Tag Archives: Travel

Learning hospitality from Bedouins … or Today would be a good day to be in Wadi Rum

March 31, 2014Bible, Monday Travel PostsBedouin, Bible, Hospitality, Jordan, Travel, Wadi Rummelindacousins

Monday morning and I’m back into routine, but today I’m thinking about a place about as far away as possible, in the middle of the Jordanian desert. Most tourists to Jordan visit Wadi Rum for a day, zooming through the wilderness in the back of a jeep, and I’ve done so twice in the last few years. It’s a place made famous not only because the Hollywood movie Lawrence of Arabia was filmed here, but because it is the real place British army officer T E Lawrence spent time during World War I. It’s also in the vicinity of where the Israelites travelled from Sinai to the Promised Land, and perhaps one of the easier places to imagine the kind of landscape they experienced during their wilderness wanderings.

What did I love about Wadi Rum?

Wadi Rum is a place of wide open spaces. The sandy desert is surrounded by majestic rock formations, giving a sense of being cut off from the rest of the world.

It has a breathtaking beauty in its starkness.

The colours of the sand and rocks are incredible in their diversity.

It is easy to imagine the past in a place like this, particularly as reminders of those who came before and their way of life are all around.

It is a place where the locals live simply, with many things not having changed for thousands of years.

What did I learn from Wadi Rum?

The local Bedouins welcome visitors to the area, and share something of the life they and their forebears have enjoyed in this place for centuries.

The key practice of the Bedouins that is demonstrated with simplicity and clarity is hospitality. The welcome of the stranger as a friend, the invitation to share, making what they have available with open hands.

The Bedouin honour code requires even enemies to be provided with food and shelter for three days. In such a harsh place, where survival is on the line, generosity and hospitality are shown in ways not so common in places where we have so much. Too often we think hospitality is about putting a good ‘show’ rather than genuinely inviting people to share what we have as they have need.

The Old Testament was written in this part of the world, and one of its pervasive underlying metaphors is of God as our host. The God who invites His people to eat at His table, to shelter in His dwelling place, to share His home, and to find protection in His blessing. We can miss the power of this picture if we miss the importance of hospitality to the original cultural context.

The people we met in Wadi Rum taught and reminded us of the great gift of hospitality, a gift which is not dependent on appearances, resources or wealth, but on a generous heart and a willingness to invite someone into our lives, treating them not as an alien or stranger, but a friend and neighbour.

They showed me again a picture of the love God has for me as He invites me into His family, and the love He calls me to show to my neighbours, strangers and even enemies.

Today is a nice day to be in Melbourne (apart from the weather!)

March 24, 2014Monday Travel PostsAustralia, Melbourne, Travelmelindacousins

After spending the weekend in Sydney, then teaching a class in Adelaide this morning, this afternoon I am jumping on a plane to Melbourne to speak at a conference for the next few days. I’m trying not to compare these three cities, because I love them all, and I just want to enjoy each one for what it is! Growing up in Sydney, there was often an implicit attitude that Melbourne was second-best. Now I live in Adelaide, where some people still view Melbourne as the enemy, mostly due to our seeming inferiority complex, football enmity and the “stealing” of the Grand Prix (we need to let it go Adelaide, it’s been 20 years).

Looking down the Yarra river toward the MCG

But I’m not ashamed to say that I am a fan of Melbourne. I’ve spent quite a bit of time there over the last few years due to work and study, and it has really grown on me. The city is well laid out and easy to navigate, the public transport system is reliable and extensive, and the range of food, art, sporting and other cultural options continues to grow every year. The weather is even beautiful some of the time (and not so nice other times, usually both within the same day). But even in the rain, Melbourne has plenty of charm.

Full house at the MCG for the 2006 Commonwealth Games

What do I love about Melbourne?

Melbourne has some great little laneways and arcades filled with quirky shops and hidden culinary delights. Some recent favourites for dinner include 11 Inch Pizza tucked away on Equitable Lane and the Hutong Dumpling Bar on Market Lane, and for dessert, macarons from La Belle Miette, Hardware Lane or Little Cupcakes on Degraves Street.

The old shot tower inside a modern shopping mall in the Melbourne CBD

The Queen Vic markets are always worth a weekend wander, as is the Rose St artists market in Fitzroy, which is just around the corner from the excellent Veggie Bar on Brunswick Street (I’ve taken staunch carnivores there and even they have loved it.)

Melbourne has some gems of museums, and there are often visiting exhibitions of all kinds. The modern Melbourne Museum, right next to the World Heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building in the beautiful Carlton gardens, is a lovely spot with plenty to see and learn from.

