I woke up bright and early Sunday morning at 5:30am and started my journey to Jerusalem with the other 3 volunteers. It was an hour drive to the border by car and we arrived an hour before the doors opened. A few others arrived later so there was about 10 people by 7:30 but then a few minutes before the doors opened at 8am two buses showed up full of people. We all of a sudden found ourselves struggling to keep ahead of them. A concept that has not made it to Jordan is that of "lines". We were pretty much shuffled around in a mass of people for about an hour and a half. There was such a small amount of space allotted for paying your exit tax and for taking care of your passport checks. There were three windows total for all required approvals and everyone would push by each other to try and get ahead. One lady was almost knocked over...I think she would have been if I wasn't behind her to help her. I don't know why everyone was rushing so much because the bus that is the only way of transportation across the border had to wait to take people until it was full. So no one could leave without each other anyways. The Jordanian guards were very friendly and patient. At least with us they were because we were trying to be friendly so that our process went smoothly. There was one lady that I don't think got the concept of being patient or friendly. She was rude and pushy. She started several arguments with other waiting travelers. We didn't receive our passports back until we were on the bus ready to head over to Israel. Several times along the few miles between border crossings we had to stop several times to have us, our passports, and the bus inspected. Once we arrived at the border crossing on the Israel side we had to go through a series of checkpoints and metal detectors. One that we were luckily able to skip because we did not have big luggage...just backpacks. Darren was asked several times "you have weapon?". Haha. It was quiet funny. (He didn't for anyone who is wondering. Haha) Finally at the last checkpoint we were asked why we did not want our passports stamped and we had to explain that because of our work at the school we could be traveling to countries for sporting events and we did not wish to have the stamp because it would hinder our entry to other surrounding Middle East countries. We proceeded then to exchange money and find our bus to Jericho.
We decided to stop by Jericho on our way to Jerusalem. There was not much to see in regards to the ruins of the old cities there. We did however get to visit "Hisham's Palace". One of the most common mosaics is found there. The mosaic is of a tree(most commonly said to be a pomegranate tree) with grazing animals at the bottom. On one side is a lion attacking one of the animals. This mosaic is said to be an example of the cycle of life. It was really interesting to learn about it.
We travelled by van to Jerusalem where we had to, yet again, go through another security checkpoint in which they were unsure as to why our passports weren't stamped. There was never any problem with travelling with this requirement but the people are in some ways defensive of there country. The Palestinians who call Israel Palestine insist on letting us know that its there country and not the Jews. They were never angry or harsh with us but it seemed instead to be a pride and informative attitude that they had. We of course chose to not take sides but instead just listened and learned about their story.
Once we were in Jerusalem we were walking toward the street and we did not see any taxis so I flagged a young man who just dropped of his mom(or so it seemed). I asked him where Damascus gate was and if there was a way to find a taxi. He kindly offered to take us for way less than a taxi would have been. It was an added bonus being in a BMW because taxis are usually the runt of the litter when it comes to cars. Haha. On our way we tried to communicate as best we could with our limited Arabic and his half way decent English. He stopped and bought us a fizzy orange drink(similar to Fanta) and soon thereafter he cranked up his radio and in no time we were singing at the top of our lungs with him to "Pump Up the Jam". It was by far the funniest thing to date that we have done. He was dancing quiet horribly with his arms all while driving and singing with an Arab accent. I can't even describe it and I was very upset at myself for not taking a video!
We soon arrived near the Damascus gate which was full of vendors just looking for someone to bargain with. I also thought it was interesting that a lot of them had huge bullhorns. Our hostel was located nearby so we checked in and ditched our bags to find some dinner.
The hostel was very nice with the four of us in a room with six beds and a private bathroom and shower. It also had free internet which I used to its fullest and a sitting area where we met and chatted with many backpackers from all over the world.
The first full day in Jerusalem we were able to see
a lot without rushing. Everything was located so close to where we were staying and we were able to walk everywhere. In the morning we saw the old city of Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall, the Temple Mount, and the Dome of the Rock. In the afternoon we went to the City of David, Hezekiah's Tunnel, the New Pool of Siloam, the Old Pool of Siloam, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Mount of Olives, and Via Dolorosa. I told you we were able to do a lot! Hehe. Several of the locations of course were approximate or possible locations. It was one of the most amazing days I have ever had and I will never forget it. It was incredible to see the Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock so close up.
The Wailing Wall was like watching everyday life for the Jews that lived there and it was nice to be able to see it so busy and lively.
The Dome of the Rock (and a pretty tree!)
The city of David was where we entered Hezekiah's Tunnel and we were able to enjoy some beautiful scenery including a nice view of the Mt. of Olives.
I am so blessed to have been able to see all of the different historical landmarks of that area but Hezekiah's Tunnel was one of my favorites. In some places we were almost waist deep in the freezing cold water and walked 533 meters through a very narrow tunnel that also had very low ceilings. Doesn't sound much fun? Trust me...it was a blast! Amber and Darren are in the picture to the left.
Our second day in Jerusalem was during an
Islamic Eid so most of the shops and tourist spots were closed because they are run by the Islamic people. So Stella and I slept in a little bit while Darren and Amber went to the Citadel. Stella and I walked around the Jewish section of the old city and it was beautiful. We ate Gelato and talked with the two guys that worked at the Gelato store about some differences and similarities in our religions. They were very interested. We were soon talking about the dietary laws and they seemed very excited to talk to someone who was not Jewish that seemed to relate to some of their veiw points. After that we went to the Garden Tomb and Place of the Skull. Then Stella and I decided we needed to walk off our treat/sugar splurge so we walked all over the city trying to find the Israel Museum which was supposed to open. Along our way we were told multiple times "you can not walk there!", "You must take a bus.". We
however are cheap(and we couldn't find the right buses. Haha) and insisted on trying to find it on foot. We eventually did find it after a wrong turn or two and it was worth it. The museum was very interesting. We saw more mosaics and the "shrine of the book" which is where you can see the dead see scrolls found at Kumran(Qumran). We were also able to see a 1/50 scale model of the Old City(pictures) how it used to be during the 1st Century. It was very detailed and spectacular to see.
Our last day in Israel was spent at the Ein Gedi nature preserve. We were able to hike up a river and pass by several water falls. I got in almost waste deep in one of the pools to cool off and it was very refreshing! After Ein Gedi we went to Masada where we were supposed to stay the night but once we got there we found out that our hostel, called the "Masada Backpacker", which we booked online, was for Malaysia and not Masada. So we decided reluctantly to go home early. We grabbed a bus and headed to the border. The bus was full of sleeping people and the only people awake were those that filled the isle. We stood in the isle for almost an hour and the lady asleep in the chair beside me kept hitting me with her head and she did not once wake up. Haha. Once the bus dropped us off, we found out that we could only take a taxi through the first checkpoint into the border crossing and we piled the last of our shekels into the taxis driver's hand and headed for the border crossing. We were tired and in a rush to make it through the crossing before it closed. We just happen to get on the wrong bus to cross the border...we got on the Palestinian bus. We arrived on the Jordanian side and the guard took our passports and ushered us aside. I was at this point just ready to be home but I could not help but laugh at all of our misfortunes. After all, those are what makes a story. Finally we were shuffled through hallways to the correct side of the building(the tourist side) and very easily made it through our check points.
All in all we had a incomprehensible unbelievable time on our journey to Jerusalem and will remember it for the rest of ours lives. If you would like to see more pictures then just check out my facebook at http://www.facebook.com/futurepopstar124 . It was nice to be able to put images to places we have grown up learning about and now have an even larger foundation for our beliefs.
Love Always,
Amanda
