Passover!!! WWWOOOOOO!

Salaam all. This is about that time when I update my blog, when it is way overdue and most have forgotten about it. In this episode I will detail my many adventures over Spring Break/Passover Vacation (April 11th-April 26th).
Immediately after my vacation began, at 6:00 AM Friday, April 11th, I set for the Sea-to-Sea Hike, a four-day trek from the Mediterranean Sea (Yam haTichon) to the Sea of Galilee (haKineret). The first day we drove up to a spot on the coast just north of Haifa, then walked in a large circle, up a few hills, and viewed a Crusades-era coastle, before making our way to a hotel for Shabbat dinner. It was actually quite a nice hotel, with our room furnished for seven, and one of those big, jacuzzi-type bathtubs. After a lovely dinner, my roommates and I settled down to some Arabic soap operas and a bit of al-Jazeera, before turning in for the night.
Bright and early the next day, we started our "hard" day of hiking, 18km (about 11 miles), mostly uphill to the peak of Mt. Meron, then descending a bit to our campsite. It was a difficult walk, though refreshing and satisfying. That night, we set up our tents, or simply laid out our sleeping bags. I signed up for an early watch duty, and got a good night's sleep.
The next day was significantly easier, and we climbed down the rest of the mountain and walked along some light, hilly terrain before being bussed to our camp site. On this night we had onion soup and pasta, before doing a "Chocolate Seder" (like a regular seder, but with dark chocolate instead of bitter herbs, and chocolate paste instead of lamb [it's rather complicated to explain]). And lucky me, I had no guard duty.
The final day was a scorcher, and there was little shade to be found. One of my friend's actually came down with a bit of heat exhaustion. We had an hour long break mid-day, and most of us (myself included) found a large, smooth rock as a suitable pillow for a nap. When we finally made it to the bus, we were told that we had the option to walk approximately fifteen to twenty minute to actually reach the Sea of Galilee on foot, or be driven there. A few of my friends and I chose to hoof it. About fifteen minutes in, on the side of a highway, we saw the road curve up a hill, and presumed the Sea to be just over that bend. When we arrived there, we found the Sea was at least another 2 miles off. At that point the bus drove past us, and in our exhaustion, our attempts to flag it down looked simply as if we were waving. Lucky for us, somebody ahead had the strength to wave them down, and I ran to the bus to take my seat and have a drink. We thought the bus would then take us to the beach, but we were all very surprised by our actual destination- a spa, right on the coast of the Kineret. There we had ice-cold water, hamburgers, hot dogs, and salad before undressing and diving into the regular pool, to finally be able to cool off. We also met the other group here, and it turned out that they had already been there for four hours before we arrived. Some of us then took a dip in the salty hot spring, before one last dip in the pool, one last hamburger, and one last look at the Kineret before heading back to Jerusalem.
The next better part of a week was uneventful, involving mostly relaxing and waking up late. Then, on April 21th, Alyssa and I took a bus to Eilat before crossing over to Jordan. That day we went to Aqaba, a beach resort town, and Jordan's equivalent to Eilat. Okay, not exactly, we actually stayed about fifteen minutes outside of Aqaba, in what felt like the middle of nowhere. That day we laid out and baked in the sun on the Red Sea, and I cut my foot on some lovely coral. That night we ate dinner, listened to American hits from the Nineties, and I slept on a table in a tent (a rickety metal frame covered in a thin, ripped tarp).
The next day we were driven to Wadi Rum, where we happened to run into a few of our friends from Hebrew University, who happened to be using the same tour service on the same day as we were. And so we spent the whole driving, walking, and climbing around Wadi Rum, spending about half of the time with our friends, who were in a different car throughout. Which reminds me of the truck we rode in during the tour. The SUV was certainly older than me, and bore the marks of age to prove it. Much on the door had been stripped off, and rather than with key, the car was started by twisting the appropriate wires together, and untwisting to shut off the engine. For a little background, Wadi Rum is large valley, the largest in Jordan, cut out of sandstone and granite, and was the base of operations of T.E. Lawrence during the Arab Revolt. It is absolutely beautiful, and driving around in a truck, we were able to see quite a bit of it. That night we ate a hefty mealof traditional Bedouin dishes, listened to singing and ribaba-playing while drinking tea, and dancing around the fire. Afterwards we retreated to our large and comfortable tents, with small mattresses and hard pillows laid out for us.
The next day we took a cab to Petra, sleeping most of the way. We hiked around the ancient Nabataen city of Petra, saw all of the main sights, and saw all but the most remote of the other sites (and a few of those at that) in one day. It was simply amazing, seeing the Treasury from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as well as the similar from even larger Monastery, and the High Place of Sacrifice, from where you can see for miles, and look down upon much of the city of Petra. Upon returning, we went out to dinner, where the son of the owner (or something like that) invited us out to the Cave Bar, which is exactly what it sounds like. We spent some time here, and then went to another place, where we got to sample Betra Beer, obviously a Jordanian brew. At the end of this day, we were exhausted, and happy to finally sleep in a nice, indoor room, with honest-to-goodness beds.
