israel: the end in jerusalem

soon after arriving in jerusalem at the beginning of my trip i decided i wanted to end the trip there as well, even though tel aviv is closer to the airport from which i would be leaving...i wanted to see a few more sights, and do some last minute shopping...i don't buy presents when i travel, as some people do, for several reasons: if i did buy presents, i'd be broke, because i travel fairly regularly...and if i did buy presents, some people would have homes full of crap
i began my last full day in jerusalem with breakfast at my hotel...a large spread, i had my choice of fruit, veggies, and hot dishes...when those sorts of breakfasts are available to me, i end up walking out with more than a little belly...

since my hotel was in easy walking distance of the old city, and there were a few places there i hadn't yet seen, that's where i headed...i wanted to see the church where the virgin mary was laid to eternal rest...
i ended up stumbling into a greek orthodox cemetary first, which was small and quiet...
from there i tried to find the church where the virgin mary was buried...after a few wrong turns, i found it, but it looked like the outer gates were closed, and i didn't want to push my way in...so i didn't, i kept walking, to see if there was another entry...there wasn't...

instead, i found a statue of king david...i looked around a little more, and found king david's tomb...or, at least, it is said to be the tomb of king david...it didn't seem very fancy at all for the man who was one of the most important men in the history of this area...the tomb is split into areas for men and women, following the custom of orthodox jews...as i stood there, i could hear a man wailing on the other side, and another giving a tour...(interesting contrast, to say the least)...
i saw stairs, and saw people going up, so i followed, though i didn't know where i was going...(me and stairs, i love them)...the stairs led me to the room where the last supper allegedly took place...it was later changed into a muslim prayer space, and a niche carved into the wall to hold something holy...um, yeah, wow, important history...

i also got to see a small room called the presidents room...i have no idea what it was supposed to raise awareness for, but there were heaps of old photos and knickknacks in there...it was full...
up those original stairs i got to look out over a bit of the old city...the view wasn't anything special, but it was still nice to be able to look out...
i walked back toward the church i'd originally wanted to see, and found the gate open...its called the church of the dormition...i followed a tour group through the gates, but didn't stay with them inside the church...inside the church are small little alcoves, most are decorated with mosaics...absolutely beautiful...downstairs in the crypt is where the virgin mary 'sleeps eternally'...

after leaving the church, i walked to a bus stop where i could catch a bus to mahane yehuda market...the main market i visited two weeks ago...during that first visit i knew i wanted to come back just before leaving the country to buy a few things...and buy i did...two fairly large containers of tahini, and two bottles of olive oil...YUM...i also bought pastries for snacks...YUM
that night i had dinner with noa, the lady who had hosted me during my first few days in the country...great to catch up with her, and talk about what i'd seen and done over the past two weeks... plus, the food was good:)

the next morning breakfast was again quite large, of course i took advantage...the shuttle i'd booked picked me up as scheduled, woo hoo...we all got to their airport, and the fun began...
not only do you get grilled with security oriented questions when you enter the country, you get grilled with those questions again when you leave...and they search your baggage...all of your baggage...it's annoying, but the israeli government sees these actions as necessary security precautions...when flying out of ben gurion airport, the suggestion is for travelers to get to the airport three hours before your flight is scheduled to take off...depending on queues and how detailed your security checks are, you might actually need the full three hours!!

palestine: bethlehem

My last new city during this trip was Bethlehem. For Christians around the world, the city is known as the birthplace of Jesus.

Bethlehem is just 10km from Jerusalem, but the two cities are in two different worlds. To get from one to the other, its easiest for tourists to find the one bus that goes through the military checkpoint all the way to the center of the city of Bethlehem. Of course, that was not how i did the trip, which basically meant i spent more money than i should've.

I started that morning by packing up my stuff, hiking down the road 5km, then catching the next bus from the dead sea back to jerusalem.

