August 5, 2009, Israel

August 5, 2009, Israel

What an insane crazy day. We were up & had the nicest breakfast that anyone could imagine at the Carleton overlooking the Mediterranean. Then we headed off in our rental car. After struggling to find our way out of Tel Aviv with the worlds worst road map (but the worlds best navigator!) & toiling just as much to find our way into Old Jerusalem I was amazed that we did it. Christie & I made it through Mid-Eastern traffic without arguing even once! Remember guys its not back seat driving, its called navigating! We entered Old Jerusalem through King Herrod’s gate, the Arab Quarter. The streets were crowded, small, with many smells wafted through the air ranging from barbequed chicken for kabobs, to the sweet smokey smells of burning incense, the sounds people pedalling their wares and the hypnotic chants of the Quran in the background all in Arabic. Lost through the maze of small cobblestone streets often covered with ancient rock archways we accidentally stumbled onto the Wailing Wall. I went out with my little cardboard yarmulke provided there & tentatively walked out to the wall & hoped that I was not offending anyone & said a prayer for Lesley. Afterwards standing back in the huge square, it was odd to see men (who are in a separate section from the women) praying with M-16’s on their backs. The Wall was not as large or as busy as I was anticipating. From there we waited for mid-day prayer to end & we lined up to see the Temple Mount or Dome of the Rock where the prophet Mohammed ascended into heaven. The Temple Mount square was beautiful & since we were among the first to arrive the square was basically empty other than a few Muslims walking around after prayer and a handful of tourists. Unfortunately I was not allowed into the Mosque. From there we drove across the checkpoint with no trouble and we were on our way to The Church of the Nativity. I was quite confident that I knew my way there but I was not counting on Fatah’s conference right next to the Church. Between the lines up of vans with TV cameras & satellite dishes and soldiers in groups of 3 or 4 with AK-47’s blocking every road in & out I wasn’t sure that we would get in or even find the Nativity Square, but we did. A friendly shop keeper I had met earlier in the week noticed me & took me to a parking spot, ah Karma. Since Christie hadn’t seen the church we hired another tour guide that gave us a whole new set of facts on the Church. We then drove to the gym where I had been working out during my time at Dehieshe and Christie gave Nidal, & Mahmud much needed adjustments since they are unable to travel to Jerusalem to see a chiropractor. Hopefully Christie gave them some relief with just the one adjustment. They were very grateful. I went up to say goodbye to all the volunteers & students at Karama I was horrified to see one of the little kittens we hand raised in terrible shape. It was so so sad. Saying goodbye to everyone, all the volunteers, the children, & people that I met around Deheishe & am now so happy now to call my friends was really tough. Then seeing our little Krusti in such a horrible state especially after all we did to feed him, cuddle him, make him purr & bring him along just broke my heart. Christie & I left so I could say my goodbyes & have my new friends meet Christie. Unfortunately Abid the baker & his sons had already gone home for the day. We went to see Walid the Butcher their hospitality is so amazing it was difficult to explain that we could only stay for a short time, what a kind man & like so many Palestinians in Dehieshe you usually end up leaving with far more than you walked in with both figuratively & literally. The presents from Walid were so nice & we appreciated them so much. It is an insult to turn down a gift here and we were honoured with his gifts. It was with such sadness that I said goodbye to Walid & his family. We went back to Karama and by the time we returned little Krusti was gone. Sadness could not begin to describe how I felt. Denise & the other volunteers worked so hard to keep that little guy going, Denise fed him with a dropper the first 3 weeks of his life everyday 4,5,6 times a day, every meal & Laura bathed all the ‘crustiness’ out of him, it was so sad. It was difficult to say goodbye to these people, volunteers, students, & those who live here. I have grown so attached to all of them. Charlie walked us down to the car. & we said our goodbyes. Walid the Beast had arrived at the gym by this time so Christie adjusted him as well. Christie had the most difficult time getting her arms around Big Walid he is so enormous, and looks like at least a 6 foot 4 inch 330 pound version of Vin Diesel (not to be confused with Walid the Butcher) but she did it! Walid then let us follow him as far as he could drive before we went on our own to the checkpoint. Sad to think all these people I call my friends can not even leave their own town. Christie & I made it back through Bethlehem & through Jerusalem. We then followed the highway along the Dead Sea. It looked as if it were from another planet, the highway winding through barren mountains of sand at dusk then along the Dead Sea with the reflection of the full moon cascading off the water. The Dead Sea the lowest point on earth really is not much wider than & reminded me a lot of Lake Okanagan. At least at night. We followed the worst driver either of us had ever seen, crossing the centre line continuously driving on the wrong side of the road around blind corners, stopping completely, then speeding away. We were squirming as he nearly hit several oncoming vehicles. We tried to catch him as we were sure that he was intoxicated. When we finally caught up to him he was this little old man that could barely see over the dashboard. Sober as a judge just the worlds most dangerous driver. He did not speak a word of English, he & what I assume was his wife & granddaughter did make it safely to their destination. We came up to what appeared to be an oasis in the desert.. In the middle of nowhere were these massive skyscraper hotels right next to the water in this little neon sanctuary in the middle of nowhere, it was bizarre. When we got out of the comfort of our air conditioned car, I was almost stifled by the heat at 10:00 at night. It was 37 degrees in nearby Eilat…at night! I dread to see what the temperatures are at Masada & Petra are tomorrow!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *