Israel was one of the best places we have traveled to. We believe we spent our time wisely and were able to achieve nearly all of the goals we set out to do, asides from the things that were outside of our control. The time flew past very quickly, but it felt time to come home in the last few days. Our cats Phoebe and Jess were very happy to have mum home, the kids less so.
What did we like?
Scenery - Absolutely top notch. There is something for everyone - desert, snow capped mountains, greenery. We were of course in spring time where this is more prevalent and we were also very blessed with the exceptionally heavy rain falls prior to our arrival.
Food - The Israeli's breakfast is the largest meal of the day, which is completely reverse to our eating habits in Australia. The majority of the food we had was extremely fresh with interesting new tastes.
The religious significance - this is a tricky one, because although we set out to do so much, this was one area where we missed out on a number of places due to the closure of the West Bank. Missing out on Nablus and Jericho was a major blow, particularly for Vinci. Still, there were some parts which made up for that. Sitting quietly and walking around some of the places in the northern Galilee was an amazing feeling, just to think Jesus was in these very places. For me however, I felt a lot closer to God just travelling through His creation whether in the desert in the south or in the fabulous Golan Heights. I think being by ourselves rather than in a large tour group amplified these feelings.
Relaxed traffic police - despite a reputation for being heavy handed, apparently +/- 20kph over the posted speed limit is perfectly acceptable and I experienced this unintentionally when overtaking a police car very close to the +20 range. This is not guaranteed of course, I suppose it depends how inferior a particular police officer is feeling on any given day.
Animals - Israel has a lot of animals Vinci and I hadn't seen before and it was really awesome to see these in the wild or in the reserve. If you skipped here straight away, they also have a serious over population of cats.
Military - Personally, I actually like military hardware and guns. Here, that is all a part of daily life. The soldiers we met are very friendly, most of them also being in their conscript years and very young. I announced to Vinci if we find a soldier with an assault rifle at a bus stop, I would immediately offer them a lift. How cool would that be? A Hyundai i10 in the middle east with gun toting soldiers in the back?!
What did we not like?
Living costs - I had planned a generous budget for our time here, and then added another 30% for a buffer. We ended up arriving back in Australia with about $50 left. Having said that, I calculated that we saved around 45% of what a 10 day tour package would cost. Considering we had an extra eight days, I don't think we did too badly. Fuel is super expensive - our tiny Hyundai i10 with its minuscule fuel tank cost over $100 to fill - nearly $3.50 a litre. Food is expensive also, especially meat and in restaurants and cafes, however fresh produce is not too badly priced and can be found everywhere. Accommodation is also not too badly priced, a typical 2 bedroom flat or basic hotel room will set you back $150 - $200 a night.
Israeli driving - Drivers here are generally extremely impatient and will sit literally millimeters off your bumper. It is common to see cars pulling out in front of trucks, just to get in front of you, even if they turn off a few hundred yards down the road. Driving in the countryside is great, the city's are worse with a labyrinth of streets and getting directions from Vinci, was sometimes... challenging (sometimes hilarious). BTW, unlike Australia, Israeli's drivers don't seem to care about knocking their car door into yours. This happened a number of times. In Australia that is an offense punishable by lynching. Avoid driving in Nazareth like the plague and if in a rental car, stay out of Palestinian Zone C areas. Parking is fairly straight forward; blue & white curb parking is paid (usually via an App called Pango connected to a credit card), red & white - no parking.
Will we return?
Absolutely. We don't know when, but I would hope we could there in a couple of years from now. Now that I've figured out how the place works, I wouldn't need to over plan things as I did for a second tour. There are 312 places on my to do list for next time! If you are considering a visit to Israel, I can highly recommend the websites listed in Part 1. You may especially like to watch Sergio & Rhoda's video for a summary of the different seasons and best time to travel.
Acknowledgements
Sergio & Rhoda Voitenko - for their hospitality and friendship while in Israel
Pastor Suhail - For re-marrying us
Rev. Gavin Ward - For suggestions and advice
Congregation of St. Mary's Anglican Church - For their prayers of support
Jeanette & Yi Po Ng - For doing their best to look after the kids while we were away
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