Laying Low

I was going to visit Italy this week. One quick check of the bank account though means that I'm now hanging in what it seems is Italy's polar opposite (obviously not literally, as that would mean I was hanging somewhere in Asia........or something. No, I'm back in that sunny old place, the old dart. Sigh. I've just seen he weather on the BBC. 14C and raining. And here I was remaining north to avoid the southern winter. I really should know better. Sometimes I think once you make a decision to leave a place, you should just leave. However, there are some positives. I have some dos coming up for some good friends, and people are important. Hung out at Scott and Selina's for a couple of days and threatened to steal their "kids", Anushka and Boris. I've never been a cat person, but these two are turning me. Caught up with Judy to see Robin Hood, if for no other reason as to spend a couple of hours gazing at Russell. The movie's was pretty good too. I saw the trailer of Wall Street whilst there. Had a twinge of nostaliga for "the old days". Geez....don't tell me I'm missing it all already! It's only been a month. But then I guess I haven't really worked since mid March if I'm truly honest. Perhaps I'm just lacking purpose right now, but please tell me that little nudge of emotion wasn't regret or a longing for times past! Onwards and upwards, I say!!

The other thing that's interesting about changing your life around a bit is the discovery of who your friends are are who aren't. I mean real friends. And it can often be a bit of a shock who's on which list. But I guess, it's another lesson in detachment and accepting what is and where people are in their lives. Surely I've worked that out by now, but it still surprises me sometimes.

Came other to North Cornwall yesterday. Yes, I hear you.....surely I could have found somewhere closer to London seeing I'm heading back that way. I found myself at Tintagel. This is a place of legend, magic and faerie people. It's another powerful part of the world and features very strongly in the story of King Arthur. Tintagel Castle, right on the jagged coastline is where legend says King Arthur was born. A cave in the cliff just below is called Merlin's Cave, where the old magician lived and educated the young Arthur. From the village you can take a lovely walk along an old wooded track used by pilgrims since about 500AD to St Nectan's Glen and Waterfall. The place takes its name from an old hermit who lived here, far away from everyone. Irish mythology will tell you that Nectan was a wise water god and guarded the sacred well here. The place is full of legend of ghosts of different kinds including chanting monks and two grey women. The other story associated with the place is Arthurian. It is believed that the legendary old king came here with his knights of the round table to be blessed before their quest. It's a perfect little spot and there are messages and ribbons tied to the trees and bushes, prayers and offerings to those in high places. And whether it was the light or the spray or the supernatural, there are orbs everywhere here. The site is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and is one of the ten most spiritual sites in the country. There is also a little meditation room further up the track near the hermitage, complete with lots of pagan water gods and goddesses.

Further along the trail is Rocky Valley. Here is found the remains of an old mill and also, on the cliff are small, carved finger labyrinths believed to be from the Bronze Age. They've weathered well if they're from that age (1800-1400BC), but who am I to be sceptical! The track then winds along the cliffs by the coast, back to the start.

Next was my least favourite time of the day.....finding accommodation. I almost gave up all hope until an old lady, who wasn't going to take anyone in that night, felt sorry for me and put me up! Good price too!

XXX

Israel? Never Been There!

When do you put your foot down and when do you just realise the culture of a place and go with whatever's happening. I know you should probably do the latter nine times out of ten, but sometimes you just have to stand up for yourself. One thing that's happened to me more than once over here are people making a deal with you (ie: cab drivers and hotels) and then an hour or so later, change the conditions of the deal. It's becoming a little epidemic and just a tad annoying! If a cab agrees that they'll drive you from the border to Umm Quais, wait and hour then return you to Amman, surely that's what you expect, right? Well, not over here. Instead it can result in you being taken to Ibrid bus station to do the final part of the journey in a shared taxi. Now, you could argue that I was still going to get to Amman, but why should I pay the whole fare in a shared taxi? And why would you agree to drive a person to a place and then decide you don't actually know that place at all so can't possibly take the passenger? The Arabs will tell you that they just help each other out and at the end of the day everything gets sorted, but this time it just wasn't going to be good enough. This is the point when you have to decide whether you stand at the bus station and argue with about ten Arab men or just go along with it. Always up for a challenge, I chose the former. It had just happened one too many times. To be fair, they are good people and very gracious hosts and always mean well , so perhaps in times like this you just go along with it, but I got my way in the end, albeit a different car.

