Time to pack our bags this morning. Our time in Jerusalem is finished for now and it’s time to head off. But after I’d finished packing my bags I couldn’t find the pouch with my passport and credit card. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d used them. And I couldn’t find them anywhere. It was nearly time to board the bus. Philip and I unpacked our bags and went through all our luggage three times. Pulled all the bedding apart. Searched high and low for nearly 30 minutes. I was starting to feel panicked and distraught as time kept ticking by. Going through worst case scenarios in my head. As a last gasp effort I pulled the little single bed in the corner away from the wall. And there it was! It had fallen down to the floor. We both let our breath out and gave grateful thanks to the Lord too!

Our bus took us down to Jericho. You always go down to Jericho. We stopped at a lookout on the way there. Looked out over the undulating, high, yellow-brown, desolate wasteland that is between Jerusalem and Jericho. I got a richer understanding of the Jesus’s story of the Good Samaritan which takes place in this region. It was probably also the area where Jesus had his temptations. You can certainly understand why turning stones into bread would be a temptation out there.

The line of trees is along the road from Jerusalem down to Jericho.

There were also a couple of Arab vendors with their goods. I always feel guilty that I don’t buy anything from them. Because theirs is a precarious and hard life. But I don’t need any of what they’re selling. And I don’t have room for it either. But it doesn’t really lessen the guilt pangs.

Drove into Jericho which claims to be the oldest city in the world. (It’s also in the West Bank.) They have excavated city foundations from 10,000 years ago. It’s not the oldest continually inhabited city. That belongs to Damascus. There was a huge gap of many centuries in Jericho’s habitation.

At the bottom left are the 10,000 year old city foundations.

It’s quite a big town and many date palm plantations. There’s a greenness to Jericho because it’s on the Jordan River valley in contrast to the Judean wilderness you’ve just travelled through. There are water springs in Jericho that gush forth 10,000 gallons per minute – all year around.

The excavations are right in the town. Not a large area, but fascinating. There’s evidence of many cities of Jericho that have been conquered and built upon.

Two walls from different eras

But none that seem to correspond with Joshua and the people of Israel. Several theories are advanced apparently. But this is the one that I liked best.  I haven’t heard it before. And just because I like it doesn’t make it correct – as you all know! But when Joshua and the Israelites conquered Jericho, the city was completely demolished and the walls completely dismantled. With the many flash floods that happen with the Jordan river frequently, the rubble was eventually swept away down the Jordan River valley. Most other conquerors rebuilt the city. But Joshua cursed Jericho. And the one unexplainable thing is why Jericho was uninhabited for so many centuries. Because it is in a highly desirable location. Anyway, food for thought!

Back on the bus to keep travelling north through the West Bank. A huge problematical area. The green wide valley through which the Jordan River must have flowing. Even though I couldn’t see the river. It’s very narrow there. It’s the dividing line between Jordan and Israel right down the middle of the river. There’s an electrified double fence with sensors all the way long the shore line.

The fence between the West Bank and Jordan

We travelled a long way in the bus today. Compared to other days. Philip and I have both sat next to interesting people and hearing their stories of their spiritual journeys.

When we got to the border of the West Bank at the checkpoint, two soldiers got on the bus with their big machine guns and walked through the bus checking everyone’s passports. I was very glad I’d found my passport this morning!

Mid-afternoon the bus turned off – at the kangaroo sign. I’m not sure why the kangaroo sign was there.

But it was a national park where we were stopping for a while to have a swim in some warm springs there. A green oasis park with lots of people picnicking and in the holiday spirit. A long blue-green series of natural pools. We were told they were warm springs. The temperature of the water was 23 degrees, which is just a smidgen warmer than Perth waters. So I wouldn’t call them warm springs. They were “refreshing”. But the Brits all thought they were warm.

At first I wasn’t going to bother swimming. Mainly because I didn’t have a towel. But then I realised that I’d never be this way again. And that I need to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way. Swimming in warm springs in the Galilee region. Of course I must do it! So I did. And it was very refreshing. When I was ready to get out, I swam to the edge of the pool, pulling myself up on to a natural rock ledge by the pool. Suddenly something was nipping my feet. I got such a fright I nearly launched myself clean out of the pool. It was fish in the water. There’s lots and lots of them hiding under the rock ledge and they come out to nibble. There were people there with their feet dangling in the water so the fish would nibble their feet. Philip found a waterfall spilling over into another pool and lay under it so he could have a waterfall-pummelling massage of his back. We both really enjoyed the swim.

Soon after we turned a corner and saw glimpses of blue water – Lake Galilee. It’s so much bigger and wider than I’d imagined. We drove around it to its northern edge, through the town of Tiberius. Which is the only town left on the Lake these days. To our accommodation which is run by a kibbutz. It’s more profitable for kibbutz to run tourism hospitality than grow crops and farm these days apparently.

The view from the dining room with Lake Galilee between the gum trees

We’re here for a couple of days, staying in really comfortable little bungalow rooms, with Lake Galilee just a stone’s throw away. Today has been a slower pace. But still full of interesting, provocative and fun things to see, hear and do. And we’re both really enjoying the meditations and Bible studies every day.