Sabbath in Jerusalem has turned out to be a wonderful experience. I woke up early and put on my best Sabbath dress I had with me. That meant a t shirt and shorts and headed up to the BYU Jerusalem Center. I actually walked up there with a girl named Jenny. Last night while I was writing you all e-mails she walked into the hostel and asked me where I was from. She then asked if I went to BYU to which her response was, "me too!" Small, small world. She had actually attended the Jerusalem Center before and had no problem finding our way there.
Church was great, although I felt a little bit strange in my t-shirt, shorts, and beard. But as it turns out, they have college age travelers pass through the Center for church ever so often and they did not even think twice about how I was dressed. One of my old home teachees is actually at the Center right now and it was great to see her again. As it turns out, her and her roommates were excited to spend some time around Jerusalem today and invited me to tag along. We walked through Orson Hyde garden and down through Gethsemane. We all spent about 45 minutes there quietly pondering over our scriptures.
They had to get back to the Center for dinner so we all parted ways. I spent the rest of the day at the Garden Tomb and then wandering around the Jewish Quarter of the city. NOT a bad way to pass the Sabbath in Jerusalem.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
May 15th, Jerusalem & The Western Wall
My first full day in Jerusalem was basically one of relaxation. I just needed to recharge my batteries. So I basically wandered the streets of the Old City and got caught up on e-mails. I stayed in a different Hostel last night. As it turns out it was the same hostel that Herman Melville and Mark Twain stayed at. I moved to a different hostel the next day though and this one is in the guts of the Old City about 100 yards away from the Temple Mount. The building it is in is over 500 years old and the people here are incredibly nice. When I checked in they told me that the cheapest rent was 45 sheckles a night and that was to sleep on the roof. So let me get this straight, cheapest rent AND I get to sleep outdoors in Jerusalem? Sold!
As I was wandering the Old City I decided to follow the Via Dolerosa, just something to do. I got to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and was immediately impressed with the throngs of Christian Pilgrims all pouring into the mouth of the cathedral. As I descended into the darkness of the church I was greeted by a huge slab of stone in the middle of the floor which Christ was supposed to have lain on. Some Pilgrims were praying and others were kissing or caressing the stone. A very interesting scene. The Church is said to be the Holiest place in Christianity, being the actual locations of Christ's crucifixion. But I have no idea how any of the authenticity of the locations could be determined, nor have I ever been much of a relic hunter. So it was more a learning experience rather than a spiritual one. I did not stay long at the church because I had to run home and change if I wanted to make it to the Western Wall in time top help pray in the Sabbath. So I ran home, put on some long pants and my yamekah and plunged back into the Old City streets.
Wile I was praying I heard the beginnings of a lively Jewish hymn sung by young male voices. I turned around and saw a group of no less than 100 Jewish boys from the ages of 13-18 marching down a 30ft wide ramp linked arm in arm. As they sang they would take two steps forward then one step back then two steps forward again as they descended toward the Western Wall, faces beaming.
Once in the courtyard they began to sing and dance in circles. I walked up to one of the circles and a man grabbed my hand and pulled me right into the dance with the rest of them. With joined hands we ran and jumped around in circles singing the hymns of the Sabbath at the top of our voices. I knew no Hebrew, but would do my best to sing along with vowels and tones. The energy was incredible. I have never before been so completely immersed in a culture, a faith, and a people.
I found it interesting that as a Christian I had a more spiritual experience at the Western Wall than I did at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Why was that? At first I thought, well maybe it is because I never have really been a seeker after of relics. But isn't the Western Wall a religious relic in its own way? Would it be because the Wall is authentic there is no doubt that it was part of Solomon's, Zaruabables, and then Herod's temple whereas the Christian relics are more suspect? Or could it simply be the energy of the deep and struggling faith of the Jewish people strikes a chord with me? As George Eliot wrote, "I am stricken, I am dying. But our souls know each other...The life of Israel is in your veins."
Final thought. As I was dancing and singing I stopped at the sight of an older Jewish man sitting in a chair praying. He clutched his Torah against his breast and covered his eyes as if he was weeping. Such joy and such anguish all present at the same spot, in the same moment. How deeply felt the Jewish faith must be. I can find no words to express the thoughts that entered my mind at that moment, so I will not try. I will let the Ezra speak for me.
8 Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord. 13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. (Ezra 3:8-13)
As I was wandering the Old City I decided to follow the Via Dolerosa, just something to do. I got to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and was immediately impressed with the throngs of Christian Pilgrims all pouring into the mouth of the cathedral. As I descended into the darkness of the church I was greeted by a huge slab of stone in the middle of the floor which Christ was supposed to have lain on. Some Pilgrims were praying and others were kissing or caressing the stone. A very interesting scene. The Church is said to be the Holiest place in Christianity, being the actual locations of Christ's crucifixion. But I have no idea how any of the authenticity of the locations could be determined, nor have I ever been much of a relic hunter. So it was more a learning experience rather than a spiritual one. I did not stay long at the church because I had to run home and change if I wanted to make it to the Western Wall in time top help pray in the Sabbath. So I ran home, put on some long pants and my yamekah and plunged back into the Old City streets.
