playing with the little fella, and setting up for his sleep around 7:30.

4: Plan where you camp (but embrace the spontaneity!)

This is an another learning for us. We naively thought we can just follow the Sun because we are driving a camper van. Itinerary is for those travellers need accommodations. It is WRONG WRONG WRONG! A detailed itinerary with consideration of little man’s daily routine, scenic viewpoints, activities and each night’s campsite is compulsory. Plus there are so many errands are time consuming but are necessary such as filling up petrol and water, clearing grey water and changing gas bottle.

Think generally about where to pull in when you stop – where your back window faces (a good view is everything), particularly where the sun sets or rises (nice views during meals makes even a roadside lay-by pretty special). Also try and park near the water and electricity when you’re in a proper campsite.

Temperature is still a potential issue in a van during night time. Layers are key for the baby and parents.

5: Make the most of it!

It took me almost 10 days to enjoy the trip completely. In this quiet night, dwelling on the past 10 days, I think I was tensed up and not be able to enjoy and relax. My little fella will get dirty, we will choose the wrong route and campsite, the van will be little bit problematic and required a workshop visit, so what! Those episodes are part of our journey, embrace it and relax!

It may take a few days (and a few arguments) to get into a routine and feel comfortable, but you will find your feet with it. As long as you’re careful, it’s all totally feasible, and being able to park up in the great outdoors with an awesome view, stargazing besides Mt cook, and new sights every day will be something that changes your baby and their outlook for life.

Church of Holy Sepulchre- centuries of tradition and gaudy decorations cover up the impact of the historical event

The Scriptures testify to the empty tomb of Jesus the Messiah and His bodily resurrection from the dead.  The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been overlayed with centuries of construction, damage from wars; the Crusades; earthquake damage, lots of church building and ornate and elaborate decoration, and gaudy statuary and idolatry, in order to mark spots of certain events surrounding the crucifixion of Christ, to accommodate pilgrims.

Several different church communities are in charge of different areas of the church today.

人生必去一次的聖墓教堂 Church of Holy Sepulchre

http://www.generationword.com/jerusalem101/52-holy-sepulcher.html

We went to the Church twice. The first time we went there, inevitably we waited nearly an hour and half to visit the tomb. After the visiting we decided to come here early in the morning to get closer look not to the tomb but the other parts of the complex. The next day we went to the Church early about 7:00am the line visiting the tomb was almost the same. Pilgrims around the World, with the elaborate decorations, statues and icons of Jesus and Mary; lamps, candles, and external worship and kissing of artifacts and bowing to statues. I said to Yunhan that it is not right all truly go against the Biblical principle in John 4:19-24.

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Well undeniable the architecture here is really impressive despite the gaudy decorations. Some cross marks left during crusades time, Helena’s Church, story of Adam Church underneath Calvary, centre of the universe, place where three Mary standing…… there are so many biblical stories and fine details to trace and discover. Even for the second time visit, we spent another good two hours there.

They we went to the Garden tomb where the most Protestants believe the venue is the place that was expressed in the Gospel accounts. Well standing in the beautiful and tranquil surroundings, I am thinking the actual place is not so important anymore. We are neither an archaeologist nor historian, something we can never fully comprehend, therefore we can neither prove its existence nor fiction. Believe is all we need to do.

The Temple Mount (Haram Al-Sharif)

Arguably the most holy place in the city. It has major significance to all 3 religions (Islam – The rock under the dome is where the Prophet Muhammad left Earth to visit heaven on a winged horse during his night journey in the 7th Century; Judaism – the Temple Mount was the location of the the First Temple built by King Solomon in 957 BC to house the Ark of the Covenant (which held the Ten Commandments) in a special room called “The Holy of Holies”; and Christianity – where Jesus prayed daily & later preached with his disciples).

Today on the Temple Mount complex, 2 important Islamic structures, the most dazzling building in Jerusalem Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Although Israel took control of the Old City in 1967, but Muslims continue to manage the site. And that makes the site is a controversial & culturally significant place.

Maybe it was in the morning, so called Airport level security check above the Wailing wall access wasn’t so scary however I have been asked to put on the cotton wrap to enter the site.

Surprisingly we saw a group of Jews guarded by armed Israeli soldiers visiting the site. Later on we knew the Jews can visit the site with permission but can’t pray there. Well, with the group of Jews and armed soldiers, there is definitely tension in the air, but it didn’t feel overly dangerous. I was thinking can religious conflicts be avoided. I remembered my bible study teacher said we live in this world but not of the world. We can and have to live in this world, enjoy/suffer God’s creation, but we are not to immerse ourselves in what the world values, nor are we to chase after worldly pleasures. If our goal is to worship God and shed lights in someway to others, then the religious conflict should be avoided at least to Christians. Or it can’t be avoided because we are unique in our ways and we have our own convictions based on our upbringing that becomes a factor in the foundation of our development. In every belief even within the same religion, there is a either large or small contradiction (胡思亂想中）

Mount of Olives

【耶路撒冷景點懶人包】橄欖山半日遊：升天教堂、主禱文教堂、橄欖山觀景台、先知墓、主泣教堂、猶太墓、客西馬尼園、萬國教堂、童女馬利亞墓、抹大拉的瑪利亞教堂

The most expensive Jewish Cemetery is there they all wish when the judgement day comes they will come out of their resting places then into the holy town. With religious beliefs and traditions we all can easily find a purpose to live in this world of contentment and not afraid of physical death.