Anyway......the border crossing back from Israel to Jordan was another smooth event. Apart from several check points along the way which are a little time consuming, I don't really know what all the fuss is about. Maybe I just got lucky. And with no stamps in my passport, I officially was never there!!! From the border, I made my way up to about as far north as you can manage in Jordan. Umm Quais is tucked up into the north west corner, right on the border of both Israel (well, the Israeli occupied territory of the Golan Heights to be precise) and Syria. The journey north was nearly all through the very fertile Jordan Valley and each town passed was bustling and had many agriculture-related shops. There's also an agricultural research centre up here. Every town you pass through is covered with posters of the king. He's a multi-talented man, by the looks of it. He can shoot a gun, drink coffee, use a computer and hang with the family. He has an outfit for every occasion.....western formal, smart casual, smart military, fatigues, bedouin. And different poses....action, happy, serious, relaxed, happy, somber, facial hair, clean shaven, combed down look, dishevelled. It makes me wonder what he thinks of it all when he's having these photo sessions.

Umm Quais is probably most famous from the Bible story of Jesus casting out demons from two men and sending them into little piggies who then ran off the side of a cliff into the Sea of Galilee. They must have been flying piggies because although the Sea of Galilee (or Lake Tiberius as it is known today) is just a stone's through away, you'd probably need someone like Brett Lee throwing that stone.

Umm Quais' ancient name was Gadara and it's had a very long and colourful history. Perfectly situated on trade routes, it was a very important Roman town (one of the cities of the Decopolis) and later Byzantine. Today, the ruins consist of structures from both eras. There are many churches giving credence to the fact that it was possibly a pilgrimage site (because of the Jesus story). It's not a Jerash, but interesting to see, all the same.

Next it was time to head back to Amman and my Ibrid bus station adventure. Oh...and another thing Mr Store Man....a falafel sandwich with salad is not a meat filled pastry with tomato sauce. Ok!?!?

Finally back in Amman, my new driver knew a better hotel than the one I was going to use, so taking his advice, we went there. It was pretty rubbish, but probably no more so than where I was heading. And it was cheap. Plus, I hadn't eaten all day, so anything was going to do. Oh, and Mr Driver.......3 star actually isn't 5 star, just so you know! They'll tell you anything. It's almost becoming funny!

The afternoon was restful with tabouli and my computer.

XXX

Ecce Masada! Corripio!!!!!

It's quite good being an Australian. Everyone tends to like you. You can be friends with most anyone from any country. Perhaps thats why I like Israel. Everyone wants to confide in you with their own viewpoint and you can just agree with all of them!

There seemed to be a little more tension in the air today. It just all seemed a little more tangible. Perhaps it's just my perception. Or perhaps it was because it was Holy Day for both Muslims and Jews. The police were at the gates early screening most people. Later in the day Jews were scurrying quickly through the Muslim Quarter, eyes straight ahead. Many do seem to have a real air of arrogance about them, but maybe it's just fear. I mean of course it's fear. That's what arrogance always is (They were a lot more relaxed and happy in the Jewish Quarter, funnily enough!). An old Muslim man turned to me and said loudly so that they could here, "Everything would be alright if the Jews weren't here. Just look at them! Ah, but you. You are very welcome here." Then I was basically told by an old Arab man that it was my fault that Israel was in the mess it was in. Wow! Never knew I had such power!! I'm going to use that to try and influence people/ situations in the future!!" His friends couldn't apologise more. They didn't want the clientele upset. So you see, it seems everyone just tolerates everyone else here. Perhaps that's all that can be hoped for in a place of such friction. It's such a shame. Jews, Muslims and even Christians. They have all had a past here, a home here. I think all sides need to stop wanting "all" and be happy with "some". The former just doesn't work. That's been proved time and time again. I also don't get the whole "ownership" of a "holy site". None of us really own anything, and in a place like this, it's just impossible to differentiate such a position. There needs to be some give from all sides. The fear needs to be taken out of the whole equation. Fear and victimisation. Every group here has suffered at one point in time. The Jews believe no one likes them, the Arabs believe the Jews don't like them, the Armenians have had to deal with genocide in the past as well and the Christians…..actually, I think the Christians have had it pretty good since the lion-eating Roman times. It's time to get over it all. Holding onto past persecutions as an excuse to have things or be a certain way, is just not helping. Maybe that's judgmental and out of place coming from me who has never suffered, but it's just my observation from the outside looking in. Gee….I'd make such a good diplomat!!!

Anyway..….a day of adventure was had! There was lots to do and really not enough time and the first point of call was Qamran. This little town is mostly famous as being the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found just by chance by some local shepherds. I was really only expecting to see some caves in a cliff (of which I would have been more than happy!), but it turns out that there was a fabulous and very important little Essene settlement alive and well (it was actually probably this lot who wrote the scrolls) from around 200BC until the 68AD whe the Romans kicked them out during the great Jewish Revolt. The ruins are still there and although not extensive, were super. These guys loved to be clean and there are immersion pools everywhere. The steps into the pool were divided to make sure you didn't come in contact with a dirty person going into the pool as you were going out! You can also see the refractory where they ate in silence and the scribe room where they wrote the scrolls. They also liked making a bit of pottery and you can still see several kilns.

