We woke after a good nights sleep in our giant size bed.  Rob almost lost Jen on the other side but after finding her in the morning we got showered and packed up.  It was an easy job as we had just taken a single change of clothes and left our main suitcases in the car which was in the underground hotel parking.

The breakfast was the usual Israeli standard we have come to expect and we now confidently choose what we eat, avoiding the things that we do not like… we have learnt!

After negotiating the garage and traffic we went in search of the market and a gas station.

Finding a gas station was easy we know that Paz/Yellow has everything we need, we bought drinks, ice and gas and also recharged our Pellaphone (Cell).

A little way down the road we found the market. A comment had been made to Jen on Trip Advisor that all the hotels had been taken over by Russian immigrants and were no good.  This did not appear the case.  However, they certainly were well represented at the market, or should we say junk exchange. It seems that everyone brings what they don’t want and tries to sell it to some one else. Language aside the bargaining gets fierce, we had no idea what words we used but we could understand when some serious bargaining was taking place. The contrast was severe Bedouin women in traditional dress bargaining over denim jeans… go figure!  Across the road the fresh produce was on sale, fresh fruit and vegetables abound with the odd contrast in the middle providing a bit of interest and humour.

Leaving the city behind and guessing which road to take we found ourselves on the right road to Tel Beer Sheva, After all the tels we have seen and been to this is starting to become a joke so Rob had to tel Jen that we would not visit any more tels, or Jen threatened to tel Rob where he could go.

Tel Beer Sheva is one of the oldest tels and dates to the time before Avram would have arrived in this area. The man at the park gate indicated that we had to take hard hats… why?  For the water system … we would find out later. Walking around the partially excavated and restored city was marvellous;   the well at the gate [we estimated over 20 meters deep], the city gate, the houses and store rooms all from the time of the early Israelites. An observation tower in the middle enabled us to get a good idea of the entire city. We then entered the water system walking downstairs and into a rough-hewn cistern and then discovered the need for the hard hats. The roof of the tunnel is very low but the cistern soon opened out and seem to be a series of interlinked rooms about 17 meters below the surface of the tel. The last item to be seen was a horned altar – this is a replica based on fragments found at the site. The archaeologists surmise that this was the remains of the altar that was destroyed on King Hezekiah’s instruction.

For Rob this was a highlight, to be in a place and see some of the artefacts from the time of Avram, this is where the story of the Israelites began in the land that God gave to the descendants of Avaham. That a number of people (namely those on Trip Advisor!) had actively discouraged us from going to Beer Sheva made the visit all the more worthwhile. The site may not be as dramatic as Beit Shean, but THIS is the start of the history of the Israelites.

Rob’s advice: go and visit and find out the why and the who before making judgements

Negotiating the roads with an excellent navigator (Jen) we found Lakya, then the hunt was on for the weaving and embroidering. Signs?   What signs?  We stumbled on the weaving and had a look – the prices were very high, not much of a selection and nothing appealed to us.  We then had a third attempt to find the visitor centre/embroidering shop. A few vicious speed bumps later we found it again.  Signs?   What signs?  We bought a few things and then headed for our next place of interest.

The Joe Allon Centre, housing a Museum of Bedouin Culture, was through a forest reserve which seemed to be a strange thing for an area that was supposes to be a desert region. Arriving there and finding it partly shut up was disappointing.  As we were leaving (after about 10 minute of ringing the bell) a man arrived who let us in.  We wandered around the Bedouin exhibition and then left.  The Bedouin experience, coffee serving and other attractions were non-existent. This was a great disappointment as the centre seems to have been put together with great thought and a lot of effort, but is very badly run with no or very little staff.  Definitely misrepresented in the Frommers and Fodor’s which we’d brought with us.

Driving on we stopped at a gas station and had a good lunch at the coffee shop, some of these gas station / eating places are really good others … just pass on by. The method we use is – if car park full, then must be good food.  If car park empty, don’t eat!!

Since time was against us we decided to only stop at the Stalactite Caves outside Bet Shemesh, instead of visiting Beit Guvrin.. The long drive up and down the hill and then walk down to the entrance was rewarded with the lady at the ticket office telling us an English tour had just started. The video presentation was the most basic we have seen to date but still it told the story.  Entering the caves we saw a wonderland of stalactites and stalactites.

How do you know which is which?   Well, at school Jen was told “Stalagtites hold tight to the roof of the cave, and stalagmites might just grow to reach them”.  So there is some use for schooling after all.

The formations are wonderful and good to see, but as South Africans we are a little jaded since we have the best in the world in the Cango Caves. But still seeing them was a nice change from tels .. or so Jen tells me…

Then the fun began…

Due to the state visit of one George Bush, President of the USA, a good number of roads have been closed in central Jerusalem. This includes the road of the offices of Eldan, where we were to return the car. Therefore we were instructed to return the car to Eldan’s offices in Gavat Shaul, this is a part of town we do not know. Finding Gavat Shaul on the map was the first step, this we did, but the scale of the map did not show individual street names. So tour guide to the rescue… Call Suzanne!   She tried to give directions over the phone and got us to the general area, then we spotted a Eldan – should be easy?  No, with one way streets and impatient drivers all trying to get home we but we eventually stumbled upon the offices after a few frustrating minutes.

The taxi ride to Gloria Hotel, where we are staying, was also a long winded affair as the driver had to detour around the closed roads. Arriving at the hotel we unpacked and collected our washing and following a quick call to a laundry we headed off to find it.

George Bush Part Two !!

By now even more streets were closed off, with police and security everywhere. Every other street we wanted to walk down we were told “Lo, Closed!” but then at other points we walked right along and over the streets that the cavalcade was to use. It was becoming increasingly clearer that we:
a) could not get to the street we wanted to and
b) would arrive after 19h00, the closing time

Then an angel well-disguised as a tour guide called to see how we where doing. After telling Suzanne our tale of frustration she told about another laundry not far from where we were. So thanks to Suzanne we found the little shop and dumped our load. Thanks Suzanne you are a real blessing to us!

We walked back to the old city via Yemen Moshe, a place Rob wants to return to with his camera, and we stopped at one of the new restaurants in the complex build outside Jaffa Gate.

What a wonderful meal!  Jen had a vegetable quiche and Rob had fish. This we washed down with a superb bottle of Israeli wine, which had hints of leechie, and then finished the meal off with a “chunky monkey”:  a plate of fruit, warm chocolate brownie and ice-cream.

A quick walk back to the Hotel and to sleep …

Tomorrow … The new city …Day 20