As I was waiting at the pick-up point (due at 7.20am) I had a premonition that somehow, I would not be going on a tour. The minutes ticked past. Then the tens of minutes. I decided after 25 minutes that I should go back to the hotel and enquire. Shortly after I got there, the tour company phoned the hotel to say there was a problem with the mini-bus.
"Take a seat. They will call back maybe in 30 minutes".
A new departure time was announced (8.45am) and I was indeed collected then. The vehicle had been exchanged for another, but no real explanation was given. So, I was going after all. However, it meant I would be at the Dead Sea at the hottest time of the day. It was also pretty hot trekking around Masada, although the views from the top were spectacular. In fact, the walkway had been closed because of extreme heat, so the only option for getting up and down was the cable car. Masada, of course, was the site of a siege that was made into a movie. It's also a place of great pride for the Jewish people. I was treated to a fly-past by four Israeli airforce fighter jets.
Later, at Kalia beach, I had my second float in the Dead Sea. The first was in the mid 1990s, from the Jordanian side. The greasy feeling on my skin was the same, but this time there were good showers. In Jordan, all those years ago, there was one shower with a trickle of water. I plastered myself with mud, as did everyone else, and I undoubtedly look younger because of it.
On the plane from London to Tel Aviv I was sitting next to an Israeli guy called Itamar, who told me the most important thing when you go in the Dead Sea is ... don't fart, because it will sting like hell. Farting in the Dead Sea wasn't something I had been planning to do, but I made sure not to.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Photo Post : Masada, Dead Sea & Jericho
Muddy people, Kalia Beach, Dead Sea
Sun loungers and showers
Garden near the Tree of Zaccharus, Jericho
Goat herd, near Mount of Temptation, Jericho
Limo, in Jericho
Cable car to Masada
View from Masada
Part of the fortress, Masada
Too hot to walkWednesday, July 27, 2011
Photo Post : Bethlehem
Inside the Church of the Nativity
Manger Square
The security checkpoint, from the Bethlehem side
One of the caves used by shepherds, who watched their flocks by night
The actual spot where Jesus is said to have been bornWest Bank
I went on an organised half day tour yesterday, which took me into the Palestinian territory of the West Bank. It was a Bethlehem trip, visiting Manger Square, the Church of the Nativity and other biblical sites.
Although the mini-bus had to pass through an Israeli checkpoint there was not the slightest hassle, and only a very short delay each way. No passport checks, no getting out of the bus or being questioned. I had read about being herded through a high security area and being subjected to interrogation. There was nothing like that. Perhaps it is different for independent travellers. The organised tour quite possibly smoothed things over.
Of course, I saw the security wall the Israelis have built to keep suicide bombers out. It works, but I am well aware that its route is highly controversial - along with the other effects it has on peoples' daily lives. There are lots of political slogans and murals on the Palestinian side. Things are cheaper in Bethlehem than in Jerusalem - at least, water and snacks are.
There was a German guy and his Swiss girlfriend among the group. They began the morning by arguing, and throughout the trip he kept asking her to repeat herself.. Wie Bitte ? By the end of it, they seemed to have made up. Neither had dressed appropriately for visiting holy sites. He had to be told to take his hat off, and both of them had to borrow shawls to cover their shoulders and drape around their legs so they weren't exposed.
Having been to the supposed birthplace of Jesus, I am still no more religious than before. If that couldn't convert me, nothing could. Later in the day, back in Jerusalem, I took a walk to the Garden of Gethsemani. On the way back I sat on the steps by Damascus Gate again, where an enthusiastic Moslem gentleman tried to get me to embrace Islam.
I have now been in and out of all seven of the Old City gates. There are actually eight, but one of them is not "available" for use. I have also taken a bus to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum. It tought me a few new things that plugged gaps in my historical knowledge. Tomorrow is my last full day in Israel. I've got another day-trip booked. It will take me back through the West Bank, to Jericho, the Dead Sea and Masada.
Although the mini-bus had to pass through an Israeli checkpoint there was not the slightest hassle, and only a very short delay each way. No passport checks, no getting out of the bus or being questioned. I had read about being herded through a high security area and being subjected to interrogation. There was nothing like that. Perhaps it is different for independent travellers. The organised tour quite possibly smoothed things over.