As I approached the wall I was overcome with the scene. The place was swarming with Jews of all different schools all approaching and praying at the wall. Some were in their sabbath best with silk coats and large fur hats. Others dressed more simply with only buttoned up shirts and their ringlets tucked behind their ears as they read from the Torah. I had prepared a prayer beforehand to fold and place within the wall and as I approached to do so I came to an interesting realization. The Jewish people believe that by approaching the Wall you are approaching the presence of God himself for the spirit of the Master of the Universe dwells therein. In a sense, the Western Wall is much like the veils in our temples. I was entering the presence of God. I went up to the Wall and took my place amongst the praying Jews and felt it and kissed the stones. I then inserted my prayer. I pulled out my Old Testament amongst all the other Torahs from which people were reading. I read from Genesis 28 and thought about the Covenants which the ancient Temple represented, the covenants that the crowd in which I was standing would always remember but had also forgotten.
Wile I was praying I heard the beginnings of a lively Jewish hymn sung by young male voices. I turned around and saw a group of no less than 100 Jewish boys from the ages of 13-18 marching down a 30ft wide ramp linked arm in arm. As they sang they would take two steps forward then one step back then two steps forward again as they descended toward the Western Wall, faces beaming.
Once in the courtyard they began to sing and dance in circles. I walked up to one of the circles and a man grabbed my hand and pulled me right into the dance with the rest of them. With joined hands we ran and jumped around in circles singing the hymns of the Sabbath at the top of our voices. I knew no Hebrew, but would do my best to sing along with vowels and tones. The energy was incredible. I have never before been so completely immersed in a culture, a faith, and a people.
I found it interesting that as a Christian I had a more spiritual experience at the Western Wall than I did at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Why was that? At first I thought, well maybe it is because I never have really been a seeker after of relics. But isn't the Western Wall a religious relic in its own way? Would it be because the Wall is authentic there is no doubt that it was part of Solomon's, Zaruabables, and then Herod's temple whereas the Christian relics are more suspect? Or could it simply be the energy of the deep and struggling faith of the Jewish people strikes a chord with me? As George Eliot wrote, "I am stricken, I am dying. But our souls know each other...The life of Israel is in your veins."
Final thought. As I was dancing and singing I stopped at the sight of an older Jewish man sitting in a chair praying. He clutched his Torah against his breast and covered his eyes as if he was weeping. Such joy and such anguish all present at the same spot, in the same moment. How deeply felt the Jewish faith must be. I can find no words to express the thoughts that entered my mind at that moment, so I will not try. I will let the Ezra speak for me.
8 Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the Lord.
9 Then stood Jeshua with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together, to set forward the workmen in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.
May 14th, Jericho, Masada
I left early in the morning because I had a lot of driving to do today if I was to make it to Jericho, Qumran, En Geddi, and Masada all in one day. I left a little before seven and it was not long before I got lost. In fact I lost almost 2 hours trying to get back on track. Yet one more thing I do not like about renting a car. So basically my trip got altered as a result. En Geddi was out, and Qumran turned out to be short because all of the caves were closed anyway. So basically my day consisted of Jericho, driving, and Masada.
Getting into the West bank was not hard at all. They stopped me, asked me where I was going and where I was from. The 19 year old kid gave me a stern look as he threw his assault rifle over his shoulder, "American, are you Jewish American?" "No" I replied "I am a Christian." A smile appeared on his face and the kid motioned me on through. This example of Israeli Arab animosity reminded me of an experience from Yesterday that I forgot to mention. When I was looking for a place to crash I saw a hitchhiking Jewish boy. Everyone in Israel hitchhikes and I did not feel threatened at tall by him so I picked him up. (I had already given rides to two hasidic boys the day before) This kid spoke excellent English and was just heading home from military prep school. He entered the Israeli army in two months and I asked him what his job would be in the military. He responded "to catch Arab hostages." This was not nearly as surprising as when we passed by the national prison and he said that it was "full of the worst people in all of Israel, the worst of the Arabs." I left it alone, but it sure made me think.
When I got into Jericho the driving conditions immediately changed. They were driving like Egyptians. I was amazed how even the driving habits would change so quickly when I crossed an artificial border into another community. The ruins at Jericho were well....very small and very old. About 10,000 years old. It took me an hour to find the place and I was done in 20 Minutes.
During the drive I came to the realization that I had been going about my Israel trip all wrong. The car had given me an artificial sense of anxiety. I had to see all that I could as fast as I could to take advantage of the car while I had it. As a result I was not really absorbing my time here. I was rushing. I had forgotten Ryan Millers advice that he gave me back in DC. "Know right here and now that you will never be able to do everything you want to do. If you travel, make sure you travel right. Take your time and do fewer things but do them well." With this lesson relearned I planed to cut any other thing I had from my itinerary and spend the rest of my day on Masada and then turn in the car a day early.
Masada was simply incredible. I remember when Mom, dad, and Sarah had gone on their trip to Israel mom had given Rachel a series of envelopes with activities and plans for the kids to do each day. One day, Rachel told us that there were tickets inside and I thought that they were for a movie. When she opened the envelope and said that they were to an exhibit at BYU on Masada I was more than a little disappointed. How incredibly boring! When I got to the exhibit however, I was captivated. I read all that I could and soaked in the atmosphere of the exhibit. Since that moment I had always wanted to go ad see Masada for myself.
