By 4:00 this morning, I’d had enough. From the time I left the hotel yesterday until I reached the gas station (which was, thankfully, open) I’d walked some 45 kms. The six hour break in the afternoon helped a lot. When I started walking again in the evening, I was able to maintain my Camino pace of 5 km/h. It is 22.6 km from here to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which means I should arrive around noon. That also means I’ll be walking into the heat, but at this point I’m inclined to press on. I’d like to get to church this evening for the Sacrament of Holy Unction, but I don’t know what time the service begins. Better to arrive early, get the information, and then relax during the afternoon. And now, I walk!
Quick Update from the Road
Oh yeah, 6:30 PM is the right time to start walking. There’s very little traffic, and it’s nice and cool. For the first time since Turkey, walking has felt more like flying. It’s another 50 kms to Jerusalem, and if I can keep this pace, I’ll be there by 7:00 tomorrow morning. That’s probably not going to happen, but right now I feel great! The next service station my GPS app knows about is almost exactly half way there, so that might make a good place to rest for a few hours.
So near, yet so far!
I’m under 50 kms from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre now, but following the road and avoiding the West Bank means I’ve still got 70 kms to walk. The forecast high for today is 27, and for tomorrow it’s 30. There aren’t many petrol stations along the way and the highway avoids villages, so there won’t be many places I can get water. Water is heavy, which means the more I carry with me, the heavier my load is. (It gets lighter, of course.) Yesterday I ran out of water by early afternoon, so when I refilled, it was with three litres, which was too much for that stage of the day.
My plan for the remainder of the walk is to find a place to sleep during the hottest part of the day, and walk late into the night and during the early morning hours. With my poncho tarp, I can make shade if there’s none to be found, but it’s much nicer to stretch out under a tree. I probably won’t arrive in Jerusalem before Thursday morning, but that will depend on how much ground I can cover after dark.
From here on in, I’ll be following the main roads exclusively. Yesterday I encountered two fences that blocked the secondary roads I was trying to follow. In the first case, I got around it by walking part way up the ramp for a parking garage and then hopping over to the roof of an abandoned single storey building. I lowered my pack to the ground using my walking stick and then climbed down the face of the building. (Shoulda taken photos, but I was too distracted at the time.) The second fence actually had a small gap where the gate across the road was chained shut, but I’m still too fat to fit through and I’d have had to unload my pack to pass it through. After taking a break in the shade, I noticed a smaller gate 50 m along the fenceline. Before backtracking two kilometres, I decided to investigate. As I approached I could see the chain and padlock, but the lock was only there to keep the chain around the post so the gate remained shut. This morning I wasn’t as lucky. I began with a one hour detour just to get me to the other side of the fence from where I’d begun walking. Frustrating, but c’est la vie.
It’s just past noon now, so once I finish this update I’ll log out of the café’s WiFi and start looking for a good place for my siesta. I am neither a mad dog nor an Englishman.
Apr 5: Quick Update
Happy Easter to those celebrating today!
As the crow flies, I am 76 kms from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The route suggested by my GPS app would have me cutting south east away from the coast today, but I’ve been advised not to walk through the West Bank. Tel Aviv is 40 kms from here, and with my early start I hope I’ll arrive in time to attend the evening service at the Russian Orthodox Church which is a few kilometres away from the hostel I’m aiming for. (That being said, I have no idea what time the service begins.) If I’m too late for that, I’ll have time for a more lengthy update this evening. I’d hoped to reach Jerusalem by Tuesday, but Wednesday seems more likely now.