Next it was onto that king of sites, Masada!! Even the name sounds powerful! This Herodian (well, it was already here, but he did a lot of work to it!) fortress built on a huge mesa was the final front of the Jewish freedom fighters (who had earlier taken it from the Romans…confusing!) against the Romans which marked the end of the Kingdom of Judea in 74AD. The Romans laid siege to the massive fortress and you can still see the breaching point today as well as the remains of the Roman camps below. Amazing! Before all this drama, Herod had built for himself a couple of flash little palaces up here, one of whose design looks rather modern, being terraced down the cliff face. Very nice indeed! This place is very popular with tourists, so you have to have good elbows and pretend you don't know which way the arrows are pointing. I only had about an hour to see a site where you need 3! Way too rushed. And because I'm a bit tight with my coin at the moment, I walked (well….walked/ran) down the cliff instead of paying up for the cable car to take me down. Takes longer obviously, but you get a real feel for the immensity of the place. The views out to the Dead Sea are also pretty special.

Next it was time to laze in the Dead Sea. I think today may have been the hottest day so far, so the timing was perfect. Kalia Beach was actually pretty good and not too crazy with tourists. You cover yourself with mud which you have to scrape up off the bottom of the sea, slow cook yourself, then swim it all off. Leaves your skin baby bottom smooth.

Refreshed, it was on to Jericho. This Palistinian town is really quite poor, but has a wealth of history about it. It is the lowest city in the world and rivals Damascus as the oldest continuously inhabited city. You can still walk amongst the ruins of the old city, but you really have to use your imagination as there have only basically been some trenches dug. I'n not sure why they haven't done more. Time? Money? Security? You can see the old walls though and they look fairly standing to me (maybe the ones that Joshua blew down are underneath). To be fair, they do show evidence of attack, so who knows. The backdrop to Jericho is The Mount of Temptation where Jesus supposedly hung out for 40 days and 40 nights, tempted by the devil. Today there is an amazing monastery that hangs off its side. When he was done, Jesus made his way down to Jericho where a vertically challenged man called Zachariah climbed up into a tree to see him and later invited him home to tea. The remaining dead but still tangible trunk of that sycamore tree is still able to be seen. That same, extact tree. I'm not saying anything.

The final stop was Hisham's Palace. This was a Umayyad construction ( you may remember that lot from the citadel in Amman) and the palace was built in about 743AD. It was actually a Winter hunting retreat (think the Balmoral of its day) and was discovered to have the most magnificent of mosaic floors. The very famous Tree of Life can still be seen here in the bath complex. They were, on the whole, pretty impressive ruins, and it's a shame more people don't get to see them.

Time to head back to Jerusalem and to soak up a bit of the atmosphere (including fireworks that sound like bombs and imams that sing out of tune, all at once and LOUDLY!). Being Shabbat (Jewish sabbath), I revisited The Western Wall, and just when you thought hats couldn't get any sillier, out they come! Today's hat of choice was a high, round bearskin number. Perhaps I should learn about the background of it all before making smart alec comments, but I still just don't get the hat and ringlets. Grown men with ringlets. It's just not right! It's all very family orientated though with the old really taking the young in hand. All inclusive! And it was lovely to see. The thing that just blows you away though (no pun intended) is the sight of really young (in their 20s, at a guess) guys and girls in their Friday best with an M16 slung over their shoulder whilst they say their prayers. Well I never!

XXX

...And Jesus' Life Flashed Before My Eyes

Slow down Jesus, you move too fast. You've got to make the good times last. Jesus was a busy little bee in his lifetime. It's tough trying to keep up, especially when you only have a couple of days. Oh….and how come all the cool people die at 33? Like Jesus and Alexander The Great. That can be the question of the day! Up and out early and the first visit was the Temple Mount. You have to see things in this part of the world when the opportunity arrises as places open and close throughout the day and it's hard to keep track of everybody's hours. I mean preists etc have to eat and rest etc. Gee…nice work if you can get it. We never shut shop for lunch where I worked! The Temple Mount (aka Haram Ash-Sharif) is the Muslims' domain and during the morning they'll only let you visit between 08:00-10:00, so you really need to be there at 08:00 as it doesn't take long for the queues of tourists to build and security checks slow things down a bit as well. This is a gorgeous, quiet courtyard area full of olive and cypress trees. There were a few little circles of men under trees studying their religious teachings and it's hard to imagine such a peaceful little spot has been the centre of such dispute and upheaval. Why on earth all the religious heavy weights decided to do important things here is beyond me. Couldn't they have spread themselves out a bit and save the world a whole lot of bother? It all comes down to a little bit of rock. It is this bit of rock that the Jews believe is the foundation stone of the world and Adam was created here. Then everyone (Adam, Cain, Abel, Noah and Abraham) all performed sacrifices here. Next Solomon decided it would be a nice spot for a temple and placed the Ark of the Covenant here. Even the Romans got in on the act and later built a temple to Zeus here. Then Mohammed had a go. He decided to teleport here from Mecca one night, said some prayers and teleported up to heaven. Seriously you guys, there's a world outside your postcode. Maybe you should have done a bit more travelling abroad or something. The Israelis gave the site to the Muslims after the Six Day War. I mean they bulldozed their houses so I guess they had to give them something. It's interesting because what I was told, is that The Dome of the Rock (you know, the building with the big shiny, gold dome) is only entered by Muslim women. The men are sent to the mosque (with the boring, silver dome). This is the real place of worship up here, with The Dome being more of a pretty building. The downside is that, as a tourist, they won't let you in The Dome. Boo, muslims. They used to but it's stopped in recent times. I think it's a bit rough seeing that it's important to a few faiths and everyone else (Jews, Christians) lets everyone into their sacred areas. Bit of trivia for the day: the big gold dome used to be actual gold, but someone needed to pay some debts so it all got melted down and the roof is now aluminium.