I decided that the cable-car was for wimps so I hiked up the snake trail at the base of the fortress. My cookie and coconut bar brunch soon let me know that it may not have been a good idea. After feeling more than a little sick, and enduring the heat of an unforgiving sun, I made it to the top. Incredible view on top of Masada and an even more incredible story. I rented the audio guide and wandered ontop of the fortress for over 2 1/2 hours. By the time I was done all other tour groups had left and the only people left on top of the fort was a large community of Jews celebrating a young girls Bastmitva. As a blond American in shorts and a ball cap I had trouble disappearing into the crowd. It was wonderful to watch them cheer and dance for this little girl though. I saw one cute Jewish girl but I decided that she would probably freak out if I even tried to speak to her.
I made the long drive back to Tel Aviv through the Judean desert. I dropped off my car and caught a bus at the airport bound for Jerusalem.
Getting into the West bank was not hard at all. They stopped me, asked me where I was going and where I was from. The 19 year old kid gave me a stern look as he threw his assault rifle over his shoulder, "American, are you Jewish American?" "No" I replied "I am a Christian." A smile appeared on his face and the kid motioned me on through. This example of Israeli Arab animosity reminded me of an experience from Yesterday that I forgot to mention. When I was looking for a place to crash I saw a hitchhiking Jewish boy. Everyone in Israel hitchhikes and I did not feel threatened at tall by him so I picked him up. (I had already given rides to two hasidic boys the day before) This kid spoke excellent English and was just heading home from military prep school. He entered the Israeli army in two months and I asked him what his job would be in the military. He responded "to catch Arab hostages." This was not nearly as surprising as when we passed by the national prison and he said that it was "full of the worst people in all of Israel, the worst of the Arabs." I left it alone, but it sure made me think.
When I got into Jericho the driving conditions immediately changed. They were driving like Egyptians. I was amazed how even the driving habits would change so quickly when I crossed an artificial border into another community. The ruins at Jericho were well....very small and very old. About 10,000 years old. It took me an hour to find the place and I was done in 20 Minutes.
During the drive I came to the realization that I had been going about my Israel trip all wrong. The car had given me an artificial sense of anxiety. I had to see all that I could as fast as I could to take advantage of the car while I had it. As a result I was not really absorbing my time here. I was rushing. I had forgotten Ryan Millers advice that he gave me back in DC. "Know right here and now that you will never be able to do everything you want to do. If you travel, make sure you travel right. Take your time and do fewer things but do them well." With this lesson relearned I planed to cut any other thing I had from my itinerary and spend the rest of my day on Masada and then turn in the car a day early.
Masada was simply incredible. I remember when Mom, dad, and Sarah had gone on their trip to Israel mom had given Rachel a series of envelopes with activities and plans for the kids to do each day. One day, Rachel told us that there were tickets inside and I thought that they were for a movie. When she opened the envelope and said that they were to an exhibit at BYU on Masada I was more than a little disappointed. How incredibly boring! When I got to the exhibit however, I was captivated. I read all that I could and soaked in the atmosphere of the exhibit. Since that moment I had always wanted to go ad see Masada for myself.
I decided that the cable-car was for wimps so I hiked up the snake trail at the base of the fortress. My cookie and coconut bar brunch soon let me know that it may not have been a good idea. After feeling more than a little sick, and enduring the heat of an unforgiving sun, I made it to the top. Incredible view on top of Masada and an even more incredible story. I rented the audio guide and wandered ontop of the fortress for over 2 1/2 hours. By the time I was done all other tour groups had left and the only people left on top of the fort was a large community of Jews celebrating a young girls Bastmitva. As a blond American in shorts and a ball cap I had trouble disappearing into the crowd. It was wonderful to watch them cheer and dance for this little girl though. I saw one cute Jewish girl but I decided that she would probably freak out if I even tried to speak to her.
I made the long drive back to Tel Aviv through the Judean desert. I dropped off my car and caught a bus at the airport bound for Jerusalem.
May 13th, Mt. Tabor, Capernaum, Fortress Belvior
Louis got back from his morning mass at 7:30 and we immediately took off for Mt. Tabor. It was nice to have a companion for a little while. And an expert in Catholicism at that. When we got to the top of Mount Tabor the place was swarming with Catholics, and Louis seemed to know half of them. Apparently there were several Catholic youth groups doing Holy Land study camps and Louis used to be involved with them quite a bit. With so many Catholics and His Holiness himself in the Holy Land all at the same time you would think that another Crusade had been launched.Regardless, it was neat to have this guy with me as we visited all these different churches. We went to the Monastery on Mt. Tabor, the Mt. of the Beatitudes, and Capernaum. To be honest, the Churches were all neat but it was not the kind of spiritual awakening that others have talked about. It was neat to look at the Sea of Galilee itself but the Chapels were less than inspiring. I had more fun watching Louis stop at every altar to cross himself and to say a prayer. His pilgrimage was different than mine and I enjoyed learning from him.
Our sojourn together ended and I dropped him off at another meeting of the Catholic Church. It had already proven a full day but I had one more stop I wanted to make before calling it quits, the Crusader's fortress Belvior.
I drove about 30 minutes south of the Sea of Galilee and then took a dismal dirt road in the middle of nowhere that lead up a steep mountain. I got the fort and the first thing that struck me was how massive it was. It is almost completely made out of Basalt stone and is incredibly well preserved with many of the Vaulted ceilings still in place. It was constructed on top of a strategic mountain that overlooks Israel's western valley and could thus control any Muslim forces that tried to cross over the Jordan River. The fort withstood many attacks until it finally fell in 1183 to Saladin. I had the fort to myself almost the entire time with only a small group of Europeans who came and left. As I was leaving a small Muslim school group arrived for their afternoon field trip. The Christian's had left the fort in the hands of the Muslims once again.
