Saying goodbye to our truck buddies wasn't as difficult as we'd envisaged but only because it didn't seem quite real. Four months is a long time. Zoe still wakes up in the morning and expects to see the cast & crew and feels a bit lost without them. Sharing the experience of traveling on the truck is something we both savoured and will miss.
The bus ride from Cairo to the Taba border crossing with Israel was smooth & punctual. Exiting Egypt was also a breeze. Crossing into Israel was another matter. Israel is a country which has a permanent state of war declared against it by two of the countries we'd visited in the past year, namely Syria & Sudan. Israelis and anyone with Israeli passport stamps cannot even set foot in those countries. Add to that the recent murder of eight Israelis on the Eilat highway by Arab terrorists and an upcoming unilateral declaration of independence by the Palestinian Territories, and it's no surprise they're a bit twitchy.
The situation could have been more tense due to the recent deaths of five Egyptian policemen on the Israeli-Egyptian frontier. We were a bit concerned that this would affect our plans. The usual suspects got a bit shouty for a few days, particularly in Cairo & White City, but the faux outrage died down very, very suddenly. When it became clear that they were killed in a gun battle with the fleeing terrorists, the world's media pretended not to notice and conveniently forgot all about the incident. Apparently, Arabs deaths don't matter unless Jews or Americans can be blamed.
The presence of Syrian & Sudanese visa stamps in our passports set off alarm bells so we were held for over three hours while I received security clearance. This involved a not particularly intense interrogation and alot of waiting. I didn't mind so much, however there was an air of self importance and a lack of urgency which riled. Not good PR from the Israelis; a bit like the attitude typical at JFK. I hid my annoyance because they were just waiting for me to crack. Zoe wasn't as calm as me and my superficial calmness really, really got under her skin. Amusing stuff.
Arriving in Eilat, and back into the first world, we quickly adjusted to the new rules:
- Everything is as expensive as Europe
- We're no longer a pair of walking ATMs
- Prices are as marked
- "No" is understood
- People aren't as "nice", real or otherwise, mainly because you are no longer a novelty or a source of infinite riches
- Things work and are on time
- Going to the bathroom does not mean dicing with death
- There isn't piles of rubbish strewn everywhere
- Service with a smile, if you're lucky
- Road rules exist and are generally observed, although Israelis exhibit Mediterranean levels of impatience & self importance when driving (and queuing)
We were also struck by the cosmopolitan and multi-racial nature of Israeli society - Jewish people were obviously dominant but there were Levantine, Maghrebi & Arabian Jews, European Hasidic Jews, secular European Jews, Persian Jews, Ethiopian Jews, even Indian Jews. I knew there were Indian Jewish people but hadn't really thought I'd see any. There were also plenty of Muslim & Christian Arabs who seemed to contentedly and quietly intermingle with the Jewish majority.
Another eye opener was how "armed" and militarised Israeli society is. While the police maintain a surprisingly low key presence, off duty soldiers are ever-present. There are young men & women everywhere, particularly at bus stations, (generally) smartly dressed in military uniform, physically fit and immaculately groomed, many carrying short barreled M16 rifles. Once again I was fully aware that military service was compulsory for non-Orthodox Jews (Orthodox Jews, Christians & Muslims are able to volunteer but are not subject to conscription) but it was confronting all the same.
Zoe was particularly amazed by the number of young women in the security apparatus who were armed with lethal weapons, well fitted uniforms, designer sunglasses, thick black lustrous hair, an inch of glamourous make up and a catwalk strut. I didn't notice at all. I swear.
It is also the most wifi rich place on the planet. All hotels, cafes, bars and kebab shops have free wifi. Intercity buses have free wifi as well. Even some beaches are wifi enabled!
We caught a bus from Eilat, crossing the Negev & Judean Deserts, up the Jordan Valley, past the Dead Sea, past Jericho, through the disputed territories and into Jerusalem. The bus journey highlighted the harsh dryness of much of Israel; hardly a land of milk & honey, although Israeli farmers seemed to be able to grow things where others wouldn't even bother trying.
