Haifa, Israel--Private Tour with GTI, Day 1

11/15/2012 (Thursday) -- Haifa, Israel, Day 1

We sailed into the port of Haifa with excitement and anxiety. At breakfast DC told us that GTI responded to his email and said that it would be possible for us to change the two days itineraries but we should discuss that with the guide when we meet him this morning.

We already had our passports stamped by the Israel officials on the ship Monday but security was still very tight getting off the ship. We went to the upper level of the terminal to exit and to meet our guide but he was no where to be found. I finally approached another GTI guide and he called his boss who came in a couple of minutes to tell us that our guide was stuck in traffic and he should be there any minute. We walked down to the street level to meet our guide and our van. Amikam, our guide, had to come from Jerusalem area and that is more than two hours away. He told us that it was fine that we change our itineraries and he will take us to the Dead Sea and Jerusalem. We gave him a list of places we wanted to see and he was OK with it. He actually checked off the list as he went along.

Walking down to the street level from the port terminal with Mt. Carmel right outside the port. Couldn't help thinking about the battles between Isiah and the priests of Baal.

West Bank and Dead Sea

We drove east from the port, passed by Mt. Hermon and the Kidron Valley to the West Bank region. We stopped for a restroom break at a roadside store, I believe owned by Palestinians. There is a little store and we bought a bottle of water for $3 USD.

A Palestinian family was having a picnic on the lawn at this stop.

Some photos taken from the van of the West Bank region as we were driving south.

arriving Dead Sea

the entrance to the beach area

We had to come here first because the beach would be closed in the afternoon.

floating was easy, but walking was hard because of the slippery mud

There are huts for changing clothes (no dividers) and there are outdoor shower heads to wash off the salty water. Umbrellas and chairs are free to use with the entrance fee.

We all had fun and spent about an hour there.

On our way to Jerusalem, Amikam invited us to his house which is on a hill in the West Bank. We felt honored to be at his house and he showed us pictures of his family and some special items . Without his permission I will not post any of the pictures of our visit there.

Derrick still had salt on his hair.

gated community with armed guard

Jerusalem

This was the highlight of this trip and a stop that I personally looked forward to. It was good that we decided to do this on the first day so we can spend more time here and not have to rush back to the port.
We stayed in Jerusalem until 8pm before heading back to Haifa. Amikam was able to show us all the spots that we listed and he never rushes us throughout the day. He is really a gentleman and an excellent guide.

Tents and sheds of the Bedouins (Palestinian and Arab nomads) along the highway on our way to Jerusalem.

We saw tanks being hauled and transported as Israel prepared for further actions.

Arriving Mt. Olive with a full view of Jerusalem.

bargaining with the vendors

Then we went down to the Garden of Gethsemane.

The garden where Jesus spent His last painful hours.

the church next to the garden

Mary's grave

                                             We did not go down to the excavating area.

our guide, Amikam

After the City of David, we went inside the city of Jerusalem through the Dung Gate.

Time for a late lunch! Amikam took us here to have some real Jewish food.

We all enjoyed our food very much!

Time to continue our journey. By now, it got chilly as the sun went down.

Jewish Quarter

I think this is the House Where Mary Felt Asleep (Mary is said to have fallen asleep and died here.)

It was late already but we were allowed to go down to the basement here.

Unfortunately, I have taken too many pictures today that my battery ran out after this so I do not have any pictures for the rest of the evening. We walked through part of Via Dolorosa and visited several stations of the Bitter Road. We ended our tour of Jerusalem at the Western Wall and we said and left our prayers at the wall. It was incredible to experience that with so many other people at that hour of the day. It was after 8pm by now and the place was still very much alive.

Our drive back to the port took about two and a half hours with a rest stop at a very busy rest area. Thanks to Amikam we saw what we wanted in the one day. It would be impossible for us to cover these sites if we do the same itinerary on the second day with an onboard time of 5:00pm. Poor Amikam still had to drive more than two hours to get home when we said "good-bye" to him. We will have another guide tomorrow because Amikam observes Sabbaths so he does not work on Fridays. He assured us that we will have an excellent guide and we will forget about him when we meet our guide tomorrow. 

After getting back on the ship we went to the Blue Lagoon to have late dinner of salads, sandwiches, soups and buffalo wings. We were all thankful for a safe, full day in Jerusalem.

**As our ports changed, we were not sure if GTI was going to charge us more for our tours because Haifa is much farther away from Jerusalem than Ashdod plus the long day that we had with Amikam. Everything was kept the same and we were not charged a penny more. Kudos to GTI and Amikam!