For the day after, we ordered a cab to take a scenic tour up to Madaba, a place known for its wonderful mosaics. First, we stopped at a Crusader-turned-Muslim castle called Shobak. Our next stop was the Dead Sea, where we entered a resort and I finally got the opportunity to float in the Dead Sea. We stayed here for about fifteen to twenty minutes, probably a good idea, since that salt gets right into those open wounds, and that cut on my foot was not doing well. Our next stop was at the top of a winding road, on Mount Nebo, where Moses looked out and was shown the land of Israel. There is a Lutheran monastery here, under renovation or reconstruction, as well as a small museum. Unfortunately, this was also the place where my stomach and I got into a serious disagreement. My stomach won out, and announced it to the world from the top of that mountain by refusing me the pleasure of digesting my breakfast. Lucky for myself, our final stop, Madaba, was not far down the road. We made our way, slowly, to a juice bar, where Alyssa and I helped ourselves, slowly, to mixed-fruit smoothies. I was in no shape to move, so I insisted that Alyssa go see the mosaic at St. George's Church, and that I would be perfectly fine, lying here on the couch with another smoothie. When she returned, she had crackers and medicine with her, and I thanked her very much. She then told me the story of her attempts to communicate to the pharmacist (who spoke little English) that she needed something for an upset stomach. The pharmacist's final attempt at sign language involved pointing at his stomach and making a punching gesture. Alyssa gave the thumbs-up, paid, and returned. I then looked at the label on the pills, and found I was holding laxatives (thank you Rite Aid). With an hour-long bus ride to Amman (Jordan's capital) ahead of us, I resolved to hold off on them. We found the bus station, found the bus to our stop, and got comfy for the ride. Shortly after entering the city, my stomach was again preparing for an altercation. We arrived at our stop, and I pushed my way off the bus to again spill my contents, this time on the side of a very busy road, and I think one of the main roads in Amman. Fortunately, a pharmacy was right across the street, and the pharmacist spoke very good English. I bought some decent medicine, and after a long wait (involving quite the misunderstanding), exacerbated by the fact that neither of us had working phones, we were picked up by a friend of Alyssa's aunt, living in Jordan. She, her friend, and her foster child welcomed us into their lovely home (really amazing), and I had chicken soup and laid down for a quiet night in.
The next day I was feeling much better, and Alyssa and I went to a number of Roman ruins (including a temple to Hercules and a large Theatre), an Umayyad palace, and quite a few museums at these sights. We then went to a Safeway, a grocery chain also popular in Israel, and ate at a buffet inside, while listening to instrumental of more American hits from the 90's. American hits from the 90's seem to be quite popular in the Middle East. I have heard George Michael's "Careless Whisper" in Tel Aviv, Amman, and Aqaba. We spent that night eating and talking with those who took us in, and with another visitor that arrived that day, who also stayed in the house.
Our final day in Amman started early, with a trip to the Mosque of King Abdullah. Alyssa donned a black robe, we both removed our shoes, and we admired the qeometric art and architecture, Qur'anic verses along the walls, and the Mosque's signature blue dome. Afterwards we visited the shop Alyssa's aunt's friend helps to run (here is the website: www.holylanddesigns.net). The shop employs disadvantaged men and women, who would otherwise be unable to find work. Afterwards, we went to a small art gallery called Darat al-Funuun, which hosted works by a few Palestinian and Jordanian artists. Next we went to the Wild Jordan Centre, a visitor's centre for ecotourism around Jordan, and the location of a very good restaurant, where we had delicious breakfast specials for lunch, and the first decent sausage I've had in a long time. Near the end of our time in Amman, we visited the Royal Automobile Museum, an expansive collection (over 70 models) of cars owned or used by the kings of Jordan, primarily King Hussein II. It was an impressive collection, and amazing to find out the late king was not only a race-car driver, but a damn good one at that.
After leaving the museum, we arranged a taxi to drive us to the northern border into Israel, where we waited for quite a while, though customs weren't particularly stringent. When re-entering Israel in the north, pay little heed to the taxi drivers' advice. One told us the buses were no longer running, as the border into the West Bank (through which the main highway winds) closes at 6 PM, and that a taxi to Jerusalem was the only option, at a rate of 500 shekels (about $150). Bloody lies. We had a taxi take us to the nearest town, where we waited for a short while before catching the bus (which did cross into the West Bank) and it cost us only 40 shekels each.
Alyssa and I both had an amazing time in Jordan, and thus far I have had an amazing time in Israel, too. I am looking forward to a 2-day hike in the Golan Heights this Friday, and I am sure you are looking forward to hearing about it. I'll bet by the time I get back

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