2013: The Holy Land (Jordan, Israel, and Egypt)

As a Filipino Christian, I consider the Holy Land as the ultimate destination, and that no other adventure - spiritually, and historically - could compare. So I find it fitting that I start my blogging hobby by recounting the experiences I had in the exact places where Jesus touched the Earth. First, we went to Jordan, then to Israel, and finally, Egypt.

From Manila, it takes 8 hours to fly to Dubai, where we had a 45-minute layover. But, don’t let this time signal fool you. From the time we landed, to the time we ran across the airport to find the gate, 45 minutes went by like a breeze. Then, from Dubai to Amman, Jordan, it takes 3 more hours of flying.

The Queen Alia International Airport in Amman was inaugurated in March of 2013, and we were lucky to have arrived in the new airport just a month after its inauguration. [The date that I posted this, April 6, 2016, marks the 3rd anniversary of our trip to the Holy Land.] High ceilings, tall marble posts, and wide open spaces are the standout characteristics of the new arrival hall. Aside from the recently-developed airport, we were greeted by a swarm of mediamen who were assigned to report on the passengers’ feedback regarding the renovations. Our tour director was lucky enough to be interviewed by the media on behalf of our group. Although there was an unfortunate event regarding the passport of three of our members, this didn’t draw us away from having a splendid first day in Jordan.

The streets of Jordan looked exactly like they did in pictures; dry patches of land in between clusters of medium-rise buildings, and animals ruling the streets alongside modern vehicles. It was around 3 o’clock in the afternoon when we departed from the airport, which meant that these patches of land were highlighted by the blinding Jordan sun. Our tour guide explained that the delay at the airport, which held us back 3 hours, caused us to miss our originally planned lunch. In exchange, he took us to his relative’s restaurant nearby.

First on our itinerary is the Monastery of St. George in Madaba, where the mosaic of the rest of the Holy Land is found.

Next, Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the Promised Land before he died. Seeing the Promised Land, which is modern day Israel, from Moses’ point-of-view was definitely a special experience.

We then drove back to the city, to our hotel, just in time for dinner. Just a short description of our hotel. Upon entering the lobby, we were greeted by the front desk, which is adjacent to the dining area. On the other side of the floor is a staircase leading to the function hall below, where we had our first mass the following day. The hotel had more than the basics, plus wifi. Our meals in the hotel consisted of salad, soup, potatoes, and bread.

The following day was actually one of the days I looked forward to on the trip. We were to go to the Rose City of Petra, which has been on my bucket list ever since I read about it as a kid. On a side note, “Petra” means “rock” in Greek, which is connected to “Peter”, who was made the rock or foundation of the Church. *wink wink, the more you know* The Transjordan plateau connects Amman to Petra, and it was while driving through this desert highway that I was able to say, “the journey is the destination”. Desert hills blending with high-top mountains, all foregrounded by the vast Jordan landscape.

We arrived at the restaurant where we had our lunch. It was the most memorable lunch I’ve had so far. From the buffet, I got beef and lamb meatballs, fragrant rice, with bread on the side.

Outside the restaurant was a balcony facing the picturesque mountains covering the city of Petra, and also the Transjordan plateau behind. We were given some time to take photos here before jumping back on the bus to head to Petra.

The road leading to the "Petra" that we know is called the Siq. It is a half-mile long avenue that starts from the opening of the gorge, ending at the foot of the iconic Al Khazneh. Petra is often thought of as just the Al Khazneh, when in fact, it is a whole city which encompasses all the carved structures around Al Khazneh.

We were given the option to either walk or ride a horse carriage going through the Siq, but most of us opted to walk for us to appreciate the scenery better. This was the place where one of the Indiana Jones films was shot.

High cliffs combined with narrow openings make for a well-amplified environment. It is through this sound condition that we are forewarned of incoming horse carriages every now and then.

At last, we were face-to-face with the marvelous Al Khazneh. It took me a while to embrace the whole scenery, from the structure, to the surrounding temples, and even the camels. It was everything I had imagined, and more.

We walked back another half mile or more to the bus stop, where rode our bus going back to Amman. On the way, we stopped by a castle in the middle of the desert, which played a role during the time of the crusades. We arrived at our hotel for dinner, and for our last night there.