Our sojourn together ended and I dropped him off at another meeting of the Catholic Church. It had already proven a full day but I had one more stop I wanted to make before calling it quits, the Crusader's fortress Belvior.
I drove about 30 minutes south of the Sea of Galilee and then took a dismal dirt road in the middle of nowhere that lead up a steep mountain. I got the fort and the first thing that struck me was how massive it was. It is almost completely made out of Basalt stone and is incredibly well preserved with many of the Vaulted ceilings still in place. It was constructed on top of a strategic mountain that overlooks Israel's western valley and could thus control any Muslim forces that tried to cross over the Jordan River. The fort withstood many attacks until it finally fell in 1183 to Saladin. I had the fort to myself almost the entire time with only a small group of Europeans who came and left. As I was leaving a small Muslim school group arrived for their afternoon field trip. The Christian's had left the fort in the hands of the Muslims once again.
May 12th, Caesarea, Mt. Carmel, Meggido
I left Jaffa early in the morning in oreder to get a good start on things. I planned to drive up the Western Coast of Irael and stop at Cesarea, and Mt. Carmel. I was able to find Cesarea without to much of a problem and I absolutly loved the place. Many people skip it on their trips to the Middle East which is a huge mistake. The ruins of the ancient port are incredible. I especially loved the Roman Circus built there where they had chariot races and gladiator battles. I was going to take some awesome pictures there but my camera battery died. I was only able to get two lousy pictures of the Byzantine aqueducts and one of me in the chariot racetrack.
(Sam Dodge IS Ben Hur!)
I left Caesarea and began looking for a small monestery dedicated to the prophet Elijah on Mt. Carmel. It took me quite a while to find it but I got there. Once there, I ran into a small group from South Africa. On top of the monastery's roof they were reading 1 Kings 18 and having the view of the Meggido Valley explained to them by their tour guide. I eavesdropped a little and when I was done I talked with the guide about how I thought 1Kings 18 ties into 1 Kings 19 very nicely in teaching about sign seekers and true revelation. he agreed and then asked if I was Mormon. I said yes and he told me my BYU hat gave it away. He had received a scholarship from BYU years ago but had turned it down. We talked for a bit and then I left, headed off for the Meggido ruins.
When I got there, I was surprised to find the same group from South Africa waiting there for me. We all laughed and the guide told me that I should have told him that I was heading there. I hung out with them as we wandered the ruins. While we were in the water tunnel underneath the ruins a man asked me where I was from followed up by the Mormon question. Again, I never thought that I would have so many missionary opportunities. When we were leaving one of the guys asked me what our basic beliefs were because he had always wanted to know. I told him about modern prophets and Joseph Smith and then gave him the Church's web address. Great experience.
I ended my day in Nazareth. Let me tell you, I HATE driving and parking in Nazareth. SO annoying. It took me an hour to find the place I was staying at. Furthermore, I could not visit the cathederal because it closed early. Apparently, the Pope visiting the Holy Land requires all these extra security measures. I guess His Holiness is more important than me. But it was nice to just relax that night. I had my first falafel, amd loved it. Then went back to my dorm. The guy who shared my room with me was named Louis and is one of the coolest guys I ever met. He is actually studying right now to enter the Catholic Priesthood. He is from Portugal and speaks great English but insisted on speaking spanish when he found out I was fluent. We talked for over two hours about religion, morals, service, and overcoming spiritual weakness. During the conversation he asked me to explain how the LDS church functions. Another missionary opportunity. I talked about priesthood authority, modern prophets, and church governance. He asked if I was going to Mt. Tabor tomorrow. I said yes and he asked if he could accompany me. Awesome, tomorrow I will have a Catholic Seminary student as a guide in the Holy Land.
(Sam Dodge IS Ben Hur!)I left Caesarea and began looking for a small monestery dedicated to the prophet Elijah on Mt. Carmel. It took me quite a while to find it but I got there. Once there, I ran into a small group from South Africa. On top of the monastery's roof they were reading 1 Kings 18 and having the view of the Meggido Valley explained to them by their tour guide. I eavesdropped a little and when I was done I talked with the guide about how I thought 1Kings 18 ties into 1 Kings 19 very nicely in teaching about sign seekers and true revelation. he agreed and then asked if I was Mormon. I said yes and he told me my BYU hat gave it away. He had received a scholarship from BYU years ago but had turned it down. We talked for a bit and then I left, headed off for the Meggido ruins.
When I got there, I was surprised to find the same group from South Africa waiting there for me. We all laughed and the guide told me that I should have told him that I was heading there. I hung out with them as we wandered the ruins. While we were in the water tunnel underneath the ruins a man asked me where I was from followed up by the Mormon question. Again, I never thought that I would have so many missionary opportunities. When we were leaving one of the guys asked me what our basic beliefs were because he had always wanted to know. I told him about modern prophets and Joseph Smith and then gave him the Church's web address. Great experience.
