Jacir Palace Inter-Continental Bethlehem

... voor moesten betalen, wat we raar vonden, maar een hostel is altijd duurder, dus dan maar accepteren heh.. In het blik op wielen reden we naar de berg/het kasteel van Herodes. De lieve meneer die alle Bethlehemse kindjes vermoordde in een poging van Jezus af te komen kan best goed bouwen. Het lijkt net een berg/vulkaan van verre, maar eigenlijk is het een grot, compleet met groot basin voor drinkwater (waar overigens niets meer in zit, omdat de Israelis vrijwel al het water ...

... until dinner at about 7pm. Evenings float by as very pleasant rest time and vary from cardgames to chatting and smoking 'waterpipe’ round the bonfire to learning Dabkeh (Palestinian dance) with Jihan.

The work I have been doing has also varied a lot. I have swept up mountains of dust which, though quite therapeutic is not my favourite job – more satisfying is working with the trees; digging around them, watering, pruning – working on the grape trees is the ...

Once we got to Bethlehem, we could sit back and not spend any more money. My friend's father has a money changing shop in Bab-Ez-Kak, a famous intersection in Bethlehem, just down from where the Israelis blocked the Jerusalem road with a hideous wall. We stayed there for a few days and got a taste of what things were like from the persepective of a Palestinian. Our last to days were in a hotel, lest we wear out ...

... 8217;t met any other Brits here yet). Also a group from Brazil came towards the end of the camp and did some activities with the children. One of the things I love about staying here is the incredible amount of people you meet, though, with native English speakers greatly in the minority, being here makes painfully stark how awful we are at languages. Often I find myself marvelling at the fact that I am the only one with English as my mother tongue while chatting in a group, and everyone ...

... also so she got a bit of a mixed picture of who I was and what I was doing.
We touched down to a strip of pink sky at 6am (Israeli time; 4am British time) and joined the hustling queue for passport control. I smiled at the woman behind the desk and hoped that she wouldn't ask toomany questions. Fortunately though she came across as sharp and suspicious she let me through without any problems. I collected my bags and followed the woman from the plane to the line of 'shabutz ...

... just had to walk on those because I believe it's very probable that Jesus himself walked on those very steps too. That was cool. We walked on down to the Western Wall. Of course, the girls and I had to walk over to the women's side. We stood there and observed first, just to make sure we didn't do anything wrong. :-) As we stood there, we noticed that when the women were done praying, they didn't turn around and ...

... not. We made a stop at a nature preserve called Ein Gedi. Here in the desert, this place is teeming with flora and fauna. We made a very easy walk/hike up to some waterfalls. It was beautiful and peaceful. Another member of our group and I snuck ahead of a long line of rather slow people walking up, and we moved at a good clip. We really got our legs moving, and the legs appreciated it! The most hysterical event, though was "swimming" in the Dead ...

... noise, heat and raw humanity of the place. Just slow down, live life at the pace provided and don't try to get by at what you think the pace should be. Settle in and enjoy the 'joie de vivre' of this place that is like no other on earth. Spend a couple of days on the West Bank side, imagine that you are one of the locals that can't go to the Old City of Jerusalem. The Palestinian side has a lot to offer; a Christian Pork Shop, the Nativity Church ...

... on the side of the Mount which faces the Mosque. Two faiths facing each other, Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ismael, Jacob and Esau: it's always a sibling rivalry. My friend and her husband drive me back home. I cannot even lay down the way I normally lay down. If I try to lay on my belly, the pain is atrocious. If I try to stretch my left leg, the pain is unbearable. Finally, I lay on the right side, my legs slightly bent as if at a 90 degree angle again. I am very ...

... comes that the holiest people could go up there. Now Muslims occupy the space on the temple mount because they believe that Muhammad descended into heaven at that site. The site is only open from 7-10am and 12:30-1:30pm. Since I arrived there late I went between 12:30 and 1:30. This place is amazing. I got to the top and it was 35 acres of pure silence. It was so peaceful and just to think that just below was the hussel and bustle of ...