That trip wasn't long, it was a sunday morning. Then i had to find my way around the crazy bus station in jerusalem, to catch a bus to bethlehem. I ended up having to ask the lady at the information counter, as the bus i wanted wasn't exactly at the station, it was outside, across the street. While i was waiting for that bus, there was a bomb scare, or something along those lines. Police blocked off the street, leaving an empty space about 100m long, around a backpack someone had left behind, probably by mistake. Everyone backed up, and no buses got through the street for about 20 minutes. A guy sortof dressed in bomb gear (he didn't look like the guys you see on tv shows who dismantle bombs, but it wasn't the normal police/military outfit either...i guess these sorts of bomb/suspicious bag scares happen quite regularly in jerusalem) investigated the bag, and after a few minutes, said everything was okay...traffic started up again, life went on as normal...my bus came along a few minutes later, and i was on my way to bethlehem...

the bus i took dropped me off at one of the military checkpoints...(this was not the bus i mentioned earlier)...there were no people waiting in any sort of line, and very few signs telling me where to go...it took me a while to figure out where i should go to get out on the palestinian side of the border...people going the other way have to have their passports ready, and maybe other documents as well? I don't really know...
as i exited, a heap of taxi drivers pounced...all i wanted was a ride into the center of bethlehem, so i could walk around and see a few sights...that was not what they wanted me to hire them for, they all wanted me to hire them for a day trip around the area...one guy said a round trip taxi ride from the checkpoint to the city center (and back) would be 20 euro...is it just me, or is that a LOT? The distance is only 4.5 km each way!! i think that was supposed to include waiting time, but seeing as how i had no idea how long i'd be wandering around, this was not a deal i wanted to make...

it took me 10 minutes of haggling just to get someone to say they'd drive me one way...even so, on the way, he kept trying to get me to hire him to drive me all around the area...he explained that most tourists spend all their money in israel, and that palestinians are really suffering...he sounded very bitter to me, and i understand that...still, the feeling of being looked at as only a human atm instead of a person reminded me of how things work in southeast asia...i hate that feeling...

i got to the city centre, it took me a while to figure out which way to face my map, and where i was on that map...bethlehem is the birthplace of jesus (who was jewish) but it is now in palestine, and therefore doesn't have the same calendar work week as israel...which means me visiting on a sunday wasn't great planning on my part...a lot of places were closed, including the information center...argh...oh well...for whateva reason, it took me longer than usual to get oriented as to where i was on the map...i hate not being able to figure out where i am...

i visited the church of the nativity, which is shared by three denominations of christians...roman catholics, armenians, and greek orthodox...different areas of the church are claimed by each denomination...i don't really understand why there is squabbling, or why the differences between each denomination seem to be so important in this part of the world...anywho...

the entry to the church of the nativity is quite small, not at all ornate...i thought it was a side entrance, and kept looking for a larger, more obvious entrance, until i realized the small door was where i needed to go...the altar area of the church is 'owned' by the greek orthodox, and therefore is decorated in that tradition...(an iconostasis, hanging lanterns/lights, etc)...i don't remember which group 'owns' the grotto under the altar, or the other parts of the church...(i don't remember because to me it didn't make any difference)...

visiting on a weekend was again a mistake in that i had to wait in a line to see the grotto area under the altar...in the grotto is a hole in the floor, surrounded by a silver star...this is in a little alcove on one side of the room...this hole in the floor marks that exact spot where jesus was born...how such a thing was/is known, i don't know...i don't know who decided this was/is the right spot, but evidently enough people agree with the designation that the church of the nativity was built over the spot...the story goes that jesus was born in a manger, because all the hotels in the town were full...since a manger is not exactly a permanent structure, and jesus himself didn't become known for a number of years, i don't know how anyone would know where he was born...anywho, that's beside the point...heaps of people visit this church so they can see this spot...there is a priest standing by who keeps the line of people moving...

most visitors to bethlehem come around the christmas holidays, you have to book a hotel room months ahead if you want to spend christmas eve in the town where jesus was born...this is the only time each year when the city is busy...

after being herded through the grotto area, i spent only a few more minutes in the church...it isn't architecturally interesting, it's just a point of pilgrimmage...

from the church i made my way across what is known as manger square, and thought about entering the mosque on the other side of the square...i tried to dig a scarf with which to cover my head out of my pack, but couldn't find it, so i didn't go in the mosque...