After checking into one of the best hostels either of us had been to, we ventured out into the area around Jaffa Rd and Davidka Square. The area was busy but not teeming and had a quaint feel. We were pleased to happen upon a bar in the local souk with a live band, good food & drink and a rowdy crowd of market workers & other locals.
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| Food first, then old stuff |
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| Hmmmmmm...Meat and Beer! |
The following morning we joined a walking tour of Old Jerusalem, led by an American professor, resident in the city. We visited the exterior of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western (wailing) wall, as well as the Christian, Muslim, Jewish & Armenian Quarters. The Temple Mount, which takes up a massive area of the city, was off limits to non-Muslims due to Eid. Despite it being the most important place in Judaism, Jewish people are not allowed access to pray there at any time. Instead, they pray and leave notes at the Wailing Wall, which is the closest accessible point. I went to the wall but didn't leave a message; apparently I can send it a Twitter at my leisure.
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| Ethiopian section of The Church of the Holy Sepulchre |
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| Ninth Station of the Cross |
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| Prayers at The Wailing Wall. Notes are stuffed in the cracks. |
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| Dome of the Rock |
It was both interesting and eye opening to witness the compact layout and demography of the city. While each ancient Quarter represents about a quarter of the physical area, the population not proportional. The Christian, Jewish & Armenian Quarters each have under 4000 residents, are well maintained, clean and tidy. The Muslim Quarter, easily identifiable from the thousands of satellite dishes adorning rooftops, has 27,000 residents and is more overcrowded and a bit dirty & dilapidated.
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| Graffiti on the house of a Hajj Lottery winner, Muslim Quarter |
Venturing into the Jewish Quarter for lunch, Zoe (to her delight) discovered Holy Bagel, was converted and fell in love with Jerusalem forever. Speaking of food, the food in Israel has been excellent. It's as pricey as London but the quality is excellent & the portions mammoth.
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| All hail the Holy Bagel |
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| View from Jewish Quarter across the Temple Mount |
That evening we returned to the Old Town to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre...and an Armenian pub.
The Holy Sepulchre is a basilica which contains chapels on the alleged site of Calvary, where Christ was crucified, and the place of his burial and resurrection. It was quite impressive if not a little overdone.
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| Mosaic, Church of the Holy Sepulchre |
The church is shared by six Christian denominations which have an agreed hierarchy called "The Status Quo". The Status Quo defines rights and ownership of artifacts within the church. The Orthodox Church is the big cheese, followed by the Catholics, then Armenians, Syrians, Copts and, lastly, at the bottom pile, the Ethiopians. In fact, the Ethiopians don't even have a place inside the church. They are relegated to the roof. And quite rightly, I say.
(Being latecomers to the game, the Protestants have shifted the goalposts by declaring the site is not the place of the crucifixion and resurrection, and built their church elsewhere.)
Despite the treaty, the monks still find reason to beat each other up on occasion and have to be separated by the Israeli army. The sectarian infighting, backstabbing and theft of each other's artifacts stretches back millennia. It was so bad in the middle ages that Saladin decided that a local Muslim family would hold the keys to the church, thereby placing ultimate authority in the hands of someone that nobody would cut a sly deal with. The same Muslim family still holds the keys and each night at 9pm locks the doors and takes the keys, leaving a monk from each denomination inside. Fun. As we departed, we witnessed a particularly grumpy Arab perform his nightly duty.
The pub was more a museum than a drinking establishment. It's the sort of place where you wouldn't dare get drunk for fear of breaking some priceless chalice, spear, suit of armour or crucifix. The beers were ok but a bit overpriced.
Old Jerusalem is certainly a place I'd recommend. That said, it's not as great as we'd envisaged. Being religious would have made it more interesting. But we're not.
