Journal #18 (10/20)... Ramallah and Beyond

Today was the day Michael looked so sickly and it was a day we did lots of walking......thankfully not up hills as we usually do.   Our first stop was Arafat's grave.  It was very clean and had a Palestinian guard.  His tomb is made so it can be moved, his wish, to Jeruselum, if they ever get it back.  Don't hold your breath, guy!

OCT 20/1. Grave of Arafat. 

From there we went to Bethany to walk the streets where we were promised great ice cream. Most of the shops had fancy wedding dresses and formals,  not worn by practicing Muslims, but Mustafa said the Bedouins could wear these but would all cover their hat and shoulders when the men come in.  I wanted a sign in Arabic and Mustafa did his magic....no easy task. 

We went to ice cream, owned by a Palestinian American family...we met him there. Then we went on for more marketing.....produce and ate ken few a baked cheese and flour dessert. 

Before heading back to the bus, some of us bought dresses like the those the Muslims wear. I will enjoy wearing them around the house at home.   So comfortable!  The second dress I will use when I play Malinda Shaeffer at the cemetery walk for our Gridley Museum when I get home. 

From there we drove to a family visit...this time a Christian family.  We had a great dinner and visit although Michael was definitely not up to par.   They were planning to go to a wedding that night and while we there a lady and her two daughters came to the house to get made up for the wedding.  The daughter of the family we were visiting is really good at putting make up on  and she had many boxes of it all over her bedroom.   

From there we went to Jericho, the oldest city in the world. It is much of an oasis with many springs.  Michael even walked the ruins. I was feeling a little tired and overheated so stayed down by the spring. Ruins from Jericho date back 5000 years old!!!  There at Hijab's palace we saw a movie about Jerico and how it is being refurbished. 

At last we drove though town, saw the Zacchus tree where the hated tax collector took money in olden times.  We took a few pictures but it is just an old Sycamore tree and ours at home is larger. Perhaps it is stunted by the weather and lack of water there.   Finally we arrived at our hotel, a  resort. 

Grove

Journal #19 (10/21)... Last Full Day

Today was the last day and the Optional trip to Temptation Mountaint. The few days before this, we were feeling so yucky that we didn't want to try and The Fishers weren't certain they wanted to try.  I think we were all put off by the news that the trip up and down would involve 600+ steps. Actually, there is a cable car that takes us part way, but there are still 300 more steps up and 300 down.  Without Michael and  me doing it, there would not be enough to make the trip and four wanted to do it.  Without us the trip couldn't work.   But this morning we felt great and soon everyone was in!  

The van took us to the  gondola ride and in no time we were ascending the huge mountain.  Thinking the worse was already managed by the gondola, we were feeling pretty optimistic........but all the steps took care of that.  I  won't say it was easy, but everyone of us made it to the top.  This is the mount that Jesus climbed and got in the grotto for forty days and forty nights.  I would think it would take at least one of those days to climb up there and it would be hard to do that without food and drink, but then considering the circumstances, maybe there was a higher power in there somewhere. 

When the Romans found it, Herod wanted it sealed so the Romans did it.  Then King Herod ( this was Herod Junior that was ruling when Jesus was crucified; Herod Senior was when Jesus was born.  He was the crazy one who wanted Jesus killed.  He had all baby boys in Bethlehem killed, but the wise men had told them to leave Bethlehem). Anyway King Herod had a statue of a Roman God installed at the top of the mountain above the sealed grotto.  That actually was perfect as it marked th place.  They would have never found it otherwise.

At the top we found a grotto with a smaller grotto in the back where Jesus stayed and was temped by the devil.  We learned that a cave is actually man-dug and and is used as buried or to hide stuff.  A grotto is nature made and the temperature stays cool in summer and warmer in winter.  Of course there have always been other religions that come to eradicate what religions have done before.  The one trying to cover this actually built a cover over the grotto and then foolishly marked it by putting a statue of Roman god at the top of the hill.  Actually that made it easy to later find where the grotto was and the cover was removed, a church was built thee and even a few rooms that people can rent.  Two monks and a nun live there taking car of the place.  On the way down there is a cafe and a few gift shops.  No pictures were allowed in the church but Leona bought a couple post cards and I took photos.  We were all pretty proud of ourselves that we all made it up to the top and down in fairly good health....maybe there was some higher power today as well.

OCT 21/1. mount of Temptation

We had lunch and did some shopping, stopped for pictures one more time to take photos of the tax man's tree and we were ready to get  back to the hotel to pack rest and get ready for our far well dinner.  Patricia and Linda will be leaving us right after dinner whereas the rest of us l leave at 12:30.  We would have long grueling groups of flights before we are home and can truly rest....

I think about 27 hours total.

 I hope you made it all the way to Israel/Palestine and home with me.  I think we won't try to do such long trips....we were really glad to get home to house and family!

 If you made the WHOLE ENCHILADA,  email me!  I will be darn proud that you hung in there.  

Love,

Grovey

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