Footsteps in the Promised Land

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“Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him the whole land from Gilead as far as Dan; all the land of Naphtali; the land of Ephraim and Manasseh; all of the land of Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea; the Negev; the Jordan Valley with Jericho, the city of palms, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said I will give it to your descendents.’” - Deuteronomy 34: 1-4. As I read through the passage, I thought back to the previous day when I stood on that very same peak and looked out over the Promised Land just as Moses once did. It was a lot to take in and at the same time a lot to be thankful for.

Looking up from my bible as we neared the end of the King Hussein Bridge in Jordan, I caught sight of the Star of David wavering peacefully over the land of Israel just ahead. The border crossing onto Israeli soil is one of the most painstaking entry processes I’ve ever had to endure. It is probably very similar to entering the U.S as a foreigner, but with more high-powered weaponry present. That was the first thing that stuck out to me about Israel. There is practically a small army of young Israelis walking the streets, transportion centers and holy sites armed to the teeth with machine guns, grenade launchers and pistols. I’ve never seen so many weapons in my life…especially in the hands of kids. The security in Israel, just as it was in Egypt, is extremely tight and strict to enforce. I soon found this out…but I’ll get to that later. Metal detectors and baggage scanners are present at every tourist site and transportation center throughout the country. And the city of Jerusalem, which was my first stop, was the most stringent of them all.

Jerusalem is a fascinating city steeped in religious antiquity, architectural beauty, boiling controversy, and a holy aura beyond comparison. During my stay, I toured through the narrow tunnel systems of the old city and circled the outskirts of the Jerusalem wall. The old city is divided into four sections: the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Armenian Quarters. The following are the main sites I visited and a short description:

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre: This magnificent church stands in the location where the Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Ethiopian and Coptic churches believe Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. While touring the site, I had trouble finding someone who spoke English, therefore I’m not exactly sure what everything inside represented, but I figured most of it out through my amazingly accurate processes of deduction. Near the front entrance of the church lay a piece of the stone that was rolled in front of Jesus' tomb and the supposed spot where Jesus was crucified was marked by a giant stone monument of some sort; as for the rest…I have no earthly idea.

The Temple Mount: This massive stone platform was built over the site where Solomon’s (First) and Herod’s (Second) Temple once stood and is said to be the place where Abraham was instructed by God to sacrifice his son Isaac in a test of faith (Genesis 22:1-18). This is one of Judaism’s most sacred places. As for Muslims, the Temple Mount is distinguished as the place where Mohammed dreamed of ascending from the mount to heaven to take his place beside Allah. The Temple Mount is at the center of controversy as Arabs and Jews attempt to claim their control over it.

Dome of the Rock: At the center of the Temple Mount stands the gold-plated Dome of the Rock. This mosque is more of a figurehead than an actual house of worship. I was unable to enter the mosque because I’m not Muslim…but I’m sure it was really something.

The Western Wall: The Western Wall, also known by many as the Wailing Wall (because of the Jew’s sorrow over the destruction of the temple), is a piece of the retaining wall built by King Herod in 20 BC. It is the only remnants remaining of Judaism’s holiest shrine.

The Garden of Gethsemane and Mount of Olives: Above the valley of Kidron (John 18:1) and along the slopes of the Mount of Olives lies the Garden of Gethsemane. This olive grove is where Jesus went for prayer and was later arrested by Roman soldiers (Matthew 26:36-46). The tomb of the Virgin Mary is located next to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Mt. Zion and King David’s Tomb: On Mount Zion is the site of the Coenaculum, thought to be the location of the Last Supper. At the back of this same building lies the tomb of King David.

