Aleppo, Syria to Jerusalem, Israel in one day

This was the plan:
Overnight train from Aleppo to Damascus,
Shared taxi ride from Damascus to Syria/Jordan then on to Amman Jordan,
Then bus from Amman to Jordan/Israel border then on to Jerusalem.

I made it as far as Amman when I realized that on Fridays, the border is closed in the afternoon due to Shabbat so I ended up getting a room for the night.  While sitting in the hostel, the news came on stating that there were riots during the prayers of Shabbat and the Israel government closed the borders for 48 hours so one more night in Amman is was.  The following day (Sunday) the border was open again and off I went.

Here's my notes on the border crossing into Israel via the West bank Border.

9:20. Began departure from Jordan

Bag scan and took passport. 

9:45 Passport given back on bus with piece of paper with departure stamp on it. Not stamped in passport. 4.25 JD for bus and luggage. 

3 minute down road 1st checkpoint. Took paper departure stamp.

10:25

Standing in line at Israel immigration and everyone told to leave line and cross road into grassy area and wait.  Was told it was a bomb scare.

Many many people bringing jugs of water across.  I was just told Israel is controlling water in east Jerusalem and people there do not have enough so people import their own water. 

11:50 just made it to counter to receive stamp. Was asked a few questions then given form to fill out and told to wait for more questioning. Other Americans did not do this. I think this because I had been to Syria.

12:43 still waiting to be interviewed. 2nd bomb scare. Everyone moved to center of immigration. 

1:45 asked around why I'm still waiting. Finally got interviewed at 2pm.  Asked normal questions.

"are you traveling with anyone?  do you know anyone in Israel? How long are you staying in Israel?  what do you do for a living?  etc.... 

After, I was told will take 15 min to process. 

2:30. Finall received passport back and stamp. Waiting in another line to pick up luggage and final check of passport. 

3:00 finally in Israel and on bus to Jerusalem.

Although a little tense at times, all in all, this wasn't too bad and I was simply happy to be on the other side and on a bus being sent away from the border.  For obvious reasons, I do not have any photos to share of this experience but the scars of the numerous feuds, if they could be called that, are still very apparent.  Everywhere you look in this small .5 mile area is littered with bunkers, trenches and hideouts.

Aleppo, Syria

Aleppo in the north of Syria is near the border of Turkey.  Had a few days to check things out.  There's a citadel here as well and lots of local markets to wander around in.

Inside the citadel

Walking through the market.  So many choices for food.

Mobile Tea Shop

Pastries everywhere

and...

of course...

MMMMmmmmmmm!!!!

Crac des Chevaliers

The Crac des Chevaliers is a World Heritage Site crusader castle near the border of Lebanon border.  Built in the 1100's BCE.  

Hama, Syria

Hama is famous for it's Norias.  Some of the oldest surviving water wheels in the world.  Sadly, due to record low water levels, the wheels sat quiet and still.

Ancient Aramaic city of Palmyra

The View from the Castle

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Laby SReeb Slick???  What the...???

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Into Syria. The road to Damascus

As I posted before, I made it into Syria after a 5 hour wait of anticipation to see if the Syrian Government was going to issue me a visa at the border.  Headed to Damascus and spent a couple of days wandering around the old city.  Damascus is known for it's souqs (markets) and we arrived on Friday where the souq is closed (as is most everything) due to Friday prayers.  It was nice to be able to walk through the old city during this time as we practically had the place to ourselves.  This was not the case on Saturday where everything basically exploded with people and shops.  Quite a contrast.

Friday

Saturday

There are so many little alleys to get lost in.

In the center of the old city is the The Umayyad Mosque

 and is one of the holiest in the Muslim world.  It is also where John the Baptist's head was found buried underneath.

To enter the Mosque you must be dressed modestly or there are special clothes that can be used while there.

Great foods and smells are all over the old city.

but I just couldn't bring myself to try this.

Thanks, but no thanks, I've got my own pair.

The lowest point on Earth

1400 feet Below sea level

After a long day hiking around Petra, a little R/R was in order.  I took the morning bus from Wadi Musa to Amman the next day and spent the day walking around the city.  That evening the rest of the crew that I've been traveling with showed up and the next day we rented a car.  There are many tours to the Dead Sea but being 5 of us it was great to split the cost of a car and well worth having our freedom to do what we want.  There are also many resorts and paid beaches along the Dead Sea which all are quite expensive.  With our car, we found a quiet spot on the side of the road and simply walked down the hill to our own, free beach.  

When visiting the Dead Sea:

RULE # 1:  Never EVER dive head first into the Dead Sea!

RULE # 2:  Never EVER...EVER ignore rule # 1!!!

Here is the resulting photo of me ignoring Rule # 1

I can't even begin to explain the pain in my eyes from the salt water.  Lucky we bought several bottles of water because it took some serious flushing to reverse the breaking of Rule # 1.  It also took a long time for my friends to stop laughing at me too.  Happy to have entertained you guys.

The Dead Sea has a salinity of 33% salt.  Normal ocean water is around 3.5%  It was a strange feeling to be so naturally buoyant.  I was actually able to put my feet straight down, as if standing, and still float.

Then it was spa time.

The mud along the shores of the Dead Sea are very rich in minerals and nutrients. The common thing to do is give yourself a little mud mask and scrub but scrub lightly because when you wash it off in the water, you'll be made aware of every single scrape, scratch or cut.

After a good bake in the sun and a rinse in the water your skin really does feel amazing.