The Bald and the Beautiful

For a few days now I have been working for our Israeli office in Shefayim. Staying at an apartement hotel in Herzylia it was time to discover more of the holy land than the next door restaurants on the marina, and what better than to visit the iconic city of Jerusalem and the salty shores of the Dead Sea.

The day started out early as I was picked up by a mini bus at 7 am. Driving from Herzylia we stopped just outside Tel Aviv to regroup, meaning I was moved over to another bus with people going on the same tour as I.

On our way to Jerusalem we of course drove through the West Bank witnessing the long wall dividing Israel from Palestine’s West Bank. Strangely enough it reminded me more of a sound barrier wall than what it actually is … “a security measure”.

Finally in Jerusalem it struck me that the old city was a lot smaller than first imagined, but also confirmed that Israel is in fact a really small country. Talking to others in the group also confirmed my thoughts as we walked up to the wailing wall. Walking around with a Kipa on my head I felt strangely comfortable … as it covered my skull and prevented it from being sun-burned To be honest I did not touch the wall myself. I was to preoccupied watching the jews praying, trying not to disturb those praying and probably (more sub-consciously) felt it was inappropriate to use such a moment to “fake it” just to say I did it. Moving on I had a lot of fun walking the streets, watching the hundreds of small shops and all the historical places. It is for sure a complex, and possibly chaotic, place where history echoes the streets and directly affects Jerusalem’s day to day life and future …

On our way to the Dead Sea we witnessed a car crash involving three cars … minutes after we passed the same spot. There’s nothing like being lucky in the holy land … just to give you a feeling of divine intervention Anyways, the cars were totally wrecked, but all involved seemed to be fine (“thank God”).

By the Dead Sea we stopped for lunch before “diving” into the salty lake. Thinking back I should be grateful for actually being able to see and experience it as the Dead Sea might be gone in a few years given the rate the lake is “evaporating” due to Israel’s severe water shortage and how they make use of fresh water from the Golan Heights. Only the future will tell if desalination can mend the water shortage problem and even the problem with the Dead Sea. Hopefully Israel and it’s neighbouring countries will be able to solve these possibly life threatening challenges.