Day 1: Arrival and Bethlehem

We arrived at about 0945 local time, which is 9 hours ahead of Mountain time in the US.  We didn't have any plans for the day so we went to Jappa, which is at one edge of Tel Aviv where we flew into.  It is sometimes called Jappa Tel Aviv, which means beautiful spring hill.  We went up to the highest point to get a good view of the old town and Mediterranean Sea.  It is very green here and the sea was beautiful.  There were people sea kiyaking, surfing, sailing, and even a guy on a paraglider that had some close encounters with the sea, it looked like on purpose!

We then journeyed past Jerusalem on our way to Bethlehem, where we will stay for a few days.  Our bus wound it's way through some very narrow streets, but we eventually had to walk the remainder of the way to our hotel and our luggage was brought to us via van.  The streets were packed with people.  It reminded me of being in La Paz, Bolivia.  There were people selling fresh fruits and vegetables along the streets and several small market shops.

When we were in Tel Aviv, the streets were pretty barren of people, but today is Shabat for the Jewish population.  Shabat is their holy day so they don't work on Saturdays and, apparently, they don't venture out either.  Bethlehem is in a Palestinian area, so there were people all over the streets here.

The weather is beautiful!  Although the sun has gone down now, when we arrived it was sunny, clear, and about 65 degrees.  Once we made it to the hotel, I napped for a couple of hours, showered, and am now ready for supper.

Have a great Saturday, everyone!
Tara