I ended my day in Nazareth. Let me tell you, I HATE driving and parking in Nazareth. SO annoying. It took me an hour to find the place I was staying at. Furthermore, I could not visit the cathederal because it closed early. Apparently, the Pope visiting the Holy Land requires all these extra security measures. I guess His Holiness is more important than me. But it was nice to just relax that night. I had my first falafel, amd loved it. Then went back to my dorm. The guy who shared my room with me was named Louis and is one of the coolest guys I ever met. He is actually studying right now to enter the Catholic Priesthood. He is from Portugal and speaks great English but insisted on speaking spanish when he found out I was fluent. We talked for over two hours about religion, morals, service, and overcoming spiritual weakness. During the conversation he asked me to explain how the LDS church functions. Another missionary opportunity. I talked about priesthood authority, modern prophets, and church governance. He asked if I was going to Mt. Tabor tomorrow. I said yes and he asked if he could accompany me. Awesome, tomorrow I will have a Catholic Seminary student as a guide in the Holy Land.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
May 11th, entering Israel
May 11th
I did not go to sleep last night because I flew out a bit after 3:00 and I had no idea how long it would take me to get through security at the Cairo Airport. It is a good thing too because it took them over 3 hours to process me. After waiting in line forever Israeli security pounced on me. Apparently single males, traveling alone, from Cairo, without any determined place to stay in Israel, raise some red flags with Israeli security even if they look like a BYU Mormon boy. The two female security officers grilled me for over an hour and a half. "Where have you been? Are you traveling Alone? Why? How long were you in Luxor? Where did you stay? Do you have a receipt? Why not? What do you do? Do you have a student i.d.? Where did you go in Cairo? Can you show me pictures? Do you have a bomb? Why are you coming to Israel? Why now? What do you mean you love Hebrew Culture? Do you know that the Hebrew Scriptures and the Old Testament are not exactly the same? How many people are in your family? Where do they live? Why are you coming to Israel again? What were you flight numbers to Egypt? Where were your layovers?....."and it went on. Finally I convinced them that I was not a terrorist and they decided that they would let me on the flight, but only after they searched my bag. So I unpacked my bag and they gave most everything a good chemical swabbing.
When I finally go through I met a very nice older couple who were on the same flight with me. They approached me and chuckled saying that they did not think that I was going to make it through. The woman said that she had watched the whole thing and that she knew more about me and about my trip than she did about her own children. It turns out that she did know a lot. Her next question was a surprise to me when she asked me if I had served a mission. I said that I had and she said that the BYU hat gave it away and that although they were Jewish, they were from Southern California and knew many Mormons. They turned out to be some of the friendliest people that I have ever met. We discussed our different trips in Egypt and what we planned to do in the Holy Land etc...
When I finally got into Tel Aviv I was stopped at the customs desk once again. Well, at least I am out of Cairo and stuck in the airport. It turns out they had more "concerns" about me and my traveling in Israel. So I had three different interviews with three different people over the course of one hour. They finally let me through and wished me a happy trip. Next thing to do was to find my rental car.
I got my car, looked at my map, and was off for Jaffa. At this point I had gone about 28 hours without sleep and was beginning to feel it. Nothing like trying to navigate in a country that you have never been in while trying to drive to a city you have never been to, where only half of the road signs have English translations, on hardly any sleep. Regardless, I made it to Jaffa without any serious problems. Once there however, it did take ma almost another hour to find the hostel that I would be staying at in the heart of the Old City. Once there I was greeted by a very rude lady with a nose ring. (A lot of girls in Israel have nose rings) I checked in but was then informed that I could not occupy my room until 11:00. Great, what to do for three hours. So I wandered the town. I actually met up with some other people staying in my hostel who turned out to be very nice. I actually got to share the gospel with them a little bit. All it takes is for me to say that I am from Utah and the questions start coming. I am a little bit frustrated with myself for not being very prepared. I didn't think that I would be sharing the gospel much in the nations I would be staying in. It never occurred to me to think about other travelers. The best I could do was answer their questions and give them the church's missionary website.
At 11:00 I finally was able to get some sleep. I woke up at about 5:00 and went out for a stroll around Jaffa just before the sun set. The coastal city is beautiful. I walked among the old buildings and had some sea food for dinner. Watched the sunset and just unwound after my two nonstop days of traveling. I wish I had more time to spend there but the next morning I was off to Cesarea and many more sights.
I did not go to sleep last night because I flew out a bit after 3:00 and I had no idea how long it would take me to get through security at the Cairo Airport. It is a good thing too because it took them over 3 hours to process me. After waiting in line forever Israeli security pounced on me. Apparently single males, traveling alone, from Cairo, without any determined place to stay in Israel, raise some red flags with Israeli security even if they look like a BYU Mormon boy. The two female security officers grilled me for over an hour and a half. "Where have you been? Are you traveling Alone? Why? How long were you in Luxor? Where did you stay? Do you have a receipt? Why not? What do you do? Do you have a student i.d.? Where did you go in Cairo? Can you show me pictures? Do you have a bomb? Why are you coming to Israel? Why now? What do you mean you love Hebrew Culture? Do you know that the Hebrew Scriptures and the Old Testament are not exactly the same? How many people are in your family? Where do they live? Why are you coming to Israel again? What were you flight numbers to Egypt? Where were your layovers?....."and it went on. Finally I convinced them that I was not a terrorist and they decided that they would let me on the flight, but only after they searched my bag. So I unpacked my bag and they gave most everything a good chemical swabbing.
When I finally go through I met a very nice older couple who were on the same flight with me. They approached me and chuckled saying that they did not think that I was going to make it through. The woman said that she had watched the whole thing and that she knew more about me and about my trip than she did about her own children. It turns out that she did know a lot. Her next question was a surprise to me when she asked me if I had served a mission. I said that I had and she said that the BYU hat gave it away and that although they were Jewish, they were from Southern California and knew many Mormons. They turned out to be some of the friendliest people that I have ever met. We discussed our different trips in Egypt and what we planned to do in the Holy Land etc...
