Waking Up
I was packed and ready to roll by the time Ibrahim was at the hotel. The first stop was the tour company, just to check if there were any specials to Istanbul leaving over the next couple of days. I was meeting a friend there on Thursday, so I didn't have a lot of flexibility with dates. The packages offered by the tour company weren't bad, but the airfare added quite a bit to the total package. I would still save considerably by going to Tel Aviv for a night, plus the border crossing would be an adventure. Since I had already been issued a Visa at the beginning of the trip I figured the process would be further simplified. I had two options from Tel Aviv to Turkey. One left at 4 in the morning and was $140 and arrived at Istanbul's secondary airport, the other was something like $220 and left at 12, or 2pm or 6pm arriving at Istanbul's primary airport. Thinking I'd make the most of the night in Tel Aviv, I opted for the more expensive flight that left at 2pm. That would put me in Tel Aviv an hour before my friend arrived.
Trababour Bus Depot
After leaving the tour company Ibrahim dropped me off at the Trababour Bus Depot. From there I would take a shared taxi for 7 JD ($10 USD) to the King Hussein Border. They crammed 4 passengers and the driver in a regular taxi for the hour drive. I think Palestinians get dropped off at one annex and others at another. The driver spoke little English, but indicated in grunts that I should stay on as he dropped off the others.
After crossing Allenby Bridge the Jordanian authorities scanned the bus. Shortly thereafter Israeli border control did the same thing. Both guards were heavily armed and thoroughly checked over every vehicle. They spend considerable time looking underneath with special mirrors. Security was very, very tight. It appeared through the window one of the Jordanian border guards was watching me closely - he didn't break eye contact with me at all as we scanned the bus. It was creepy. Once we crossed the border from Jordan to Israeli we took our luggage through customs and went through passport control. Although I had a visa, I was issued a new one. I'm not certain, but it did not appear they stamped anyone's passport at this crossing. After about 20 minutes I cleared customs and went to purchase a ticket to Jerusalem (20 Israeli shekels, about $5.50 USD). I gave the ticket to the driver and checked my bags. I held off on entering the bus since I knew it might be some time before it filled and left. I wandered the area and was abruptly stopped by what appeared to be a black man with a machine gun. He spoke very little english and pointed to his ID that indicated he was Israeli police. He tried taking my phone and than asked if I had taken any pictures. I didn't know how to respond. If I broke some silly law, my response could be considered an admission of guilt. I responded with an ambiguous 'neh' - Greek for 'yes', but close enough to 'no' in English. I succeeded in completely confusing him. After realizing I confused him I gained a streak of confidence. I informed him that he was obligated to immediately contact the US embassy on my behalf. He radioed and a man in his early 20s came out to talk to me - he spoke much better English. I repeated my request that he notify the US embassy. He looked at me like I was crazy. He said in a short while someone would be out to ask me a few questions and it would be the end of it. I let him know my bags were in the van that was about to leave shortly - he told me not to worry and went over to tell the driver not to leave. Shortly thereafter a woman not much older than the man came out and asked me a few questions. The woman asked why I wanted to engage the US embassy - I told her I wanted to make sure I got my phone back and that I wanted to make sure I didn't inadvertently say something that could incriminate myself. She was very, very nice and indicated if sensitive pictures were taken they simply needed to be deleted. She would give me my phone back and I could proceed to Jerusalem. We reviewed the pictures and she asked some questions about why I took a picture of a fence in Jordan. She asked me to delete one or two of the photos and I was on my way with phone in hand. I bid farewell to the two others, no hard feelings.
It's worth noting that while there is signage indicating photography is forbidden inside the border control buildings, no such signage exists on the outside. Outside the terminal building is a completely public area.