from there i figured out where the local market was, and walked through there for a while...it's a regular market, filled with locals selling all sorts of produce...nothing unique, but i always enjoy seeing the 'normal' part of any city i visit, so i had fun wandering...and i found pancakes:)

after that i found a couple places selling postcards...the guidebook was right, everything is cheaper in palestine...i ended up buying most of my jerusalem (and bethlehem, of course) postcards in bethlehem because they were cheaper...(and when you buy them in the quantities i do, small differences in price make a big difference:)

from there i wandered to the church of the milk grotto...the outside isn't noteworthy, but the inside is all white...something about a drop of mary's milk being spilled and the whole thing turning white...waaaaay back when...

all over the city center i saw palestinian flags, which isn't so surprising...being so close to jerusalem means there are people with stronger feelings about an independent state...

around that time, i decided i was ready to go back to jerusalem...i didn't want to deal with taxi drivers again, and i was hoping there was a faster/easier way to go...i asked the clerk in one of the shops that sold me postcards, he gave me directions to find a bus that would go through the checkpoint...i love helpful people:)

on the way to the bus stop i stopped at a cafe called stars and bucks...i wonder if the international company we all know has threatened this particular cafe (yet) about changing it's name...i bought a tasty sahlab (sp?)...soooo good...

it took me a while to find the bus stop, it wasn't quite a straight walk down the road...i ended up asking a kid on the street, we chatted for a bit and he pointed me in the right direction...

getting on the bus was easy, and it was cheap...only 8 shekels!...the interesting part of the ride was when we went through the military checkpoint...all the locals had to get off the bus with their papers/passports and show them to soldiers manning the checkpoint, then get back on the bus...(it isn't easy for palestinians to cross the 'border')...as a foreigner they glanced quickly at my passport, but there were no other questions...everyone got back on the bus, and it took me to a stop really close to my hotel in jerusalem...

palestine: dead sea (ein bokek, ein gedi, masada, wadi daragot)

 the dead sea is amazing...absolutely amazing...not only is it located entirely below sea level, it's the most salty body of water on earth...(i think)...the water of the dead sea is something like 33% solid...the dead sea chapter was one of the first chapters i read when i got my guidebook...
i started the first morning by waking up waaaay too early to catch a bus from tiberias to a national park, from there to a highway junction, and from there to the bottom of a hill...the bottom of the hill was a military checkpoint, as the top half of the dead sea is in the west bank/palestine...the place i had arranged to stay was up that hill, and i found out it was a 5km walk, with no transport available...

the soldiers encouraged me to wait for someone to offer a ride...i waited at the bottom of the hill for a while, and two guys from tel aviv drove me up to the top, i was marveling at the landscape the whole time...amazing...the dead sea is not only really low, it's surrounded by cliffs and wadis...amazing...
i checked into the hostel, which was actually a kibbutz!! i put my stuff in one of the tents meant for three people, rested for a while, then started walking back down the hill...fortunately people started coming down sometime while i was walking (two guys from poland) and they drove me to the bottom of the hill...they were going back to tel aviv, i was going the other way, so i walked to the bus stop and waited for the next bus...buses run the length of the dead sea every so often, but not super often, i had to wait 30 minutes or so...it was an expensive bus for a relatively short drive...

my first area to visit was called ein bokek...it's a public beach, and it's free...one of the few free beaches on the dead sea...it's not a place you go to lay out, at least not in the middle of winter...the area of ein bokek is basically a resort area, a lot of russian families come for a week or more...there are spas in all the hotels...i just wanted to float:)
i had it in my head that the water would be warm...it wasn't...it wasn't cold exactly, but it was.not.warm...i came close to not going in, but then i figured that would be absolutely ridiculous; to go all the way to the dead sea but not go in the water seems like going to the grand canyon but staying in your car in the parking lot...anywho...

floating in the dead sea is one of the strangest things i've ever done...very very strange...as a swimmer i've spent a LOT of time in water, a LOT of time floating...i guess i do certain things to float without thinking about it, like taking a big breath and holding it...howeva, when you are in the dead sea, you don't have to do any of that...it's very odd to stay so high in the water but not feel anything holding you up...my feet wouldn't stay under water until i 'sat' or 'stood' in the water...even as i try to describe the feeling, i know you won't understand until you try it yourself...

