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March 29, 2005

Jerusalem

The drive from Eliat to Jerusalem is really nice and the buses were very comfortable. Although just before boarding the bus a guy in plain cloth did ask me for my "papers". He was in plain clothes so asked him why then he showed me some kind of ID card, later I saw a gun behind his back. But funny thing was he asked for the papers just from me, not anyone else boarding the paper. The guy from UN in Sharm had warned me -- you will find Israeli officials to be extremley racists, you look Arabic you will be stopped many times, so this was first taste of it.

Arrived in Jerusalem around 10.30AM. When I arrived in the bus terminal I was just amazed at how many 18-19 year old kids were in Army uniform and had "machine-gun" on their backs. Lot of these kids didn't even have mustaches yet and the govt was sending them into Army? I had decided to stay in Faisal Hostel which is right outside the Damascus gate in East Jerusalem.


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I walked about 20 min from the bus station to the hostel so if you are going to stay in Faisal Hostel I would recommend taking taxi. Of course the taxi will not drop you in front of the hostel because its the "East Jerusalem" but he will drop you off near by, this I found out later. There is kind of invisible wall between East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem where cab drivers from East don't come to west and west don't go to east.


I dropped my backpack and took off to see the old Jerusalem. It is very interesting city and in my book source of 50% world's probelm. I tried to visit the Al Aqsa Mosque was told its closed come back tomorrow at 7.30AM. The next stop along the way was the wailing wall. I can understand people are trying to defend the land etc. but is it really necessary to have machine gun on your back while you offer to prayer to stupid human invention called god?


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Anyway walked around old Jerusalem for few more hours, of course there is road where they say Christ walked to his crucification. There is lot to see if you are religious type person. At westen wall you will see tons of American package tourists and I was lucky to hear one guide tell his group go straight there is Jewish quarter, Armenian, Christian quarter don't turn right you will go into Muslim quarter. So I guess few more Americans went home thinking muslims==danger?


Went back to the hostel talked with some very interesting people at the hostel. I would totally recommend Faisal hostel if you want to get other side of the story. Met a french girl who teaches English on the other side, met a british girl who was doing research depression among young palestine -- guys and girls. She talked about how guys can't get married because they don't have enough money or opportunity to work etc. The french girl told me story that in early days she used to have her camera with her and one day soldier at the border wanted to see the photos and while looking at the photos he accidently dropped her camera!! So if you do visit the forbidden side of Israel don't take your camera or just be careful when they inspect your camera and don't let them drop it.


I wanted to visit the place where they think Mohammad went to heaven. But before I walked 20 met from the hostel and while buying coffee and piece of bread I had tap on my shoulder from yet another Israeli army asshole who wanted to see my papers. Again he asked me why are you in Israel, what are you doing here? He even asked me why are you staying in this part of Jerusalem? So I urge I all backpackers to stay at Faisal hostel. Hostel itself is a dump but it just pisses off Israeli establishment that people are staying in East Jerusalem. Anyway, this army guy says why did you take photos of Army truck this morning, I said I have been out for just 3 min and I have not even seen an Army truck. So he wanted to see my photos. But I warned him if you drop this camera I am going American embassy with your bullshit. (Not that it would have made any difference). So he went through all my photos, next he wanted to know all the countries I have visited so far. But I made it a point to tell him that Jerusalem has been the worst place I have visited in my life. So after 15 min of this bullshit he again said me go. There were three soldiers and not one of them thank you, good morning, have a nice day -- fuckers. But I did ask them if they knew how I could get to Yad Vashem museum, and all three ass-holes didn't know where Yad Vashem - Holocaust museum in Jerusalem was. May be these ass-holes should go and visit that place and they will get to know what happens when one group of people decides to treat others like shit just becaue how they look or their religion etc. What a shame that soldiers in Jerusalem don't know where the Holocaust museum is in their city?


So after I finished my cup of coffee and nice pastry decided to visit the dome. While having coffee one palestanien tried to say look we have to deal with this every day aren't these guys cruel etc. Didn't really have conversation with him because IMHO folks on both sides are ass-holes. There is plenty of land around they insist on fighting for same piece of shitty land. So hauled my ass out of that coffee shop visited the dome and Al-Aqsa mosque, Of course on the way out of East Jerusalem I was asked for "the papers" once again. All this paper thing really got on my nerves. Just once wanted to test buzz-off I am not going to show you my papers but didn't want any bullet holes in me. Again asked two soldiers do you know where Yad Vashem is, answer was no. Anyway following my escape from East Jerusalem took a bus to Holocaust museum (Yad Vashem). As the LP says do take tissue paper with you. But I wonder has the Israeli establishment (army, govt.) turned the table around and treating arab people like piece of shit just because they are Arabs and believe in diffrent religion? I was really surprised that at least 5 JEWISH soldiers didn't know where the Holocaust museum was? Aren't kids in Israel taken to this museum to tell them story of Holocaust?


Anyway next day decided to get the fuck out of Jerusalem and took a bus to Tel Aviv. Jerusalem is one city I will never again visit in my lifetime.

Posted by Subodh on March 29, 2005 06:14 AM
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