Successfully survived another Israeli border crossing, and no body search this time. However, there must be something menacing about my appearance or passport because I was once again put aside for additional screening procedures. The other 7 foreigners in line all went through without a hitch, but the security lady held on to my passport and made me wait for 20 minutes. They wiped down all my stuff with this specialized pad and threw dozens of questions at me. Later I found out they even called my CS host.
But I eventually managed to make it to my host, Daniel's, home but it was probably the most difficult time I had this entire trip with directions and public transportation. No one seemed to know this place and no one was enthusiastic to help. Through a combination of walking, lightrail, bus and a kindhearted realtor, I managed to make it to his tiny apartment that cost over $3ook. (Sidenote: real estate prices in Jerusalem are outrageous, but not as outrageous as Tel Aviv)
In the past two days I've managed to see quite a bit of Jerusalem, partly due to my host's weird schedule. He's one of those who doesn't want people in his apartment when he's not home - fair. So I was forced to wander around or find a place to park myself until 9pm one night and midnight the next night.
My first afternoon/evening was spent walking around the city center area, grocery shopping a bit at the huge market, and exploring the extreme Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. Walking in that neighborhood is like stepping into an alternate universe and I tried to capture some of it with my camera very discreetly. I was warned not to really make eye contact with people, but I suspect that's my host being paranoid or trying to scare me. Regardless, I kept to myself and just observed. The people don't wear color and are very conservatively dressed. There is even a sign that warns girls and women to dress modestly in their neighborhood. Fascinating!
The next day I took public transportation to Bethlehem, which in the Palestinian Territories. The journey was only about 30 minutes and surprisingly easy. There was no security check going in, but coming back to Jerusalem from Bethlehem involved passport checks. Bethlehem is a really quaint and beautiful city. In the old city, the streets and buildings are all stone with teal blue shutters and doors. Makes for a beautiful overall ambiance and quite photogenic. The two major attractions there are the Church of the Nativity where Jesus was born and the Milk Grotto where Mary nursed baby Jesus. To be honest, I'm not very well-educated when it comes to religion but it's still fascinating being here, and makes me want to understand Christianity, Judaism, and Islam more.
Of course I also walked around the four quarters of the Old City and walked the Via Dolorosa through all of the different stations and ended up at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Jerusalem in general is an intense place to visit - not only because of the historical significance but also observing other tourists' reactions. There are often people openly weeping, especially at places such as the Western/Wailing Wall and the site of the crucifixion. Today I also visited the Holocaust Museum and that was another level of emotional. It's a magnificently designed complex and horribly raw and moving. The images and video clips are completely uncensored and I found myself grimacing and choked up throughout the entire exhibit.
I stayed with my first host for 2 nights and then had to find another host due to a scheduling misunderstanding. And thanks to the last minute generosity of Erez, I'm staying with him in a dorm room on the campus of Hebrew University. Here for two nights and then I'm off to Haifa on the coast. Tomorrow will be Masada and Dead Sea. Definitely NOT shaving today :)
Glad you are safe!
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