the signs on the beach give several directions: don't drink the water (call a lifeguard if you do)...don't swim out very far...don't put your head under the water...(all the minerals in the water are NOT good for your hair)...drink a lot of water as soon as you get out, as the salt will dry you out without you being aware of it...no one splashes around at all because no one wants salt water on their face or hair...
after 10-20 minutes of floating i got out, and changed into dry clothes...there are small little 'changing' rooms along the beach, so i wasn't revealing myself to anyone...

in dry clothes, i walked through some of the shops selling products of the dead sea...there are heaps of face masks, exfoliating scrubs, creams, etc...they all seemed rather expensive, considering the materials came from approximately 20 meters away...i bought my normal purchase: postcards :)
the bus back to the bottom of the hill was really crowded, but at least it got me where i needed to go...i walked up part of the way before being picked up...the stars in the sky were AMAZING!
the next morning i got to enjoy the fantastic breakfast with this hostel...it was kosher, and huge...(and very healthy)...there were a lot of veggies, i took advantage :)

i walked down the hill and caught the next bus heading toward masada...another set of ruins, of course...there are a number of ways to get up the hill, i chose to go up the 'snake path'...it wasn't easy, but plenty of people went zooming past me, so im probably just out of shape...the ruins were nice, but not stunning...(i'm probably just a jaded traveler)...i really enjoyed the views over the area, since the ruins are on top of a cliff/hill...masada was once a protective fortress, hence the reason for its location...
the hike back down went a LOT faster, but i had to worry a bit more about sliding, or falling...i ate lunch in the cafeteria area, falafel, of course...i had to wait a while, but eventually a bus heading to ein gedi came along...

ein gedi is one of the best known resort areas along the dead sea...i entered the spa, and the receptionist told me i only had an hour to relax, as the spa closes an hour early on fridays to prepare for the start of shabat...oh well...too bad i hadn't caught an earlier bus from masada...i took the little train to the beach, where i found mud! it was grey, and definitely an exfoliant...i rubbed it all over, then went swimming :)...i was sad i hadn't brought body lotion with me when i changed into dry clothes, as my skin was crazy dry...i didn't have the guts to ask someone to use a little of theirs...

i waited at the bus stop for a while before realizing there weren't going to be any more buses that evening...it wasn't yet sunset, but i think the buses stop plenty early...i counted myself as very lucky when a car of young men stopped and offered me a ride...they turned out to be russian...they dropped me at the bottom of 'my' hill, and i walked up to thoughts of dinner:)
when i planned this part of the trip, i knew the next day would be shabat, so i would have no way of getting back to jerusalem...instead, i hiked the area around my hostel...AMAZING...i wish i'd had another day of hiking...

the views across the wadi were fantastic...i went down into the wadi, then up the other side...i ended up hiking down another side of the hill with a couple who lived in a kibbutz on the other side...they offered me tea and snacks, then drove me back to the hostel...i would love to do that day again...(but bring snacks with me when hiking this time!)

israel: tiberias and tabgha

i caught an early bus from nazareth to tiberias...i was able to check into my flat early, but it was quite a bit further from the city centre than i had thought...oh well...this flat was bigger than the flat in which i live in kyiv! (not that that is saying much)...
i took a bus to the city centre, where i waited for a while for another bus...i must've missed that bus, as i waited for more than 30 minutes, argh...eventually i found another bus to take me to a place called tabgha, or at least to the crossroads nearby...

tabgha is home to a benedictine monastery, it's beautiful...the name is the church of the loaves and fishes, this is supposed to be where the the miracle of the loaves and fishes took place...i don't know what the name of the area was before the miracle...many of the mosaics on the floor of the old church have been preserved; some are really impressive...
a little way down the road is the church of the primacy of st peter...it's beautiful, and small...the church is very close to the sea of gallilee, i took off my shoes and put my feet in the water :)
it took me a while to find the hiking trail up the hill, but eventually i did...at the top of the hill is the church of the beatitudes...unfortunately, it was closed, since it was new years day...too bad...

