Israel- the final episode

We are currently in Haifa on the West coast of Israel- our very final stop of this trip before we fly from Tel Aviv later today. Israel has more than lived up to my expectations and I have loved every minute of it. I am sat writing in an artsy warehouse cafe near the port in Haifa- a very cool city.

We took the bus from Eilat up to Jerusalem- suffice to say I was VERY excited to arrive in the central bus station. A short light rail ride towards downtown, we arrived at our hostel. We headed straight out for the nearby market we'd been recommended, Mahane Yehuda. Our hostel was quite near the Ultra Orthodox area so the bustling market was an amazing mix of men in their tall black hats and trademark ringlets as well as chaps in kippas and ladies in wigs left, right and centre. As you can imagine (for anyone that knows my interest/obsession!) I was pretty excited again. We sat down in a little cafe within the market and had some tasty pasta, watching the Jewish world go by. We ended the night by watching the open mic session back at the hostel with some great music.

The next day was dedicated to the scheduled ring shopping. Yonna did well to maintain interest as we scoured every single jewelry shop in Jerusalem. After hours of shopping I was starting to worry that I wasn't going to find my ring in the holy city as per the plan. But then, we happened upon a small vintage and antique jeweler on Jaffa Road. We poured through tens of rings until we found the right one! A couple of days later we picked up my resized, beautiful 1960's sapphire and diamond ring :-) After we felt happy we'd found the right ring, we headed towards the old walled city of Jerusalem- my first glimpse of the place I have read about and wanted to visit for so long and it was breathtaking. The incredible mix of people- the Armenian, Christian, Muslim and Jewish quarters, including Jewish people from all areas- North Africa, Eastern Europe, Spain, America etc. etc. all with their unique appearance.....again very excited!! The meander around the old city culminated in us reaching the Wailing or Western Wall- where men and women, separated into two halves (well actually the women get less than a third!), were praying, rocking and placing their paper prayers into the wall.

We were keen to learn a lot more about the much contested and fought over old city so joined a free walking tour the next day. The guide took us through all the areas, explaining the key sites and their importance to the three religions that consider this place central to their faith. After the tour we headed off to explore some more of the sites in detail- we started at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I had absolutely no clue that they had built a church over the areas where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, taken off the cross and the cave in which his body was placed. Even though we aren't religious it was quite something looking at these sacred spots within the church which were being venerated with all the religious fervour you would expect. The church is owned by numerous denominations of Christianity- Armenian, Ethiopian, Catholic- and they are not allowed to change or move one single thing in the church unless all heads of the different faiths agree. As they never meet and never agree, the church is quite ramshackle in places where they simply are not allowed to repair. We also walked to David's tomb, another site of pretty feverish Jewish prayer, and Oskar Schindler's tomb (which was actually padlocked so we couldn't see it). The food in Jerusalem is pretty varied due to the mix of nationalities living there- we had some amazing sushi and went back twice it was so good!

The next day was probably the most interesting- we signed up to a dual narrative tour of Hebron in the West Bank. The hotly disputed city was explained to us by our Jewish guide in the morning and then our Palestinian guide in the afternoon. As you can imagine the security in this city was pretty crazy- there are checkpoints with heavily armed Israeli soldiers at every turn. The city itself was divided into two sections- H1, the Israeli controlled area and H2, the Palestinian area- in an agreement signed by Clinton, Netanyahu and Arafat. The whole day left me much more knowledgeable about the situation and probably more fairly balanced towards both sides- I won't go into what I believe here but will merely explain a bit about why both sides of the argument declare such a passionate 'claim' to Hebron.

For the Jews, Hebron is where Abraham lived, died and was buried, along with one wife and his sons. It is therefore where they consider Judaism was born and the final resting place of the patriarchs and matriarchs of their religion. They claim to have found evidence of Jewish life dating right back to the times of the second temple in Jerusalem (around Jesus' time if I have understood correctly). Jews have lived on the land continuously since that time and until around 1917, in harmony with their Arab neighbours. As the ruling regime in what is now Israel shifted, the Jews of Hebron suffered expulsion and a massacre in 1929 by the same Arab people they had previously called friends. Since the creation of Israel in 1948, Jews have returned to Hebron and built homes here- in a place they feel is rightfully theirs to build on due to its ancient importance for their faith as well as their historic presence in the area. As their presence increased and the feelings of Palestinian nationalism also rose, there were attacks on the Jewish population- a pregnant couple was killed by a suicide bomber, a baby was shot directly in the head by a sniper. The Israeli government, in order to protect its people, shut off areas of the city to the Arab cohabitants.

