Experiences en route to Palestine

June 20th, 2007

3:45am I arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv.

They lost my luggage (thanks Air France who, due to a delayed flight and then an overbooking --i voluntarily surrendered my seat in exchange for a 300 Euro voucher for another flight-- sent me JFK-Paris-Budapest-Tel Aviv, so I arrived at JFK at 4:30pm on Monday and arrive Tel Aviv 3:45am on Wednesday). I was supposed to be in Bethlehem (West Bank, Palestine) already, but my new plan is to go to Jerusalem and hopefully meet up with Nicole's friend Paige who is currently living in Tel Aviv but taking a break for a couple of days in Jerusalem. This way I'll have the luggage sent to my hostel and will end up being much closer to where I eventually need to be. It's now around 5am and I'm just taking it all as it comes. Waiting for the shuttle bus to Jerusalem. Dawn is slowly awakening. Morning in the "Holy Land". Holy to so many many people. It's not that I never imagined I'd visit someday in my life. But still it's all a little surreal.

Some thoughts: pretty decent food on all my flights. No problems at immigration. Though I was the only person stopped randomly about 100 yards from exiting the plane. The no-nonsense female officer: "Show your passport. What is your name? Where are you going? Why are you here? What are you planning to do? How long will you stay here? Do you have any family here?" Then "Ok, go." I wondered did I look particularly less Israeli or less Jewish than the rest of the passengers? Tell that one to New York and Montreal.

7am puts me in the Old City of Jerusalem (I think I'm in the Armenian Quarter). At a guest house Elad recommended. Citadel Youth Hostel off David Street, near Jaffe Gate. No check in til 11am. Free internet. Thank goodness for gchat because I'm able to feel like i'm not so far away. Which is of course a blessing and a curse. We'll say blessing on 3 hours sleep since Monday morning and no idea what's going on... Yoni recommends "Cafe Hillel" on Jaffe Road and give adequate directions, so off I stomp into awakening Jerusalem. People watching over a capucchino and croissant reminds me of a 100 backpackers hangouts I've visited (well, 12 maybe? have I travelled that much?) but I wonder how many people are visitors like me, how many are here studying or living for a year, how many have made aliyah, how many are natives. I see some women in hijab, some men in black hats and with side-curls... others are hard to identify as one religion/ethnicity/nationality or another. There is a surprising amount of diversity. I've seen quite a few people who are most likely of African descent. A few who possibly could be Asian though not entirely sure. I am just surprised. Lots of men with noserings. I love it.

I'm right near Jerusalem Hostel, which is where my email from Paige said she was staying so I check in to the dorm room and find myself in a bed next to the one labeled "Paige". Perfect. Too easy. 65 shekels per night. That's about $15.

I wander down Jaffe Road and turn left into the Market. The halvah man gives me sample after sample of halvah each more delicious than the last. He explains that halvah is Turkish and is made from sesame seeds. They then add nuts or coffee or whatever flavor of the day... But it's hot out and halvah is not exactly thirst quenching. I walk down to one of the many fresh orange juice smoothie stands to get an orange-banana-strawberry-mango smoothie. More meandering on Ben Gurion Street, which looks like some plaza cobblestone area in L.A. Nap time. It feels like midnight. It's 11am. I sleep til 6pm.

Paige and I eat at Vegetarian Garden. The security guard stops me to check my bag. "No guns?" he says, smiling. "No gun" I say and laugh. It's not really all that funny though. I remember this scenario entering the mall in Bogata, Colombia. We meet up with Yoni's friend Adam and his friend David at Bar 33(name?) and I drink Israeli beer--Goldstar. Not bad... The place is dark and dimly lit and perfect for the "Holy Land". I feel like I'm sitting with friends in the East Village though... When we discuss my immanent departure the next day into the West Bank, they express concern for my safety but are all genuinely interested in my experience and are excited for my trip. Adam takes us to a giant "secret" hole in the ground which he calls "Sultan's Pool" though we're not really sure what it actually is. Surrounding it is an Arab cemetary. We continue on bar-hopping, stopping in Mike's Place for a look (hommage to my friends who've spent many a night there) and then some other bar where David's friend played in what seemed to be a folk-country band from the two songs I heard, curiously placed above the bar in what looked like a giant TV screen. Final stop is Schnitzi's for chicken schnitzel... pretty damn tasty. And I've only been eating meat again for two days. But it ain't half bad here...