Israel
Jerusalem
POWERFUL MESSAGES
As we approached the Jordan/Israeli border sirens sounded. The startled Jordanian border officials wondered what were the crazy Israelis doing. Fortunately, I had contacted my Israeli cousin the previous day to tell her we were on our way and she had informed me that we were entering Israel on Holocaust day and at 10:00am; sirens would sound in memory of the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust. A few days later, Memorial Day, sirens went off again and the entire country came to a standstill for two minutes in tribute to the all the men and women who have died defending the state of Israel. This is followed by Independence Day, which is a joyous public Holiday celebrating Israeli independence. Every year these special remembrances reinforce the Israeli identity and the feelings that they live in a very special place; a land in which after years of persecution they can finally feel secure and free.
Old Jewish QuartersUnfortunately, the price of freedom is not cheap and they are not really free. Signs are all around that they are still under threat, the most obvious of which is “the Wall.” This wall is aimed at keeping Palestinian suicide bombers from reaching their intended targets in Israel. It is really a three hundred meter barrier comprised of a concrete wall, a road a strip of bush, two fences, one of which is electrified, all of which is under video surveillance. This controversial barrier is the most visual reminder of the complex situation that currently exists between the Israelis and their Palestinian neighbors. It is a tragedy that after so many “peace plans” the world has been unable to come up with a sustainable solution which respects the dreams and aspirations of all peoples, regardless of religious beliefs.
Hope for Peace
CULTURE SHOCK
Despite its security issues, Israel’s economy is booming. In fact it was clear the minute we drove into Eilat, Israel’s resort town on the Gulf, that we were back in the first world. We had not seen so much affluence since leaving Cape Town some 8 months previously. Traffic lights worked, toilets flushed, stores were filled with luxury items, and everywhere people were looking well fed and healthy. It was quite a shock to be thrust back into the first world so suddenly, and we had mixed very feelings about being back.
The main reason we were in Eilat was to meet Jack, my boyhood friend from South Africa, and from whose farm we had started our epic journey. Jack has family in Israel, some of whom I had never met, and some I had seen 32 years ago in South Africa. This would be a chance to get reacquainted with them again as well as to meet my cousins whom I had not seen since 1974.
Proud Israeli
Our stay in Eilat was brief since the camping facilities are inadequate, the hotels too expensive and the reefs not nearly as spectacular as those in the Sinai. So after some snorkeling and a brief overnight stay next to a main road, we started making our way north towards Tel Aviv. Our first stop was the Timna National Park, which turned out to be both interesting and visually spectacular. This area is rich in copper mineralization and there is archeological evidence that the Egyptians mined this area 3000 years BC. The source for the copper for much of the jewelry we saw in Egypt’s museums apparently came from this area. A Bedouin dinner followed by shisha, the art of which Jack could not master, made for the perfect ending to an enjoyable day.
Wailing Wall
A MOSHAV, A KIBBUTZ AND FAMILY.
Israel is in many ways a unique country, especially in the way that it has created communal living spaces. The most well known of which is the Kibbutz, in which there is no private ownership and everything is shared by the members. One of the most prosperous of these is the kibbutz at Ein Gedi, which lies on the shores of the Dead Sea. It is situated there because due to the numerous rivers which run down from the escarpment into the Dead Sea valley which lies 400m below sea level, and which provide water for the kibbutz’s large agricultural activities. A variation on this theme is the Moshav. This is usually a small village in which each of the members owns their house and can purchase some land to work for their own account as well as that of the village. Trevor, Jack’s youngest son, lives in Moshav Haot Nakita, where he is a paramedic. Trevor showed us around this oasis in the Negev where temperatures can often reach 50deg C. We clambered creeks where we cooled off in clear pools below spectacular waterfalls, and floated in the Dead Sea and admired the ancient fortress of Masada. Jack’s eldest son lives in Ma’alot in northern Israel, very close to the Lebanese border. He was generous with his time, showing us around the Golan Heights and the Galilee area, which is very different from the dry desert to the south. Northern Israel is wooded, mountainous and covered in forests, grasslands and lakes. It is very beautiful.
Cooling Down
Our final destination was the village of Matan about 40 Kms from the city of Tel Aviv. This is where my cousin Uggi lives with her husband Uri, and her two children Omer and Rothem. They have a lovely house, which they made available to us and which served as our base for packing up the car and other items for shipping from the port of Ashdod. Uggi has a brother John, who is married to Yael and has 4 sons, and a younger sister, Ephrati, who is married to Asaf. As a result, I had plenty of family to catch up with. I had not seen them for 32 years. My aunt Gabi who had been awaiting our arrival patiently passed away about three weeks before we arrived. We had sent her an e-mail from Luxor explaining our travel plans and to which she enthusiastically responded just two days before she had a stroke. We were very upset that we had just missed seeing her.
Israel and Palestine Border
It was wonderful connecting with family and friends. We promised to keep in touch.
AN EMOTIONAL FAREWELL
After much deliberation, we decided to ship the Landcruiser to South Africa rather than to England. It would be easier to sell it there and Jack offered to clear it through customs and store it on his farm for the short term. This meant that I could return to Canada once the vehicle was ready to sail from Israel. I was anxious to return after being absent for such an extended period. Preparing it for shipment would take a full two weeks. We had taken so much stuff on our journey that just sorting out what we wanted to keep was a major undertaking. Our room became an obstacle course, as the contents of some 15 boxes and bags were spilled onto the floor for sorting.
Finally, the day dawned when we were to drive to the port, Ashdod, and drive the car into a container for its one-month sea voyage to Cape Town. The big question was would the Land Cruiser fit into the container with the roof tent attached. Taking it off was a difficult job and requesting Jack to reattach it in South Africa was more trouble than I wanted to subject him to. But we had only millimeters to spare. After several failed attempts, I squeezed the cruiser into the container by lowering the tyre pressure and dismantling some of the tent. It was very close but it was in and after securing it with ropes and snapping some final pictures, the container was sealed and our trusty home on wheels was gone. We delivered 11 boxes to the shipping company for delivery to Canada, and Janet was taken away by security for taking photographs of them without asking for permission. She charmed her way out of that situation in very short order, a veteran of dealing with officials.
Chatting to Canada
A REMARKABLE REUNION
Janet decided to return to Canada via South Africa, and I decided to go via London. I planned my travel itinerary so that I would be in London on May 13. The reason for this was the result of an amazing set of circumstances. Whilst reading a diving magazine in Sharm-el-Sheikh, we had come across a notification for a reunion being planned for members of the 1974 X-5 expedition in Kafjord in northern Norway. I was on that expedition and it was imply pure luck that had led to Janet discovering this fact. This expedition was undertaken to solve one of the great mysteries of the Second World War. Winston Churchill commissioned these mini-submarines to sink the Tirpitz, an enormous German battleship. It disappeared after the attack and has never been seen since. We did not find it either and despite subsequent attempts, it still remains undiscovered. The reunion was held at a local hotel and it was wonderful to meet old diving colleagues as well as get an update on the story so far. After a few days in London, I flew back to Canada. Was this the end of the journey or just a detour?
Janet arrived home several weeks after with a map of South America and the Lonely Planet Guide to South America. Life is full of surprises.
