Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Jerusalem - The New Imperial Hotel is very near to the Jaffa Gate but I walked around the Jerusalem wall to the New Gate towards Church of the Hotel Sepulcher.   The most holy site for Christianity as recognised as the burial site of Jesus.

New Gate entrance

This is the entrance to the Church of Holy Sepulcher, there were many tourist around this famous Church.

Stone of Annointing

The Stone of Unction, also known as the Stone of Anointing, is the place where Christ' body was laid down after being removed from the crucifix and prepared for burial. He was anointed and wrapped in shrouds as the Jews customarily prepared their dead for burial at the time.

Pilgrims queuing to worship at Calvary

Calvary

Golgotha, also called Calvary in Latin, is usually said to be connected to the traditional site of Christ's Crucifixion, now in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem.

Holy Sepulcher

The Holy Sepulcher has two rooms – one holds the Angel's Stone, believed to be a fragment of the stone that sealed Jesus's tomb, the other is the tomb of Jesus. After the 14th century, a marble plaque over the tomb now protects it from further damage caused by flocks of pilgrims.

Dinner at Roots Restaurant - Jerusalem

Jerusalem - Recommended by the hotel reception, 2 restaurants that is near the hotel and I went to Roots Restaurant for my dinner.   It looks empty but the waiter told me to go inner as the Brazil vs Croatia game is playing.   There were a table of 2 men watching the game and told me 'it's extra time'.  I said "thank you".

I order their he Entrecôte (which is the rib eye) and it was good.

My steak

I ordered medium rare and it was tasty and tender with lots of greens and very nicely cooked potatoes.  Enjoyed this meal but did not enjoy watching Brazil most their match and out of World Cup.

First trip to the Holy Land - Jerusalem

 Jerusalem - The Emirates flight took off on time and it was a smooth journey to Dubai with a connecting flight to Tel Aviv.   The flight arrived in Dubai on time and there was an Emirates lady with a sign to bring me to my gate.   In the future, 1hr layover is too short for the connecting flight - at least 2hrs would be good.

Jerusalem means 'City of Peace' and Mount Zion is where Jerusalem sits.  Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the wold and considered a holy city by 3 major religions - Christianity, Judaism and Muslim.  Also both Israel and Palestine claim it as their capital.   Today,  the city walls define the Old City, which has been traditionally divided into four-quarters—known since the early 19th century as the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim quarters. The Old City became a World Heritage Site in 1981.

There are many taxi touts at the airport - their taxi apps of Uber and Gett is basically useless as the taxi drivers will call and ask you to pay cash, otherwise they will not take you.   These touts will walk up to you "you want taxi", "where are you going", and when I say I am taking a taxi from app - he said "good luck".  At first, I did not understand why until - I got into a Gett taxi and since I am paying cash - he cancelled my booking and told me the price is NIS 350 (which is about S$ 152.  

There is even a big news in Israel on taxi rip offs. 

My booked hotel is New Imperial Hotel, the new is a misnomer as there is nothing new about it.   There are flight of stairs to my room for USD 180 /night.

my room

Cupboard

The cupboard was blocked by the dressing table - so cannot open the cupboard doors to hang my clothes.  

Ceiling of the room

Octave Rooftop Bar & Lounge

Bangkok - At the top of Bangkok Marriott on the 45th floor is the Octave Rooftop Bar & Lounge that provide a spectacular view of downtown Bangkok.   You can feel the cool breeze of the night and bright city light down below.   

The service is really slow at the Octave Bar - looks like short handed up on this bar.

Ascott Bangkok @ Sukumvit

Maguro Sushi @ Siam Square

Bangkok - Our last dinner before heading back to Singapore.   Let's do sushi and to this famous Maguro restaurant in Bangkok.  Delicious sushi and sashimi dish.  

Maguro set

Chawanmushi

Wat Tham Suea (Tiger Cave temple)

Kanchanaburi - The Tiger Cave Temple, locally known as Wat Tham Suea, to reach the summit - we had to climb the 157 steep steps. 

157 steps up to the summit

At the hilltop, you will see the largest Buddha Image situated in the out-door area. This largest Buddha image, and was built in 1973. This Buddha image is about 18 meters high and 10 meters wide.

Beautiful view from the top

 

Willy, Lesley and I from the beautiful summit 

Hellfire Pass - Poppy remembrance day

Kanchanaburi - The Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre and Memorial Walking Trail was built and is maintained by the Australian Government. Opened 25 April 1998 and refurbished and rededicated on 12 December 2018, it's dedicated to the allied prisoners of war and Asian labourers who suffered and died at Hellfire Pass and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region during World War II.  

Poppy remembrance day

More than 60,000 Allied prisoners worked on the railway.  In 1946, the Allied War graves registration unit concluded that approximately 12,500 lost their lives, includes some 6300 British, 2800 Australia, 2500 Dutch and tens of thousands of Romusha (paid conscripted labourer).

Entrance to Hellfire pass

Hellfire Pass was 'lost' in the jungle for many years after 1945 and was rediscovered only in the 1980s. After World War II, most of the Burma-Thailand railway was dismantled.   The name 'Hellfire Pass' came from the appalling working conditions at the around this site.

Pathway down to the Hellfire pass

The Thais kept a 130km section of the railway operating in the south, but the rest of the railway, including Hellfire Pass (Konyu Cutting), disappeared beneath agricultural land, jungle and a major reservoir near the border with Myanmar (formerly Burma).  

Relics' of the railway, such as sleepers and rails were collected, and stairs were built down the steep slope from the road.

However, in the 1980s, Australian ex-prisoners started to return to Thailand. Like many veterans, they felt the need, as they grew older, to revisit the sites where they had felt such intense experiences 40 years earlier.

'Although it was not easy to locate, they found Hellfire Pass, full of tangled undergrowth.

Burma - Thailand railway for those that died building this railway