The next day, we travelled to Jericho, the place where Jesus called out Zacchaeus from a sycamore tree. Although it wasn't documented which sycamore tree Zacchaeus climbed, I took a picture of one just for scale. Vast deserts and flatlands compose the scenery crossing the Allenby border, which separates Amman from Jericho, Israel. We were not allowed to document anything around the Allenby border. Security was strict, but reasonable. From what I remember, buses were lined up going to the border itself, where we had to leave our Jordanian bus and our first tour guide, and transfer to our other bus in Israel. Upon arriving in Jericho, we had lunch at a cafeteria above a souvenir shop. This place is memorable to me because of the stairs which lead you to the second floor. 

After lunch, we were scheduled to climb the Mountain of Temptation, where Jesus was tempted by the devil. But, due to the sandstorm there, we diverted instead to the foot of the mountain where we could get a glimpse of the mountain itself.

Due to time constraints, our other scheduled destination, the Basilica of the Annunciation, was postponed to a latter date. But, we still pushed through with our last point for the day, the Wedding Church at Cana in Galilee. The church houses one of the famed barrels which held the water that Jesus later on turned to wine.

Also, since the miracle was at the wedding in Cana, the couples in our tour group got the chance to renew their vows inside the church.

We drove to our second hotel, which was along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Just a small fact, the “Sea” of Galilee is not actually a sea, but a big lake. Our second hotel is memorable for me because of its huge buffet area, and its very small elevator.

The next morning, we rode a boat across the Sea of Galilee to visit the museum holding the boat that dates back to the time of Jesus. The view we had from the boat took us back in time, showing us the same mountains that Jesus and his apostles saw during their time. I was also lucky enough to take a picture of the sun peeking through the clouds, which overall sent a chill down my spine. For this scene to be taking place right in front of me while we’re crossing the waters that Jesus crossed before is simply overwhelming.

                                    

                                   

            

After passing the visitors’ center, we went to the church on the Mount of Beatitudes, where the famous “sermon on the mount” was held. This church, designed by Bernini, has 8 sides walls above its altar, symbolizing the 8 beatitudes stated in the Bible.

After which, we went to the church built on top of the rock where Jesus performed the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes. Here, we met a nun, who is actually from Visayas (in the Philippines), but now stays in Israel.

Then, we visited the church housing the very rock where Jesus appointed Peter as our first Pope. Also the place where Jesus had breakfast with his two apostles. Here, we also got to step in the waters of Galilee. The church is right beside the shore, making it possible for us to walk along the beach where Jesus walked before.

We had lunch at a fancy restaurant where they serve “St. Peter’s fish”. I was really excited to know what fish it was. Turns out, it was tilapia. (Spoiler alert!)

Next on our itinerary is Capernaum, the town where Jesus grew up after leaving Nazareth. Here, we were able to step into the synagogue where Jesus preached. We were also able to view the house of Saint Peter, which now rests below a church. My favorite memory from Capernaum is when one of my tita’s in our tour group bought me vanilla Magnum ice cream. Today, vanilla Magnum already exists here in Manila, but back in 2013, I couldn’t find any. (Thank you, tita!)

After Capernaum, we traveled to Mt. Tabor, where Jesus’ transfiguration took place. The bus was only able to reach halfway through the mountain, so we had to ride a smaller van, which took us to the top in roughly 15-20 minutes. The church is marvelous on its own. It was designed so that, during a particular time (I think it was either 3pm or 5pm) of the day of Jesus’ transfiguration, the sunlight shining through the front window of the church will directly shine on Jesus, imitating how Jesus looked when his body shined in radiant glory. It’s just spectacular.

We celebrated mass in one of the altars behind the main altar. This was one of the times I took pictures during mass because it felt unreal to celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection in the exact place where he ascended into heaven.

We went down the mountain, back to the bus station. But before riding the bus, my mom decided that we buy pomegranate juice. I’ve never seen this type of citrus press, so I just had to take a picture.

Down the mountain we went, and to the site where Jesus was baptized, the River Jordan. The original place where Jesus dipped into the river is unmarked and unkept, so we just visited the visitors’ center. This area is called Yardenit, and here, re-enacting the old baptismal ritual, tourists can dip themselves in the river just like Jesus did.

I was not able to take pictures at the diamond factory that we visited, sadly. If I remember it correctly, though, we were not allowed to take pictures. We drove back to the hotel for dinner and rest.

Upon checking out of our second hotel, we headed to Haifa. But before that, we visited the Church of the Annunciation, where the Angel Gabriel told Mary about God's plan for her. 







Then, to the Church of St. Joseph.

We left the area to proceed to Haifa. There was a drastic change in scenery as we were inching closer to the sea (actual sea, not just “sea”). We caught a glimpse of the majestic Bahá'í Gardens as well. The Basilica of Mount Carmel contains the cave of the Prophet Elijah, where Elijah is said to have taken shelter at one point.

