Brief travels in the Middle East
- jeremyskoler
- Apr 13, 2018
- 9 min read
2/9/18 - 2/13/18
The Green Apprenticeship ended. I took off an hour later with some friends headed north for the Dead Sea. I had a rockin’ road trip group in my car and we jammed to the most varied playlist I’ve ever heard. We sped through the desert and it slowly morphed as we drove. We started to see more flora, and beautiful rock formations and hills rose up around us. Finally, an hour after dark we reached our destination. We spent another hour deciding if we could wedge both cars into the crowded rocky highway pull off that I generously dub a parking lot. Eventually, we were ready for the hike down to the beach.
We set up our blanket at a couple different sites and finally agreed upon one. Everything was pitch black so there wasn’t much view but we saw a couple other fires scattered around the area. We decided to start dinner which meant making our own fire. After a good bit of searching we found some wood and were able to borrow cardboard from another group of campers. We couldn’t make a fire. Everything was coated in salt and none of the wood would catch. Quickly we gave up and started asking around for a log or two of the wood people had carried in. We were given a couple boards and got things cooking.
Our dinner consisted of tinfoil wrapped veggies. We only fit about half in our small fire so Dina and I were sent to put the rest in a strangers fire. Luckily, they were friendly and we sat and talked for a bit. By we I mean Dina, I sat in awkward silence as they chatted about Israel and Palestine. Finally our food was ready. We pulled it out of both fires and prepared our feast. We had roasted sweet potato, onion and potato wraps with pesto and feta. It was delicious!!! Ironically, being in the saltiest place in the world (probably, but definitely lowest place), we had no salt for our potatoes, but it still tasted amazing.
What a crazy, crazy gift this life is. Cooking dinner on a fire and sleeping on a beach in the West Bank was one of the most freeing nights I’ve had. I truly felt myself let go of the negative and just be content to drift easily through the wondrous world we live in. We are only here for such a short while, but it is the wildest of things to be alive.
As we fell asleep under the dazzling heavens I made a wish on a shooting star that we would go to Masada (a historic Jewish site on a high plateau), everyone laughed. I had been talking about Masada since the first day of the Green Apprenticeship but nobody wanted to go. It was ok though, we were still in an stupendous place. Zoe, my best friend, woke me at 4 am with her energetic chatter. I’m not sure why she was up or how she had so much energy but soon most of us were grumpily awake as well. I suggested, because we weren't sleeping, that we watch the sunrise from the hike up Masada. It got shot down very quickly. An hour later, by some miracle, three of us were racing down the highway to catch sunrise at Masada. I still have no clue how it happened, and no one else really does either, but now I believe in the power of shooting stars. It was the perfect beginning to a long, packed, insanely amazing day.
We missed the sunrise but it was okay because it was covered by clouds anyway. Masada was super cool. It’s basically this ancient stronghold on top of a small plateau in the sky dropping off sharply on all sides. It was the site of the Roman siege that trapped the last group of Judean rebels atop their high fortress. The Romans had to build a massive ramp, over months, to finally take the stronghold. The view was jaw dropping. I’m so glad I made it there.
We drove back to the beach to rejoin the group. There we jumped in some scalding hot springs and then the Dead Sea. Swimming in the Dead Sea is the most bizarre feeling. When you float vertically you rise up to your chest. If you float on your stomach you can’t flip back over without rolling to the side because your body is too buoyant to force back underneath you. I loved it so much and know I will go back many times. Afterwards, we covered ourselves in the magic moisturizing mud that surrounds the sea. We crossed over salt fields to hop in another slightly cooler spring. There we found large perfect transparent ice cubes of salt. It was like being on an alien planet, really. The water is so full of minerals and salt that you have to shower when you get out. I, of course, had a weird skin reaction to the water so I really needed to shower. We dipped under a highway bridge and showered with 2-liter water bottles. Thus, a month late, I completed the Birthright experience.
We drove north for another two hours plus. It was way too far to go for hummus, but who cares? We ended up in an Arab town with godly hummus. I must have had two or three bowls on my own. We rolled ourselves across the street and got some sort of warm cheese dessert with a sweet, stringy, hard orange crystallized crust on top. So good!
Next we headed to a beach briefly before heading to Zoe’s house. On the way we had to start the final goodbyes as Omry headed back to school in Tel Aviv. Once at Zoe’s we showered for real and ate a wonderful meal her family prepared for us. We lounged around the beautiful house chatting and relaxing. Honestly, I hadn’t a care in the world. Around 10 pm we went back to the beach on the Mediterranean, rolled out our blanket and settled in. The waves were crashing just meters away and the cool breeze made a lovely night. I couldn’t have planned a better day.
In the morning we went for food at a famous breakfast place near by. I ordered what I thought was my final Israeli style breakfast with all the great classics I had grown accustom to. I will really miss all the different things that can be dipped into.
We spent the rest of the day hanging around. First we went to the beach across the road, threw my frisbee and chatted. I found an enormous jellyfish, maybe half a meter in diameter, washed up on the shore. Next, we drove to a friend of one of the Israeli’s house. There we sat and reminisced a little more. The day was very bittersweet as we slowly said goodbye to one person after another. Eden, the most positive guy I have ever met and a truly beautiful soul, had to go first, it was brutal. Then Zoe left, that one was especially rough. Dina and I said goodbye to Ilan and Nitay and then drove Jess to the airport. It is hard being with people 24/7 only to cut the cord abruptly after a month. I met so many unique inspiring people and I wish I could’ve explored their perspectives, experience and company for much longer.