The complex also holds The Golden Gate. Again, this is out of bounds to everyone (you really need to learn to share, guys!) but is believed by the Jews to be the gate where the Messiah will enter Jerusalem.

Next it was time to leave the old city through the Jaffa Gate in the Jewish Quarter. I found a cab driver who I made a deal with to take me to Bethlehem and Masada for a bargain price. One bit of advice….the term, "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" always rings true, and never more so than in Jerusalem. Whether it be hotel rooms or cab rides, never believe the deal the first time you here it. They're thieves!! Anyway, the first part of the trip went well. The birthplace of Jesus is only about 10km away (thank you Mary and Joseph for not having Jesus on The Temple Mount!! At least they came up with an original place!). It's strange to come to places like this as you have this image of a cosy little town set in the olden days, just like the pictures from your kiddies Bible or nativity scenes. The harsh reality is that is a modern, bustling little place and as dirty and up-to-date as any other town. The old section is quite a bit nicer, to be fair. It's a town that's been inhabited sins Palaeolithic times and nowadays has an 80% Christian Arab population. Being in the West Bank and out of Jerusalem, you have to pass a check point to get into the area. Here my cab driver took me into a shop where they gave me fresh orange juice and offered me the world plus a free guide (now I was thinking I'd paid way over the top to now be receiving such service!). The guide was actually pretty cool and we headed to the Church of the Nativity, which is believed to be the oldest continuously operating church in the world. Constantine's mother Helena commissioned this church as well! She really did do a good job of ridding the place of Pagans. Approached from Manger Square, this old, stone building has three doors in one! You can see the outline of doors from different eras and they fit inside each other like those three coffee tables of descending size that your parents used to have. The smallest and one in use is The Door of Humility, built by the Ottomans. This is another Jesus site that's been divvied up between the different Christian churches. Here the Franciscans get half the birth grotto and the Greek Orthodox get the other. The Greek Orthodox always get the best bits (like Calvary and here the manger and birth place). When I asked why, I was told it was because of their Byzantine background. They reckon they were here before everyone else. Fair enuff! There are so many important little places in the grotto under the church alone. The place where Mary and Joseph entered the grotto, the place where St Jerome translated the Bible from Greek to Latin, the place where Joseph had a dream where he was told to flee to Egypt, the tombs of the innocents who were killed by Herod and the place where Jesus was born and then the Manger. Breathe. The pinpoint accuracy of these most sacred of sites is more than incredible. I mean, I doubt if even Joseph could have remembered the exact spot he slept to within a millimetre, so how come everyone else knows? Anyway, Norbert didn't mind. He was chuffed just to stand next to the manger site and have his photo taken, pretending he was one of those original Jesus-guarding sheep. We had to wait about half an hour to enter the Grotto of the Nativity as the Armenians were having a service. Everyone gets a turn all day, so it's open, closed, open, closed ALL the time. Then a little monk has to run in and clean it before anyone can go in again. Talk about tedious! Next it was back to the shop where I got to try the Franciscan wine that they use at midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Not a bad drop it was, either.

Next it was back in the cab (with my free falafel sandwich!) and onto the Herodian. This was a summer palace/fortress/monument/burial ground and district capital built by Herod just before BC turned into AD. The wonderful thing about this archaeological site is that chances are, you'll be the only one here (just ignore the 5 other tourists for full effect!) It has an upper and lower level and they've found a mortuary building making them believe that Herod's tomb is here, but they're still excavating, so watch this space! The place has had a rich and dramatic history which I won't go into (info overload!) and from her are brilliant views over the Judean Desert. My driver tried to convince me that you could see Beer Sheva from here (famous for the Australian Lighthorse charge that took place there), but I just can't see how the little village a couple of kms away was the place that's half way down the country when you look at a map.

