You can find my “short and sweet” trip updates by clicking the purple “Listen Now” button above, accompanied by a few recent photos and captions of my trip below 😊
In case you missed any previous posts, you can find them here:
https://noahbelkin.substack.com/archive
Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement, endless support, and for following me along this journey. It means the world to me to be able to share my adventures with all of you!
Sending big hugs from the Middle East ❤️ Noah
Dubai’s “famous” Photo Frame. A pure tourist attraction with not much utility (like many parts fo the city) 🤳
Inspired by the Blue Mosque in Istanbul (which we went to back in July! ) The Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque is one of the first mosques to open its doors to non-Muslims
To enter the mosque, they provide thawbs for the men and head coverings for the women. Pretty comfy, I must admit 👌
Dubai’s Museum of the Future is inscribed with calligraphic quotes from the ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The void in the middle is intended to represent the unknown of the future, with 7 floors of show space that is constantly being updated with new exhibits 💡🤔
While the Burj Khalifa is currently the tallest building in the world (just over half a mile high), there are multiple projects under construction that will soon surpass it in Saudi Aarabbi, Malaysia, and China. A constant battle of the fragile egos of the world’s dictatorial elites. Sounds like they might be overcompensating for something 😉
Views of the Burj Khalifa at various times of the day are pictured below. 163 stories high 😮
Very captivating light show, performed nightly 👀
Views from the observation deck - 148 stories in the sky 🌆
Since I was not legally permitted to work, I had no choice but to relax by the beach and eat falafel all day long 😎
The airport has some great pictures of the early days of Tel Aviv
Known as Israel’s founding father, David Ben-Gurion, was born in the Russian Empire and moved to Palestine in 1906 to help build the state of Israel
Pictures below of our family trip to Israel and Jordan in 2009, when we went to visit Aaron on his gap year between Berkeley High and Washington University, St. Louis
Taking a few funny photos at a Kibbutz we visited
Views from the top of Masada
We were lucky to be joined by my cousin Saadi (who also joined us on our family trip to Brazil a few years later). This was one of my most memorable and meaningful family trips ❤️
Aaron and I enjoying the workout equipment on the Tel Aviv beach! The same machines are still there today with many more public gyms having been added since
A rare sighting of “Crown Prince Aaron” spotted in Petra, Jordan
Views of the Tel Aviv skyline from Jaffa
The Jaffa clock Tower, built of limestone, was constructed to commemorate the Israelis killed in the battle for the town in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War
Local Israelis playing soccer on the promenade of Tel Aviv beach ⚽
Footvolley (volleyball played without using your hands) is a very common beach sport in Tel Aviv (as well as Rio). It is quite exciting to watch. You can see some of the action here
Like Rio, Tel Aviv is truly a beach city 🏖️
Of the 36,000 McDonalds locations in the world, there are only a few dozen that don't serve bacon or cheeseburgers and adhere to strict Kosher laws. Sixty-four of those are in Israel. And the only other happened to be right in the neighborhood we stayed in Buenos Aires back in April! 🍔🍟🙅♂️🥓
The very cool artsy neighborhood of Florentin
With over 20 flavors of Halva ( a delicious flaky, dense, tahini and nut-based desert) to choose from, I had to consult with my childhood Tehiya Day School friends for advice. This was one of hundreds of delicious offerings at Camel Market - the largest shuk in Tel Aviv. Below are a few bites from my culinary exploration 🤗
At the advice of my childhood best friend, I sampled some of the best Shakshuka in Israel, and possibly the world. (Thanks Yaeir!)
The hummus and falafel in Israel from any random food vendor are on a different level than anywhere else I’ve traveled to. Similar to NYC Pizza. You need to be at least pretty good to stay in business 👍 😋
Freshly fried falafel balls made by a very friendly orthodox Jewish man at Camel market. I asked him to make it extra spicy for me 🌶️
Chicken schnitzel on Challah bread definitely hit the spot
I came across this interesting sand face during my evening beach stroll
Ben Gurion besides being the first Prime Minister of Israel, and one of the key people to establish the state of Israel in 1948, was an avid practitioner of Yoga - commonly spotted on the beach in a handstand position 🧘♂️
Share this post