Jerusalem Day One Monday November 3

We left the house at about 8 in the morning, and drove to the Israeli border which is about an hour north of Amman. The drive was very pretty, and we drove below sea level...quite a bit below sea level actually. Interesting. Debbie dropped us off and we went in to pay a tax at the border, which was only 5JD, which is like 7.50. I had heard stories about having to pay up to $400.00 to get across the border in a timely manner. We waited for an old nasty tour bus to take us from the Jordanian side to the Israeli side.

On the bus they checked our passports. Mid-way though the drive we had stop at this station, all get off the bus, show a lady in a little booth our passports, get back on the bus, drive to the end where they check our passports while we unload. Then we send our baggage through security, with our passports that are checked again, this time giving them back to us with a baggage ticket. Then we go through security ourselves, yep another passport check, and then through the visa process. Passport check, in addition to a girl asking a million questions about WHY we are going to Jerusalem, who we are meeting there, where we are staying, what we've been doing in Jordan, why we are coming back so soon, why why why....BLAH! I just felt like saying, I have no weapons, my passport has been checked by 27 people today, and I am not a terrorist!!! We also had to go through customs, another 2 passport checks, and then we were free!

We got a Taxi...my first Taxi ride. A very nice gentleman, taught us some Hebrew, like Shalom (obviously) and Thank-you which is Toh-dah. By the time we got to our hotel it was about noon and it was too early to check in, so we left our bags at the hotel baggage room, and got another taxi to the Jerusalem Museum. It was really amazing to see a model of the old city, in the second temple period, with Herod's temple. Really cool. Sadly the main exhibits were closed, but the best part of what we saw were the dead sea scrolls. Some of them were pretty well preserved. It was so cool to see the texture of the animal skin they wrote on, and where they sewed the pieces together, and the writing, complete with ruler tick marks on either side of the writing to make sure the scribes' lines were straight. It was very cool.

We also went to the Bible lands Lands Museum, where they had on display artifacts from every era and time period where things are still preserved. They had a lot of jewelry, pottery, statues, figurines, and carvings. They also had a lot of stamps. Stamps like when they would seal a letter, there was a mus mixture they would put on top and roll this cylindrical stamp over it, that was carved to leave a little scene in the mud, signifying some one's mark. They also had mud stamps more like the wax stamps we are more familiar with seeing. My favorite exhibits were probably the mummies, the Greek pottery (just like in the beginning of the movie Hercules!) And I really loved looking at the mosaics and the sarcophagus', they had some pretty ornate carvings!

We caught another taxi to take us to see the BYU Jerusalem center, and the mount of Olives. The Jerusalem Center was closed, so we just looked at it, but we got to a viewpoint right before sunset, on the mount of Olives, which does indeed grow many olive trees. The viewpoint had many people sitting on rows of concrete benches waiting for sunset, and there was also a camel... look for the picture with the camel, there's a funny story. The sunset was GORGEOUS, especially because the dome of the rock was just glowing in the sunset colors in the sky! It was really a sight.

We went back to the hotel and were quite disappointed because we were paying a fine price for these rooms and they were tiny, and dirty, and smelled awful like cigarettes! And the toilets were so dumpy, no pun intended, but when you sat on it, you felt it might break beneath you! Oh well, all part of the adventure!

We walked a ways looking for one of Lane's favorite restaurants (Lane lived in Jerusalem for 2 1/2 years) called the Olive and Fish. It has been a bit of an adventure/headache to explain to people that I can't have gluten, fortunately in Jerusalem most everyone speaks English and understands well. I ordered a fish dish, but then couldn't have it because it had gluten in it, so instead I ordered a scrumptious sounding salad. It had mixed greens, pomegranate seed-jewels, steak slices/bits and a date-honey dressing, also apparently couscous, which I can't have. I recognized it, but it took awhile to get some one's attention to have them make one without the couscous. By the time all of this happens, Jenni and Justin are completely finished with their meals which were scrumptious, and I am just starting on my salad which i the end tasted like rabbit food. I thought it would probably be good for me, the dark green lettuce and all, so I ate as much as I could, but I disappointment in the end...oh well :)

I went to bed after watching a few news updates about the end of the election...I slept horrible because the "queen bed" was actually 2 twin beds pushed together, the bed was short by normal standard it stunk like a bar, and i kept getting wafts of strong smoke throughout the night, and it was SO loud, honking horns, people yelling all night down below on the street, just busy night life, and I was freezing!!! So I had to use the nasty bed cover that I hate to even touch because they never wash those...I was grateful for daylight....but when it did come...I opened my curtains to let in the sunlight and found my window was open! Oh BROTHER! No wonder I was smelling smoke, and hearing noise and freezing! I can be such an idiot sometimes!!! All part of the adventure!

Waiting for the bus at the border, passing the time playing cards!

This is the Dead Sea Scrolls Monument, inside is where you look at the scrolls

The model of the Herodian Temple
Another part of the Old City Model
The Old City Model behind meThese sculpture says "Ahava" which means Love

Inside the Dead Sea Scrolls Monument
More of the Scrolls, I really liked looking at the Isaiah scrolls
In front of the Bible Lands museum, no pictures inside

Okay I thought it would be funny to get a picture that LOOKS like I am kissing the camel...mind you there were many people around...so I walk up to the camel, calmly and start to get closer and closer and Jenni is waiting with the camera for the right shot...well as I get my face about a foot away the seemingly calm camel startles and jerks his head right towards mine...it scared the poo outa me! My adrenaline kicked in and everyone around was laughing. Camel head butt anyone? It didn't actually contact me, but close enough, so this picture seemed much more appropriate!

Jenni, Me and Justin, waiting for sunset. Our cab driver was very cool and he took these pictures of the three of us. He also played Reggae music and Phil Collins among other old rock. He told us how he was so young and didn't need to be married yet, he was ONLY 37! Totally different culture than Utah!

At the restaurant, eating my rabbit food...yum?

BEST way I know how to end the day, with Ice cream, but this wasn't just any ice cream it was Gelatto, Pistachio and Belgian Chocolate flavor, DIVINE!!!