Next on our agenda is the Caesarea. Built by Herod the Great, it is strategically located in order to see incoming troops and crusaders at sea. The view from this place is unlike any other.

Bethlehem was our next stop after Caesarea. It’s a town more famously known as the birthplace of Jesus. First on our list was the Shepherd’s Field, where an angel brought the good news of Jesus’ birth to shepherds.

Next was arguably the highlight, or one of the highlights, of our trip: Church of the Nativity. The church doesn’t exactly look like a church from outside. It’s just a huge wall with a small opening on the side, small enough that we had to crouch just to enter.



If you have ever heard about the “Star of Bethlehem”, you can find it here. Inside the Greek Orthodox church, under the altar, lies a star which marks supposedly the exact birthplace of Jesus. The church itself is extremely unorthodox (in the best way), in my opinion, since I’ve never been inside a Greek Orthodox church. Tens and hundreds of lighting fixtures hang from the ceiling, while a number of paintings cover the unpainted walls of the church.

From the main church, the Star is located to the right of the altar. The line leading to it was not as long as I expected, considering this is possibly the holiest spot on Earth besides the place where Jesus died. Or so I thought? Upon entry, we have to kneel down or venerate in order to actually touch the Star. It was located in a fireplace-like shape that was heavily decorated with lamps. The feeling was incomparable to anything I have felt before. To be in direct contact with Jesus on the exact spot where he was born. Magical.

As I’ve said previously, the line was not that long when we queued for the Star. But, when we came back inside the church, the line that we had had multiplied tenfold (big word, “tenfold”). That was not necessarily a bad thing. If anything, I was happy that people actually visit this place, contrary to my initial impression.

Then, after a long day of traveling and church-visiting, we dropped by a souvenir store that sold olive-wood rosaries, and other things. We headed to the hotel for dinner, and rest. The hotel, from what I can remember, is very modern. It was located on the side of the hill where Bethlehem is located. I can recall availing of the wifi connection there, which was not free. Besides the usual buffet breakfast, I can’t clearly recall anything specific about the hotel.

The following day was filled with so much walking. We first went to the Ascension Chapel, the place where Jesus last stepped on the Earth. I expected this chapel to look like a usual Christian church, but I was wrong. The chapel itself was a tall singular building located inside a walled compound.

Inside the chapel is a slab of stone that is believed to be the point where Jesus ascended into heaven.

After the chapel, we went to the Church of Pater Noster. The Lord’s Prayer, or the Our Father as it is commonly referred to, is written in different languages on bold tiles surrounding the church compound.

The stone where Jesus sat when He first said the famous prayer can also be found in the area. We spent a few moments here to view the surrounding stones, and to pray the Lord’s Prayer together.

We walked for a few more minutes, and at this point, our tour guide said that the path we took is known as the Palm Sunday Road - the road Jesus took on the way back to Jerusalem.

Then, we went to the Church of Dominus Flevit, where Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem. We had mass right outside the church, in an open area near the church garden. This was another memorable mass destination for me, to celebrate mass with new friends overlooking Jerusalem.

Next, the Church of All Nations, also known as the Basilica of the Agony welcomed us. Right beside the church is the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed and sweated blood. I was surprised to see how small the garden actually is, which might have been reduced over time and because of the modernization of Israel.

We hopped on the bus going to the Dormition Abbey. This place, located near the Zion Gate, is said to be the place where Mary ended her earthly life and assumed into heaven. In Catholic tradition, death is portrayed as “eternal sleeping”. Hence, beneath the church is a “crypt” of the Blessed Mother.

We walked. And walked. Until we reached the place of the Last Supper, known as the Cenacle, or the “upper room”. It was simply a huge flat space on the second floor of a building filled with pillars in the middle of the room, and contrary to the famous painting, the room we saw did not have multiple windows. I did not have much photos of the room here. I was, however, able to take pictures of artworks inside. This is also the place where Jesus washed the apostles’ feet, and where the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles took place.

Downstairs, is the Tomb of David. Yes, this is the same man who slayed Goliath. The whole tomb is divided into two, literally, for men and for women. We were allowed to take pictures inside, but for the sake of solemnity, I limited my shots there.

We then walked to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, where Peter denied Jesus three times. The area where Jesus was scourged is also accessible to the public, so the group gathered in this spot below the church to say a few blessings, led by our group’s chaplain.

