Israel
So I ran into Pedro here in Tel Aviv. It’s still hilarious that I run into people I’ve met in other countries. We’ve been having a blast ever since.
So I went to Nazareth…nothing special. The Sea of Galilee was cool. I also saw the supposed spot where Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. I also went into the water near by. The actual location is forbidden to enter. I would have liked to have been baptized there but unfortunately it wasn’t much of an option since I was with a tour group, had little time there and no one was baptizing. 
Next time!
I ate St Johns Fish for lunch that day. Very good, very fresh. The whole fish was on my plate. Very interesting.
I was in the West Bank friday, since I was taking a trip to the Dead Sea and Messada…which in the West Bank. Don’t believe the hype. CNN likes to make a story out of nothing. The West Bank is prefectly safe. The idea is basically to avoid big political demonstrations. That’s where the possibility exists of getting hurt–as it is ANYWHERE. There is no war going on over here. Gaza, West Bank, Jerusalem. It’s fine.
One thing the news doesn’t really tell you is that Palestinians in Israel get all the same legal rights as Jews. They get health care, can vote, have seats in the Parlament. In fact they get to take a larger adventage of the heath care system since they can legally claim 2 wives and the children of both, where as Jews can only claim one wife and their children.
There is a scary senario playing out here though. That is the creation of a large (Berlin-like) wall. This wall is supposed to separate future Palistine from Israel. You can see it as you enter Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is beautiful. TV does it no justice. The terrain is very similar to Northern Arizona. Lots of pine and fur trees with a somewhat dusty, deserty floor atop mountains and hills. The city is kept very clean and the architecture is beautiful. The old city is a waste of time. The supposed holy sites are tourists traps and no one really knows if they are even close to the actual sites. You are basically looking at the 7th version of a symbolic site. I can symbolically call my toilet at home the place where Jesus pooped. But that doesn’t mean anything. And the sites in the old city are swarmed with tourists and vendors trying to get you to buy cheaply made, over priced toys. Useless items.
I floated in the Dead Sea. It’s amazing. The water is so dense you basically float on top of it. I forgot my camera, so sorry, no pictures. The mineral content will burn you if you stay in longer than 20 minutes but after you get out you skin is immediately softer. That effect is enhanced 10 fold if you put the mud on. The water is HOT. Like a bath. It’s soooo wierd.
The West Bank is desolate. There is nothing out there. Literally. Messada was cool. Its a fortress on a plateau built by Herod. It’s amazing. Again, no camera, no pictures. Let’s again thank El Al for confiscating my battery charger–still hasn’t arrived yet, one week later. Of all places to not have a working camera…Israel is not one of them. Well I guess it’s better you all come here and see it for yourself anyways.
There is so much I’m forgetting… oh well. More stories for me to tell in person I guess.