Mount Zion

【耶路撒冷景點懶人包】錫安山半日遊：雞鳴教堂、聖母安眠教堂、大衛陵寢、最後晚餐樓、(辛特勒的墓)

Church Saint-Peter in Gallicantu: luckily we were in a small sermon service in Sacred Pit (dungeon) / caves (prison), where Jesus was kept. The pastor asked people what do you feel when you are in the cave without any lights, complete darkness. Do you still believe in Jesus our God will lead us to the righteousness, to the light. Sometime we said we will and we fully understand in fact we are not. Like Peter denied three times that he knew Jesus before the rooster crows. I am thinking only with the gratification and appreciation, we can be less self centred then we can slowly understand what is true love!

“Jews may often be seen sitting for hours at the Wailing-place bent in sorrowful meditation over the history of their race, and repeating often times the words of the Seventy-ninth Psalm. On Fridays especially, Jews of both genders, of all ages, and from all countries, assemble in large numbers to kiss the sacred stones and weep outside the precincts they may not enter” Charles Wilson, 1881.

Kotel, Western wall, Wailing wall:

Watching Jewish prayer and pilgrimage meditating on this 187 foot exposed section of the ancient wall and placing written prayer into a crevice of the wall is an experience cannot be felt by the words in any textbook or YouTube clips.

What is special about Western wall?

The wall has withstood time and has witnessed war and peace. Long before the first temple was built, Abraham came here to sacrifice his son Isaac, and Jacob slept here, dreaming of a ladder to heaven.

Then called Mount Moriah, its summit was where Solomon built the First Temple on the land that his father King David bought from Aravnah, the Jebusite, 3,000 years ago. Then the Babylonians destroyed it in 586 BC. and the Jews were expelled from the land of Israel. They were allowed to return 70 years later and built the Second Temple.

King Herod (who ruled 37-4 BC) decided to rebuild that in 19 BC. He had a problem, though: the Temple was on the peak of a mountain where there was limited space. Herod, who was known for huge building projects (such as the port at Caesarea, and his palace at Masada), decided to build four massive supporting walls around the mountain and transform it into a level platform. Which he did, and built the next Temple on the new platform. And inside the temple was the holy of the holies, It contained only the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of Israel’s special relationship with God.

In 70 AD, during the Jewish rebellion against the Romans, Jerusalem was conquered and the Temple destroyed.

After the rebellion, Jews were not allowed to return to the Temple mound and the Kotel (Western Wall) was the closest they could come to that area. The Western Wall is the most sacred, because the Temple (and its inner Holy of Holies) had been built closest to that wall. Since then, the Western Wall has been the center of Jewish belief. For Jews, touching the stones links them with their nation and heritage, and their long turbulent history.

Western wall tunnel: highly recommended

Like the tip of an iceberg, the Western Wall plaza represents only a small part of the whole picture. Most of the Kotel lies buried beneath the rubble of time and hasn’t seen the light of day for centuries. The tunnel exposes a total length of 485 m of the wall, revealing the methods of construction and the various activities in the vicinity of the Temple Mount.

From first temple to second temple to later bazentine period and crusade time, the complex hadn’t been destroyed, on the contrary you can easily find two walls next to each other but thousand years apart. How fascinating it is! Our guide joked that recycling was not invented recently, actually 2000 years ago.

Every wall must have two sides – The Jewish Archeological Park

Another spectacular site to see how magnificent the wall it is and trace some visible signs of previous market places, arches and pavement which had been later on destroyed by the Romans.

It is a pretty much wall sights seeing day also overwhelmed with so much history concentrated in one place, we were quietly sitting in the staircases between its timeless stones and enjoyed the sunset over Mount Zion.

“The truth is that Bethlehem, the ‘little town’ venerated during Christmas, is one of the most contentious places on Earth.” – Michael Finkel

Part 1: Church of the Nativity – a typical shopping mall the day before Christmas experience.

It was not a peaceful place and nothing like the scene I imagined the day that Christ was born. With the huge lines, people pushing their way forward, I now understand where the hustles and bustles of the Christmas holidays come from nowadays.

Joke aside, we actually thoroughly googled everything we need to know about the Church. How it has survived 14 centuries of conquests by Persians, Byzantines, Muslims, Crusaders, Ottomans, Jordanians, Brits and Israelis. How the front door was lowered and how everything is magically planned by our God.

