Planning A Trip To The Other Side Of The World

So back in September I applied, along with my twin sister and younger brother, for a Birthright Trip to Israel. It's a really incredible opportunity for young Jews to visit, and it's the sort of chance I probably never would have had otherwise. All three of us were accepted and are taking that trip together. It just so happens that we're leaving in less than three weeks.

Unfortunately, because of a lot of political stuff and unrest I do not want to talk about, I wasn't really sure if the trip was still going to happen or not, so I held off on a lot of planning. The entire ten days we get to spend in Israel are completely organized for us, but I wanted to stay longer and visit a neighbouring country or too, and take full advantage of my plane ticket to the other side of the world. I didn't actually book the extension though, until earlier this week.

We were supposed to come back January 6th 2013, but while my siblings are, I'm not coming back until the 20th. Instead, I'm taking a detour to Istanbul, Bahrain, and hopefully Dubai and Oman (though those last two haven't had plane tickets booked yet). I bought my Turkish Air tickets today after I got confirmation that my extension on my Israel ticket had been confirmed. So now I'm all set to go. Except for the fact that I haven't planned anything.

Luckily, my best friend Laala happens to live in Bahrain, which is my reason for visiting, and I can rely on her for lots of organization and ideas. She also spent five days in Istanbul earlier this year, so she's already recommended a hostel and I plan to get as much information out of her as I can. Still, this is the first time I've ever taken such a massive trip, and the fact that I'll be traveling for nearly a month is both nerve-wracking and exciting. So while there probably won't be any blog updates while I'm away, I can promise lots and lots of photos when I get back.

Oh, and just to quell any jealousy you might feel, my current journey home (from the 19th to the 20th of January) looks like this:

Bahrain -> Istanbul -> Tel Aviv -> Toronto -> Halifax

And as excited as I am, I'm tired just looking at that two day journey. Traveling to the other side of the world is incredible, but I wish there were a way to orb myself home. It's the wrong kind of science for me, but somebody should definitely get on it.