I know what most of you are thinking at this very moment. You probably assume that I had a remarkably moving spiritual experience while in the holy land of Jerusalem. I for one thought that I would be overwhelmed to stand where Jesus and many spiritual men of the bible once stood. But it wasn’t like that for me. Don’t get me wrong, it was very exciting to finally visualize the settings I’ve read and heard so much about throughout my life. But the religious extremism is what had me bewildered. I stood in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and in front of the Wailing Wall and watched silently as people waved their incense in a rehearsed manner, burned their candles, chimed their bells, threw their hands on important relics, cut their hair a certain way, wore specific clothing to correspond with their beliefs, rubbed intently on the beads, went through prayer rituals, bobbed their bodies back and forth in front of the holy wall, and repeatedly chanted words of prayer and repentance. I simply stood and observed, feeling a little out of place, and questioned in my head whether or not this is what God truly desires. The narrow streets of the old city are congested with shops and vendors selling every sort of religious trinket or ornament you could ever imagine. The religious rituals of Christians, Jews and Muslims took place within the same vicinity; but were worlds apart. There was one thing they each had in common though and that was that each person carried on as if they had to earn God's favor or forgiveness through their rituals. I always believed that this was the major difference between Christianity and other religions; that Christians were saved through faith and not works. But the Christian denominations I witnessed in Jerusalem proved otherwise. I’m sure there were many who were not so theatrical and ritualistic, but of course they didn’t stand out to my attention.

I don’t want it to sound like I didn’t enjoy my stay in Jerusalem. The initial religious shock soon wore off and I found my place. For me personally, I feel closer to God when I’m away from the organized religious settings; for example: standing on a mountain top, holding the hand of an orphan, fellowshipping with close friends, staring up at a starry sky in the wilderness, helping those that are less fortunate, watching the sunset over the ocean, or simply sharing a Sunday afternoon with my family. We all have our ways of worship and communion with God. It just took me a second to realize that I wasn’t any worse or better than those around me for the manner for which I worship. After touring the main sites and mingling with the heavy tourist flow, I made my way outside of the city walls and enjoyed some time alone. I walked down through the Kidron Valley and up to the Mount of Olives where I stood and looked over the Garden of Gethsemane. I imagined Jesus walking through the olive groves and stopping to spend some time in prayer with his father. This was the piece of Jerusalem I thoroughly enjoyed; the rolling hills and valley where Jesus and his disciples once walked.

By the third day of my stay in Jerusalem it was time for me to move on. The cost of things in Israel was far too expensive for my taste; especially with the ever declining American dollar. A 12 oz coke in the old city nearly cost three dollars. Because of my travel budget, I couldn’t stay in Jerusalem for very long. Also, I didn’t find Israel as friendly as I did its neighboring countries, but there were some exceptions of course. The Palestinian owner of my hostel (the Citadel Hostel) was extremely helpful and kind. He assisted me with directions and itineraries to see Jerusalem without having to sign up for a tour.

While at the Citadel Hostel, I met a couple of young American girls, Nikki and Kim, who were traveling through Israel and Egypt on their two week vacation. The two were headed from Jerusalem to the city of Eilat on the southern tip of Israel and then on to Cairo. This was the same path I was on so we decided to travel together. The Taba border crossing in the south was the only passage open to foreigners between Israel and Egypt. We were warned that we needed to hurry and get across the border and out of the Sinai region as soon as possible. It was Wednesday and that Friday began the week long Jewish holiday of Passover. The border would soon be packed with young Israelis crossing into the Sinai for the holiday. The three of us left for the central bus station in order to catch the 5pm bus to Eilat. This is where my journey got a little interesting.