After the airport, Dina and I drove to her home in Ramallah. I was very excited because after a month and a half in Israel I was finally going to glimpse life on the other side of the wall. Dina has an American passport and an Israeli car so she is extremely lucky to get through checkpoints with ease and have a mobility most of her neighbors never know. Nevertheless, we had to use a settler checkpoint so our entrance into Palestine wouldn’t be suspicious. We dropped our stuff at her house where I discovered an out of place reminder of home. After some leftovers, we went out for a drink. I was surprised by how similar Arabic and Hebrew sound, both are nonsensical chatter to me. Dina knew about half the people in the place so there were lots of introductions in English as well. It was a really cool place and we chatted about the whole Palestinian situation and how it affects everyday life. I couldn’t wait to see more of the city in the daylight.
The next morning we ate a meal almost identical to the breakfasts I had gotten used to in Israel, except the hummus was ten times better. We drove
through downtown Ramallah and Dina pointed out the sights. There were ancient building amidst extremely modern mansions amidst modest homes, it was an odd collage. We saw goats grazing in the city, thousands of water tanks on the roofers (clean reliable water is still a major problem in Palestine, Israel is supposed to be providing it) and people everywhere. We stopped at the Palestinian history museum but unfortunately it was closed! Instead, we visited a small museum a man has built in his home. He lives in what remains of an ancient house, complete with lower floors for the animals and openings to allow their heat to spread to the people upstairs. He has made it his life’s work to collect artifacts and tools to show what life was like when the house was first built. It was quite cool to see. We took some pictures then headed back out.
The next stop was Rawabi, the first planned Palestinian city currently under construction. Dina works and lives there part time. Currently, it holds around 5,000 people but by the time it is complete it will have the potential to house 40,000. I have never seen anything like it. We entered and drove to the top of the adjacent hill. There is a sculpture park, massive Palestinian flag and stunning view of the city. Right now it looks like a ghost town from afar. You see many tall apartment buildings but they are missing windows and interiors, they are just shells. It was strange and intriguing. After lots of photos we drove down, around the city and to the massive amphitheater built into the hill. Rawabi is meant to be a modern center for Palestine so the enormous show space hosts popular performers from the Broadway show Cats to the band Coldplay. There is also a zip line, ATV tours and an underground amusement park for kids. Next we headed to Q center, the commercial city center boasting modern brands and stores. The city is being built out from the middle, so people can already come and enjoy the, otherwise unknown in Palestine, shopping experience. We had a delicious lunch at a café and discussed the amazing city. Dina once again knew every single person everywhere we went. We walked around and then drove through some neighborhoods. The entire hillside city is walkable and attractive. All the parking is underground to keep the streets uncluttered and pedestrian friendly. I loved it, I wish I could have spent more time experience the fascinating place. I left there in awe.
I was in Palestine for less than 24 hours but I left impressed and wanting badly to return. As I have already decided I need to swim in the Dead Sea again, I know I will have a chance to get back into the West Bank. I can’t wait to explore it more thoroughly. We drove to Omry’s apartment and met up with Ilan and Zoe. I was pretty happy about seeing so many people I thought I would never see again. We got some ramen at a local market. It was really good to be back together one last time laughing and joking and thinking back on all the good times we had. I planned to spend the night at Omry’s but I discovered my head and feet hung off the couch I had hoped to crash on. Luckily, Zoe offered me the spare room at her Dad’s house. After another round of goodbyes we all parted ways and Zoe and I headed north.
I couldn’t have planned my last night in Israel any better. We ate a delicious snack and got hours to talk. It was a real gift. Zoe, a photographer from LA, reminded me a lot of a friend back home and we had grown really close at Lotan. I was able to bounce my ideas about the future off of her and hopefully offer some helpful advice in exchange. That final goodbye, for real this time, was tough. I’m going to miss her a lot, but it was wonderful getting that last chance to chat.
The next morning she drove me to the bus stop and I headed back to Tel Aviv to wait for my late night flight. I dropped off my bag at Omry’s and then headed back to the market to meet one of the soldiers from my Birthright trip. After the Lotan experience it was strange to re-enter the Birthright world which had been my initial exposure to Israel. He had worked in the West Bank and at the checkpoints so it was interesting to talk about my experience in Palestine. We got some Asian food and then waffles and frozen yogurt. I went back to Omry’s were we cooked a nice fresh vegetable dinner. Little did I know it would be my last fresh meal like that for months.
I grabbed my backpack and dorkily walked out to begin the final stage of my adventure. Tanzania was going to be a whole new type of wonderful. However, before jumping in to my next continent, I had to say goodbye to the Middle East. I had met so many wonderful people and experienced so much life changing learning it was sad to finally be leaving. I know I have come away from there with a better sense of the direction I want to take my life, or at least another direction I hope to follow. I can’t put into words how I have grown during this year, but my time in Israel definitely has had the largest impact so far. I will cherish the memories and treasure the photos but above all I will strive to stay in touch with the many special people who taught me so much.