Holy Land - Practicalities 1/3

Israel is unlike any country I have ever been to before. It is the centre of religion and Politics - and I'm not exaggerating this point - for the axis of Judaism, Christianity and Muslims (referred to locally as Arabs) it really is the hot spot for humanity since before year 1 AD.  As such I have broken this into a few posts for your leisure Relaxation, Food, Transport & Security; Post 2 People Post 3 Religion & Sights. As a preface to this post it should be said I went during Holy week known by us as Easter Week preceding the Easter Weekend. This meant many of the sites were closed to contain crowds and to ensure the peace was maintained while pilgrims from around the world decended on the Holy Land. I would not recommend this as the best time to visit.

Relaxation

Tel Aviv Beach looking to Old Jaffa

This is not a theme many people I know would relate to the hot bed of Israel but as I arrived in the city of Tel Aviv I was assured that winding down is something I could do easily. I arrived at 5am with a book in hand  and a light bag. The temperature was in the low 20's already and I needed rest. My kindly hostel host opened the door to me as I made myself comfortable on his doorstep. My first day was spent walking through the Camel market which looks like many street markets in the Middle East with dried fruit next to Nana knickers and tourist tat next to the kosher butcher. Attempts to see Bauhaus architecture was rather disappointing with most in a state of disrepair. Onto the beach which spans the length of the city and offers a haven for runners and bathers alike. I was made at home with my 2kg of strawberries (he misunderstood my 1/2kg request!). A sunset stroll from the buzzing beach up to the City of Old Jafffa was a stunning way to draw an end to the first day of my week in Israel and left me relaxed about being in a place where I thought I would feel intimidated by guns, religious fervor and ranting politicians. 

Transport

The following morning was the start of Passover so I made my way to Nazareth in the north with the plan to see the home of Mary and move onto the Sea of Galilee where it is told Jesus performed miracles (and on that day I had one I wanted granted for my friends the Booths back in NZ). On arriving in Nazareth and discovering there is no bus station but a series of stops with no apparent city centre I had to make my way back to "town". Easier said than done as the entire city had started a religious holiday of feasting with their families. Thank God for Atheists. A bus pulled over and deposited me on the other side of said "town" meaning I had to walk the half distance back on myself! 

Transport became the main problem with my journey to the north as passover extended into the Tuesday and deemed me stranded. Thankfully my dorm mate Sven and his friends Willem and Jarek came to my rescue inviting me to join them in their rental car to the coast to Haifa to see the Ba'aia gardens and the British settlement museum and onto ruins of Caesarea as they headed back to Tel Aviv to catch a plane!

And again the following day as I queued to get a bus to Jerusalem where the bus had only a few spare seats left and a delightful grandmother pushed me onto the bus to ensure I got to the holy land. Thank You! 

Saturday transport was limited to Service taxis (Transit vans) only a few sheikels more than a bus and seemingly faster. This was a very good option to get back from Jerusalem as it was close to the Jaffa gate where I was staying so net net the same as the bus but more convenient.

Note to any travellers on travelling in Israel - get a rental car - the roads are great! Buses are cheap but for Holy Week not reliable and very busy. With the exception that there are so many of them you can travel unplanned around the country with little hassle. And service taxis (transit vans) go all day everyday - even on Shabat - Fridays dusk to Saturday dusk where everything is closed!

Food

Falafel. Need I say more? Ok I'll divulge. I ate from the markets with Strawberries, dates and apricots to keep me going. I ate falafel and homous like it was going out of fashion and had three dinners. One in Tel Aviv at Gucca with Igor and Jarek. This included Israeli Sauvingnon Blanc, Ceviche with Monk fish and a local white fleshy fish with delicious salsa verde. Dinner in Nazareth with my notebook to hand and ordering the house specials meant I got impeccable service, more than a bucket of Israeli Merlot and a dessert on the house of bread and suet with a berry ju. And another delicious feast of Fish back in Tel Aviv at Ednas - an entire sea bream (oops!) stuffed with garlic - accompanied with onion bread. Delicious. The service was brilliant - or maybe it was the 4 strapping boys I was with!  Falafel.

Security

As a single female I was very anxious to go to Israel. Never again have I feared for my security since arriving in London in the days post 7/7. I had been assured by those who had been to Israel before that the security was so tight that you could forget about it being an issue. 

Tel Aviv Bus Station on Holy Week

My entry into the country at 5am saw me greeted with a smile from the female immigration officer. Onto a train and subsequent cab had me sitting pretty in the middle of the business district. No signs of any problems for me. My fellow hostel dweller seemingly on the same flight on the other hand got stopped by plain clothed Tourist Police demanding her documentation after leaving the same train. I can't comment on Michelle's experience but to say I was never confronted during my visit. I was however overwhelmed by the number of young girls and boys wielding machine guns with their backpacks - imagine a scene out of a Kathmandu brochure with the addition of stunning make-up, pink trolley bags and Gucci handbags and the standard issue AK47 and you would have the scene of either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem Bus stations. Travelling during a holiday week had many of the buses full and I was lucky to be pushed onto a bus to Jerusalem where I had my bag stored in the aisle whilst young boys played with toy guns and admired the helicopters and micro-lites flying overhead as we dawdling through the holiday traffic.

Inspecting for car bombs at the Western Wall

During my visit despite the guns I felt safe and protected by the many security services. Jerusalem during the holiday period had several thousand police on the streets of the old city. Not unlike a Chelsea game or Student protest here in London. They were polite and offered directions and support and posed for photos while moving railings. 

Going to the West Bank was a very easy experience and only on the return trip did my passport be examined - if as closely as a domestic flight. Those Palestinians on the bus had to get off the bus and were questioned. This took all of about 4 minutes and we were able to proceed. Moral of the story - you can enter the West Bank but leaving it is impossible without the right paperwork. 

This Police Officer stopped to pose with me before flirting with his female colleague

I spoke with one Arab man in Jerusalem who told me they are in a period of peace where someones neighbourly disputes are being publicised worldwide as "trouble with the masses". He confidently told me this is a good time to visit Israel but warned that America and Israel were working to stamp out a facebook group for the 3rd Intifada planned for this month (May 2011). 

This was my experience. If you are travelling to Israel feel free to check out the internet and peoples travel blogs to understand the current status. I am sure that the security measures applied particularly to Jerusalem were annually staffed so others will not experience the same during the other 51 weeks of the year.