When I finally got into Tel Aviv I was stopped at the customs desk once again. Well, at least I am out of Cairo and stuck in the airport. It turns out they had more "concerns" about me and my traveling in Israel. So I had three different interviews with three different people over the course of one hour. They finally let me through and wished me a happy trip. Next thing to do was to find my rental car.
I got my car, looked at my map, and was off for Jaffa. At this point I had gone about 28 hours without sleep and was beginning to feel it. Nothing like trying to navigate in a country that you have never been in while trying to drive to a city you have never been to, where only half of the road signs have English translations, on hardly any sleep. Regardless, I made it to Jaffa without any serious problems. Once there however, it did take ma almost another hour to find the hostel that I would be staying at in the heart of the Old City. Once there I was greeted by a very rude lady with a nose ring. (A lot of girls in Israel have nose rings) I checked in but was then informed that I could not occupy my room until 11:00. Great, what to do for three hours. So I wandered the town. I actually met up with some other people staying in my hostel who turned out to be very nice. I actually got to share the gospel with them a little bit. All it takes is for me to say that I am from Utah and the questions start coming. I am a little bit frustrated with myself for not being very prepared. I didn't think that I would be sharing the gospel much in the nations I would be staying in. It never occurred to me to think about other travelers. The best I could do was answer their questions and give them the church's missionary website.
At 11:00 I finally was able to get some sleep. I woke up at about 5:00 and went out for a stroll around Jaffa just before the sun set. The coastal city is beautiful. I walked among the old buildings and had some sea food for dinner. Watched the sunset and just unwound after my two nonstop days of traveling. I wish I had more time to spend there but the next morning I was off to Cesarea and many more sights.
May 10th, Last day in Egypt
May 10th
My train got in from Luxor at about 9:00 and I had a full day already planned. My last full day in Egypt and still so much I wanted to see and do. I had already accepted the fact that there is no way I would ever be able to do all that I have wanted to do unless I stayed here for over a month. I guess it is just an excuse to come back later. When I got off the train I ran to the nearest metro station and I headed south into "Old Cairo." You can imagine what old Cairo is like, well...it is actually like most of the other parts of the City. Dirt and crowded. What I had come to Old Cairo to see was actually the Coptic Museum and monasteries that are there. Some of the earliest Christian relics are from Egypt and it was interesting to see how Early Christian practices and cult icons evolved from Egyptian and Roman pagan practices. I spent almost all of the Morning there. Very cool experience.
After I was done with Coptic Cairo I started what I called my Mosque March. Basically I had mapped out 14 of the Oldest Mosques in Cairo, in the world for that matter, and planned to walk to as many of them as I could. Well, I started out kinda later and it took a lot longer to walk to the Mosques than I had originally planned so my march turned out to b e more of a walk. I only got to the 4 oldest ones before all the rest were closed for visitors.
I was beat anyway. So I basically took a cab to an internet place, sent you all some pictures, then got a bite to eat. At around 11:30 I got a cab to the airport and said goodbye to Egypt for who knows how long.
My train got in from Luxor at about 9:00 and I had a full day already planned. My last full day in Egypt and still so much I wanted to see and do. I had already accepted the fact that there is no way I would ever be able to do all that I have wanted to do unless I stayed here for over a month. I guess it is just an excuse to come back later. When I got off the train I ran to the nearest metro station and I headed south into "Old Cairo." You can imagine what old Cairo is like, well...it is actually like most of the other parts of the City. Dirt and crowded. What I had come to Old Cairo to see was actually the Coptic Museum and monasteries that are there. Some of the earliest Christian relics are from Egypt and it was interesting to see how Early Christian practices and cult icons evolved from Egyptian and Roman pagan practices. I spent almost all of the Morning there. Very cool experience.
After I was done with Coptic Cairo I started what I called my Mosque March. Basically I had mapped out 14 of the Oldest Mosques in Cairo, in the world for that matter, and planned to walk to as many of them as I could. Well, I started out kinda later and it took a lot longer to walk to the Mosques than I had originally planned so my march turned out to b e more of a walk. I only got to the 4 oldest ones before all the rest were closed for visitors.
I was beat anyway. So I basically took a cab to an internet place, sent you all some pictures, then got a bite to eat. At around 11:30 I got a cab to the airport and said goodbye to Egypt for who knows how long.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
In Israel, details to come soon....
I am sorry I have not been able to write for a bit. Things are flying by. To top it all off, the place I'm staying at has no internet. I found someone to lend me a laptop. So just fyi, I'm ok. TOday I went to Jaffa, Vesarea, Megido, a monastery on Mt. Karmel and I am sleeping in Nazereth. Details to come.
Sam
Sam
Monday, May 11, 2009
Made it to ISRAEL
Made it to Israel safe and sound. Getting past security proved to be quite the experience. Found a place to crash, although they will not let me into my room for another two hours. More details to come. In the meantime, bed. I have not slept in 32 hours.
Sam
Sam
Sunday, May 10, 2009
May 9th, Luxor & Valley of the Kings
I woke up at 6:30 and skipped breakfast. I knew that I needed every minute I could spare in order to see half of what I had planned to on the West bank of Luxor. I headed down to the waterfront and began looking for a way across. I could have taken the ferry for 5 pounds but I didn't want to wait so I was going to see if I could talk my way across another way. I found a man who surprisingly was willing to take ma across in his boat for the same price that the ferry would charge. I had now been in Egypt long enough to not simply regard this as a simple turn of good luck. This guy had something up his sleeve. So I cautiously stepped into the boat and we crossed over the Nile. It was just about 7:00 when I got to the other side and it was looking like it was going to be a beautiful day. Just then my boat driver offered to find me a taxi for the day. A friend of his would be my driver for only 30 pounds for the whole day. Here it was, the hook that he would try to catch me with. He would get a cut from his friend for getting me to buy his taxi service and I had no guarantee that the 30 pounds would not somehow turn into 60 or more. The guy was walking a few steps in front of me so I waited until his head was turned then I just disappeared down a side alley. Sneaky, yes, rued, maybe, but I thought it was better than arguing with him.
Just like at the train station as I walked to the ticket office I was hounded by numerous people offering their taxi services. Once I had bought my tickets it quickly became apparent that walking in-between all of the sites would be impossible. But I still did not want to pay cab fare for all those trips nor did I want to rent a cab for a day. Dang, maybe all those people in the tourist buses had a point. Just then, a man across the street asked if I wanted to rent a bicycle. Score! "How much?" He wanted 30 pounds for me to have the bike until 3. I talked him into letting me have the bike until 7 for only 15 pounds and set of down the road. First stop, Ramses II's temple the Ramesseum.
I was feeling pretty good about my bargaining skills until I actually got on the bike and started riding it. I am convinced that I had the absolutely worst bike in all of Egypt. Summoning all my strength I muscled this Bike with bald tires, crooked handlebars, a rock hard seat, and a chain that fell off at least 15 times that day I trudged up the hill to the Egyptian temples.
While I was at the Ramesseum a local came up to me and started pointing to random hieroglyphics and muttering questionable explanations in Arabic. He then asked for a tip and I again refused after which he left me alone. Or so I thought. He snuck up on me and managed to pull me aside to some archeological dig going on right next to the Temple. I was about to leave but he was insistent that I stay and see what he had to show me. With that he began to pull aside a piece of tin that was covering a hole and to my astonishment there lied a brightly painted wooden sarcophagus that had been partially uncovered by the archaeologists! I had no idea he was going to show me this. Amazing! I was looking at an Egyptian sarcophagus exactly where it had been laid over 3000 years ago. The man then asked me for a tip and I thought that was worth a few pounds.
I then mounted my bike and limped all my way down to the Temple of Seti I. Very neat, but I wont bore you. The good stuff happened after I left Seti's temple and began the 8km bike ride uphill to the Valley of the Kings. I honestly did not know if the bike would ever make it. I would try to peddle hard to get some momentum and the chain would fall off. I would try to go slower to take it easy on the bike and the chain would fall off. Keep in mind, every time that I had to stop the bike to put the chain back on 10 taxis would pass me by and insist that I hire them to drive me. With a broken bike I really had no excuses other than I had paid 15 pound to rent a bike so I would not have to get a cab and dammit, I was going to use that bike if it killed me. Stubborn? Probably, but I finally got the hang of the bike and slowly made my way of to the Valley of the Kings. I made it a point to wave at every bus full of confused tourist gawking at me as they passed by. They had no idea what they were missing on those big, air conditioned, diesel engine tour buses. No idea....whimps.
I made it to the valley alive and locked up my bike. The tombs were awesome. Once I was done with the 6 tombs that I visited I began mike hike up out of the Valley, over the mountain ridge and down into the canyon where Queen Hatshepsut's Temple was. The hike was steep but incredible. I could see all the way down the Nile Valley and across the river into Luxor. As I descended I got first class pictures of the temple as it slowly emerged from around the rocks. Many of you are probably wondering how I did all of this biking and hiking in the incredible heat of the Nile's West Bank. TO be honest, the weather was perfect. Slightly overcast with even a few drops of water falling now and again I hardly broke a sweat all day. I guess I planned my trip at the perfect time.
By the time I was done with her temple I was pretty beat and I still had one more site I wanted to see on the West Bank before things closed at 5:00. It was now 3:00 and I needed to get my bike that was still in the Valley of the Kings and then ride it all the way down to the most southern end of the monument to the Medinat Habu temple. Should I get a cab this once to go get my bike up at the Valley? After all, that is pretty reasonable considering I would have to basically run up the entire trail in order to get my bike and make it to Medinat Habu before it closed. Taking all of that into consideration...I started running up the mountain trail as fast as I could.
I got my bike and began speeding down the mountain road as fast as that old bike (that I honestly think Ramses himself might have owned) could take me. Fortunately, it was all down hill this time, but that did not keep the chain from falling off several times. Once when I was fixing it a cab driver asked me if I wanted a ride. When I said no he turned off his van and got out. Great, now I would have to put up with his hassling until I got the bike fixed. To my surprise he just helped me get the chain working again and said nothing more about the ride. I thanked him and sprinted off to Mediant Habu.
I agree with the Lonely Planet authors that Medinat Habu is the most underrated monument on the West Bank. My breath was taken away by this incredibly well preserved Temple built by Ramses the Great. In my opinion, it is second only to Karnack in Wonder.