Ok after that fascinating history lesson, we crossed over into H2, the Palestinian area. The handover from one side to the other was slightly shady as both our Jewish and our Palestinian guides could invite trouble from their respective sides if seen to be collaborating. We were taken to the Muslim side of the tomb of the Patriarchs, the same one we'd just visited with our Jewish guide. The problem is that both faiths believe they are the sons of Abraham- just descended from a different son. The tomb literally represents the split in the religions, in Hebron and in Israel itself- half is a synagogue, half a mosque (the splits differ in actual dimensions depending on which side you speak to). Our guide took us for lunch and walked us through the old souk. When we looked up we could see metal nets full of cans, rubbish and rocks. The guide explained that Jewish 'settlers', as they call them, have built on top of the shops below and hurl objects at the Muslims passing underneath. The 'settlers' are protected by the armed guards that stand on many roofs around the area and the Palestinians say the soldiers never stop their mistreatment. We visited one family who told harrowing stories about being offered millions of dollars to leave their house by 'settlers' and when they didn't a molotov cocktail was thrown into their house, killing two children. We visited another family, the father of which told us that his family had lived in that house for a traceable 700 years but he was now surrounded by 'illegal settlements'. He too had been offered millions of dollars to move and had refused- he claimed his son had been partially blinded by bleach being thrown by a settler.

The Israeli government say that the control of where Palestinians, as well as Israelis, can walk in the city is for security. The Palestinians say they use individual events to take widespread measures to push the muslims further back, increasingly restrict their movement and therefore lives in a subtle, steady attempt to push them out of the area. The Israelis say they are not 'illegal settlers' but rightfully returning to where their forefathers lived. The Palestinians say their land is being occupied, they are being surrounded, threatened, intimidated and built upon until they will give up their houses and their land. The Jewish guide we had said a Palestinian state was a bad idea, that it draws permanent lines of separation and that Jews and Muslims should be able to live together peacefully. Our Palestinian guide told us that this kind of integrated state was totally impossible.

We returned to Jerusalem tired and probably more confused than we started out. It was an incredible, insightful privilege to visit.

The next day we walked the walls of the old city to see all the areas from above and then visited the trademark Dome of the Rock. As you can imagine security was pretty tight to get into the place Jews consider the foundation stone of creation lays and where the arc of the covenant laid as well as where Muslims believe Mohammed ascended to heaven. The golden domed building is beautiful and we took a stroll around whilst being serenaded by large groups of ladies chanting 'Allahu Akbar' very loudly. We then took the light rail out to Yad Vashem- a vast and sombre holocaust museum.

After six days we had to leave Jerusalem- I probably felt the most sad I have to leave anywhere all trip. Not least because the city and the Jewish faith has interested me for so long but also because it is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city with such rich, undeniable history regardless of what religious or non-religious camp you sit in. I thoroughly recommend a visit to anyone :-)

Yesterday we arrived in Haifa and today have explored the Baha'i gardens. My UKBA friends will recognise this as the outlawed faith which originated in Persia and from which we get the occasional asylum seeker. The gardens and the city of Accre (Akko) just across the bay, are the two holiest places for this faith that preaches an end to war, equality of all and unity as one global nation- sounds great and they have the most beautiful gardens to boot! There is also a festival going on here at the moment- an interfaith event with live music, street food and performances- Haifa is really a lovely, lively place.

So this is it, the end of this incredible trip- I think our most rewarding yet. We have experienced so many fascinating cultures and people. Almost everything has been a pleasant surprise and nearly every day has brought unique and memorable experiences. Oh and to top it all off we got engaged :-) Now it's time to go home and celebrate with our dear friends and family.....and then....the adventure continues!  Thanks for reading :-)

Jordan

Well this has to be my best writing location yet.....I am sat in front of a roaring fire in a bedouin tent in the middle of Wadi Rum, the Jordanian desert. One of the bedouin brothers we are staying with is singing in Arabic around me making tea (or 'bedouin whiskey' as they call it). Jordan has been completely magical from day one, where magical things have happened........