Next it was back towards Jerusalem to head out to Masada. I thought things were sounding a bit dodgy when he was trying to give me other options rather than Masada to see. When I insisted on Masada, he decided that it would take too long and he needed more money. Grrrrrrr. He was to feel the full wrath of Rebecca. I gave him a serving, gave him half the amount he had agreed on, slammed the door and left. Seriously, a deal's a deal. Anyway, I'd got a pretty good deal on what I'd seen already, so Masada is to be saved for tomorrow.

I then walked on to The Mount of Olives and this is another site jammed packed with stories. Its a steep walk to the top, but the views over the Old City are well worth it. This is the place where the Jews believe the Messiah will come and save them. Taking no chances, many choose to be buried here to be first in line. The site is amazing as 40% of the mount is covered in low tombs. It looks like some massacre has taken place here. I was told that a spot will set you back about USD25,000, or if you're Robert Maxwell, USD25M. Supposedly I saw his grave, but it's all in Hebrew so the bloke could have told me anything. I was chatting to a Palestinian bloke up here for about an hour and was trying to make sense of all the Jewish/Palistinian dividing lines. It's quite confusing so I'll try to explain. The Arab areas are basically The West Bank and Gaza. With Jerusalem, the east part is the old city and the west part is Israeli. However, if you are an Arab and were born here, you're allowed to be here. You have to have a special identification card (of which he showed me) which basically gives you the freedom to go anywhere. That's why there's checkpoints all overt the country, to check peoples id etc. He said that the Arabs really don't have a problem with the Jews born in Israel etc, the problem arrises when the Jewish people just waltz in from other countries and are just given houses snatched off the Arabs. Just like that. Every Friday houses get distributed and you get some small demonstrations as a result (if I understood him correctly. Don't actually quote me on any of this stuff!!) They also love the tourists. And I can vouch for that. Out of all the people I've come across, the Arabs have been the most welcoming and helpful. They'll go out of their way to help or give you directions. With a lot of their sources of income having been taken away from them, tourism is really all they have, so they're not about to go and scare off their source of income. I really noticed this in Bethlehem (a Palestinian area). The people were gentle, kind and gracious. I also think it's way too easy to mistake the state or fundamentalist view to that of the man in the street. Most people in the world just want to get along, earn a dollar and keep their families safe. The big security walls around the different settlements though are nonetheless a little off-putting. Either way, I think it's just best to see the person in front of you, no matter their creed, and leave all the labels for someone else.

Anyway…back to the sites! I had had the chin wag as, yet again, most of the sites here had been closed for lunch or whatever they get up to. It was now about 15:00 and time to wander back down the Mount of Olives along the route they use for Palm Sunday. Jesus did a lot of things in this place. It was his first stop after fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, he entered here before his condemnation,he wept for Jerusalem here, he hung out here before his death and then he chatted to his prophets here. I think it was one of his favourite hangs. My first stop was the Church of the Paster Noster. This is supposedly where Jesus taught the Lord's Prayer (woops….I forgot that one!). Today it is written on big tiles in 100 different languages. I took photos from the outside as you had to pay to go on. Yes, I'm tight. Next was the Church of Dominus Flevit. This is my favourite little church to date. Plain and unassuming, it has a pretty design and lovely views to the Old City through its understated window. This is where Jesus supposedly wept for Jerusalem. Next it was done to the Tomb of the Virgin Mary. This is a dull little cave-like place, but you'd be forgiven in thinking that you had entered a lighting shop what with all the chandeliers and lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Positively hundreds!!!!! Yep…thoses Greeks have been at it again! Here you enter what seems to be a cute little purpose-built grotto where Mary is supposed to have been burried. I actually prefer Mary Magdalene, bless her cotton socks. She has more conspiracy attached to her and hidden stories. Anyway, next it was time for another "Rebecca doesn't know what she's doing" ritual. There was a big icon behind the tomb on which lent a little icon. I think you were supposed to kiss the little one and touch the big one. I just went up and had a bit of a nosey around. The throng below must think me quite strange. But I mean, how are you supposed to know what to do? Do you learn that at Catholic School or something? Anyway, for religious and supposedly spiritual folk, they're all darn pushy. I just push back or stand there staring at them like the village idiot. It seems to unnerve them somewhat, which I take as a kind of victory. I've started to make a bit of a game of it. There's all these other little shrines too. How are you supposed to know who they're all for? Anyway, if nothing else, I get away with wearing my silly scarves around my head to keep the sun off. I'm sure they just think that I'm being all pious or something!

Next door is Gethsemene (I have oh such problems pronouncing that word!). This is a nice little olive grove where Jesus supposedly hung out with his disciples before he died. It's a lovely little spot and some of the olive trees have been dated at being over 2000 years old (and to be fair, you just have to look at them to figure that this is probably true), so they very well could have witnessed Jesus' arrest. Inside the basilica is another "X marks the spot" slab of stone.