Jerusalem to Tel Aviv
I had expected the bus to take us directly to the Jerusalem bus station, but it didn't. From my previous travel to Jerusalem, I than recalled that a short metro train ride was necessary to get to the bus station. Not having local currency I began looking for an ATM. As I walked around a man working a parking lot asked how he could help. I was instantly reminded of Israeli hospitality. He directed me off to the back of his lot, there were stairs that lead to the train. He also helped me understand which direction I needed to go to get to the bus station. Awesome man. I walked off in that direction praying the machine would take credit cards. I knew the train station did, but wasn't sure about the metro. Fortunately for me it did! After a short while I was at the depot. From there everything was cake. I knew right where to go to get tickets and was able to find the bus. After about 15 minutes of waiting the bus was ready to go. Before boarding the bus I asked a local if the queue I was in was to Tel Aviv. He spoke little English and was trying to tell me something other than yes. Around that time a girl entered the line behind me, she translated. "There are two buses to Tel Aviv. This one goes to the Bus Station, the other goes to the train station." I was fine with either. She was a bit younger than me and took the seat next to me when we got on the bus. She was a local who had grown up as part of a kibbutz up north in Israel. She was visiting Tel Aviv to find housing for school - she had a couple of years left in college. She was in Jerusalem for Israeli independence day which occurred the day before. It was interesting learning about the kibbutz from someone who actually lived in one. The idea behind a kibbutz is that all assets within the community are shared. I also slept part of the hour bus ride from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv
Once in Tel Aviv I hopped on the public transportation (10 person or so van) to the Shenkin area of Israel, which was where I intended to stay. I felt at home in the Shenkin area - it was good to be back. The first leg of my journey was in Tel Aviv and I got to know each area of the city quite well. I did not have lodging planned out - I figured a hostel would be a good choice since it was inexpensive. Once off the bus I head for the coffee shop to research options. I found a hostel nearby that I could book online for about $25. I didn't book online, I figured I'd check it out first and decide once I got there.
Although the hostel was close to the coffee shop I was at, it still took about 10 minutes to find the nondescript building. It was around 7 when I got to the hostel. I buzzed the buzzer and walked in to find everyone gathered in the kitchen. I expected to find a counter of sorts but there was none. I asked if there was availability and, after looking me up and down, a man asked if I had a reservation. I indicated I had not, but the hostelworld web site indicated there was availability. The man was gruff, but said he could accommodate me. I'd later learn the man was the son of the owner. I really didn't care for him - he seemed like an entitled brat. I'd later learn from one of the guys that he does not like American's - apparently we ask too many questions about charges and fees. The crowd was very friendly. I felt like I was on the cast of the Real World. Random people all tossed together in a house. After dinner the man checked me in and took about $30 USD from me, he indicated everyone was going on a pub crawl in a few hours. He requested I come back up and join the crowd. I wasn't sure what to expect. The web site indicated several types of room choices - he only offered a private room as an alternative. He indicated there were only two others in the 10 bed room I was assigned that was in the basement. Music to my ears because I was worried someone was going to steal my stuff. I went to the basement and showered. When I finished getting ready someone was getting ready for bed. He had open water diving study books and I asked him if he was doing training. He was part of the Australian navy and was in Israel doing training. We chatted a while about diving. After learning about my various certifications he asked why I hadn't yet dived in Israel. I really didn't have a good answer. He indicated he had to be up early in the morning for a military IQ test so I let him get some sleep. He was an extremely cool guy. Afterwards I went upstairs were everyone was grouped around the living room. A few folks from other hostiles had stopped by for the pub crawl, but no one had any plans of leaving. After learning I was American a French Canadian started discussing his thoughts on capitalism with me. "Capitalism is every man for himself", he told me. I told him I thought capitalism was the simple principle that means of production was mostly privately owned as opposed to publicly owned. Than he went on to discuss health care. I'd discuss traveling with a few others that were there - one guy was planning to go to Cyprus so he asked me what I found interesting there. I suggested visiting Nicosia, the world's only divided capital city, and the Famagusta visitors center. A girl was listening in and was very curious about Famagusta. A different girl mentioned she was in Egypt earlier and hated it. Apparently she was groped by several different men while taking in a beach there. I chatted with her and discovered she never went on the African side - she simply went to an area in the Sinai area. Sinai is full of resort communities, but it's the center of most travel advisories. This particular girl was from Utah and single, so I'm not sure what she was expecting. I got the impression that hostiles were full of people who hung out together and never really immersed themselves in the country. It was a fun environment, but most of the conversations were with other backpackers. Although it's not explicitly stated, it felt like people did things mostly together. After midnight the few people from other hostiles left. I was bamboozled, there was no pub crawl. I spent a couple of hours in the living room on the internet while most of the others went to bed. The guy who checked me in fell asleep on the couch as did the girl from Utah. When the guy awoke he woke up the girl saying she should return to her room. She indicated she didn't have sheets on her bed and he suggest she take a private room - she refused. I decided it was time to go to bed. Shortly thereafter a few guys came to check in. It appeared as if the guy who checked me in was going to turn them away, but he didn't. I got a head start and went to bed - they would enter the basement shortly thereafter doing their best to settle in without disturbing everyone. I wouldn't sleep well, but I would get some sleep.
