Jesusland

Trip Start Aug 05, 2006
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Trip End Ongoing


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Flag of Israel  ,
Saturday, June 16, 2007

Over 4,000 miles north of Johannesburg lies the state of Israel and my next destination on this year long journey.  Many people only here the bad news that comes out of this tiny country, which is about 9 times smaller than Missouri, but it is also a place filled with history where books like the Bible truly come alive before your eyes.  That is not to say that it is not a troubled and occasionally dangerous place but I felt my odds of getting killed in a terrorist incident were marginal at best and the authorities here definitely are taking all the precautions possible to avoid this.

When I arrived in Ben Gurion airport after 2 days of travel that began in Cape Town I was feeling a little tired but quite well until I reached the border control booth.  "I see you have been to Yemen" the girl said.  "Why did you go there?"  "Tourism", I replied.  "Oh, and why did you go to Sudan?"  "OK, please sit over there."  After about 3 hours answering the same stupid questions from about a half dozen different people I was finally allowed to get my passport stamped and enter Israel Closeup Of Western Wall
Closeup Of Western Wall
 . 

I spent the next 2 days in Tel Aviv resting and relaxing a little on the beach and then headed to Jerusalem on the bus.  The history of Jerusalem is extremely long, going back over 6,000 years, and it is one of the holiest site for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  The Old City literally overflowing with churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious sites.  I chose the few days I had here to visit some of the most famous places but to see them all you would probably need a month. 

The first day I arrived and checked into my hotel room located in the Muslim quarter of the city.  After wandering the markets for a while I came upon the Tower of David, a medieval fortress that offers a great view over the city.  Exiting one of the towers I walked atop the city wall for about half and hour until I came to the Western Wall, the most holy site in all Judaism. 

The next day I spent exploring the Church of Holy Sepulchre; believed to be the site of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the Dome of the Rock, where Muhammad was believed to have ascended to heaven for a night-long journey, Abraham was tested by God when asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, and the Ark of the Covenant was once kept.  Both places where endlessly fascinating and not too over-filled with tourist when I was there. 

When I arrived back in Tel Aviv I met with two Israeli friends, Uri and Baza, I met while traveling in Uganda and we went to check out the Tel Aviv nightlife and the next day they took be to a nice beach on the outskirts of the city. 

 
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