As we passed through the normal procedures of metal detectors and baggage scanners, the officer behind the monitor suddenly radioed security to inform them that my larger pack contained knives. Soon I found myself outside the facility emptying the contents of my bag to remove the weapons. As I’ve mentioned before, I always carry a pocket knife with me during my travels and I’ve also been collecting various types of knives from different countries. Throughout my travels, I’ve purchased souvenirs, such as knives, masks, oil paintings, etc., and shipped them home when my pack became full. At this point in time, I had four knives inside my pack; one from Africa, Jordan, Egypt, and my personal blade given to me as a groomsmen's gift from my buddy Eric. These were special to me so I wasn’t going to give them up as security demanded. Nikki and Kim went ahead and purchased my ticket with the money I gave them and waited patiently at the gate. The bus didn’t leave for an hour, so I figured that I had sufficient time to settle this simple matter and be on my way. The problem was that the teenage security guards refused to give me back my knives, even if I had them escort me and place the pack under the bus themselves. I’ve traveled all over the world and been on countless flights, trains and buses and I’ve never had a problem carrying knives in my checked baggage. I explained to security that I collect knives and I have always carried them through countries with no problem. I then demanded that their head officer come down and deal with me. Soon, instead of getting the man in charge I got the Israeli police. The young policemen arrived, but like the bus terminal security, they still could make no decisions on their own. They kept radioing into base for answers. By this time I’d been standing there for 45 minutes and my bus was soon to depart. The officers explained to me that it was illegal to carry weapons in Israel and that they were going to take them away. I continued to argue and said that they were souvenirs and that I’d spent a lot of money on them…which was bogus. I then pointed out the fact that souvenir knives are sold all throughout Israel and that they even sell them inside the shops in that very bus station. I asked if I could ship them home through the local post office. With no answer to my reply, the head officer, who was probably about 24 years old, again radioed his captain. He then came back and told me that I had two choices: give up the knives and leave on my bus or get arrested and still lose my knives. I then looked down at my watch and realized that I only had a few minutes until my bus departed (which would have been tight even if I ran), so I did the only logical thing that my stubborn character allowed me. I replied, “Tell your captain that the fact that his country sells souvenir knives everywhere, but then says that tourists can’t transport them back to their own country is about the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, so he’d better come up with a better solution because this is ridiculous.” The officer got on his radio and minutes later announced, “You have the right to remain silent, anything you say or do can be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney…blah…blah…blah…blah. I was then placed in the back of the cop car and shuttled off to the Israeli police station. The only thoughts that passed through my mind were…this is so cool…I actually got arrested in Israel…this will be great for my blog.

Over the next three hours at the station, I sat in discussion with the female Lieutenant who was assigned to me because she spoke English. At that time, I proceeded to turn on the charm and humor in the attempts to wiggle my way out of trouble. It wasn’t going to be easy though, because my stern faced Lieutenant seemed to be made of stone. I explained how important the one knife (that was given to me as a groomsmen's present) was to me and how I couldn’t replace it. She went on about how carrying knives was illegal in Israel and then I pointed out that I had made it through their rigorous checkpoint at the border and no one warned me of this law. I also pointed out the fact that they sell knives in most of the souvenir shops in Jerusalem and that it’s ridiculous that you can’t transport them out of the country unless you use a taxi and go straight to the airport. I explained to her that I collect knives from around the world and then I showed her the number of countries I’d visited in my passport. She slowly began to soften up a bit especially when I informed her that I’d just spent three months working with orphans in Africa. Soon she dropped the charges for concealing weapons and even wrote a note to have the bus station reimburse my ticket (as I requested), but her Captain still wouldn’t allow me to keep my knives. The post office was now closed, so that option was out. Before we left the office, I asked the Lieutenant if I could give her the pocket knife (which costs over $100) as a gift rather than it be destroyed. I explained that it meant a lot to me and I would like her to have it. She claimed that that was impossible, but she was moved by the gesture. Continuing to ham up my sorrow over the loss of my knives, I then asked if I could get one last picture of them as a remembrance (I put on quite the performance). When taking the picture, I tilted the camera up just enough to get her in the photo. She quickly asked if I’d gotten her in the picture (which she forbid) and I said no as I immediately clicked a second photo of the knives without a flash. I then showed her that she wasn’t in the shot and walked away with an excellent photo to document in my blog (I’m so sneaky). Then, just as we exited her office, she turned back to me and said that she would try to send me the knives if her Captain approved it. She took down my address and said that it was a long shot but she would try her best. I thanked her and promised I’d send her money to reimburse the cost of shipping. I left the station and caught a shuttle back to the transport center where I booked the night bus to Eilat that left at midnight. I must say that my exodus of Jerusalem proved to be yet another memorable departure. I also learned that even though a person may seem unfriendly on the outside, if you take the time to get to know them and peel back a few of their layers, you may find a completely different person inside.

