Pilgrimage 2.0-4 : The Land of Milk and Honey

Back from our failed hike, we quickly showered and packed to check-out. Mum was never good with rushing, so she had a big challenge getting ready. She always had a peculiar inability to not fuss with the minor details. With a little help from me, she managed to get ready, and we had 15 minutes to eat breakfast before mass.



Mass was celebrated at a small function hall in the hotel. Right after mass, we went back to St. Catherine Monastery. A chance for those who didn't hike to take a look. Tarrying was not an option because we had to catch the 10 AM slot to leave for Israel. Traveled through more desert to reach Taba, where we had our last Egyptian lunch at a very quiet resort (maybe it was off-peak season). Hany bid us farewell and we started the long process of exiting Egypt to enter Israel through the Taba Gateway. When we got off the bus, I nearly melted in the heat. 42c!





Departing Egypt at Taba Gateway :

• Fill up departure card, and affix stamp.
• Line up to check the entry stamp in the passport.
• Go through the security scanners.
• Pass luggage to porters.
• Walk to another building for immigration services.
• Collect luggage from porters. Get shaken down for tips. They would even openly ask for your stuff!
• Line up to check for exit stamp.

Entering Israel at Taba Gateway :

• Flash passport for entry into immigration complex. A batch process where an officer eyeballs each passport behind plexi-glass.
• Line up for initial passport check (some identity verification and face verification) and baggage tagging.
• Go through security scanners (might include full body scan or explosives detection).
• Line up to be issued entry visa at immigration (just a small printed card).
• Line up for customs clearance and verify visa issuance.
• Drag luggage to bus boarding area.

The whole ordeal took a couple of hours alternating between the sweltering sun and air-conditioned spaces. An easy way to get a headache. But during the whole flow, I was treated to many Jewish eye candies, recognizable by the skullcaps they wore.



Interestingly, our guide for the Israeli leg of the trip is from China, a lady called Sherry. She came from China twenty years ago, and settled down in Israel after finding love there. She gave us a very detailed introduction on Israel but I think most of us were too wiped out to pay much attention. We passed by the Israeli side of the Dead Sea. Since we were already late, the driver stepped on it. Most of us were lulled into sleep because the bus was too stuffy.

When we crossed into Bethlehem (which is located in the West Bank where all access points are controlled by Israeli military), we were immediately greeted by clean and organised city limits. And another thing was the bad traffic. Interestingly, since our guide is Israeli, she cannot spend the night at Bethlehem. Although it was already 9:40 AM when we arrived at Orient Palace Hotel, I wasn't really hungry. The service staff must be grumbling because they had to OT because of us. Slept as early as possible that night since we had a full day ahead of us.