The Over Promised Land Did Not Under Deliver

Middle East » Israel
March 15th 2009

Published: April 14th 2009

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povertyjetset

Sunrise at Masada

Taken after a brisk 35 minute hike up the Snake Path at 5 am.

Old promised land: REI employee discount. New promised land: my recent trip to Israel.

The Israel portion of this Middle East trip was far too short. Even though Israel is very small, there is much more to see than in Jordan which is where I was prior. Four days in Jerusalem was just enough to scratch the surface and a week still would not have been enough. Details:

Aqaba, Jordan to Eilat - hailed a taxi in the street who asked for 7 JD (1 Jordanian dinar = $1.40) to the Wadi Arava border crossing. 5 JD was the purported rate which is what I countered and paid. Old LP says 3 JD/person in a share taxi so 5 was reasonable. This was a Sunday and contrary to what anyone says, this border post is not open 24/7. Not a problem as I only had to wait a few minutes for the Jordanian side to open at 6:30 am. Paid the 5 JD exit tax, got stamped out, crossed to the Israeli side, received an entry stamp after a small delay, and split a 25 NIS ($1 = 4.1 new Israeli shekels) taxi ride to Eilat center.

Eilat

Sunrise and Dead Sea Pools

Dead Sea is no longer a continuous body of water.

to Masada - I had reserved a car through the US website of Budget. It was for a day and a half to take me from Eilat to Masada via Mitzpe Ramon on the first day then Masada to Jerusalem with a brief stop at Ein Gedi. The total rate was $38 which was obviously too good to be true. When I arrived at the office in Eilat I was informed that rentals from their office are a minimum of 3 days and 3rd party insurance was compulsory even though my credit card provided loss and damage insurance waivers. So the $38 became $84. Good rate for 3 days but too expensive for my purposes. I passed on the rental car and headed to the nearby bus station only to be told that the 10:00 am bus to Masada was sold out but I could talk to the driver to see if there was a no show or purchase a ticket for the next bus at 2:00 pm. All the passengers showed up but the driver still let me on as long as I was prepared to stand. I didn't want to hang around the bus station any longer so

Sunrise

took him up on the offer, paid the 59 NIS fare, and sat in the stairwell of the rear door. It was only a 3 hour ride and passed quickly. I was really glad I did not have to drive once I arrived in Jerusalem. Negotiating that city by car looked very challenging.

Masada - arrived around 1:00 pm and had a couple of hours to kill before the youth hostel opened at 3:00 pm for check in. This was easily the best hostel I've ever stayed in even with the hoards of giddy, screaming teenagers roaming the halls. The $27 dorm bed ended up being a single as no one else was assigned to my immaculate and recently renovated room complete with cable TV. There are private rooms available. The rate also included an amazing breakfast buffet and I opted for the additional 51 NIS dinner buffet which was also very good. They can also provide a pack lunch. I was really tired after the trip from Aqaba so crashed early in anticipation of the 5:00 am hike to Masada. One glitch at 4:30 am was the security fence surrounding the hostel grounds. Supposedly there was a guard

Desert Landscape and Masada Ruins

on duty but he was nowhere to be found so I climbed the fence which was probably not the smartest thing I've ever done but I had to get to the trail head to view the imminent sunrise. There is a ticket booth at the start of the Snake Path (25 NIS) and the hostel guard was called from there so my 2 Danish hiking partners could waltz through an open gate. Easy hike to the top and not cold even that early in the morning. Thought I'd be the only person up there but there is a parking lot on the other side of the mountain from where it is a 10 minute walk to the ruins. Much to my chagrin there were already dozens of teenagers but at least they were more subdued at that hour. They were conserving their giddiness for the post hike breakfast buffet held in a cavernous cafeteria that only served to amplify their boisterous cacophony.

Masada to Ein Gedi public beach to Jerusalem - Sunday through Thursday there is a bus approximately every hour during the day in each direction along Rt 90 which parallels the Dead Sea between Jerusalem and Eilat.

Easy Way Up

The Romans did not have the benefit of a cable car during the siege of 66 AD.

Just missed one bus so waited an hour during which time I unsuccessfully tried to hitch out of Masada. The bus fare was 17.50 NIS on an almost empty bus. Maybe a 20 minute ride to the public (i.e, free) beach at Ein Gedi. There are many spas along the route with private beach strips but I didn't feel like shelling out $10 for a mere dip in the Dead Sea. Public beach was fine although security was an issue according to the snack bar dude. You just have to keep an eye on your stuff. There are also showers at the beach so you can rise off the saline crust. I was almost completely dry by the time I walked back to the bus stop. Caught a bus to Jerusalem central station around 11:00 am for 34.50 NIS and got there around 1:00 pm. It was 30°C at the beach and maybe 15°C in Jerusalem so my beach attire of bathing suit, polo shirt, and sandals drew a few stares from those wearing down jackets. Local bus fares are 5.90 NIS and there is one right to Damascus Gate at the Old City.

