In Jesus Land: An Israel advisory for shoestring travellers
Jesus land today is in Israel. Only a small portion of Israel is that – the area north of Jerusalem, which includes the Galilee and towns like Nazareth, Capernaum and Cana; and the Judaea in the south.
Jesus land today is in Israel. Only a small portion of Israel is that – the area north of Jerusalem, which includes the Galilee and towns like Nazareth, Capernaum and Cana; and the Judaea in the south.
Jesus land today is in Israel. Only a small portion of Israel is that – the area north of Jerusalem, which includes the Galilee and towns like Nazareth, Capernaum and Cana; and the Judaea in the south.
Some say that Jesus didn’t exist. To me it makes no difference whether he did or did not. I find the Jesus we meet in the gospels a very interesting person, real or unreal, and that’s enough for me. I tend to believe he was a historical person, because independent historians I trust say so. My curiosity about the historical Jesus first took me to Israel. I wished to see the places where, according to the New Testament, he walked, preached, battled the orthodoxy and died at the young age of 33, which is no age to die. I wanted a first-hand experience of Jesus land.
Not many people talk about how Jesus was an indefatigable walker. From what we read in the New Testament, he was on his two feet most of the time. Sometimes he also got into a boat, and he must’ve travelled on donkeys too. He entered Jerusalem on a donkey five days before his death. So, in a way Jesus is a shoestring traveller’s patron saint. Following his trail, I walked in Nazareth, Bethlehem, Capernaum, Jerusalem, Bethany, Cana, Bethsaida, the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and that of the Jordan River and Mount Olive. Some places I couldn’t manage.
Jesus land today is in Israel. Only a small portion of Israel is that – the area north of Jerusalem which includes the Galilee, and towns like Nazareth, Capernaum and Cana; and the Judaea in the south. That’s the region where he was born and grew up. And where, after two decades of anonymous life, he returned to preach his Kingdom of God.
My first visit to Israel was with a group organised by a tour company. I joined the group because my friend was in it and the price was attractive. The pilgrims were very entertaining. They sang devotional songs and said their prayers with gusto. They talked and laughed a lot. They followed the tour guide from one holy site to the other like a flock of sheep. They seemed to believe every word of the fantastic stories they were told. In fact, I got the feeling that that was what made them feel they got their money’s worth. They enjoyed being in miracle land, walking in the spots where they believed supernatural things took place.
All this was fine with me. But soon I found out the whole tour was organised strictly around the holy sites the tour company selected for the pilgrims, which was only natural. And the pilgrims didn't mind. Because they were mainly taking the tour for a personal experience of their religious lore. Or, to put it differently, they didn’t even know there were other things to see. I realised that to see Israel the way I would like to see it – that is, as a wide-eyed traveller, casting my net wide - I would need to return as an independent traveller.
Thus, soon I found myself in Israel again, in the company of the program producer of a TV channel, who was also my friend, and a small crew. We were to do a 7-part video travelogue of Israel for the oncoming Christmas season, anchored by me. I drew up a travel plan that would take us end-to-end and crisscross Israel for 14 days, including, alongside religious sites, those less frequented by pilgrim groups. We had been given a car and a driver, plus all other facilities. For a shoestring traveller this was nothing less than heaven. I did make one more trip to Israel with a writers’ group. However, just as the pilgrims were confined by their religious motives, we writers were confined by our literary conferences.
Perhaps the first thing I should tell intending shoestring – or backpacking - travellers to Israel is that it’s an expensive place – whether it is food, accommodation or transport. The other option is to join a group. But as mentioned earlier, that limits your sightseeing opportunities and freedom. Therefore, the shoestring traveller must do her homework carefully and plan her moves in advance, especially when it comes to hostel bookings.
Efficient use of public transport is an area to pay special attention to because it will save money and time. My principle is that we can go a bit hungry occasionally, but we can’t miss a bus to our next destination. Nor is it a good idea to spend a night on a chair in the crowded lobby of a hostel because, for a traveller, every tomorrow is a working day – in fact, a hardworking day.
It’s also useful for the first-time traveller to know that, over and above the political news about Israel, it is a nation of friendly people. And the streets are safe at night compared with US or European cities. But do always keep in mind that it’s a high-security nation and therefore avoid impulsive behaviour in public places – something that Indians are particularly prone to. And of course, it goes without saying that in times of military tension we tourists have no business being there.
