The infamous blue hole

Next day we did some dives. With the water this salty there was a lot more weight required which made the experience a bit odd. Went to Moray Gardens and saw everything but the eels. A portend of things to come we found out later.
Day after we did Bells at the Blue Hole. This is a spectacular dive site from the entry alone and its other features. Add to that you are gliding around in tanks and your mass of scuba gear while free divers are floating up and down past you with nothing on but weights and lungs of steel that make us feel very small indeed. Their physical breathing preparation alone is a sight.
The subsequent dive site at the Canyon was just as worthwhile and made for a good full day of clear blue underwater viewing.

Luxury at half the price

It was decision time. Stay as Masbat or honor the reservation at the hotel further up the beach which was more expensive. Decided to leave the crowded confines for something a bit easier on the ears and lighter on the eyes.
Didn't expect much but were pleasantly surprised. Not sure if it was owing to the recent spate of problems in Egypt or because the hotel was still fairly new but everything was spotless and not comparative cost wise to what you would usually pay for these rooms. Ocean view, jacuzzi, outdoor private bath, outdoor seating area. Finally a break to soothe the travel budget.

A very necessary one too since the sun here was a wonderful roasting 40 C.

Just more relaxing the day after as well, enjoying the coast. Today apparently is a heat wave. Still, still water, perfect for wake boarding but saving money to do some scuba instead.

The long day Into Egypt by any and all means...

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Hectic day. Jeanna tried to get her same day visa. All was going well until they reported
that the system was down so no processing would be possible till after the weekend. Didn't
want to stay in Eilat all that time (3 days) so began the long and rushed day in three countries across two
borders to find our way to Egypt.

Drove back over to Jordan. Headed to the ferry crossing to Egypt only to be pointed back into town for tickets. Get to the ticket booth and now we don't have enough cash having left in a rush. On top of that credit cards are not accepted and no one knows Trinidad and Tobago so she can't print out the ticket on her machine. Many a mad scramble and phone calls later we managed to sort it out. Sidebar Lesson learned here: When someone says pay me whatever you like it is almost universally always followed by a scornful look when you do pay what you like even if it's more than a taxi would usually cost!

Having missed one ferry and the language barrier being what it was we jumped on the next thing that was headed to Egypt. That we figured was as best a place to start as any. Can sort out whether it was the correct ferry or not later on. On the ferry we all had to give up our passports for them to process. I had serious reservations about this since the last time I gave up my passport it was on a ferry to Morocco where I was promptly shipped back to Spain the next morning (another story another time).

Got off the ferry and had to take a bus to baggage claim which was overflowing and couldn't close so we had to watch our bags closely in the luggage section below to make sure they didn't fall out. Curious still was how they were going to transfer our passports since there was no official in sight. Got some directions back and forth to a nondescript building where processing and return of passports was completed much to my relief.

Now this port was pretty much isolated from the rest of the cities so after many a haggle and hassle later to find a taxi and figure out directions we finally were able to make our way to Dahab.

Lots of places to stay and all near the beach so at least finding a room was the easiest part of the day.

Eilat and the surrounding small borders

Left Tel Aviv on the afternoon bus. The two women behind us with their kids did not miss a
beat and were rambling on all the way through. Lost all power on the Iphone listening to music
trying to ignore them. Made it into Eilat and a comfortable room and had a walk around the
pier area. Also took a gander across the border at Jordan (Aquaba) to see if we were missing
anything. Same desert on that side too so really nothing original there.

Pensive Jaffa Walkabout

Walked through the coastal town of Jaffa along the beachfront and then a relax in the
afternoon. This was quiet time since we had a fight about something and decided to walk in silence, better so as not to say anything regrettable :)

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Tel Aviv

There is a behemoth of a central bus station here but found our way through to book tickets for Tel Aviv.
City looks a bit ragged in some areas but there is a lot of beachfront to enjoy.
The side streets through the quieter neighborhoods was much more worthwhile an
experience.

Decided here that we would skip any trip to the Sea of Galilee. We were exhausted from Jerusalem touring and it probably made more sense as a proper trip to Syria where we could include Golan Heights, Damascus et al at a later date. Maybe next year if they sort things out over the border.

Tower of David

Another historical edifice of worth with detailed exhibits which give a good account of the situation in and around the different core historical periods. Finished up with one more walk about the old city for some of the other gates and through the quarters as a last run.

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Museums and markets

Went to the Holocaust museum in the morning. Very well done exhibits. You can spend an hour or 4 it basically depends on how much detail you want to get into.
Came back in the afternoon and walked around the outskirts of the old city just to see something different.

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At night it was back to the old city to avoid the crowds and catch some of the other venerated sites in the Sepulcher.

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Bethlehem and Ramallah

Bethlehem - Here was the church of the Nativity (it is thought) and a walk through the city of Bethlehem for some Karkadey juice and through the neighborhood.

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Ramallah - Interesting social commentary on the political situation from a Palestinian
perspective amidst the encroaching and continuing settlements. Went to Arafat's memorial. Rode through checkpoints to some of the different areas and our guide's home where he looks out onto new settlements being built. Makes for a tense life on both sides of the wall.

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The alternative tour - Palestinian Territory

It really doesn't matter your stance on the Israel/Palestine situation. You owe it to yourself to have a tour of Ramallah as well to see how people live on that side of the wall. It may reinforce your notion of things, it may prove/disprove some ideas, it may just strike you as another side's propaganda but it's a good balance if you plan on an open mind and if you've been spending a lot of time in Jerusalem.
The 'Green Olive Tours' company is quite good with their range of options. The idea is to walk around and experience things as the Palestinians do in terms of transport and checkpoints near and around Jerusalem

Some of the many works by artists along various walls.

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Then there were some of the more practical considerations such as hotels and houses that were discontinued because they were higher than the wall and thus present a security risk.

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And then some basics on life in the settlements.

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No one is actually sure where everything is!

Made our way through the various quarters listening intently to the various histories. It was becoming slightly amusing and confusing what each church/religion claimed was the exact spot of one of the biblical events. Maybe the Last Supper was Here, maybe the entombment was here,maybe this is the first church, maybe tears were shed in this garden, this is the lord's footprint where he departed to heaven. Depending on which sect you follow it could be a difference of a few hundred metres. Amusing yes but still telling the fervor with which people defend these religious aspects. The Mount of Olives walk is quite beautiful regardless your take on things especially the church which carries plaques of the Lord's prayer in scores of languages.

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