Free Travel!

My last blog post was written partway through free travel, where Joe, Tim and I spent two nights at Tim's uncle's place. After these highly informative and entertaining encounters, we set off to the Sea of Galilee for three days of hiking/camping/backpacking along the eastern coast, from the southern tip to the north. We first picked up the last of our gear from Dave Landis in Nazareth, where we happened to run into Janet and Linford as they were setting off to Ashkelon! It really is a small place.

So we carried our 30-pound packs on our backs for three days, set up camp along beach-like terrain as the sun sank, tended our blisters, ate pita with accessories, and typically got around 11 hours of sleep each night. And oh, the stories! Our third day was by far the most adventurous. Because of the recent rains, the stream crossings were thigh-high and at some points the path simply became the stream. We knew our general direction, thanks to our handy Jesus Trail guidebook, but found ourselves wandering through groves of citrus trees. We picked a few "oranges" for a special snack, which turned out to be lemons. This made the grapefruit we found on the ground taste especially sweet! We walked next to a well-marked minefield through waist-high wildflowers and blazed our way through thick patches of reeds. We were blessed with warm weather and clear skies the entire week. On Thursday we hitchhiked several miles up the road to Yehudia National Park, which had gorgeous waterfalls and colorful wildflowers. This was a great opportunity for me to catch up on relaxation and to realize the beauty of this land. (We also came at the perfect time--most of the year this area is completely brown!) The last two days were spent in Tiberias and in Nazareth. I feel refreshed and ready to tackle our last 5 weeks *gasp!* before returning to the States.

Our group is currently staying in Ecce Homo, a convent in the middle of the Old City. It is great to stand on the balcony and overlook the 1-square-kilometer walled city which is home to 37,000 individuals. So much life, and so much culture.

Well, I tried to upload some photos but this internet isn't cooperating. So use your imagination, and hopefully I can upload some later!

Shalom,
James