After nearly an hour waiting and emerging ourselves from all the pilgrims from around the world, we were excited to see the actual birthplace of our Lord. When we were in the cave, I was wondering maybe the waiting, the hustles and bustles is part of God’s plan, to teach us how to quiet ourselves in the midst of chaos.

Part 2: How ironic that the birthplace of the Prince of Peace is in fact a veritable prison.

We planned to leave Bethlehem before 6:00pm, with the huge line and few detours on our first stop, we only have an hour and bit. Without hesitation, we took the cab to the Separation wall and Banksy’s Graffiti work.

Yes you read number of articles about the wall but nothing like you were truely there. I just feel sad. A Palestinian born within the city limits has the mathematical possibility of never being able to legally live the city. Bethlehem does not just feel like a prison, it is a prison! I truely puzzled this time, is this a part of God’s plan?

Part 3: Walking toward the check point

I am fairly sure the alley towards the check point is safe but I am sacred especially only two of us walking on the street while others either taking private vehicles or buses and some palestine peddler yelling “你好”.

Some unlucky ones have been thoroughly checked and inspected by soldiers like the older couple in front of us. When we were cleared and passed the check point, just in time bus 234 is right there. I feel safe and relieved but the sadness kept lingering in my mind until now.

Route 90 is the longest Israel and Palestinian road, at about 480 kilometres (300 mi), and stretches from Metulla and the northern border with Lebanon, along the western side of the Sea of Galilee,through the Jordan Ricer Valley, along the western bank of the Dead Sea (making it the world’s lowest road), through the Araban valley, and until Eilat and the southern border with Egypt on the Red Sea.

I have never had any safety concerns until one particular statement on a post caught my eye: “在公路上，若不幸遭到恐攻，以色列政府也會賠償的” as we are driving in the darkness – 4am in the morning with poor visibility, my heart was rising until the first sight of Dead Sea in early dawn.

Dead Sea at dawn

The moment I saw the first ray of sun breaks through the cloud and has risen over the Jordanian mountains, I cried, felt and knew where the heaven is.

Masada shall not fall again

This ancient city was built by “Jonathan the High priest”, at least according to Josephus. It was ruled by King Herod, who was the King of Judea. It was an ancient Roman style fortress. It features not just the palace, main fortress and living quarters but camps by the base and an assault ramp. It is believed to be the most complete surviving ancient Roman siege system in the world.

What happened here – mass suicide: Masada was the last remaining Jewish rebel stronghold in Judea in the year 73 AD. When the Romans with their 8000 troops building camps all around the base of the mountain. One of the Jewish leaders, Eleazar Ben Yair gave speeches to the 960 people living on Masada and told them that suicide was the way forward. When the Romans came to the top these were two women and five children, who had been hiding in the cisterns. Everyone else was dead. A sad and chilling story, hard to imagine over this ruined ancient fortification, but the legacy remains in the Israeli army with the declaration “Masada shall not fall again”.

I am actually floating in the Dead Sea

Yes yes, I am actually floating and the sea water is incredible salty – verified.

Eilat is where Israelis come to relax

We finally arrived Eilat, the southern border city with Egypt and Jordan on the Red Sea. Tiring tiring tiring, it is just a transit city!

Looking forward to the next phase of this trip: Jordan

The Sea of Galilee, which is in fact a lake has so much to offer: pristine beauty, hiking trails, religious attractions, and historical sites.

Our first stop: the Mount of Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount. Followed by the site of the Feeding of the 5000; Tabgha and the German Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fish. And the Primacy of St Peter. Amazingly I am at the places where those events occurred and those are no longer just stories from my year and half bible study. If you asked me any reflections, to be honestly there was only the amazements of the Churches art value.

Those three places are the must go to places of Galilee’s religious tour. We were surrounded by many devout believers around the worlds and they are also part of the scene at least in our eyes.

We still have two more Christian sites on the list. But in between we headed to the Arbel National Park. Well it has the two elements we enjoy namely hike and the stunning view. Plus the bonus of a glimpse of history: fortress and caves actually on the cliffs. Tiring but rewarding!

Then we rushed to the Mt Tabor. At 1,900 feet above sea level, Mount Tabor (also called Mount Tavor) is believed to be the site of the transfiguration, when according to the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, Jesus took the disciples Peter, James and John to see an apparition of Moses and Elijah.

The last site is Yardenit– Here, where the Jordan River flows from the Sea of Galilee southwards to the Dead Sea, it is believed that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (“Yardenit” is the diminutive form of the name of the Jordan River in Hebrew). Standing on the shore watching scores of pilgrims wear white robes and get baptised in the same spot. Maybe the warmth of afternoon sun, maybe the atmosphere of spirituality, I somehow connected to the holy land – being happy by focusing on the eternal life, therefore so called hardship in this life becomes less important. Yes on this spot I can feel the happiness from sisters and brothers!

It is a such busy day packed with spiritual experience and fun. To finish with famous St. Peter’s fish, delicious lamb Kabab and a great variety of side dishes, today is the day!