TABA

I crossed back at Taba border crossing on the Egypt/Israeli Border. After being questioned by the border police, I was waiting in the hall, it was really quite, a young woman border cop sitting next to me, thats her above. I started chatting to her. How long will I have to wait? I asked. Where are you going she said, Jenin I answered, a LONG time she said Laughing, Why? I asked, There are many activists come to fight the police and soldiers and cause trouble she told me. Do yo live in Eilat? Yes. Do you like it? No, it's a bubble... Don't you dive or snorkle? No it hurts my ears..Oh really, and flying, does that hurt your ears too? uhuh it does.. I told her that in India years ago this guy sat beside me on the street and handed me a notbook full of testimonies from other tourists about what an amazing job he had done cleaning their ears and recommending that the reader also get him to clean their ears. I was waiting for a taxi to the airport and wasn't interested, the guy was persistent, but and I'd kept saying no, I'd no money and was on my way to the airport. Then he'd thrust this really long knitting needle thing into my ear and told me not to move, I could feel the thing way inside my head, terrified I could hardly breath, he poked around for a bit and then pulled the pin out and there was a pea sized lump of grey waxy stuff on the end of it, and my ear felt so clear and light, then he asked how much I was gonna pay him. I gave him what I had and he was pissed off, so did a crap jon on my right ear. It was over ten years ago and my head still feels lopsided. Then another Border guard joined us, she had a bindi on her forehead, and said that a an old Indian woman had put it on her forehead and told her she was beautiful. She's right I said 'cos she was and she said thanks. I'd recently got a taxi ride in Nablus, the driver told me his family were refugees from '67 and now lived in a camp in Jordan, he was back because he'd married a Palestinian woman. As he took me through an Israel checkpoint he was civil and even plesant to the soldiers. He'd been a soldier in the Jordanian army and understood the deal he told me, they were just soldiers they don't make any decisions. I thought this was big of him, and decided if they're plesant to me that I'll be plesant back. My new friend with the Bindi made that funny side to side head gesture that Indian's make. It's like a wierd side to side movement that says hi, how are you nice to see you all at once. Then we spoke about this book called santhraham, a huge doorstop of a book about a guy on the run in Bombay, kinda book you know is all made up but enjoy anyway. We'd both read it. Then she said how she hated it when big groups of indians came through because her hands got so greasy and they always had to wash their hands after. I don't know, maybe this is true. Ive never handelled the passports of 50 Indian tourists. It just sounded so racist. Maybe it's cos they eat with their hands, I said. Trying to make things better. The manager of the border crossing came out of her office and gave me my passport. The stamp said three months, but she'd crossed that out and written two weeks. You need to go to the ministry of the interior she said.