If I were asked, as a three-time visitor to Israel, what, at the end of the day, is the most outstanding experience of the country, I would say without hesitation: the city of Jerusalem. It is one of the world’s oldest cities with a history that goes back to about 5000 years. Every grain of sand in it has a story to tell of power, pomp and glory and conquests and bloodbaths. Three major religions of the world converge in Jerusalem – Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
It’s one of the liveliest cities I’ve ever been to. Within its ancient ramparts are bustling markets filled with beautiful merchandise, mouth-watering eateries, renowned places of worship and historical monuments. People from nearly every corner of the earth overflow its narrow lanes. Immersing yourself in Jerusalem is an experience you’ll never forget. (For those interested in the history of Jerusalem, I would recommend two books: ‘’Jerusalem: The Biography’’ by Simon Sebag Montefiore and Karen Armstrong’s ‘’Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths’’).
Next on my list is the Fortress of Masada and the Dead Sea, which neighbours it. Masada is a massive, spectacular fortress built on a mountain-top in the 1st century BCE by the Hasmonean dynasty and renovated and strengthened by King Herod half a century before Jesus’ birth. Eerie loneliness surrounds you as you walk into its ruins, stepping out of the cable car. A grandstand view of the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea and the mountains of Jordan surrounds you. Masada has a tragic story. It was here that in CE 70, around 1000 Jews took refuge from the Roman pillage of Jerusalem and the savage massacre that followed the Jewish Uprising for freedom. Romans followed the refugees here. After a siege that lasted over a year, the Romans breached the fort only to find that the Jews – except for two women and five children - had taken their own lives. They must’ve decided that it was better than the horrible deaths the Romans kept in store for them.
The Dead Sea is a very special experience. Where else in the world can we float in water as if weightless? It’s possible because the ‘water’ of the Dead Sea isn’t really water but a saline solution that is ten times saltier than regular seawater. To be fair to the pilgrim tour operators, though the Dead Sea has no religious value, pilgrims are regularly brought here to experience its wonders. Here, mud isn’t something to shy away from, but a pleasure. Dead Sea mud is packed with 26 minerals, and it’s a great experience to rub it all over you and sit on the shore, relaxed, watching the blue glint of the salty waters. It so happens that the Dead Sea is the lowest ‘exposed land surface’ on earth, sitting 1443 feet below sea level.
Without any doubt, I would place next on my list the Mar Saba monastery, about 20 kilometres away from Bethlehem on the West Bank - which is Palestine. In an endless sea of desert, in a hollow and its slopes sits the monastery as if it were born out of the desert, one of the loneliest human habitats I’ve ever seen on my travels. It’s a sight that will take your breath away. At 1500 years, it is one of the world’s oldest and continually occupied monasteries. Do read up on the regulations for visitors before you go.
Even at the risk of being considered wayward, I would next place Makhtesh Ramon on my list: a stunning canyon, an empire of sand, rock, wilderness, and loneliness, in the heart of the Negev desert. For a physical description: it’s 40 kms long, 2- 10 km wide and 500 meters deep. But that doesn’t tell you anything about its sheer majesty. You stand on a steel platform that juts out into the emptiness of the 500-meter drop and are both terrified and exhilarated. The grandeur of the desert, the shadows on the canyon floor, the vast sky and horizons that roll on till they fade, surround you in a silence that is complete. For me, that was the spiritual experience of the journey. Sunrise and the hours before sunset are the best times to experience Makhtesh Ramon.
I’m aware that I’ve left out many, many ‘must see’ places in making up this all-too-short list. Israel is full of surprises for a curious traveller once she steps out of the pilgrim circuit and the typical tourist agenda. Here are some of the places I’ve regretfully left out: Ramallah, Nazareth, Cana, Bethlehem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Haifa, the Hula Valley, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, Jericho, ruins of the Palace of Hisham, the city of Nablus, the Wailing Wall, Mount Olive, the Dome of the Rock, Yad Vashem(the holocaust museum). Please do not miss them.
I do not believe that politics should stand in the way of a traveller unless a nation has closed its doors to travellers. History, the sky, the moon, the sun and the stars, the ocean, the forests and mountains, the great cities and little villages – all belong to humanity. Who knows, a borderless world might come into being one marvellous day.