The next morning we caught a bus back down the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea, passing through the lowest point on Earth at En Gedi (there's an achievement) and on to Masada. Masada is the site of an ancient and historically important hilltop fortress and palace built by Herod. It's the site of the final stand of a Jewish revolt against Roman rule nearly two thousand years ago. Surrounded by cliffs several hundred metres high and equipped with huge water reservoirs & food stores it was deemed impregnable. The Jews held out only for a matter of months. They were surrounded by industrious Roman legions who built an enormous earth and timber ramp, over 100m high, to breach the walls. When they did breach the walls they found that the rebels has committed mass suicide rather than become captive slaves. Israeli soldiers take their oath at Masada: "Masada shall not fall again".
Considering ourselves to be fit we opted to walk Snake Path, the winding path up the 300m high eastern face, rather than taking the wussy cable car. We didn't quite factor for the 38C heat and the fact that we'd spent most of the previous 4 months sitting in a truck. Small mistake. By the time we reached the summit we were exhausted and drenched in sweat.
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| Snake Path, Masada, with Roman encampment at the base |
The site was amazing and the views of the Dead Sea and desert quite breathtaking. We are glad we did it because, although there is a religious angle to Masada, it's a very real piece of history set in an awesome environment.
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| Herod's Palace, Masada |
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| Dead Sea, Masada |
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| Roman encampments, Masada |
On our final day in Jerusalem we ventured to Bethlehem in the disputed territories. It wasn't much to write home about. As soon as we stepped off the bus we had to deal with the same old boorish nonsense: we were hassled by conmen, the word "No" ( or "La" in Arabic) had to be said fifty times to be understood, Zoe was letched at, we hailed a taxi and agreed a generous price only for the driver to change his mind, people were littering despite there being bins and, last but not least, I was shot in the arse at point blank by a BB gun wielding infant trainee terrorist in a Palestinian cap. Talk about playing up to prejudices. I'm glad I don't have neighbours like that. I'd build a huge wall too.
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| Door of Humility, Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem |
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| Souk, Bethlehem |
We went to the Church of the Nativity, took some photos, watched some Russian pilgrims weep & wail at a naff nativity scene and then caught the bus back to Jerusalem. The checkpoint going back to Israel was as terrorising as being hit with a feather duster. We also made a resolution that we wouldn't return to the Arab world for quite a while.
Returning to Jerusalem we picked up our gear and caught a bus to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. At the checkpoint exiting the disputed territory, we were singled out for an ID check by Israeli intelligence despite there being other foreigners on the bus. Although, this time it was only a few minutes before we were waved past. I must have a guilty looking face or something.
We went to Tiberias to do some hiking around and swimming in the lake. We ended up doing neither as it wasn't particularly accessible or attractive. It also cost at least $8 to go sit on a pile of gravel which allegedly passed as a beach. Instead, we visited The Church of the Beatitudes which sits on the site of The Sermon on the Mount.
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| Sea of Galilee |
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| Church of the Beatitudes, Galilee |
Tiberias itself is a bit like Margate in England. It's a tacky "seaside" town that's seen better days. On the upside, we were there for the end of Eid. Local Muslims, Jews & Christian families thronged to the town centre in celebration with everyone enjoying themselves as Israelis.
To avoid potential public transport nightmares caused by Shabbat, we decided to hire a car for our drive to the beachside community of Mikhmoret (just north of Tel Aviv) where we'd spend our final few days of the vacation.
Driving into Mikhmoret, we were relieved to see that it featured, not only an actual beach, but a really nice beach and it was free. Mikhmoret reminded us of beautiful Port Edward, where we spent our first few days of the journey being hosted by George & Elbe. Lovely white sand beaches, glassy waves, bougainvillea, quiet serenity.
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| Mikhmoret |
We whittled away the days by the Mediterranean - swimming, lazing on the beach, drinking cold beers & eating top notch Israeli grub. Then suddenly it was upon us - time to go home. After 21 weeks and over 20,000km we had to say goodbye to the sun and head back to London and to reality.
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| The sun sets on our journey |
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| Bye-eee |
It was an amazing adventure - bigger and better than we could ever have imagined. But all good things, we realised, must come to an end. Just like this blog.
Hallelujah and amen to that!
