Stats:
Trip Total: 2040.2
Day Total: 99
Up at 7:15. My stomach was not well yet and had to wait for a while before heading out. I hit the road at 8:15. Friday is the typical day off in a Muslim country and almost everything was closed. I was headed for King Houssein bridge which is the passage to Israel and according to my instructions I had to find my way to the airport highway, follow it, and at some point deviate and follow the signs to King Houssein bridge. As there were very few people to ask I really had a difficult time finding my way, plus there was a lot of uphill, which I did not really mind as it was the beginning of the day and I was rested. After a few errors and back and forths I finally found the correct way. And then the happy miles were on. The great downhill that led me to below sea level started and so did my biking happiness. The people had changed too. The few times I stopped to ask, people were ironic and I could sense some enmity. The landscape, however, was very beautiful, really craggy and imposing. Some pictures are in order.
Trip Total: 2040.2
Day Total: 99
Up at 7:15. My stomach was not well yet and had to wait for a while before heading out. I hit the road at 8:15. Friday is the typical day off in a Muslim country and almost everything was closed. I was headed for King Houssein bridge which is the passage to Israel and according to my instructions I had to find my way to the airport highway, follow it, and at some point deviate and follow the signs to King Houssein bridge. As there were very few people to ask I really had a difficult time finding my way, plus there was a lot of uphill, which I did not really mind as it was the beginning of the day and I was rested. After a few errors and back and forths I finally found the correct way. And then the happy miles were on. The great downhill that led me to below sea level started and so did my biking happiness. The people had changed too. The few times I stopped to ask, people were ironic and I could sense some enmity. The landscape, however, was very beautiful, really craggy and imposing. Some pictures are in order.
At some point I crossed a place where the signs indicated that I was at sea level. What an experience. I did not even need to know how to swim.
My fear was that I would miss the 13:00 deadline when the border closes to reopen the following day. I made it in time.
I had to pay 10 JDs of exit tax and was not allowed to bike across the bridge. I had to follow everybody else and get on a bus to the Israeli side. Once I arrived there I saw horror. There were long lines of people waiting and everybody in the bus speculated aloud on how long it would take to cross into Israel. My estimate was two hours. I was very close, it took two and a half. When I found the appropriate line to wait I took my bike and stood there. Needless to say that people were cutting the line leaving me behind. At some point I asserted my right from a man dressed in Arab garbs who raised hell. As I felt that the authorities would not be totally on his side, and as I could communicate in English, I stood my ground. The arrogant Palestinian calmed down and asked more politely to let him go because his son was ahead and they should be together. I relented and let him go. Finally, when my turn came, a very polite girl asked me questions about me and my bike and I answered as best as I could. Nonetheless my answers were not very accurate. For instance, when she asked me for how long I was going to stay in Israel, I told her that I did not know because when you bike you cannot make accurate commitments about time and places. Despite my vague answers she announced “I will stamp your passport!” I was so exhausted from biking, dealing with the raucous Palestinians, and waiting that I just said OK. Later I realized my mistake of forgetting to ask to insert a separate page in my passport and stamp that.
The next step was to try to find my way out to the road and bike on. A couple of Israeli officials that I asked very politely showed me the way out.
On the road again. Trying to find my way to Jerusalem I was below sea level and the scenery was really imposing.
The distance to Jerusalem was 42 kms. The original seven to eight kms were easy kms on flat land. And then thirty kms of continuous uphill started. As you can see in the picture below I managed to surface and get above sea level again. In my wildest dreams I would not have thought that I could have stayed underwater for four hours straight!!!!!!!!!!
At some point I decided to take a break and stopped at a gas station. The attendant was very helpful and several people that stopped to refuel came up to me and interested in my biking talked to me, asked questions, and most importantly gave me info. I decided that I should give Eli a phonecall and let him know that I was in Israel. Somehow his number would not go through on my cell phone. I tried texting him but the SMS did not go through either. Perplexed I asked from a couple that had stopped to refuel, if I could use their cell phone to make a short call. They were very accommodating. Eli was surprised, welcomed me and gave me info on how to go to Tel Aviv once I made it to Jerusalem. At the end of the phonecall I thanked the couple who asked me where I was coming from. I told them and asked them the same question. I was embarrassed to find out that they were not Israelis as I had originally thought but from Germany instead. That meant that the cheap phonecall was not at all cheap but rather an expensive international call for them.
I biked on and finally reached Jerusalem
I followed the signs to the center and started looking for a hotel. One of the couples that I asked for info who happened to be French was very helpful. They recommended the old city and as we were really close to it they walked me there and showed me a couple of hotels. I ended up staying at the Palm hostel right across from Damascus gate. After I settled in I went out for a walk while it was still day and to forage.
I had to pay 10 JDs of exit tax and was not allowed to bike across the bridge. I had to follow everybody else and get on a bus to the Israeli side. Once I arrived there I saw horror. There were long lines of people waiting and everybody in the bus speculated aloud on how long it would take to cross into Israel. My estimate was two hours. I was very close, it took two and a half. When I found the appropriate line to wait I took my bike and stood there. Needless to say that people were cutting the line leaving me behind. At some point I asserted my right from a man dressed in Arab garbs who raised hell. As I felt that the authorities would not be totally on his side, and as I could communicate in English, I stood my ground. The arrogant Palestinian calmed down and asked more politely to let him go because his son was ahead and they should be together. I relented and let him go. Finally, when my turn came, a very polite girl asked me questions about me and my bike and I answered as best as I could. Nonetheless my answers were not very accurate. For instance, when she asked me for how long I was going to stay in Israel, I told her that I did not know because when you bike you cannot make accurate commitments about time and places. Despite my vague answers she announced “I will stamp your passport!” I was so exhausted from biking, dealing with the raucous Palestinians, and waiting that I just said OK. Later I realized my mistake of forgetting to ask to insert a separate page in my passport and stamp that.
The next step was to try to find my way out to the road and bike on. A couple of Israeli officials that I asked very politely showed me the way out.
On the road again. Trying to find my way to Jerusalem I was below sea level and the scenery was really imposing.
The distance to Jerusalem was 42 kms. The original seven to eight kms were easy kms on flat land. And then thirty kms of continuous uphill started. As you can see in the picture below I managed to surface and get above sea level again. In my wildest dreams I would not have thought that I could have stayed underwater for four hours straight!!!!!!!!!! At some point I decided to take a break and stopped at a gas station. The attendant was very helpful and several people that stopped to refuel came up to me and interested in my biking talked to me, asked questions, and most importantly gave me info. I decided that I should give Eli a phonecall and let him know that I was in Israel. Somehow his number would not go through on my cell phone. I tried texting him but the SMS did not go through either. Perplexed I asked from a couple that had stopped to refuel, if I could use their cell phone to make a short call. They were very accommodating. Eli was surprised, welcomed me and gave me info on how to go to Tel Aviv once I made it to Jerusalem. At the end of the phonecall I thanked the couple who asked me where I was coming from. I told them and asked them the same question. I was embarrassed to find out that they were not Israelis as I had originally thought but from Germany instead. That meant that the cheap phonecall was not at all cheap but rather an expensive international call for them.I biked on and finally reached Jerusalem
I followed the signs to the center and started looking for a hotel. One of the couples that I asked for info who happened to be French was very helpful. They recommended the old city and as we were really close to it they walked me there and showed me a couple of hotels. I ended up staying at the Palm hostel right across from Damascus gate. After I settled in I went out for a walk while it was still day and to forage. 
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