Into the West Bank

After our marathon interrogation at the Israeli border we were finally given our passports and an ok, just as the sun descended behind the mountains. We biked up toward the highway and were immediately distracted by an herbal shop, featuring dozens of loose herbs, spices, and teas. Tables were set around the room with bowls of aromatic spice mixtures like Mix for Spicy Rice and Mix for Mushroom and Garlic Fish, etc., all the more enticing because we couldnt read the Hebrew ingredients. Bright sensual colors and textures coupled with the bulk foods style bins I love in markets (and Tempe's co-op) had me drooling...


We were welcomed with a 6 hour reception


Herbal goodies in bulk, yum!

Chris and I biked on along the highway in the dark, pulling over to a semi flat area. We set the tent behind some thorn trees, far away enough from the cars to be unseen. In the middle of the night we both woke to the overwhelming stench of sewage, too groggy to do anything but hope it wasn't some toxic Bhopal-like gas. We later learned that the nearby Israeli kabutzim (communal farms) irrigate with filtered sewage water from the large southern city of Eilat, which we wholeheartedly admire on an environmental level but are also a little turned off by the image of camping over sewage pipes.


Camping in the stones

On we biked in the early sunshine. Lots of construction and lack of a shoulder encouraged us to hitch a lift. Plus, we really have no intention to spend any time in Israel. The reason we detoured here is to visit a friend from university who lives near Ramallah, in the West Bank. Curious to see Palestinian life, we sacrificed a ferryride to the warm Red Sea coasts along the Sinai to backtrack up the Dead Sea into the cold northern hills.


Where is Rome?

The two friendly guys who picked us up came from a nearby kabutz, en route to another village cluster. From where they dropped us we waited about 3 hours trying to get a truck to stop, without any luck. Finally a car pulled over and the driver advised that no truck will stop, and kindly agreed to hold our bikes at his house inside the village. We followed him through some farms, down a shady lane toward his house. Not what we expected of an Israeli guy, he seems well educated and not a religious zealot, more like someone from a Roger Clyne APM concert. We hope to talk with him again on our way back south, find out what life born in Israel is like.


Bicycle love


Yes, where are we?

Without the bikes it's usually much easier to hitch, however we still had very tough luck despite frequent traffic. We blame Chris' beard. Eventually, 3 cars and many hours later, we arrived in Ramallah, well after sunset. We waited to meet our friend, Mahmoud, at the Stars and Bucks (yes that's an unregistered copycat like the Kolonat in Tirane) upstairs by the central circle. Mahmoud came with a young, English-speaking girl, and together we went to a chic restaurant in the fancy neighborhood. Judging by Chris' street stall shwarma ($4 compared to $1.50 Jordan, 50 cents Syria, and $1 Turkey) and the $25 pizzas at Stars and Bucks, we quickly decided Ramallah is not the town for us.


Dinner at Sangria, Ramallah a la Scottsdale

Turns out the entire West Bank and Israel are exceptionally expensive, as Israel has one of the highest costs of living in the world. I expected the Palestinian area to be more run down, cheaper and with limited imports. Instead we found large stone mansions and high-end restaurants; I can't understand what their economy depends on.


Hookah and mint lemonade in Ramallah

The following day Mahmoud took us out for many adventures, beginning with a stroll to Yasser Arafat's tomb (next to the compound where they killed him and the soon-to-be museum). From there we looked at the wall and some armed guards, something of normalicy here.


Yasser Arafat's tomb

Bright sunshine for an hour or so, we also went to the outdoor market, where we saw avocados for the first time in years! Even in Albania they are extremely rare to come by (and by that I mean some other volunteer brought them back from a trip to Greece or the States).


In Ramallah's market (avacados not shown, but eaten in great quantity)


Jericho fountain

Mahmoud, Chris, and I hopped in a shared van to Jericho, where we walked up to a rock cut monastery atop Mt. Temptation. The priests inside let us peek inside to the cave shrines and walk along the cooridor to the chapel, full of modern and what I would call New Age frescoes. The waving Greek flag and inscriptions lead me to believe it's a Greek orthodox church, and the nearby caves once housed small community of anti-social monks.


"Banana Land" and Jericho Valley from Mt. of Temptation


Monastery of the Temptation in Jericho


Corridor of the Monastery


View over Jericho Valley


Top secret Jesus stuff


The road to the monastery passes through a delux Russian inspired mansion-- supposedly Putin himself came here. (Afternote: Dmitry Medvedev was visiting in attempt to rekindle the Iraeli peace talks) The guard pointed to a tree across the lawn, also explaining its relation to Jesus. Supposedly this is where Jesus sat for 40 days meditating. Funny, I've heard of someone else meditating under a (mango) tree for 40 days in search of enlightenment... and another one about Muhammad resting 40 days... Talk about exploiting religious tourism! Did you know there are apparently two Lot's Caves? One on each side of the Dead Sea? Traveling through this region is like getting sandblasted by religious fables. And they're not even orginal.


Guardkeeper explains the Jesus tree


Old tree supposedly associated with Jesus