We flew into Amman late evening from Cairo and immediately felt a change of atmosphere. We stepped off the flight and were met with smiles and politeness at passport control, as well as a pretty hefty visa charge, and made it out and on to the bus without any of the Egyptian style hassle we'd been accustomed to. A bus and taxi ride later and we arrived in our hostel in downtown Amman and headed out to a recommended restaurant nearby. The place, called Al-Quds (the Arabic name for Jerusalem), served traditional bedouin dishes. Yon had Mansef, lamb with flavoured rice, and I had Ouzi, a thin pasrty dome filled with the tastiest lamb, rice, pine nuts, spices, sultanas- it was some of the most delicious food I had ever eaten.

The next day we got up early to join an American chap, Steve, for a tour. Our main aim was to get to the Dead Sea but public transport is pretty rare across Jordan so you are kind of left to join a tour which includes other places. We started at Mount Nebo- the place where Moses looked across to the promised land and died before getting there. From the top of the mountain you could look out aross to Jerusalem, Jericho, Hebron, Bethlehem- luckily Steve was much more religious than us so could fill us in on the importance of some of the sites. Next stop was Madaba where we were taken to see a Byzantine mosaic map in a church. The surviving pieces of the map showed all the areas in the Bible so that the priest could point to the area of the map his sermon was based on that day- pretty smart. We then headed to the dead sea- the main attraction for us! It was pricey to get in but completely worth it. We got changed quickly and headed down to the salty water. We did the obligatory gesture of tasting the water and it was insanely salty, so salty it made you feel a bit sick after just a tiny taste. The water was just warm enough to get in comfortably so we waded in and, even though we were expecting it, just floated....that doesn't sound that great but the experience of not being able to put your feet down or sink even if you wanted to is just bizarre! There were the same childish giggles from everyone around us as they experienced the floating, even from the visiting young Saudi men who threw off their dishdashas and jumped in. Yon couldn't resist the urge to get smothered in the black mineral-rich mud and let it dry before washing off in the sea. It was an unforgettable experience.

Then we drove to Bethany Beyond the Jordan where Jesus is said to have been baptised. Yon sat this one out as me and Steve took the tour around the area. It's a very interesting experience quite apart from the baptism site as the Jordan (the famous and sacred river) runs between Jordan and the West Bank so security is pretty tight. I have to say the tour guide was particularly rubbish but just about managed to point out where Jesus was baptised by St John. We then walked down to the river bank which sits just 6 foot away from the West Bank- I could see the Israeli flag, armed Israeli soldiers and a Bible group. The group proceeded to read from the Bible, pray and then started singing and clapping. All very surreal made even more so by the Russian contingent of my group putting white robes on and ducking their heads under the muddy, murky waters of the river! Apparently you can bring your own priest (BYOP!) and get baptised there too.  

In the car our guide told us a bit about Jordan....it was settled first by the Hashemite tribes travelling in bedouin caravans from Saudi. It was fully recognised as a country in 1917 after the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman occupiers and became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The country is still ruled by the King who is unwaveringly adored by everyone we have come across and apparently globally respected as a diplomat internationally. They sit in quite the geographic predicament with Israel and Palestine to the West, Syria to the North, Egypt's Sinai peninsula to the South-West and Iraq to the North East! Jordan, however, prides itself on being the safe, peace keeping country in the middle and acts as a haven to millions of refugees from Iraq, Syria and most of all Palestine. In fact the refugees far out number Jordanians in this country. The guide also told us that they were having a drought and were praying for much needed rain and guess what.....the next day it came and it came big time!

In the downpour in Amman we decided to go to the Royal Automobile Museum, which sounds pretty rubbish but was actually quite cool. In the massive hangar is housed the royal families collection of classic cars and motorbikes as well as one of a kind Lambourghini bikes and Ferraris. We headed back to downtown and sought out Hashem, a eatery the book recommended. They serve one thing- hummous, falafel, fava beans and bread. You load the bread up with all the ingredients plus some chilli sauce, mint and raw onion and it is absolutely delicious!!