That was the Mount of Olives covered so it was now time to cross the small Kidron Valley back towards the Old City. This little area has a great story attached to it. Basically, in the future, this is where all the action will happen. On the day of judgement, God will sit where The Dome of the Rock is (unoriginal, God!!) and everyone will line up on the Mount of Olives. A steel bridge and a paper bridge will span across this valley connecting the two mounts and everyone will be marched across. Just a tip….the steel bridge is going to collapse and you'll go to hell, so make sure you jump on the paper one. Don't say I didn't tell you! This valley also contains the tombs belonging to David's son and that of Zachariah.

Next it was around to the old City of David, which is located just west of the Old City wall. This is the oldest part of Jerusalem and was a Canaanite settlement captured by King David about 3000 years ago. It's still possible to walk around some of the ruins, but most of the city is under modern dwellings. The most significant of the excavations are the Hezekiah's Tunnel and Warren's Shaft which lead to the Pool of Siloan and the Spring of Gihon consecutively, both water supplies to the city. The former pool is famous for being the place where Jesus told a blind man to wash his face and he was healed. It was a pretty long walk on a hot day, but worth the effort. Next it was back into the Old City, entering at Dung Gate near the Western Wall, and I found the place crawling with young ( and not at all ugly!) young soldiers. From what I could find out, it was oath-swearing day or something. I've never seen sooooooo many M16 assault rifles. Everywhere. And not just on the soldiers, but tables full of them. Those and Torahs (at a guess) and I can only assume that you get sworn in and receive a gun and a Torah. Nothing like a bit of hypocrisy! Anyway, I wasn't about to hang around to find out as my feet had really had enough and were demanding I take them home.

XXX

Saying Hello To Jesus

I made the decision to pop across the border today to Israel, specifically the old city of Jerusalem. Despite the recent "debacle", the coast (excuse the pun) looks clear for now so I thought that I'd duck in and out. Talk to anyone about crossing the Jordanian/Israeli border and you'll be put off in a second with all the procedure that's involved. In truth though I found it to be quite a smooth (if a little drawn out) process. Perhaps it's because I look so innocent and harmless with Norbert hanging out of my backpack. I could have caught a bus from the main station in Amman, but you have to wait for these to fill up before they leave, so I paid up for a cab……less hassle and quicker as I could get to the border in about 40 minutes. And where else would you get your Jericho-born Jordanian cab driver telling you Bible stories on your trip. Only he knows where the REAL baptism site is! It's all a little weird as the cab can't take you the last little bit so you meet some other random cab that's waiting for you in the middle of nowhere and it takes you the last little bit. This whole cab journey sees you back in The Rift Valley and it was lovely to be back in the desert and out of the hustle and bustle of Amman. Once you get to the border, there's very little direction so you just have to sort of feel your way through the process. First there are security checks and then you see passport control. You have to ask them not to stamp your passport (that's if you want to go to certain other countries on that same passport). You then have to get on a bus with your bag and it's here that you get your passport back and also pay 3JD for the 5min journey between the two borders. There's no alternative. In no-mans-land the bus was stopped once or twice whilst someone bordered, checked us over and let us proceed. Once at the Israeli border, your suitcase gets taken off you and x-rayed and then you show your passport the first time (you have to show it about 5 times before you reach the exit!). Passport control is next and again you have to ask them not to stamp it. They then give you the third degree, but you know they'll co-operate anyway, so you just go along with it. "Why don't you want it stamped?". "Because I want to go to other countries." "What other countries?" "Like Syria." "Why do you want to go to Syria?" "I don't. But if I did. Look…it's a new passport and I don't want to limit myself.Ok!?!?!?" "Ok." Breathe. Next you grab your bag and head out to find a minibus. Done. The whole process from start to finish only took about 1-1.5hrs and with stories of it taking 3hrs, I was happy. Most of the wasted time is due to tourists complaining because they have to catch the bus between the borders...and pay for it! Most of the staff seem to be females and at the checkpoint crossed on the way to Jerusalem, they were nearly all young girls with semi-automatic weapons.

The drive to Jerusalem is only about 30kms and you pass many ramshackle bedouin camps on the way in the desolate landscape. We drove right beside Jericho and Temptation Mount. The thing is, the landscape here looks like a mine or something, and I can't believe that all the sandy hills are where they were 2000 years ago. So how do they know that that particular mount is Temptation Mount? Sorry if I'm sceptical, but it does make you wonder. There are other sites that raise the same questions for me. Anyway, forgetting that, whether you believe it all or not, this is a land of mystery and vivid stories. The place names are those of fairytales and legend. The places that are from your Sunday School stories, not real, live places, but here I am standing right in those spots and it really is incredibly surreal.