After a long day, we boarded the bus going to Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found in the caves. The landscape outside the bus window completely changed, with the towering mountains and deep ravines dominating the scenery. We were taken back in time, and we were able to see the same mountains that Jesus probably looked on during his lifetime.

The whole environment seemed like a scene from a Jurassic Park movie. There were so many excavations here and there. After seeing the visitors’ center, where we viewed a short clip about the scrolls’ history and saw a few more artifacts, we ventured outside to explore the excavations even more. The mountain beside the caves where the scrolls were found seemed like a wall separating our world from the past. It’s just indescribable.

To cap off the day, we drove to the Dead Sea. I was able to have a full body mud scrub right before swimming, rather, floating, in the Dead Sea.

We went back to the city, back to our hotel, and rested.

We kicked off the next day by seeing the Wailing Wall. It is the last remaining structure that was part of the old temple. For the Jews, this wall symbolizes their lasting physical proof of faith, and some even go here to cry and express their sorrow for the destruction of the holy temple, hence the name “wailing” wall.

Next, we headed to the birthplace of Mary. The church was right beside the ruins of a temple, and other important excavations. This church in particular is memorable for me because of its amazing acoustics. Even if we whispered, our voices echoed throughout the whole building. We also had mass here.

The next destination that followed is arguably the main highlight of the pilgrimage, the Via Dolorosa. This is the path that Jesus took during His last day. From the judgment made by Pontius Pilate, all the way to Jesus’ crucifixion site, the Via Dolorosa squeezes through the marketplace of Jerusalem. Our group was given the chance to carry a cross through the same route...

From the place where Jesus was flagellated:



Across town:

To the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus was crucified:

And buried:

We lined up to see his “crypt” for about an hour, or even more, so Tita Francis and I were just playing 4 Pics 1 Word to pass the time. We were only allowed about 10-15 seconds inside the place where Jesus laid for 3 days, and the Greek Orthodox priests would alert us when our time was up. Personally, I have nothing against the Greek Orthodox priests since they were able to maintain all the important stations of Jesus’ life, from the Star of Bethlehem, to the site of His crucifixion. However, I hope they also understand how much it means to us to be in the exact places where Jesus was. For us to travel thousands of miles, and wait for more than a few hours, but to only be able to see these places for a few seconds is a bit disheartening. I understand that they are just trying to maintain order and equal accommodation to everyone, but I hope they also understand our point-of-view.

Next, we drove to St. John the Baptist’s birthplace in Ein Kerem. The church houses the area where St. John was born, which is also marked by a star.

Then, we headed to the Church of the Visitation, where Mary visited Elizabeth and proclaimed the famous “Magnificat”. The church is on top of a hill, which can be accessed by climbing the hundreds of steps leading to it. Outside the church is a huge wall where translations of the Magnificat are placed. In terms of architecture, this church is very airy and reminiscent of Italian courtyards, as opposed to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which felt dark and heavy inside.

We headed back to our hotel for our last night, and rested for the long, long, long traveling day the next day.

The following morning, we had mass at the Church of Lazarus in Bethany. It can be recalled that Lazarus is the one who was proclaimed dead, until Jesus resurrected him days later.

After mass, we visited Lazarus’ first tomb, in which Jesus resurrected him. The entrance is very cramped, and only one person at a time can fit through. The bottom-most part however, the tomb itself, is spacious, and can fit a few.

After the whole experience with Lazarus, we embarked on a long journey towards the Egyptian border. We passed by the Arava Desert on the way, properly saying goodbye to the city life of Bethlehem and everything else in Jerusalem. I fell asleep on the bus, but apparently, we passed by the foothills of Masada, the great fortress. I was asleep, so I don’t have any pictures of it. We were told to go outside the bus, however, at some point of the trip, to pick up special rocks from the side of the road, which had a lot of mineral deposits.

We stopped at a restaurant near the border to have lunch, and to prepare our documents. Since it’s a border, photo-taking was prohibited inside the terminal itself. Then, we saw the Red Sea (which is not actually red), which means…

YES. Egypt, finally! One of the other places I looked forward to in the trip. I was thrilled to finally step foot in Africa. But, the scenery isn’t about to change just yet since we’re staying in St. Catherine, at the foothills of Mt. Sinai.

After dinner in our hotel, we had mass near the pool to give blessings to the ones who will join the 12mn climb up Mt. Sinai. I was so incredibly nervous but very excited since this would be my first mountain climb, and I get to climb the holiest mountain in the entire world.

After the mass, we slept for about 3 or 4 hours, and then we were asked to meet up outside the hotel. On a side note, I have to say that the blanket in the picture below is the most comfortable blanket I’ve ever used, or seen, or felt, in the whole universe. It’s made of camel skin (or fur), and it’s very, very soft.