Tomorrow
Although my flight left at 2:20pm, I wanted to be up and running by 9am. Ben Gurion airport is notorious for tight security and it's a necessity to allow 2 hours prior to departure. I wanted to take public transportation, so I needed an hour for that. Extra time would allow for the inevitable mistakes I'd make in transit and breakfast. Plus, the airport has free WiFi so killing time there wouldn't be a problem.
Further thoughts on hostiles...
I do plan to stay at hostiles down the road, but this particular visit reinforced that the way I've been traveling is best for me. I think traveling solo makes it much less intimidating for random people to talk to you. I've noticed that when I travel solo people are very welcoming to adopt a single person to their group and often initiate conversation.
I was packed and ready to roll by the time Ibrahim was at the hotel. The first stop was the tour company, just to check if there were any specials to Istanbul leaving over the next couple of days. I was meeting a friend there on Thursday, so I didn't have a lot of flexibility with dates. The packages offered by the tour company weren't bad, but the airfare added quite a bit to the total package. I would still save considerably by going to Tel Aviv for a night, plus the border crossing would be an adventure. Since I had already been issued a Visa at the beginning of the trip I figured the process would be further simplified. I had two options from Tel Aviv to Turkey. One left at 4 in the morning and was $140 and arrived at Istanbul's secondary airport, the other was something like $220 and left at 12, or 2pm or 6pm arriving at Istanbul's primary airport. Thinking I'd make the most of the night in Tel Aviv, I opted for the more expensive flight that left at 2pm. That would put me in Tel Aviv an hour before my friend arrived.
Trababour Bus Depot
After leaving the tour company Ibrahim dropped me off at the Trababour Bus Depot. From there I would take a shared taxi for 7 JD ($10 USD) to the King Hussein Border. They crammed 4 passengers and the driver in a regular taxi for the hour drive. I think Palestinians get dropped off at one annex and others at another. The driver spoke little English, but indicated in grunts that I should stay on as he dropped off the others.
Jordan's Trababour Bus Depot
Me and Ibrahim
King Hussein Border Crossing to Jordan Border
I was the last one in the shared taxi and dropped off at a bus depot. I knew I would buy a ticket here for a journey via coach bus to the Israeli border. I also knew I had to pay an exit tariff and temporarily surrender my passport. There are a number of buildings here and I had to do some exploring to figure everything out. I knew getting a bus ticket and paying an exit tax was the first step. I noticed passport control was in one of the buildings, so I entered and walked around. Upon entry my bags were scanned and I found a counter where I could pay the 10 JD exit tax. I than took the exit tax slip to passport control. I asked the person who took and kept my passport not to stamp the passport or visa within - he happily complied. I asked him which bus I should board and he said he'd find me when he was ready. He indicated I had about 15 minutes before the bus would board. Buses do not run on set schedules, they leave when full or close to full.The cafeteria in the building was closed, so I wandered around the complex trying to find a place I could fill my empty water bottles. I had not eaten yet, so I wanted to get some food for the journey. Unfortunately for me the cafeteria in the facility was closed. I left the secure facility for the duty free shop - that have to do for my meal. The duty free store
did not sell water, the closest thing was Red Bull...so further
exploring was necessary. After entering a few administrative buildings
and ignoring warnings not to enter, I found a water machine and filled
up my water bottles. Some of the administrative staff were extremely helpful, even directing me to the water cooler. After I got water I went back to the terminal area and waited. Once we boarded the bus the driver handed us back our passports - no stamp or indication of exit. The driver collected 5 JD or 6.5 JD ($9) from me since I had a single bag of luggage. The bus ride to the border was about an hour long. The drive was very scenic, this part of Israeli has sweeping landscape with hills and valleys.
