Checkpoint Bethlehem

Fri 13 Nov

On the way back to Jerusalem from Bustan Qaraaqa we went through the Separation Wall at the Gilo checkpoint in Bethlehem. It took us an hour of standing in line, in a zigzag cage to the entry point. We were unlucky in that we’d forgotten it was a Friday and people would be wanting to go to Jerusalem, from the West Bank, to the Al Aqsa mosque for Friday prayers. We were lucky in that it can take up to 3 hours. Peace be upon Us All.

Once through two turnstiles (a fraught experience as people get stuck in it as the gate locks, only letting a few through at a time) we were hauled out of the queue by soldiers to go through the X-ray machine as tourists. Once on a 241, we got back to J’salem, and into the souk… 

See the Slideshow from the checkpoint.

Permaculture building

Slideshow

A construction project in Beit Sahur, run by the Paidia organisation.

Bustan Qaraaqa

Bustan Qaraaqa valley

A permaculture project at Beit Sahur, near Bethlehem in Palestine.

House

Garden

Valley

Bethlehem by bus

A one-hour journey that was full of interest, even in the dark.

On the way out from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to stay at Bustan Qaraaqa, we caught the 21, from the Arab bus station near the Damascus Gate. In fact there are TWO Arab bus stations and when we eventually got to the right one (Jerusalem East) we were quite late in the evening. In any case, we knew that this 21 took us under the Separation Wall, past the checkpoints and that anyone going into Palestine/West Bank would not be stopped – it’s coming the other way that takes the time! I gleaned this from a blog entry linked to the Bustan Qaraqaa website, where "michael" takes you through the journey. The other bus is the 241, which does get checked.

Once in Bethlehem we got a taxi – of course the young man driving had NO idea where we were going, and stopped several times at shops to ask the way – we ended up at a house above BQ, and a woman from there got into the taxi to make sure we were delivered to the right place. Local knowledge vs. The Knowledge – is it only London taxi drivers who do this test? Of course it cost us 50 shekels (£6.50 ) rather than the 30 we had agreed.

Bethlehem was NOTHING like I thought it would be, very commercial and shabby - it seems like real exploitation of people’s belief, and of a mythic experience, although we did not go to the Church of the Nativity or Manger Square. The taxi driver was quite surprised we didn’t want to go there! Peace be upon Us All.

NB: for the return journey on the 241, see Checkpoint Bethlehem.

Fenced in

Slideshow

Israeli greenhouses separated from occupied Palestinian territory by a double fence. Elsewhere it's a double concrete wall.

Qumran

Slideshow

The caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

To fleece or not to fleece?

OK, so maybe I'll leave the fleece at home . . .

Merkavah 09

Jan and I are off to Israel on Thursday on a 12-day traditional dance trip - it's the sort of thing you can do once you've retired - well, at least, one of us has :-)

We are taking part in Merkavah, a 'Journey of Light' (30 Oct-11 Nov) across Israel and the West Bank, focusing on traditional and communal dances. We shall be visiting various communities, and in particular seeing and learning some of their dances, as well as taking in many of the sights that no visitor to the area would want to miss.

Merkavah is organised and led by dance teachers Frida Zalcman and Pablo Scornik, and you can see an outline of the trip on Pablo's Tinkudanzas website.

As we go along we hope to find the time to keep a brief diary of the visit in this blog, with a view to expanding the entries and going into more detail when we get back. We'll upload photos and short movies to sites like Flickr and YouTube, and link to them from here.

After the dance trip, we shall be staying on for a few days to see some of my family in Israel, and to visit a permaculture project in the Palestinian West Bank.

We have also set up a wiki site, which we are intending to use as a workspace for the trip. So far it contains a detailed programme of the trip with online links to many of the communities and places we shall be visiting. At the moment access to this site is by invitation only - friends and relatives who would like to see what we are up to should email me and ask for an invitation.

Now, what's the weather like in Jerusalem in November? Should I take a fleece?? Can I learn the Hebrew alphabet in 3 days???