Jerusalem - easily found Notre

Classic Dead Sea Pose

Very salty. Buoyancy is not a problem.

Dame Sisters of Zion convent on Via Dolorosa, a mere 5 minute walk from Damascus Gate. I had booked a bed in the dormitory for $34 with half board. Dinner was good and a good deal but breakfast was of the lame continental variety - white bread toast w/spreads, cold cereal, and a bit of fruit. The worst part was the Nescafe. With the excellent and abundant Turkish coffee, instant coffee should be banned outright from the Middle East. The dorm was partitioned into 2 rooms and I was the only person in my room so that ended up being an unbelievable deal especially for Jerusalem. It was super quiet every night which was much appreciated since I was exhausted from all the walking and sightseeing. Morning was a different story and I was jolted out of my peaceful slumber each day at 4:15 am by one of the countless mosques which seemed to be broadcasting morning prayers from right across the street. Brutal. Most sights close around sunset so after checking in I headed over to the Western Wall to check out the scene. Next day was warm and sunny so I squeezed in a jaunt up the Mount

Lowest Spot on Earth

Approximate elevation below sea level.

of Olives before the Western Wall Tunnel Tour (25 NIS). Contrary to the guidebooks, I did not need to reserve this way in advance and got my ticket the day before. Spent the rest of the day walking around the old city, eating pastries, drinking Turkish coffee, and doing the self guided Ramparts Walk (16 NIS) which takes a couple of hours. The entire third day was spent at the Holocaust Memorial, known as Yad Vashem, and the nearby park encompassing Theodore Herzl's grave and museum. Didn't get to see the museum because there are presentations in multiple languages and space limitations so a visit there needs to be planned in advance. Last full day I headed early to wait in the long line for the entrance into the Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock. Took about 30 minutes of waiting in line and going through security. Walked around the plaza for a while (entry into the mosque is forbidden) then crossed over to the Christian Quarter for a climb up the 178 steps of the bell tower of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (5 NIS admission for the tower). Nice 360° views of the Old City. This was followed

Former Shore Line

Commercial salt extraction has led to the water level dropping 1 m/year. At the current rate of depletion, the Dead Sea will soon be the Dead Puddle.

by the Tower of David/Museum of the History of Jerusalem (30 NIS). After lunch took a couple of buses to the Israel Museum but much of it was closed for renovations and as such did not warrant the 36 NIS entry fee. Walked back to the Old City from central station, passing through Mahane Yehuda market. It was cool but stuff was cheaper at the Arab markets in East Jerusalem. Left Jerusalem for Tel Aviv Friday afternoon (before buses stopped operating in observance of the sabbath) but not before wading through Hezekiah's Tunnel (25 NIS), a.k.a. Warren' shaft. Outside the sabbath, there are plenty of buses to Tel Aviv (19 NIS). Just show up at Jerusalem Central Station and be on your way in less than 15 minutes.

Tel Aviv - arrived at Arlosoroff Station but it was easy to find a local bus toward the beach and my hotel on Allenby St. I stayed at Hotel Sun City: 260 NIS for a single with a clean bathroom, cable TV, and a decent continental breakfast with real Turkish coffee. It was 3 blocks from the beach. Not much was going on because it was Friday evening but I stumbled

Jerusalem, Old City

Taken from Mount of Olives. Dome of the Rock, Al Aqsa Mosque, and ramparts pictured prominently. Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Lutheran Church of the Redeemer close to photo center. New city in background.

across an open Ethiopian restaurant. Many Ethiopians claiming to be descendants of an ancient lost tribe of Israel were airlifted during the 80s famines. Present day Israel is the beneficiary of injera and we't. Something ironic about that. Spent the last day in Israel with my 2006 Nepal trekking partners who are from Netanya. Caught the night bus from Tel Aviv Central Station to the Egypt border. That was one of the weirdest and sketchiest bus stations I've ever seen. It's also a shopping mall and there was a bizarre stratification of the floors. Lots of Filipinos work in Israel and the ground floor was like a bad Southeast Asia flashback replete with travel agencies offering cheap flights to Manila and a karaoke bar. Could not wait to get out of there after washing up in the restroom and finding a used syringe on the floor. Arrived in Eilat on time at 5:00 am and proceeded to Egypt.

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