King Hussein Border Crossing Building
Allenby Bridge to Israeli Border Crossing
After crossing Allenby Bridge the Jordanian authorities scanned the bus. Shortly thereafter Israeli border control did the same thing. Both guards were heavily armed and thoroughly checked over every vehicle. They spend considerable time looking underneath with special mirrors. Security was very, very tight. It appeared through the window one of the Jordanian border guards was watching me closely - he didn't break eye contact with me at all as we scanned the bus. It was creepy. Once we crossed the border from Jordan to Israeli we took our luggage through customs and went through passport control. Although I had a visa, I was issued a new one. I'm not certain, but it did not appear they stamped anyone's passport at this crossing. After about 20 minutes I cleared customs and went to purchase a ticket to Jerusalem (20 Israeli shekels, about $5.50 USD). I gave the ticket to the driver and checked my bags. I held off on entering the bus since I knew it might be some time before it filled and left. I wandered the area and was abruptly stopped by what appeared to be a black man with a machine gun. He spoke very little english and pointed to his ID that indicated he was Israeli police. He tried taking my phone and than asked if I had taken any pictures. I didn't know how to respond. If I broke some silly law, my response could be considered an admission of guilt. I responded with an ambiguous 'neh' - Greek for 'yes', but close enough to 'no' in English. I succeeded in completely confusing him. After realizing I confused him I gained a streak of confidence. I informed him that he was obligated to immediately contact the US embassy on my behalf. He radioed and a man in his early 20s came out to talk to me - he spoke much better English. I repeated my request that he notify the US embassy. He looked at me like I was crazy. He said in a short while someone would be out to ask me a few questions and it would be the end of it. I let him know my bags were in the van that was about to leave shortly - he told me not to worry and went over to tell the driver not to leave. Shortly thereafter a woman not much older than the man came out and asked me a few questions. The woman asked why I wanted to engage the US embassy - I told her I wanted to make sure I got my phone back and that I wanted to make sure I didn't inadvertently say something that could incriminate myself. She was very, very nice and indicated if sensitive pictures were taken they simply needed to be deleted. She would give me my phone back and I could proceed to Jerusalem. We reviewed the pictures and she asked some questions about why I took a picture of a fence in Jordan. She asked me to delete one or two of the photos and I was on my way with phone in hand. I bid farewell to the two others, no hard feelings.
It's worth noting that while there is signage indicating photography is forbidden inside the border control buildings, no such signage exists on the outside. Outside the terminal building is a completely public area.
Bus to Jerusalem
Scenery from Jordan to Israel
Entering Jerusalem
Dome of the Rock is visible (gold dome)
I had expected the bus to take us directly to the Jerusalem bus station, but it didn't. From my previous travel to Jerusalem, I than recalled that a short metro train ride was necessary to get to the bus station. Not having local currency I began looking for an ATM. As I walked around a man working a parking lot asked how he could help. I was instantly reminded of Israeli hospitality. He directed me off to the back of his lot, there were stairs that lead to the train. He also helped me understand which direction I needed to go to get to the bus station. Awesome man. I walked off in that direction praying the machine would take credit cards. I knew the train station did, but wasn't sure about the metro. Fortunately for me it did! After a short while I was at the depot. From there everything was cake. I knew right where to go to get tickets and was able to find the bus. After about 15 minutes of waiting the bus was ready to go. Before boarding the bus I asked a local if the queue I was in was to Tel Aviv. He spoke little English and was trying to tell me something other than yes. Around that time a girl entered the line behind me, she translated. "There are two buses to Tel Aviv. This one goes to the Bus Station, the other goes to the train station." I was fine with either. She was a bit younger than me and took the seat next to me when we got on the bus. She was a local who had grown up as part of a kibbutz up north in Israel. She was visiting Tel Aviv to find housing for school - she had a couple of years left in college. She was in Jerusalem for Israeli independence day which occurred the day before. It was interesting learning about the kibbutz from someone who actually lived in one. The idea behind a kibbutz is that all assets within the community are shared. I also slept part of the hour bus ride from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv
Once in Tel Aviv I hopped on the public transportation (10 person or so van) to the Shenkin area of Israel, which was where I intended to stay. I felt at home in the Shenkin area - it was good to be back. The first leg of my journey was in Tel Aviv and I got to know each area of the city quite well. I did not have lodging planned out - I figured a hostel would be a good choice since it was inexpensive. Once off the bus I head for the coffee shop to research options. I found a hostel nearby that I could book online for about $25. I didn't book online, I figured I'd check it out first and decide once I got there.