Jerusalem bound
I met this cyclist on the ferry to Haifa. By now, Leopold will have completed the third and final stage of his pilgrimage from his home in Austria to Jerusalem. http://flic.kr/p/rE1LYN
The Path Before Me
http://flic.kr/p/rE9HHK
Angels in Disguise
Once I was cleared by Israeli immigration on Wednesday, I left the port and headed towards the nearest hostel that showed up on my GPS. The Port Inn Hostel was less than a hundred metres away, so that worked out nicely. It’s a very popular place, and not just because of its proximity to the port. This is a proper hostel, with all the things a budget traveller (or pilgrim) needs. There were quite a few Germans staying there, as well as a group of Israeli teens (complete with acoustic guitar), an Australian who had served in the Six Days War, and an elderly Jew from the Netherlands who gave me several helpful tips on what to see and where to stay while in Israel.
Before I turned in for the night, I spent some time at one of the three computer terminals, using Google Maps and a booking site to plan the next day’s walk. I found another highly rated hostel in Jisr ez-Zarqa, the only Israeli Arab village on the coast. It’s 40 kms from Haifa, so I didn’t linger over breakfast Thursday morning. Before leaving Haifa, however, I decided to ascend Mount Carmel and visit the grotto that’s identified as Elijah’s cave. As with my climb to the Balamand in Lebanon, it wasn’t particularly high, but it was a long and steep walk. Along the way I passed the Shrine of Bab, the centre of the Bahai faith. I also passed the primary monastery of the Carmelite order. I amused myself with the idea of going in to learn whether they wear shoes or not. (Church history geeks may chuckle at that, but the rest of you can ignore it and simply keep moving.) According to the tourist map I picked up at the hostel, Elijah’s cave is located along the footpath leading from the crest of Mount Carmel down to the coast. I was looking for it, but passed on by without spotting it.
Once down on the coast road, I started to walk in earnest for the first time since arriving in Taşucu over two weeks ago. The weather was beautiful, with a light breeze and a few clouds. Once the main coastal highway split away from Route 4, the traffic was quite light. The bus stops are spaced about 500 m apart, and they all have benches and plenty of shade. It was an ideal day for walking, yet by 3:00 in the afternoon I was ready to pack it in. I’d been careful to stay hydrated, but I still had a headache which was steadily worsening. Just ahead there was a turn for a village. Consulting my GPS app showed nothing but a short lane leading to a road running parallel to my current route, with two roads at either end of it. Looking down the lane when I drew up to it, I could see a small supermarket. If nothing else, I’d buy a cold drink and ask about a place to stay.
Part of my planning last night at the hostel involved comparing the distances logged between Haifa and Jerusalem on two different pilgrimages. Mony and Alberto had walked from Rome to Jerusalem beginning in November 2001. (They did it all on foot – no ferries!) They covered 158 kms along the road in Israel, while Brandon Wilson’s 2006 pilgrimage saw him covering 213 kms along the Israel National Trail. Since I’m so close to the end of my journey and the beginning of Holy Week, I’ve opted for the shorter road route. Since the INT was still a possible route for me up until last night, I had downloaded a list of people along the Trail who are willing to act as hosts to hikers for a minimal fee, or for free. These folks have come to be known as “trail angels.”
Megadim is actually quite a pleasant little town, with more to it than I’d expected. One of the unexpected elements was the very sturdy bright yellow gate near the entrance to the village, with a guard post and surveillance cameras. Once I’d bought some refreshments and sat down at a picnic table, I met my own trail angel. He was disguised as an elderly gentlemen who addressed me in Hebrew. When he switched to English, I was delighted to accept his offer of hospitality for the night. I’m not sure how to decline the invitation to join him for the Passover meal tomorrow evening, other than to explain that I’m very honoured but that I am eager to get to Jerusalem for my own feast. We’ll have that discussion tomorrow, I suppose.
I only covered 16 kms today in spite of the favourable walking conditions. My goal of Jisr es-Zarqa may have been a bit optimistic after a fortnight of inactivity, but that means tomorrow I’ll only have to cover 24 kms. I’m planning to be on the road as soon as I can decently excuse myself in the morning. Coffee would be nice, but perhaps for these last few days I should return to the rhythm of the Camino which saw me walking for an hour or two before stopping for my first meal of the day.
