VISITORS BOOK
It’s a great hotel. Surprised you're only awarded three stars. Maybe you should do something about the rats.
This was our first trip to Israel and the Occupied Territories and we only had a weekend to do it, which is feasible, but I would suggest doubling that at least.
We did the bulk of the travelling by public transport, and it was a remarkably easy trip for two female travellers. We got a shuttle bus from Ben Gurion aiport into Jerusalem which was cheap (about 70 Shekels), and you also get a tour of the Jerusalem suburbs as the bus drops off your co-passengers. An unmissable sight on Friday evening in Jerusalem is the start of Shabbat, when people head down to pray at the Western Wall. You can follow a sea of black hats into the tiny streets of the Old City and watch from a path above Wall Plaza.
Next morning we caught the 231 bus to Bethlehem from Damascus Gate, it takes about 40 minutes. Not knowing Arabic our plan was to get off the bus at the second stop after the checkpoint, but as the bus didn’t stop at the military checkpoint (apparently it doesn’t always) we didn’t realize we’d passed into the West Bank. Its weird you can go through the wall with out realizing.
Everyone we met was friendly and helpful, most spoke good english. We didn’t know what to expect – I thought it might be quite tense and sombre. It’s not, it’s bustling and friendly. There were more western tourists than I expected too, most of them religious. So although its very exotic and we felt pretty adventurous - two young european women getting all the way there under our own steam - we did immediately find ourselves surrounded by a crowd of middle aged evangelical christians in anoraks from Birmingham.
Sitting in luxury with a view of the apartheid wall, it's like a living photomontage. Joining 2 things together to create a third meaning - amazing work.
all the best
I highly recommend the order of the itinerary of our trip.
We took a taxi straight from the airport to Jerusalem which is very spiritual and sacred - and it's also the epicentre of modern Levant cuisine, so once we checked in to our hotel we headed to the food market Machne Yehudi renowned for the city’s best restaurants.
The market was vibrant, we wandered around testing samples from the stalls and got confused by the multitude of restaurants and bars to choose from. It didn't feel particularly touristy it was full of Israelis shopping, eating and drinking. We were energized by the vitality of the market.
The following day we walked to the Old City of Jerusalem on our own, without a guide. We headed straight to the Western (wailing) Wall. It was Thursday which is Bar Mitzvah day so there was a party vibe in the holy spot. I know very little about the jewish religion, it was fascinating to watch the devout women swaying back and forth, mumbling verses from the Torah and writing their prayers on tiny, weeny pieces of paper, folding and stuffing them into the cracks in the holy wall.
Jerusalem was biblical, mystical and overwhelmingly ancient. I felt like I was in ‘The Life of Brian’ one minute and ‘Indiana Jones’ the next. I couldn’t believe I had not even contemplated visiting this city before, it felt like the most spiritual place I’d ever experienced.
The following morning we took a taxi into Bethlehem. We had no problem driving through the checkpoint, the military were stringent but pretty disinterested in us. Once we were the other side of the wall I suddenly felt a bit claustrophobic and trapped. Everywhere we looked this austere wall loomed over us. We visited the hotel which lived up to my expectations. The location is really fantastic.
Bethlehem was bustling with life and didn’t feel in any way threatening. It's a Christian town so there's no dress code, people are friendly and welcoming. The wall still loomed over me and continued to make me feel oppressed though. I wasn't sure how I was going to spend the next 2 days this side of it. I couldn’t stop thinking about how idyllic life was on the other side.
The next day we got up early and went back across the checkpoint to meet the Israeli guide Yohav. We all pulled faces behind his back at his barrage of questions, socks and dodgy sandals. He took us up to the top of the hills to look down onto Jerusalem, got out his map and started to explain the landscape. What he told us was fascinating and everyone was riveted and engaged. I learned more in the 2 hours we spent with him than in all the books and websites I'd read. We were mesmerized. He then took us down into East Jerusalem to the wall that blocks the Bethlehem/Jerusalem road and bought us a coffee from a little arabic shop that now sits bang right up next to the wall. We asked him hundreds of questions and I cannot recommend this tour enough. I will never judge a man by his footwear again.
We then went back into Bethlehem and met a guide from the refugee camp who took us into the camp behind the Intercontinental Hotel. He explained why and how the refugees ended up in the camp, where they came from and what they've had to put up with.
The rest of the trip we drove the length and breadth of the West Bank and got to experience the diversity of the arid desert, the extremely ancient oasis of Jericho and the fertile farmland of Jenin. We met warm and welcoming people who made the best of their lives.
The most interesting food we ate was at Hosh Jasmin, it was delicious, organic and tasted so much cleaner than anything else we ate. It consisted of home cooked Palestinian dishes and local wine. The region produces some of the tastiest fruit, nuts, herbs, berries and veg in the world.
After 4 days I was really quite sad to leave Palestine, after having felt claustrophobic when I first arrived I had fallen in love with the diverse land and warm hospitality of the Palestinians.
We set off for Tel Aviv to check out the beach on the final leg of our trip. It was very reminiscent of an American beach city. full of hipster coffee shops, swanky restaurants and bars. I found it shocking how unconcerned they all seemed to the occupation just an hour’s drive away and I couldn’t wait to get out.
We had no problem leaving the country no one asked us more than 3 questions about our trip.
The West Bank didn’t feel dangerous, there were soldiers but I was well aware that they had no interest in me. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and feel so grateful that I was given the opportunity to make this journey as I would probably have continued to not even consider it as a destination. I think it would be virtually impossible to not end this trip feeling like it was one of the most important adventures of one’s life, along with a burning desire to help the people of Palestine.
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