Because of the rain we decided to cut our stay in Amman a little short and headed south to Dana Biosphere Reserve. It is a protected desert area towards the centre of Jordan. Our hostel was an incredible ramshackle collection of buildings on top of a hill overlooking a beautiful canyon. It was absolutely freezing so we wrapped up and ordered some lunch before we set off for our first hike. The hotel is run by a lovely Jordanian man and his nephew as well as a couple of Filipino ladies- another sizeable population making up modern Jordan. The ladies made a lunch of lamb kofte stew with bread, salad and hummous and I know I have said this a few times in this blog alone but this was the best thing I have EVER tasted!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it now. We spent two great days hiking through the canyon, watching the eagles soar above and listening to the perfect quiet.

Next up was the big daddy...Petra! We arrived early and headed straight for the site- just a stone's throw from our hostel. A 2 day ticket cost us around fifty pounds each which is pretty hefty but was so worth it. On that first day a cruise ship had been bussed in so we had a job on our hands trying to avoid the crowds but we had agreed that we would do the furthest most spot that day. We hot footed it through the canyon (siq) and kept our heads down as to not spoil the other sites we intended to see the next day. We dodged the camel and donkey ride sellers and climbed 800 ancient carved rock steps up to the monastery. There was barely anyone up there as the crowds don't usually make it that far. The monastery was as impressive as the treasury with a huge, pillared facade carved into the golden rock. We drank some coffee with cardamom with the bedouins who still live in the caves and made it back down to see the sun set (and so Yon could monitor the football!).

The next day we rose early to beat the crowds, however the crowds never came this particular day so we had the whole of Petra pretty much to ourselves. I took the horse ride to the Siq which was included in the ticket and we took our time to wind our way through the canyon, coming to the incredible treasury with just a few camels lying outside. We explored the street of facades and the royal tombs, climbing up behind them to find a small bedouin camp that sat on the rocks high above the treasury giving an incredible view. We also climbed up to the high sacrifice place where you can still see a sacrificial altar. It really is an incredible place and so much of it still stands from its Nabataean beginnings 300 years before Christ.

We had a very early start to catch the bus to our next destination- the desert of Wadi Rum, famed for the campaign of Lawrence of Arabia. We had arranged to stay in a Bedouin camp we had been recommended by a girl we met in Amman. One of the brothers, Naail, picked us up from the bus and we made our way into the desert. We passed the wide expanses of sand and huge sand stone mountains carved into crazy shapes by the wind and sand, to our camp. It was a collection of tents with a couple of permanent buildings as a kitchen and toilet. These are no ordinary tents- they are very sturdy and ours was so cozy, rigged up with electricity. After lunch we took a 2 hour tour of the desert, Yon went sandboarding and we saw a Nabataean rock inscription. Our final stop was a sunset spot....little did I know what was coming.......

I was innocently playing sand pictionary while Yon guessed what I was drawing in the sand, when a Russian couple joined us in our secluded spot. Yon was uncharacteristically cross at their presence and then, sitting down, he folded one leg behind him and asked what this was. I thought he was carrying on pictionary and therefore asked if he was Jake the Peg...he said no and produced a ring box!! I was in complete shock and managed to get a yes out there as the sun was setting and our bedouin guide excitedly sped the jeep round to pick us up. We celebrated back at camp with toasted marshmallows on the fire and Pepsi!! :-) The next day, still in shock, we had another tour where we saw some bridge rock formations, the 7 pillars of wisdom and other Lawrence sights as well as walking a few kilometre through a very beautiful canyon. That night a couple of American girls and a Filipino chap joined us in the camp so they were the first people, after the Bedouin brothers, to find out we were engaged due to the lack of internet! The desert was so beautiful and perfectly silent and peaceful it was a magical and very special time.

The next day the Filipino chap very kindly gave us a lift to Aqaba, a seaside town on the Red Sea, where we stayed for one night and where we used the wifi to inform our very excited family and friends of our news! I am finishing this blog off and posting it (now we have reliable internet) from my ultimate destination Israel! We have now crossed into our final country of the trip and are currently in Eilat where the weather is 30 degrees today so we're going to hit the beach. In a couple of days we will be making our way to Jerusalem, which makes me feel overwhelmed enough without knowing that it is there that we will hopefully buy my engagement ring. Boy done good :-)