Although the hostel was close to the coffee shop I was at, it still took about 10 minutes to find the nondescript building. It was around 7 when I got to the hostel. I buzzed the buzzer and walked in to find everyone gathered in the kitchen. I expected to find a counter of sorts but there was none. I asked if there was availability and, after looking me up and down, a man asked if I had a reservation. I indicated I had not, but the hostelworld web site indicated there was availability. The man was gruff, but said he could accommodate me. I'd later learn the man was the son of the owner. I really didn't care for him - he seemed like an entitled brat. I'd later learn from one of the guys that he does not like American's - apparently we ask too many questions about charges and fees. The crowd was very friendly. I felt like I was on the cast of the Real World. Random people all tossed together in a house. After dinner the man checked me in and took about $30 USD from me, he indicated everyone was going on a pub crawl in a few hours. He requested I come back up and join the crowd. I wasn't sure what to expect. The web site indicated several types of room choices - he only offered a private room as an alternative. He indicated there were only two others in the 10 bed room I was assigned that was in the basement. Music to my ears because I was worried someone was going to steal my stuff. I went to the basement and showered. When I finished getting ready someone was getting ready for bed. He had open water diving study books and I asked him if he was doing training. He was part of the Australian navy and was in Israel doing training. We chatted a while about diving. After learning about my various certifications he asked why I hadn't yet dived in Israel. I really didn't have a good answer. He indicated he had to be up early in the morning for a military IQ test so I let him get some sleep. He was an extremely cool guy. Afterwards I went upstairs were everyone was grouped around the living room. A few folks from other hostiles had stopped by for the pub crawl, but no one had any plans of leaving. After learning I was American a French Canadian started discussing his thoughts on capitalism with me. "Capitalism is every man for himself", he told me. I told him I thought capitalism was the simple principle that means of production was mostly privately owned as opposed to publicly owned. Than he went on to discuss health care. I'd discuss traveling with a few others that were there - one guy was planning to go to Cyprus so he asked me what I found interesting there. I suggested visiting Nicosia, the world's only divided capital city, and the Famagusta visitors center. A girl was listening in and was very curious about Famagusta. A different girl mentioned she was in Egypt earlier and hated it. Apparently she was groped by several different men while taking in a beach there. I chatted with her and discovered she never went on the African side - she simply went to an area in the Sinai area. Sinai is full of resort communities, but it's the center of most travel advisories. This particular girl was from Utah and single, so I'm not sure what she was expecting. I got the impression that hostiles were full of people who hung out together and never really immersed themselves in the country. It was a fun environment, but most of the conversations were with other backpackers. Although it's not explicitly stated, it felt like people did things mostly together. After midnight the few people from other hostiles left. I was bamboozled, there was no pub crawl. I spent a couple of hours in the living room on the internet while most of the others went to bed. The guy who checked me in fell asleep on the couch as did the girl from Utah. When the guy awoke he woke up the girl saying she should return to her room. She indicated she didn't have sheets on her bed and he suggest she take a private room - she refused. I decided it was time to go to bed. Shortly thereafter a few guys came to check in. It appeared as if the guy who checked me in was going to turn them away, but he didn't. I got a head start and went to bed - they would enter the basement shortly thereafter doing their best to settle in without disturbing everyone. I wouldn't sleep well, but I would get some sleep.
Chef Hostel Tel Aviv
Having dinner together
Living Room
Tomorrow
Although my flight left at 2:20pm, I wanted to be up and running by 9am. Ben Gurion airport is notorious for tight security and it's a necessity to allow 2 hours prior to departure. I wanted to take public transportation, so I needed an hour for that. Extra time would allow for the inevitable mistakes I'd make in transit and breakfast. Plus, the airport has free WiFi so killing time there wouldn't be a problem.
Further thoughts on hostiles...
I do plan to stay at hostiles down the road, but this particular visit reinforced that the way I've been traveling is best for me. I think traveling solo makes it much less intimidating for random people to talk to you. I've noticed that when I travel solo people are very welcoming to adopt a single person to their group and often initiate conversation.
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