I arrived in Eilat at 4am that morning and walked myself to the nearest hostel. After a brief conversation with the night desk clerk of the establishment, I soon learned that I would have to visit the Egyptian consulate to have a new entry visa issued. The Taba crossing does not issue visas at the border; therefore I would have to visit the consulate when they opened in a few hours (which meant yet another night of no sleep). Also, the desk clerk informed me that a travel warning was just posted about possible presence of al-Qaida terrorists in the Sinai region. In 2005 and 2006, terrorists detonated bombs in tourist locations during the Israeli Passover holiday killing numerous people. Nothing happened in 2007, but intelligence recently received information that a couple of terrorists from the Sudan had made it into Sinai, and were planning an attack in the coastal region. The local news and papers warned all Israelis and westerners to avoid the area if all possible. This meant that I needed to get my visa, cross the border into Sinai and quickly head straight for Cairo. This was my plan anyway, since I’d already been to Dahab and Nuweiba, but this alert gave me a little more incentive not to delay.

Obtaining my visa took most of the morning and I spent the remainder of the day walking around the city. Eilat is a glitzy resort town located in the Negev region of Israel wedged between Egypt and Jordan. There are crowded beaches along the Red Sea and desert mountains and canyons surrounding the city. Even though I was far away from Jerusalem, the prices were still rather expensive. I squeezed by on my few remaining shekels and made it to the next morning with enough money to pay my exit fee and cross into the Sinai region of Egypt.

Surprisingly, that morning I was one of the only tourists at the Taba border crossing. There was no line and only a few other people present, so I crossed into Egypt within minutes. I guess the terror alerts succeeded in deterring people from entering. Now that I was in Sinai, my plan was to walk to the transportation center and catch the first bus bound for Cairo. As I walked along the main road, ignoring the taxi drivers barking in my ear, I heard a girl’s voice shout my name from a van. I turned to see Nikki and Kim, the American travelers I’d met in Jerusalem, approaching from the vehicle. The girls greeted me with laughter and questioned what had happened with my arrest. I recounted my run in with law and cunning escape. We enjoyed a good laugh and then the girls invited me to join them and their friend Mike in their private van to Cairo. I explained that a private vehicle was far too expensive for me, but they insisted that I pay only what my bus trip would have cost and not to worry.

The van ride through the Sinai desert was quick and painless with the exception of numerous road blocks and our insane driver who sped along tossing caution into the wind. I felt as if I was a part of Talladega Nights and my driver was Ricky Bobby. I have to say that he was one of the craziest drivers I’ve ever had, and that's saying a lot. Along the way we passed through the Suez Canal tunnel as giant cargo ships glided through its waters overhead. That was about the only exciting thing we encountered until we reached the chaos of downtown Cairo.

Back in the bustling city of Cairo, I found a cheap hostel (Lialy Hostel) in a centrally located area of town and took it easy for the remainder of my stay in the Middle East. I have to say that this section of the world, with a dark cloud of conflict looming over it, has proved to be a pleasant surprise. I never felt any apprehension while moving about the lands of Egypt, Jordan and Israel, and for the most part, I found these countries very welcoming. Now it’s time to enter the final chapter of my travels around the world. I will start in the Ukraine and work my way around Eastern Europe. I’m not quite sure exactly where I will go due to the fact that the cost of travel will determine my itinerary. As for now, my planned departure date from the Ukraine to New York is on the 24th of May, but this could very well change. I plan to hit and hop through Europe as cheaply as possible using the Eurail and busses as my means. I will keep you posted on my main page of my whereabouts and write you all as soon as I get a chance. Take care and I’ll see you all soon - Shalom!

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Photos

Rays of light shining into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The stone monument below the opening is where many believe Jesus was crucified.

The Dome of the Rock
Is the center piece of the Temple Mount

A look at the Western (Wailing) Wall from a distance
The gold-plated dome of the Rock can be seen in the background.

"You have the right to remain silent...and I mean silent!"
Everyone take a last look at my precious knives...oh the sorrow. The officer warned me not to get her in the picture but I faked like I wasn't taking one and got her...hello baaaaby!!!

Comments

[Dennis McCutcheon]

LOCO
You are a nut! Dennis

[Chad]

That cop manhandled you didn't she - that look is of a woman who just finished putting a middle eastern smack down on a stubborn westerner... Sorry you lost your knives though, they look really cool. You trip through the Holy Land sounded great, we pray your travels continue to go well and the dollar allows you to complete all you have planned. later bro.

[Sam]

Check ebay
I'll bet you anything they did not destroy your knives. The woman you took a picture of probably has them in her house or is trying to hock them on Ebay.

[Beata and Tomek]

very nice photo Curl ;-)