it was easy to catch a bus back to the centre of tiberias...i found a falafel stand for an early dinner, and had ice cream from another place...
after eating, i walked around...tiberias is not much more than a resort town on the shores of the sea of gallilee...it's filled with large hotels, and i think a couple spas...i walked along the promenade, which wasn't very impressive...
eventually it started to get dark, so i started walking back to my flat...

israel: nazareth and zippori

my bus to nazareth was easy and smooth...when i got off the bus i was rather amazed that i was standing in the town where Jesus grew up...i thought i would feel something, but i didn't...it's one of the more arab towns in israel, i didn't have to worry about anything being closed if i was there over shabbat...
i'd booked a hostel in the middle of the old walled city, and i'm REALLY glad they had posted directional signs on some of the buildings, or i never would've found the place...i think everyone who stays there has the same comment, and it's the only complaint possible to make of that particular hostel...it's called fauzi azar...

i stayed in a dorm room, which was once the master bedroom of the house...i can't imagine only one bed in that room, it's huge! there were eight beds in there, and it didn't feel crowded...
the next morning i was up in time to thoroughly enjoy the amazing breakfast included in the price of my bed...a great spread, with lots of variety and quantity...too bad it doesn't last all day :)
i joined the free tour of the walled city offered by the hostel, it was awesome...the tour started with the owner of the hostel telling the story of her family, and how the house ended up as a hostel...it's a great example of people of different religions and cultures working together to make something amazing...if you look up the place online, you can find the story...

from there we were taken around the old walled city...it has gone through some really bad times, and is now coming around, being cleaned up...all the hard work being done to revitalize the city is pretty impressive...we saw a couple cafes, a couple tailors, part of the fresh produce market, other areas...the last stop was showing us the big spice shop...it was BIG...i knew i'd come back to buy spices before i left town...the smell alone was fantastic...
after the tour was over, i went to lunch with a couple others on the tour...they turned out to be a traveling couple who were writing a blog, and hoping to make money out of it...falafel, of course :)

after eating we went to the basilica of the annunciation...built over the alleged sight of mary's home...the upper level was very modern, and beautiful; the lower level, the grotto, was old, and beautiful...the front of the building is stunning, lots of people take photos :)
we also entered the white mosque, which wasn't as amazing, but still interesting...we tried to find an old synagogue, but didn't succeed...ugh...
i split with the couple, they were heading out of town...i went back to the spice shop and bought ginger, hot paprika, and dinosaur rocks (chocolate :)...i wanted to buy more, but since i live by myself, it takes a long time to use up any quantity of spices...

i dropped the spices in my pack in the hostel, then walked back to the area where i'd eaten lunch...across the street was the greek orthodox of the annunciation...(apparently the orthodox kept the tradition of being slightly different from western christians in terms of major events and places)...this church is just down the street from the other church of the annunciation...i put on my head scarf, then entered the church...the painting and decor everywhere is very bright, and very coloured...small, and beautiful...
i had dinner and tea with three other people who had also been part of the tour in the morning...an italian, an austrian, and a hong konger...we all ate too much, and it was worth it :)

the next morning i again overindulged in the amazing breakfast, YUM...
a relatively new trail called the jesus trail had been open, and i wanted to see part of...the trail is said to go from nazareth, to the sea of gallilee and around...i think i read somewhere how long it takes to do the whole trail, but i don't remember...the beginning of the trail has a lot of stairs, getting out of nazareth...it's easy to follow the trail, just look for orange dots along the trail...the dots are on poles, trees, rocks, etc...i only got confused about where to go a couple times...

i walked the trail all the way to zippori national park...in the middle of the park is a set of ruins from a really old town...(this is israel, there are ancient ruins everywhere, from a bunch of different civilizations)...the mosaic floor decorations of the synagogue were awesome...the views from the hill over the area were also pretty fantastic...
the walk back to nazareth was easy, i bought more ginger at the spice shop...
that night i had dinner with several other folks staying in the hostel, we cooked in the kitchen...yum!

that night was new years eve, but i was long asleep when the fireworks went off...