Anyways, we boarded a different bus that took us to the foot of Mt. Sinai. This mountain is the site where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God, who appeared as a burning bush. It was still around 12mn, before 1am, when we started climbing. Since it was dark, I was looking at the floor (ground) majority of the time, for about 3 hours. The higher we got, the colder it felt, and I was just anxious for it to be sunrise already. But, in the middle of our climb, I started to feel exhausted, so my mom and I decided to climb down to a small Bedouin house. If you didn’t know, Bedouins are the expert travelers of the deserts in the Middle East and Africa. My mom and I asked if we could enter their house, and they allowed. We slept on their bench for about 2 more hours before it was finally sunrise.

Our tour director, Kuya Rommel, told us that no one from our tour group actually reached the summit, but nonetheless, they still climbed higher than us. We scaled down the mountain, only to realize that the path we took climbing up a few hours ago is actually a cliff on the side of the mountain. The darkness of the night, and the fact that we were in the middle of the crowd, with camels surrounding us, covered the tall mountain edges beside our route.

The sunrise peeking through the mountain is incredible.

Going to the bus stop, we also passed by the St. Catherine monastery, which is the actual site where Moses saw the burning bush.

Once we got to the bus stop, we resumed our journey towards the Egyptian capital of Cairo. We arrived there a little past 7pm, from what I remember (three years ago), which meant that we missed our scheduled Nile Cruise for dinner. So, we had dinner somewhere in town instead, then headed to the hotel.

I was most excited for our second to the last day, this day, because we were scheduled to see the National Museum in Cairo (which I’ve adored ever since I knew about the existence of actual mummies), and the great Pyramids of Giza. First off, we visited a chapel where we said our last goodbyes to the group, sort of a personal sharing. Next, the pyramids. It’s very obvious where the pyramids are because you can see them from any point in the city. Although, Cairo is not as glamorous and as clean as the other cities we’ve been to on the trip. But, even still, I enjoyed driving through the city because of its rich culture, which is what it’s known for. And, if you've read "The Lucifer Gospel" by Paul Christopher, or if you just want to feel the historical value of a rich culture, Cairo is definitely for you.

The pyramids look very huge in pictures, and they are, but not that huge. We approached the foot of the pyramid, and even climbed a few steps on top of it.













But, to really appreciate the three structures, we had to drive further out of Cairo to see them all together.

The Sphinx, on the other hand, isn’t as huge as it is portrayed on TV.

Seeing these famous and iconic landmarks in Egypt brought me back to the time when I was 12 and 13, and I would watch documentaries about mummies and mysteries surrounding the pyramid, and it’s very satisfying to see these in person.

On the way to our next church, we stopped by a fragrance/essence shop where we bought oils and essences, and to another shop where we also bought papyrus paper.

Then, continued to Mary’s Coptic church.

Then, the Church of St. Sergius, built above the place where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph rested when they crossed Egypt.

After that, we went back to the hotel to freshen up, then back to the city to avail the scheduled dinner cruise that we were supposed to have the previous night. On the boat, there were all sorts of entertainment, from belly dancers, to cultural performers. It was a feast for the eyes, and for the palate, since the dinner was equally as amazing as the performances. This dinner served as our last get-together before heading back to Manila.

The following day, our last day, we visited the National Museum, my favorite! Photography was prohibited inside, from what I can remember. Or maybe only flash photography was prohibited? Nonetheless, I also don't wanna spoil future travellers about the treasures inside the Cairo museum. All I can say is that it is worth the money and time to go there. It will meet your expectations, if not exceed it.

Then, sadly, we departed for Dubai, where we separated from the group to stay in Dubai for a few more days, while the group went home to the Philippines. But that story’s for another blog entry.

Seeing these places and being able to experience everything myself is very magical and makes me feel very fortunate to have done so. Add to that, traveling with my favorite travel buddy, my mom, makes everything all the more special. A few years from now, I may not be able to remember these events clearly, but I will always remember how lucky we were to have gone through the places where Jesus did when He was on Earth.

*All the places and descriptions that I mentioned on this blog entry came from the travel booklet, “The Holy Journey: A Pilgrimage To The Biblical Places of Jordan, Israel, and Egypt”, given to us by our travel agency, Broadway Travel (this is not an advertisement, hehe). I used it as a guide to remember the general flow of our tour, plus the order of pictures I have in my folder to accurately narrate the events that happened in a chronological order.*