November 7, 2011 – Out of Egypt

It’s about 11 pm, and hard to believe we began the day in Egypt. But we did, leaving St. Katherine’s about 6 am, after a typical Egyptian breakfast – omelettes, boiled eggs, a variety of cheeses, something I call tzatziki that Peter thinks isn’t (it’s made with a stiffer Greek yogurt, is all), rolls, veggies (tomatoes and cukes at every meal), and I don’t remember what else.  It all runs together. I remember stopping for gas, because I had a conversation with one of the guys.  They only have two octane grades:  90 and 95.  We in the US have three:  80-something, regular; 89, the medium one; and 94(?), which is high test.  But then, Egyptian gas is state subsidized.  We didn’t stop long;  our goal was to get to the border at Taba early enough that we’d miss the lines. 

We missed most of them.  There was one huge Indian tour group in front of us, and that seemed to take a lot of time.  The border guard, though, was very nice and of the seven of us, I think only one actually had their bags checked.  We got through immigration with no problem, though I made a point of “innocently” telling the guy that we were going to Bethlehem, Jesus’ birthplace (the Israelis hate the thought of tourists going to the West Bank), and that while it was OK for him to check the box for “tourism,” this was really much more for me.  Of course, when I told him it wasn’t my first trip to Israel, he checked me out, and when he found out it was my third trip, and when I kept telling him about how this was the place where Jesus lived and that it was important, he did his best to keep his composure and quickly got me the heck out of his window.

I got a coffee “American” (that didn’t have any milk in it) at the snack bar. That and an ice cream bar came to 20 NIS (New Israelis Shekels, about 6 bucks), which was exactly what I had left in my wallet-belt-thingy from last year.  So that was cool. 

We walked forever to get past all the traffic on the Israeli side of the border (it’s still Eid, so it’s a big Muslim holiday), and got to our Israeli driver.  He’s not Israeli, I don’t think (or if he is, he’s an Israeli Arab); he’s our driver while in Israel.  We went along the coast of the Red Sea, with Peter pointing out all the geography:  the salt mines, the Transjordanian Mountains, the Wadis, Ein Gedi, and so on.  We zipped past Lot’s Wife, and I assured the group I’d share with them my pics from last time.  We stopped at the Dead Sea, though I was the only one who got in.  It was a bit chilly, but a) I like it; b) I thought it might help my knees, and c) I wanted a photo op with my Harlem Y swim cap.  The changing room has changed to a tent, and the towels and lockers you usually rent didn’t seem to be there, but Ruth and Richard were kind enough to hold my things and take pics for the short time I was in there, and it was hot enough that you could air dry.

We had lunch – I had falafel, hummus, and cappuccino, and then we took off.  We tried to go to Masada, but it was closed. Which was just as well, since I wasn’t all that into it.  Not that I’ve seen everything there is to see at or know about Masada, just that I’d really like to hike it next time I go, and I don’t believe that will be on this journey.  We will return there, but I don’t think I’ll hike it.  Then we tried to go to Qumran, but the same thing happened.  We had a long talk about the Essenes and the Zealots, with me putting forth that the Essenes were ascetics and Peter understanding only the social distance part of being ascetic and therefore not agreeing.  I think the evidence shows that the Essenes denied themselves bodily comforts to enough of a degree that they could be categorized as ascetics.

So we journeyed on into Bethlehem.  We’re not in the Sancta Maria, we’re in the Mount David hotel, at the top of Manger Street. It’s brand new. Oh. My. Goodness.  First of all, there is consistent, relatively high-speed (DSL rate, it looks like) internet access, it’s wireless, and it’s FREE.  The rooms are huge, beautifully appointed, and appear comfortable.  I’ve been so busy writing, calling people on Skype, and posting pics that I haven’t even turned on the TV.

We went out and walked around Bethlehem.  I was happy to go to Johnny’s and have him recognize me as soon as I walked in the door. We went and found a store, and a pharmacy and a couple of ATMs.  The people are sooo friendly, traffic’s a breeze after Cairo, and I’m feeling the love. 

I could probably write and reflect more, but I’ma go to bed now.  We’re up at 7-ish to leave at 8 and do the Bethlehem walking tour in the morning, and the Israel Museum in the afternoon.  I’ve done them both, but every time I re-visit things on this trip, I learn more. 

And what I’m learning right now is how to shut things off and go to bed. More later.