Of course, I saw the security wall the Israelis have built to keep suicide bombers out. It works, but I am well aware that its route is highly controversial - along with the other effects it has on peoples' daily lives. There are lots of political slogans and murals on the Palestinian side. Things are cheaper in Bethlehem than in Jerusalem - at least, water and snacks are.
There was a German guy and his Swiss girlfriend among the group. They began the morning by arguing, and throughout the trip he kept asking her to repeat herself.. Wie Bitte ? By the end of it, they seemed to have made up. Neither had dressed appropriately for visiting holy sites. He had to be told to take his hat off, and both of them had to borrow shawls to cover their shoulders and drape around their legs so they weren't exposed.
Having been to the supposed birthplace of Jesus, I am still no more religious than before. If that couldn't convert me, nothing could. Later in the day, back in Jerusalem, I took a walk to the Garden of Gethsemani. On the way back I sat on the steps by Damascus Gate again, where an enthusiastic Moslem gentleman tried to get me to embrace Islam.
I have now been in and out of all seven of the Old City gates. There are actually eight, but one of them is not "available" for use. I have also taken a bus to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum. It tought me a few new things that plugged gaps in my historical knowledge. Tomorrow is my last full day in Israel. I've got another day-trip booked. It will take me back through the West Bank, to Jericho, the Dead Sea and Masada.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Photo Post : religion
Dome of the Rock, up close
Al-Aqsa mosque
Some of the devout
Early morning at the Western (Wailing) wall
Soldier guards at the Temple Mount
Students near the Wailing wall
Entering via Jaffa GatePre-breakfast sightseeing
I had set my alarm for 7am, but as it happens I woke up at 6am. Slightly puzzled... shouldn't there have been a loud call to prayer at 4.30 or 5am ? If there was, I slept though it. The early start meant I was probably the first Westerner to enter the Western (Wailing) Wall precinct and then go on though the non-Moslem entrance to the Haram ash-Sharif (or Temple Mount) area. The two great holy buildings there are the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It's unfortunate, although understandable, that neither allow tourists inside.
Hopefully, I will not fall victim to Jerusalem Syndrome. Apparently, this is a well documented mental illness that affects about 50 visitors to Jerusalem each year. They become excessively religious and either believe themselves to be of religious significance or start spouting prophesies -- only to recover later and feel ashamed of the whole episode. I have read about this, and witnessed one man who looked suspiciously like he thought he might be Jesus !
My early morning tourist duties were followed by breakfast at Holy Bagels (not Wholly Bagels as you'll find in Wellington), then a stroll through the Armenian quarter and visits to three more of the Old City gates (Zion, New and Jaffa). I've also had a hair cut and a face scraping -- that's what my cut-throat razor shave felt like, although there was no blood !
In the afternoon, I left the Old City and walked up Jaffa Street (where there are trams) to Ben Yehuda Street (which is part-pedestrianised mall). I returned via another pedestrian mall where high-end shopping is done, and somehow ended up buying two pairs of jeans and three t-shirts !
Hopefully, I will not fall victim to Jerusalem Syndrome. Apparently, this is a well documented mental illness that affects about 50 visitors to Jerusalem each year. They become excessively religious and either believe themselves to be of religious significance or start spouting prophesies -- only to recover later and feel ashamed of the whole episode. I have read about this, and witnessed one man who looked suspiciously like he thought he might be Jesus !
My early morning tourist duties were followed by breakfast at Holy Bagels (not Wholly Bagels as you'll find in Wellington), then a stroll through the Armenian quarter and visits to three more of the Old City gates (Zion, New and Jaffa). I've also had a hair cut and a face scraping -- that's what my cut-throat razor shave felt like, although there was no blood !
In the afternoon, I left the Old City and walked up Jaffa Street (where there are trams) to Ben Yehuda Street (which is part-pedestrianised mall). I returned via another pedestrian mall where high-end shopping is done, and somehow ended up buying two pairs of jeans and three t-shirts !
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Photo Post : Jerusalem Old City
Dome of the Rock, as seen from the roof of the Hashimi Hotel
Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Soldiers and police on guard in the Old City
My lunch spot, on the corner of Via Dolorosa
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)