June 10 Mt. Zion, Bethlehem, Old Jerusalem

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Before we talk about the 12,000 steps taken on today's tour, I want to comment on hydration and tipping.

No matter where you travel or at what time of the year you travel, hydration is critical to having a safe and healthy trip. As part of your planning phase, you need to understand what climate you are going to, and how hot it will be. This will help you in packing the right clothes as well. If you are on any form or religious journey, you must also consider church rules, such as men and women must have their shoulders and knees covered. For men, this means long pants and a modest shirt. For women, you can use a shawl or other cover for your shoulders or to wrap around your waist to cover your knees. If you fail to cover up, you may be denied entrance so plan ahead.

As for hydration, you may not really know how much you are sweating in a dry climate, such as the Middle East. It is HOT in the summer and very dry so you will lose a significant amount of water. I prefer to carry a hydration pack. It carries 2 liters of water and doubles as a small backpack, sufficient to carry other necessary items for your comfort. I also highly suggest getting some hydration boosters. These are packets or tablets of a mineral and electrolyte mixture that not only replace water but help significantly with electrolyte loss. I also add a flavoring concentrate to the mix just to make the water more tasty. You may need up to a liter or more a day depending on temperature and level of activity. Dehydration can make you feel sick, can make you weak, and, if extreme enough, can cause serious illness.

You can buy water everywhere but it will cost you from one to two dollars per 12 oz bottle. I hesitate to say this but in some countries, street vendors will refill bottles discarded in the garbage can (Italy, for sure). Not only are you getting tap water but you may be using a discarded bottle. In either event, drink enough water, stay healthy, and enjoy your trip to the fullest.

My other point is TIPPING. This is a tough problem for many people. Some cultures do not tip. Period. Other travelers feel that it is built into the travel price. IT IS NOT. For you to understand tipping, you need to understand the travel industry. Tour guides are independent contractors. They often have to bid on a particular trip, meaning they won the tour by being the lowest bidder. In some cases, a tour guide is paid only for the days worked, may or may not have health care, and may be out of work for weeks to months at a time if travel season is over or if we have an outbreak like COVID. A good guide can make your trip an experience to remember and a bad one can ruin it for you. Most tour companies recommend a tipping schedule of $5 per person per day for the tour guide, $2/person per day for the bus driver, and $2/person for your day guide during special local city tours. To those of you on this trip to Isreal, our driver George has negotiated some incredible turns and heavy traffic situations and gotten us to every location on time and safely. Would you want to do this for $2/person per day? I wouldn't!

So, if they do a good job, tell them with your wallet. It is a trip of a lifetime for you and a very difficult time for them. Be Kind! Now for the good part.

Today we headed out to Mt Zion for N unbelievable visual panorama of the Temple on the Mount, The Garden of Gethsemane, The Mount of OIlives, The siTE of the First Temple and so much more. Evan moved us out a little early and George piloted the bus to Mt Zion where we spent nearly an hour viewing the most amazing panorama of Jerusalem and the most important locations associated with Jesus and the First Temple and Temple Mount. These are places I have only seen on TV and in pictures and NOW WE ARE HERE and able to see and touch some of the most significant parts of Biblical history. It was humbling indeed.

We boarded the bus and prepared to leave Isreal. Our next stop was Palestine on the West Bank. Now some of you might have gasped, thinking this was a place that was unsafe. It is not. During our stay, it was very safe, peaceful, and provided one of the most interesting sites on our tour, Bethlehem!

Today Palestine is about 20% Christian, down from over 80% during the heyday of Christianity. We did not see any animosity toward us as tourism is a critical part of the economy. Tourists are much appreciated in Bethlehem and based on the amount of money we left behind I can understand why!

Our first stop was the Shepherd's Field where history says an angel came to some shepherds telling them to look for a baby wrapped in swaddling rags and laid in a manger near Bethlehem. The shepherds lived in caves and we were treated to be able to go into one of the caves and see how they lived. It was an amazing, emotional experience. We also visited a church on the grounds and heard the story of Ruth and how she and Boaz met and married and gave birth to the line of Jesus.

After Shepherd's Field, we headed up to a major shopping area. This is a bit unique and may require an explanation. The store is owned by a collective who is tasked with helping the remaining Christian families in Bethlehem. These people are craftsmen in their own right and the store was filled with amazing jewelry, works in olive wood, gold, silver, and many other items of extraordinary beauty. Cathy got a new necklace for her cross and I am the proud owner of an olivewood goblet. Many dollars were left behind by our bus.

Our next stop was the Church of the Nativity. This is purported to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ. We were very lucky as there was no one there when we arrived, so we were given the opportunity to see and touch the very spot where Jesus was born and to see the manger where he lay during the visit by the Three Wise Men. Another bucket list item ticked off.

We ate a fine lunch in a local restaurant and back on the bus to return to Jerusalem for more religious touring. It was getting a bit late so we had to walk a little quickly through the old city to reach the Western Wall. Cathy and I saw this earlier in the week so being given only 15 minutes to pray at the wall seemed a little short for some but there was much more to see and precious little time left to see it.

From the wall, we headed through the Jewish Quarter to the Christian Quarter to the Via Dolorosa and walked the path Jesus took to Golgotha and his crucifixion. We stopped at 5 stations of the cross and Evan explained the events that history tells us took place there. We ended up at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre which is the site of Golgotha and the crucifixion, as well as the tomb of Jesus where he first lay and rose in glory three days later. Were these the exact specific places where these events took place? Maybe, maybe not but we were in very close proximity.

To see these places and be in the presence of history makes travel so rewarding. I hope you all get to see some of these places. You will be a better person for it.

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