Israel and Jordan (Part 1) - Now There Are 5 of Us

Israel and Jordan (Part 1) Slide Show

After 3-1/2 months of travel as a triple, we were joined by son, Aaron and nephew, Drew. Aaron is a sophomore at Williams College in Williamstown, MA and Drew is a sophomore at Stillwater High School in Stillwater, MN. Aaron and Drew joined us for 9 days of their Christmas break. It is an understatement to say that Noah was happy to travel with someone besides his parents. It is also an understatement to say that Jennifer and I were ecstatic to have the family back together again. The reunion initially did not go as planned as Aaron and Drew arrived in the Tel Aviv airport and there was nobody there to pick them up. Bad planning, an incredibly turtle-slow rental car company and a classic Tel Aviv traffic jam all contributed to us arriving 45 minutes late. Sorry Aaron and Drew!
There was an adjustment to traveling with 5 people. Instead of a triple room in a hotel or hostel, we stayed in an apartment. We rented a car instead of taking public transportation. And with 3 growing young men, our food budget went through the roof and getting going early in the morning was a challenge. It was all worth it though as we thoroughly enjoyed the time that Aaron and Drew joined us.
Part 1 of our travels in Israel and Jordan cover Tel Aviv and trips to Haifa, Caesarea, Petra, Mitzpe Ramon, Dead Sea and Masada. Part 2 (forthcoming) will include our travels in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Amman. This second post will talk about our visits to Holy sights in the area where we learned about past and current political and religious conflicts.
We rented an apartment on the north side of Tel Aviv, a few blocks from the Mediterranean Sea. Much of our time was spent walking, talking, shopping, exploring and eating large quantities of pita, hummus, and Shwarma. We stayed close to Tel Aviv so that Aaron could go to physical therapy sessions for his hand at the Wingate Institute. Thanks to the help of my good friend friend Vijay Mehrotra, Aaron was able to receive quality treatment from a great therapist while in Israel. Tel Aviv is a very modern city with all the amenities of a big city in the USA. It was a nice change for Jennifer, Noah and I coming from developing countries and probably not enough of a change for Aaron and Drew coming from the United States.
One day trip out of Tel Aviv took us to the beautiful city of Haifa. The city sits atop Mt. Carmel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in Northern Israel. From the sea, you can walk up through the picturesque German Colony with wonderful cafes and restaurants. Looking straight up the mountain from the German Colony, there are the stunningly manicured Baha'i Gardens and Temple. Baha'i is the most recent of the world's religions, founded in 1844 by Baha'u'llah. According to the handout we received at the temple, their founder, "brought an essential message of unity, teaching that there is only one God, one human race, and that all the world's religions have been progressive stages in the revelation of God's will and purpose for humanity." On the way back from Haifa, we visited the ancient ruins of Caesarea, which was built by King Herod in 22 BC.
Israel has plenty to see, but since we were so close, we wanted Aaron and Drew to join us in Petra, Jordan. A peace agreement between Israel and Jordan in 1994 make the border crossing between the two countries relatively easy. Going into Jordan, the guards took a fascination with checking out Noah's PSP and broke 2 games in the process. They had machine guns, so we didn't put up too much of a fuss. On the way back, Jennifer, Noah, and I all had our bags checked thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly. It was also strange walking with our rolling luggage in the "No Man's Land" area surrounded by barbed wire after leaving Israel and before entering Jordan.
Petra goes down as one of the highlights of our trip to date. The Nabataeans built this city in the 3rd century BC. To build their homes, palaces, temples, and tombs, the Nabataeans chiseled and bored out of the sandstone mountains. The city itself was secluded and hidden deep into the mountains. Our guide stated that 35,000 people lived in Petra. The most famous structure is the Treasury, but the Monastery and other tombs and temples are equally impressive. We could have spent days walking through the caves and hiking to remote areas of the city. Aaron, Drew, Noah, and I took one side trip up the back of the Monastery. I am not sure if we were supposed to be on the top of this 4,000 year old structure, but it was sure fun.
While walking around Wadi Musa, Jordan we came across a pool hall filled with local arabs. There were pool tables and a snooker table. After getting over the initial shock of having a woman (Jennifer) enter their pool hall, the locals welcomed us with games of snooker and pool and hot tea. Aaron even got invited to come back from 11 pm - 3 am to "drink with them." He didn't go back, but it was a nice offer. Our next stop was a cafe where once again Jennifer was the only female. After a Fanta, stares, and our fair share of second hand smoke, we decided to call it a night.
On our way back to Tel Aviv, we stopped at Masada, an ancient fortress overlooking the Dead Sea in Israel. It was built by Herod the Great in 43 BC, but is better known in Israel as the location of Jewish freedom fighters who fought against the Romans. Between 66 AD and 70 AD, Jews fled from Jerusalem to Masada to avoid Roman persecution. in 73 AD, the Romans brought 8,000 troops to take back Masada. The Jews, who numbered 960 at the time fought for a few months, but when they realized that the Romans were about to conquer the fortress, "Eleazar Ben Yair gave two speeches in which he convinced the community that it would be better to take their own lives and the lives of their families than to live in shame and humiliation as Roman slaves." The Romans entered the fortress to see only 2 women and 5 children.
After a lot of driving, sightseeing and unusually chilly weather, we just did not have enough time to take a float in the Dead Sea. We drove by it though, reading our guidebook that states that the Dead Sea contains 20 times as much bromine, 15 times as much magnesium and 10 times as much iodine as regular sea water. This contributes to the sea being 33% solid substance, which is why you float so easily.  Maybe next time?
To see our slide show of Israel and Jordan (Part 1), click on the following link ==> Israel and Jordan (Part 1) Slide Show