Arriving at the old city of Jerusalem, I entered the Damascus Gate which leads you into the almost Disneyland like souks of the Muslim Quarter. This is supposed to be where the cheap accommodation is. There are lots of different hospices which are supposed to be good, cheap travellers' accommodation. I was directed to the Armenian Hospice and at (what I thought was) £25/night, it was a bargain. A very basic bargain, but clean and central. I had to go and find an ATM to get some schakel (no mean feat…they really are few and far between!) and came back triumphantly with the balance owed to find out that the price he quoted was just for one night, not two (even though I had checked that. Thief!). Seeing he already had most of my money, I thought I'd stay here tonight and look for something else tomorrow.

Right. My hospice is on the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Sorrows….the 14 stations of The Passion), so nice and handy. The whole route really isn't very long, but it is very interesting. The people are all really friendly and you can only try to stop them helping, directing and passing information onto you. They're all really genuine about it too. They just seem so pleased with the whole place and history and can't wait to share it, whether they're Muslim, Jewish or Christian. There is some doubt as to whether this route is THE precise route as historians have other ideas. That's why I find it a little strange the fervour with which people undertake this walk. Anyway….it works for them. The first station is within a muslim boys' school and proves some super views of The Temple Mount. The children here are evil though. One possessed child stole Norbert and wouldn't give him back. Plain evil, I say! Station 2 is the Church of the Condemnation and the Church of the Flagellation. These are Franciscan run. I love how everyone gets a little bit of Jesus…the Franciscans and the Greek Orthodox in particular. The Church of the Condemnation still has original Roman road inside it and carvings made by Roman soldiers on the pavement. Station 3 is just a corner where Jesus was supposed to have fallen and station 4 was where he faced his Mum. Station 5 is where Simon supposedly took the cross off Jesus and there is a rock in the wall here that legend says Jesus lent on. Ok then. Station 6 is where Veronica wiped Jesus' face with a cloth. Up until this point, the whole path is within the Muslim Quarter, taking you deep, deep within the souk. The market place here is brilliant. The crazy labyrinth of any souk, but its covered and really clean. All of the shops are really well looked after. By Station 7 and 8 you're starting to enter the Christian Quarter and by Station 9 (where Jesus fell a third time), there's a great little hole-in-the-wall. St Helena's Chapel is here (she was the mother of Emperor Constantine and it was she who decided where Calvary was 300 years after Christ. It was a pagan temple at the time) and if you enter, it takes you to this huge underground cistern (I only knew this as one of the locals took me in). It was also here that Jesus was supposedly jailed for a few hours before his cross ordeal. I saw the cell, but I suspect its history could be ominous. who knows. Opposite is the Ethiopean Compound which is old and authentic.Next its into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Spirit) where the rest of the stations are located. Inside the church, you have to walk some steep little stairs to reach Calvary. This area is divided up…Franciscans on one side and Greek Orthodox on the other. The Franciscans get the nailing onto the cross bit and the Orthodox get the cross on the hill bit. It's weird to think that this is/was actually a hill, as it's really just the inside of a church, but there is bare rock below, so there you go. It's funny to compare the subdued tones of the Franciscans and the glitz and glamour of the Orthodox half. There's no mistaking who looks after which bit! People were crawling into a hole, talking or kissing or something a picture of Jesus and sticking their hand in a hole. What the…? Anyway, I was there so I couldn't resist a go. When it was my turn, I had no idea what I was supposed to do so I just crawled into the hole bit, said hello to Jesus, stuck my hand in the hole and left to take a photo of Norbert in front of the whole thing. Not sure if you're suppose to be taking pictures of your sheep in a place like that, but then why should he miss out?? Next it was down the stairs to Jesus' tomb. Wasn't he buried in a cave in the side of a cliff or was I not paying attention at Sunday School? Today it's like a big hall and someone's built a free standing chapel in it. Perhaps Jesus was buried here somewhere, but this concrete room definitely wasn't it, so again I'm at a point where I don't get all the people lining up in crowds to walk in and out. If it works for them. Great. I just don't get it. It's good for people watching though. People undertaking their rituals. And Norbert had another photo taken. There are some beautiful hidden corners to this church and it's worth a wander around. Ok…my last bit of scepticism for the moment. There's a big slab of stone at the entrance to the church. People throw themselves over it and kiss it and wipe it with cloth to take with them and I even saw a group place their touristy Jerusalem bags on it to soak up the energy, I guess. This stone is believed to be the one on which Jesus' body was laid out and anointed. The thing is, the slab was only placed there in 1810, so I don't know. Anyway, like I said, the place is no less amazing, in fact this city could possibly be one of the most amazing places I've ever been to.

If you go up onto the roofs, you can see Jerusalem laid out in front of you and you can see how the different Quarters relate to each other. Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Armenian, and it is these four backgrounds which make up the Jerusalem Cross. The wonderful thing is how all the religions co-exist so happily together. I don't for one minute think that it was always so. It wasn't, and I'm sure there's still friction today. But I think there giving it a darn good go. Also from the roofs you can look down into the market streets, however there's mesh above them as the Jewish and Muslim Quarters are side-by-side and in times past they used to through stones down on each other. Nice.

