Written Thursday June 26, around 8AM (Israeli time; 12:50AMEST), as I ride the Egged bus #444 from Jerusalem to Eilat (not posted online until Saturday). On one side of the bus is the Dead Sea, such a bleak and barren looking body of water that its name seems to fit. On the other side, the Negev Desert rises in dust-covered rocky crags and cliffs, home to almost as little life as the Dead Sea.
The bus is headed south, taking me out of Israel. Today marks a week since I arrived and my concluding thought is quite simple: I don’t know why anybody would ever voluntarily come here; nor can I imagine why anybody would ever leave (aside, perhaps, from occasional quick trips to Japan to gorge on the best sushi in the world).
A week was just enough for my pre-trip loathing to have returned. Why would I want to leave the chaotic, confusing, dirty and noisy hustle-bustle of Jerusalem’s Old City and East Jerusalem? I could spend years exploring the ancient cobbled streets and alleys, learning to speak the language and to read the subtle body-language nuances and cultural mores. I think I could happily enmesh myself in the community, making it central to my persona, as has been the case as Concord over the last eight years.
If I had to make two lists: one of major locations of significance that I visited and the other a compilation of those that I wanted to visit but didn’t, the second would certainly be far longer. And yet, I must confess: I could have made the time to visit more historic sites. But that would have meant cutting back on my favorite hours – walking and wandering the hills in the heat: the streets of Beit Sahour, of East Jerusalem (predominantly inhabited by Muslims, as it was part of Jordan until the 1967 War, my hotel was something like a mile or so walk from the Old City in this area), and of course the streets of the Old City, a labyrinth of both symbolic and physical complexities and contradictions that no words can do it justice.
Later today, after my bus arrives in Eilat, I will have adventure of finding the Egyptian consulate and (hopefully) obtaining a visa that allows me to travel not just into Egypt, but also north to Cairo. From what I’ve gleaned via numerous websites, I will could encounter the following difficulties: The consulate might close early in the afternoon, and/or, I don’t have an extra passport-type photo which rumour says I will need. So, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get the visa today or not. If I end up stuck down here for a couple days, there’ll be plenty to experience: snorkeling in the Red Sea (well, technically the Gulf Of Aqaba), swimming with dolphins, and, if I have enough time, the ancient site of Petra is only a couple hours northeast in Jordan. But the hotel I reserved online last night is on the Egyptian side of the border, so the ease of crossing back and forth between Israel and Egypt could prove to be an issue. It’s rather exciting to have the challenge before me, and to wonder where I’ll be staying and what I’ll be doing tomorrow – especially after yesterday’s silly tourism-by-organized-bus-tour mistake. If all goes well, tomorrow I’ll be riding an Egyptian public bus north to Cairo and will have three days to see the pyramids, the Nile River, and the eastern edge of the Sahara desert before I fly out of Cairo early Tuesday. If the visa issue trips me up, I’ll make the most of my time here in the south, crossing my fingers that I find a way to Cairo in time for my flight. Either way, it should be memorable!