I returned the bike and finally settled for one cab back to the river where I got another private boatman to take me across for 5 pounds and then went to dinner. This restaurant I found serves genuine Egyptian cuisine, which I actually like by the way, on the roof of a hotel overlooking the Luxor Temple. I took my time and let my swollen feet rest for about an hour and a half. I had biked over 15 km at least and walked over 8km in one day. Caleb, the triathlon runner, is probably thinking that it was no big deal. But hey, I hate to run and the bike I had was a burden in itself. By the end of the day, I was beat. I checked out of my hotel and slept soundly on the train back to Cairo.
Sam
Just like at the train station as I walked to the ticket office I was hounded by numerous people offering their taxi services. Once I had bought my tickets it quickly became apparent that walking in-between all of the sites would be impossible. But I still did not want to pay cab fare for all those trips nor did I want to rent a cab for a day. Dang, maybe all those people in the tourist buses had a point. Just then, a man across the street asked if I wanted to rent a bicycle. Score! "How much?" He wanted 30 pounds for me to have the bike until 3. I talked him into letting me have the bike until 7 for only 15 pounds and set of down the road. First stop, Ramses II's temple the Ramesseum.
I was feeling pretty good about my bargaining skills until I actually got on the bike and started riding it. I am convinced that I had the absolutely worst bike in all of Egypt. Summoning all my strength I muscled this Bike with bald tires, crooked handlebars, a rock hard seat, and a chain that fell off at least 15 times that day I trudged up the hill to the Egyptian temples.
While I was at the Ramesseum a local came up to me and started pointing to random hieroglyphics and muttering questionable explanations in Arabic. He then asked for a tip and I again refused after which he left me alone. Or so I thought. He snuck up on me and managed to pull me aside to some archeological dig going on right next to the Temple. I was about to leave but he was insistent that I stay and see what he had to show me. With that he began to pull aside a piece of tin that was covering a hole and to my astonishment there lied a brightly painted wooden sarcophagus that had been partially uncovered by the archaeologists! I had no idea he was going to show me this. Amazing! I was looking at an Egyptian sarcophagus exactly where it had been laid over 3000 years ago. The man then asked me for a tip and I thought that was worth a few pounds.
I then mounted my bike and limped all my way down to the Temple of Seti I. Very neat, but I wont bore you. The good stuff happened after I left Seti's temple and began the 8km bike ride uphill to the Valley of the Kings. I honestly did not know if the bike would ever make it. I would try to peddle hard to get some momentum and the chain would fall off. I would try to go slower to take it easy on the bike and the chain would fall off. Keep in mind, every time that I had to stop the bike to put the chain back on 10 taxis would pass me by and insist that I hire them to drive me. With a broken bike I really had no excuses other than I had paid 15 pound to rent a bike so I would not have to get a cab and dammit, I was going to use that bike if it killed me. Stubborn? Probably, but I finally got the hang of the bike and slowly made my way of to the Valley of the Kings. I made it a point to wave at every bus full of confused tourist gawking at me as they passed by. They had no idea what they were missing on those big, air conditioned, diesel engine tour buses. No idea....whimps.
I made it to the valley alive and locked up my bike. The tombs were awesome. Once I was done with the 6 tombs that I visited I began mike hike up out of the Valley, over the mountain ridge and down into the canyon where Queen Hatshepsut's Temple was. The hike was steep but incredible. I could see all the way down the Nile Valley and across the river into Luxor. As I descended I got first class pictures of the temple as it slowly emerged from around the rocks. Many of you are probably wondering how I did all of this biking and hiking in the incredible heat of the Nile's West Bank. TO be honest, the weather was perfect. Slightly overcast with even a few drops of water falling now and again I hardly broke a sweat all day. I guess I planned my trip at the perfect time.
By the time I was done with her temple I was pretty beat and I still had one more site I wanted to see on the West Bank before things closed at 5:00. It was now 3:00 and I needed to get my bike that was still in the Valley of the Kings and then ride it all the way down to the most southern end of the monument to the Medinat Habu temple. Should I get a cab this once to go get my bike up at the Valley? After all, that is pretty reasonable considering I would have to basically run up the entire trail in order to get my bike and make it to Medinat Habu before it closed. Taking all of that into consideration...I started running up the mountain trail as fast as I could.
I got my bike and began speeding down the mountain road as fast as that old bike (that I honestly think Ramses himself might have owned) could take me. Fortunately, it was all down hill this time, but that did not keep the chain from falling off several times. Once when I was fixing it a cab driver asked me if I wanted a ride. When I said no he turned off his van and got out. Great, now I would have to put up with his hassling until I got the bike fixed. To my surprise he just helped me get the chain working again and said nothing more about the ride. I thanked him and sprinted off to Mediant Habu.
I agree with the Lonely Planet authors that Medinat Habu is the most underrated monument on the West Bank. My breath was taken away by this incredibly well preserved Temple built by Ramses the Great. In my opinion, it is second only to Karnack in Wonder.
I returned the bike and finally settled for one cab back to the river where I got another private boatman to take me across for 5 pounds and then went to dinner. This restaurant I found serves genuine Egyptian cuisine, which I actually like by the way, on the roof of a hotel overlooking the Luxor Temple. I took my time and let my swollen feet rest for about an hour and a half. I had biked over 15 km at least and walked over 8km in one day. Caleb, the triathlon runner, is probably thinking that it was no big deal. But hey, I hate to run and the bike I had was a burden in itself. By the end of the day, I was beat. I checked out of my hotel and slept soundly on the train back to Cairo.
Sam
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