Israel is a country of extremes. These two pictures are perhaps 200 meters apart. On the right is the new Mamilla Shopping Mall, just outside Jerusalem's Jaffa gate. On the left is a picture of the old city market, just inside the walls. This past weekend, blackwifeo and I, visited Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, and played host to some friends from the US. We left their hotel on the coast early Friday morning (the story of the credit card and the hotel reception will have to wait for another post) and drove up to Jerusalem where we picked up Asaf our young guide. We were efficiently directed to the 3 hours free parking at Mamilla and off we set into the old city armed with our bottles of water.
Once in a previous record store owning life I lived in Jerusalem for a few years. Nowadays, my coastal plain snobbery forces me to spend as little time in the "Holy" city as possible. But, Friday's tour was actually a treat. Asaf is extremely knowledgeable, we visited places I have never seen, and there were no real hordes of people. The humus at Lena (about 8 points), in the Christian Quarter, was very welcome and reasonably priced. The four hour tour took closer to six hours, but we all had fun (and believe it or not, my head did not hurt too much). Leaving the old city, the culture shock of going from a shuk that seems not to have changed for thousands of years, to an ultra modern shopping center (tastefully done mind you) in a few steps, is awesome.
Off we motored to the Dead Sea. Kibbutz Ein Gedi's gueast house was rather overpriced and the 80% of the Israeli tourist industry is rampant. But, even though the room seemed a little like spruced up volunteer's quarters, the Friday night dinner was good. We visited the "spa" before sun down only to be turned back by the revolting rotten egg stench of the sulfur baths. Saturday morning, after marveling at how the local visitors waste huge piles of food at breakfast, we headed back to the spa for a dip in the Dead Sea. The extreme difference between the green coastal area and hills to the stark salty desert is incredible. What is just as awesome is just how far the Dead Sea has receded - it will soon be gone completely. After the big fun floating in the sea, the other three covered themselves in mud and I took some pictures.
So, as you can see, I don't just sit at home each weekend bitching and moaning about the state of things. Sometimes I actually go out.
2 comments:
There's a picture of me in the same pose (nearly the only one you can successfully maintain in the dead sea). Don't know where that picture is....
I didn't realize it was not maintaining stasis. Guess I never really thought about it. Any ETA on when it becomes just a big puddle?
According to reports, the Dead Sea receded 10cm in May and 8 in April this year. On average over the last few years its been dropping 3 feet annually. This article in Haaretz the Dead Sea will never completely evaporate, but will continue to shrink.
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