So another week or so has passed and the time comes to sit and write its events.
Althoughour original plan had been to leave Jordan as soon as my Dad did we were inevitably sidetracked. I overheard a conersation the hotel in which we had been staying in Amman between the hotel manager and a couple from New Zealand about going to the Dead Sea. They were trying to work out the best price and he was telling them that to go any lower they would have to find another two people...
So, the next morning we were in a taxi to the Amman beach of the dead sea.
We spent the day lounging around floating. The water is around 400 metres below sea level, the lowest elevation on earth, and salinity is at about 33%. Due to its density it's actually impossible to sink. Either upright or on your back you just bob along.
The next day we got up, left the hotel and headed to the border. This took quite some time, beyond which there isn't really much to say about the experience. Just that Israeli security and police are far more difficult to deal with than anyone else I have met in Israel.
When we finally did get through, we headed straight for Jerusalem and checked ourselves into a hostel next to the Damascus gate. This was Tuesday the 26th of July.
Between tuesday and thursday I was partially occupied with completing my application to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This involved filling out forms and going between the hostel and the university. The rest of the time we spent exploring the Old City and seeing a variety of religious sites from a variety of religions.
This surprisingly small area of Jerusalem, which is now far greater in size than that which is contained within the walls, is filled with winding streets, markets and clearly defined quarters: Muslim; Jewish; Armenian; and Christian.
Over these two and a half days we managed to see many (if not all) of the sites within the Old City, from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to the Temple Mount.
The next day (Friday) we went to Bethlehem and to the Church of the Nativity. This beautiful little town is no more than a 15 minute drive from Jerusalem, and yet feels much further away, in part due to the imposing Security wall (if you ask an Israeli) or Apartheid wall (if you ask a Palestinian). In spite of the economic suppression that the Palestinians suffer, Bethlehem was filled with cafes and restaurants, many of which will cater to the pilgrims who flock to the town.
Another attraction of Bethlehem, and an unexpected consequence of the Separation wall, is that graffiti artists from all over Palestine and the rest of the world have flocked to this 450 mile long blank canvas.
Later that day we checked out of our hostel and went to stay with some people we had found through http://www.couchsurfing.org/ , a website which allows you to find people in pretty much any city who are willing to open their doors to you and let you sleep on their sofa. It uses a system of references to allow you to see whether someone is trustworthy or not. So, if someone's profile has good references from people who have stayed with them previously from another country then they are going to be trustworthy. If not, don't stay with them. This has worked out brilliantly, giving us somewhere to stay and me people to know in Jerusalem, and I would reccommend the project to anyone.
Through couchsurfing we met Moran and Alon who put us up in their house on a Moshav (a type of Israeli communal town) just outside Jerusalem where we spent two nights. Seeing this other side of Israel and staying out in the countryside, with a fantastic view of Jerusalem, was a real pleasure. Then, on sunday, we came to stay with Eli and Rotem right in the centre of Jerusalem. They have showed us around, taking us to bars and pointing us in the way of lesser known but equally beautiful places. For example, today we went to a spring in the hills a bus ride and a walk outside of the town centre where we spent the day swimming in the spring and lying in the sun.
And tomorrow we leave. This last week in Jerusalem has been wonderful, with sights, nightlife and people to show us around. Other things of note from during the week are Yad Vashem and Mount Herzl, the Holocaust museum and mountain of memorials and military cemetaries, and Jachnon, a wrap with egg, tahini, salads and spicy sauce.
Until next time
Chris
Althoughour original plan had been to leave Jordan as soon as my Dad did we were inevitably sidetracked. I overheard a conersation the hotel in which we had been staying in Amman between the hotel manager and a couple from New Zealand about going to the Dead Sea. They were trying to work out the best price and he was telling them that to go any lower they would have to find another two people...
So, the next morning we were in a taxi to the Amman beach of the dead sea.
We spent the day lounging around floating. The water is around 400 metres below sea level, the lowest elevation on earth, and salinity is at about 33%. Due to its density it's actually impossible to sink. Either upright or on your back you just bob along.
The next day we got up, left the hotel and headed to the border. This took quite some time, beyond which there isn't really much to say about the experience. Just that Israeli security and police are far more difficult to deal with than anyone else I have met in Israel.
When we finally did get through, we headed straight for Jerusalem and checked ourselves into a hostel next to the Damascus gate. This was Tuesday the 26th of July.
Between tuesday and thursday I was partially occupied with completing my application to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This involved filling out forms and going between the hostel and the university. The rest of the time we spent exploring the Old City and seeing a variety of religious sites from a variety of religions.
This surprisingly small area of Jerusalem, which is now far greater in size than that which is contained within the walls, is filled with winding streets, markets and clearly defined quarters: Muslim; Jewish; Armenian; and Christian.
Over these two and a half days we managed to see many (if not all) of the sites within the Old City, from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to the Temple Mount.
The next day (Friday) we went to Bethlehem and to the Church of the Nativity. This beautiful little town is no more than a 15 minute drive from Jerusalem, and yet feels much further away, in part due to the imposing Security wall (if you ask an Israeli) or Apartheid wall (if you ask a Palestinian). In spite of the economic suppression that the Palestinians suffer, Bethlehem was filled with cafes and restaurants, many of which will cater to the pilgrims who flock to the town.
Another attraction of Bethlehem, and an unexpected consequence of the Separation wall, is that graffiti artists from all over Palestine and the rest of the world have flocked to this 450 mile long blank canvas.
Later that day we checked out of our hostel and went to stay with some people we had found through http://www.couchsurfing.org/ , a website which allows you to find people in pretty much any city who are willing to open their doors to you and let you sleep on their sofa. It uses a system of references to allow you to see whether someone is trustworthy or not. So, if someone's profile has good references from people who have stayed with them previously from another country then they are going to be trustworthy. If not, don't stay with them. This has worked out brilliantly, giving us somewhere to stay and me people to know in Jerusalem, and I would reccommend the project to anyone.
Through couchsurfing we met Moran and Alon who put us up in their house on a Moshav (a type of Israeli communal town) just outside Jerusalem where we spent two nights. Seeing this other side of Israel and staying out in the countryside, with a fantastic view of Jerusalem, was a real pleasure. Then, on sunday, we came to stay with Eli and Rotem right in the centre of Jerusalem. They have showed us around, taking us to bars and pointing us in the way of lesser known but equally beautiful places. For example, today we went to a spring in the hills a bus ride and a walk outside of the town centre where we spent the day swimming in the spring and lying in the sun.
And tomorrow we leave. This last week in Jerusalem has been wonderful, with sights, nightlife and people to show us around. Other things of note from during the week are Yad Vashem and Mount Herzl, the Holocaust museum and mountain of memorials and military cemetaries, and Jachnon, a wrap with egg, tahini, salads and spicy sauce.
Until next time
Chris
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