Early morning fog at the Royal Exhibition Building

At night, strolling along the Southbank precinct provides a great atmosphere for people watching with buskers and street artists, lots of places to eat and drink, and the strangely mesmerising “Gas Brigade” of timed fireballs along the river outside the Crown Casino.

And of course, Melbourne is famous for its sport. I’ve loved dropping in to the Tennis at the Australian Open, the F1 Grand Prix at Albert Park, and both AFL games and cricket matches at the MCG – they are all well worth attending if you get the chance. I’d also highly recommend the MCG tour during the day, with time to look and play in the National Sports Museum. Even for a non-sporting-fanatic, this was good fun.

Near empty MCG tour, with some of the Australian cricket team training

What have I learned from Melbourne?

Most of all, spending time in Melbourne has reminded me (as a Sydney/Adelaide person) not to judge a book by what other people say about its cover! Every place has its beauty, its charms, its lessons and its challenges. There is always something to enjoy and something to discover, wherever you go, if you are willing to look, listen and learn.

I’ve also learned that Australians will always compete with each other, and pay each other out, particularly about their home towns. We have that luxury because they are all pretty great, because we live in a country that is rich materially, as well as rich culturally due to those who have chosen to make their home here from all over the world. So it’s no surprise to me that Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne consistently rank in lists of the world’s most liveable cities. I’m grateful that I have had the privilege of exploring and enjoying all three of them. I pray that the people of my nation might grow in gratefulness for all that we have, and in generosity to share it with all those who might wish to join us in the future.

Today is a nice day to be … flying

March 18, 2014Monday Travel PostsAirports, Flying, Travelmelindacousins

I wrote this from 35,000 feet as I made my way from Adelaide to Sydney (even though it’s taken me another day to access the internet to publish it!) Unlike many people, I actually quite enjoy flying. I love going on adventures, and so heading to the airport always makes me quite happy because it usually means I am embarking on another journey full of possibilities.

The old-fashioned flight board at Frankfurt airport

But it’s more than that. I quite enjoy the actual experience of flying. People who fly a lot think that it’s just the novelty that makes you enjoy it, but with 15 international trips (106 separate flights!) in the last ten years, and about 50 domestic flights in the last 5 years, I think I qualify as something more than a naïve novice.

I even quite like airports. They are such a fascinating place for people watching, and some of the big ones around the world have plenty of things to keep you busy – I’ve enjoyed the swimming pool at Changi, wonderfully relaxing massages in Bangkok, and a nice retreat in the chapel in Athens.

What do I love about flying?

Basically, I remain impressed by the modern day miracle of flight. People have given me the logical, scientific explanations for how planes can fly, but really, I just think it’s pretty amazing.

I also quite like the fact that once you’re on a plane you are pretty much cut of from the world, forced to take a break. If I do try to read a book or do some work, I’m always amazed at how much I can get done, even in a short flight. And of course, a good in-flight entertainment system is a nice excuse to catch up on all the movies I might have missed.

And I love looking down and seeing the earth from far above – getting a sense of the scale of this world, its diverse contours and similarities all over the globe, its incredible beauty.

What have I learned from flying?

I think spending all that time cramped in with other people helps your skills in reading people – assessing when someone wants to chat and when they want to be left alone … and when they just want you to get out of their way! (I still think flying can sometimes bring out the worst in people!)

I’m also reminded when flying that we do not live in a class-less society. That little curtain might seem flimsy, but it’s a large social barrier. I’ve never paid to fly business class, although I have been fortunate to receive a few upgrades on international flights (never asked for, and always on the shorter leg of a two-leg journey). It’s a whole other world up there, and while it’s nice to see how the other half lives, there’s a kind of pride in toughing it out with the real world back in economy (which, let’s face it, really isn’t that tough!)

My only real struggle with flying is my inability to sleep on planes, meaning when I get off a long haul flight, I need to go to bed no matter what time of day it is. But as long as you plan to enjoy the flight, it’s not hard to do. I have written previously about how flying can sometimes bring out the worst in human behaviour, but when I allow myself to appreciate it for what it is, the opposite can in fact be true.

Of course, as I write this, Malaysian Airlines flight 370 has been missing for over a week. When a plane vanishes or crashes it captures world attention, and it must be awful for friends and family of those on board. Thinking about the possibilities of what could have happened, and particularly the fact that none of the passengers made contact, is scary. Hopefully we will soon know what has happened and if possible how it can be avoided in future, though that will not bring comfort to those who have lost a loved one.

But it doesn’t seem to have stopped anyone from flying. Perhaps because it is statistically far safer than driving, which we do every day without a second thought. Obviously we have come to rely on the convenience. But more than that, for me at least, there is something special, almost magical, about the fact that we human beings can soar through the air, and I hope I never stop being impressed and delighted by the wonder that I live in a time where this is possible.

Thinking Out Loud …

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