Next destination was The Western Wall (or The Wailing Wall). This is the retaining wall of the second Jewish Temple and is the most sacred spot in Judaism. The Jews originally would pray at this wall after the Temple's destruction as they they were unsure of The Temple's layout and didn't want to walk on the Holy of Holies, so they just remained outside at the wall. This area has an interesting history. Jews lost access to it in 1948 when the Jordanians took over the whole city. Nineteen years later Israeli paratroopers reclaimed the Old City in The Six Day War. By this stage Arab houses had been built quite close to the wall, but these were quickly bulldozed and now the whole area in front of the wall is just one, big, open space. Anyone can go right up close to the wall, but men and women are still segregated. There are also lots of little pieces of paper stuck into the wall carrying written prayers. There really is quite a lot of emotion going on here, people rocking to and fro, faces pushed into Torahs, contorted with lament. This is the place of the Hasidim Jew and it really is quite strange to see those hats and hair dos up close. I stood there inthralled for minutes just watching all this unfold in front of me. It wasn't just on tv anymore. It was real.

Next it was back to the hospice with my poor, aching feet.

XXX

Cards, Coincidences and Carbon Monoxide

A lazy morning was had before heading out on the town. Amman is like a big, sprawling rabbit warren, undulating over its seven hills. The best way around is by taxi and most trips will cost close to 1JD, 3JD if you have to go to the other side of town. Every cab driver will also give you his card. He will take you anywhere in Jordan, even to Aqaba! And, of course it goes without saying that he alone will give you the very best rate. My backpack is jammed full of business cards now. I've never seen so many. The first cab driver took me to the 3rd Circle (by the way, they don't seem to know their city very well. Makes you really appreciate those London black cab drivers). My first random coincidence happened when, talking about Wadi Rum and having him tell me he'd been there a month ago to see his friend, he pulled out his phone to show me his video footage. His friend was none other than Suliman, the young bloke who had looked after us. Small world. Anyway, I was off to find the tourist information centre (one of which doesn't seem to exist) to get some ideas to fill the next few days. I had to settle for the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, but 1st Lt Talal was most helpful. Next I walked towards 1st Circle and down Rainbow St (cool name, huh? There's also a Mango St) to the Jordan River Foundation (a shop selling goods produced by disadvantaged women in the Jordan River area) and then to Wild Jordan Cafe (where they promote the country's nature reserves and ecotourism). They're trying but there's so much more work to do, not so much with the tourists but the local people. They have a vegan cafe here, but it's really expensive for what it is. Next it was down the steps into the old part of the city where all the souks are. It's crazy down here. Busy and atmospheric, but the pollution is choking and the novelty of "Welcome to Jordan!" has kind of worn off by now. Next it was time to find a new hotel (cheaper was the word of the day!). I did drop by Hotel Le Royal for a toilet break, but the 5 star hotel that's full of white robed sheikhs lounging around pretending that they own the world (actually…..they probably do!!) watching sharks swimming around in a tank, was a tad out of my range. I settled on Toledo Hotel and then went to find the Royal Jordanian Airline office just to see about changing my plane ticket. What should have been a five minute walk took an hour and five minutes, doing a 1hr circle and ending back at my hotel first. People here are really hopeless at reading maps (looks like I have to include myself in that group too!) and by the end of my "circle" I was completely over taxi drivers asking me if I wanted a, "taxi, Damascus, Syria?" Do I look like I want to go to Damascus? Is it written on my forehead or something? I was asked sooooo many times!

By now my eyes were burning from the pollution so I took myself over to the big Mecca Mall to take a look. The cab driver said it was not just big but, "Very big AND very huge". He was pretty right too. I don't think Paris, London or New York need worry about competition in the fashion stakes though. Second coincidence happened as I was frustratingly trying to get my lettuce put in a separate container to my tabouli. The same guy who helped me with my tabouli in Aqaba two days ago was there with his little boy! Too weird! Saif is a Londoner with an Iraqi background whose wife is Jordanian. They're here visiting the inlaws. They're also on my flight on Sunday! We sat and had our meal together and discussed the London financial industry, where Saif also works. I had to try a smoothie from the same shop as it is supposedly the best in town. It was pretty good but I think I'm completely sugared out with all the fruit I've been eating. I'm even getting hives! The fresh sugar cane juice probably didn't help today, but I've heard a bit about it and the opportunity was there. It's quite nice.

Next it was back to the hotel via the old hotel to collect my suitcase. Very tired. I have another weird shop name for you today too: Pitti Bimbo. Hmmmm.

Question of the day: Why do they have a call to prayer at 03:00 in the morning? Do they seriously think anyone is going to turn up?? I think God wants us to sleep at some stage. Really!

XXX