Almost a week in Israel

Just a quick update to let everyone know we’re safely in Israel and finally able to start some updates. Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were a whirlwind. Nazareth was great, but we ended up exhausted. We’re catching a much needed breather in the small village of Arbel, located near Tiberias.

When we first booked the flights, it sounded strange flying from Bangkok to Tel Aviv via Paris (Air France). Essentially, we flew over Israel and back again. It turned out that being pampered a bit in business class and having some time in airports (with water you could drink, real toilets, familiar food, etc.) was much needed after several weeks in Southeast Asia. It didn’t take long and we were hit by sticker-shock. Everything had been very inexpensive, but Israel is going to drain any efficiencies we gained the past few weeks.

We try not to have a lot of expectations coming into new areas, but I had a bit of a romantic vision of our time in Israel. I thought we would be sharing these holy places with other pilgrims, honoring the complex history shared by many faiths. Sure, I understood these are modern times with many social, political and economic challenges. I didn’t, however, expect an affront on courtesy, decency, honesty and respect.

Being treated with kindness here – shines like a candle in the dark… reverence is most visible in only the simplest of places… a genuine feeling of welcome is a rare gift… holiness is often felt when you least expect it. We have felt all of the above, just not in the measure experienced in our other travels. Look for more coming soon.

Jeff