It’s a Small World

We did it! We went back to Mikmash or Mishmash or Mukhmas, whatever you prefer and found Bozez and Seneh. Thanks to our unique encounter there yesterday we tried to hike in from the Israeli side but after driving for miles along the fence we finally gave up. There simply was no way through. Disgusting. So back to Mikmash it was. I wish you could have seen us winding our way among olive orchards and abandoned playgrounds, bouncing over rocks and trying to dodge potholes. By all appearances our car is quite used to such expeditions. We rented it from a ma and pop joint in Jerusalem because we wanted to be able to freely traverse the West Bank. Average rental car companies don’t offer insurance for this. So while this is handy, it also has its drawbacks. The engine definitely has its moments of stuttering, the front right hubcap is thinking about departing, the passenger side paint job is significantly more matte than the rest of the car and the right headlamp steadily illuminates the ground about six feet in front of the car. Very serviceable all in all.

Back to Bozez and Seneh.

These are the two rocks featured in the story of Jonathan and the armor bearer killing the Philistines and God confounding the army. We thought we had spotted them from across the valley so we parked and hiked along a stream till sure enough! The canyon got deeper and deeper and pretty soon there were two steep rocks on either side. It’s pretty epic standing there and imagining it all happening. It’s also very beautiful, with the anemones just starting to bloom, the grass a lush green and caves dotting the cliffs.

We didn’t have a huge agenda and the sky was threatening to spit so we headed to Old City Jerusalem where there would be plenty of cover from rain. It was surprisingly crowded considering tourism only opened up a few weeks ago. We were starving hungry so headed straight to the kebab shop we remembered and scarfed food while perched on some roadblocks. Then we proceeded to wander and yes, it started to rain and we were a bit cold and quite wet so we warmed up in between with some Sahlab. That’s a hot, milky drink with lots of spices and nuts and coconut. Rather delicious!

We spent ages in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, exploring all the nooks and crannies we could poke into. They yielded up all kinds of wonders like ancient tombs carved in the rock from Jesus’ time, huge water filled cisterns down dark and smelly staircases, and little Coptic villages tucked away on the roof. The priests were as funny and pushy as ever, chewing people out and angrily moving people away that were trespassing.

Evening was spent exploring Abu Dis and eating lovely food in restaurants with heaters. It’s a little disconcerting, all the carcasses that are hanging around town. Cows and sheep in every posture dangling by the sidewalk. Sometimes they have just the cow heads hanging, tongues sticking out and eyes sweetly shut. It’s disturbing! But the people are friendly and nobody wears a mask so it’s all good.

Until later…