Jesus loves you; everyone else thinks you’re an annoying tourist.

Jerusalem

I wish I could remember more about the death of Jesus. I should know my gospel stories back to front having gone to both a Catholic primary and high school. 

The knowledge would have come in quite handy when walking the Via Dolorosa, or as I remember it; The Stations of the Cross.

For those of you who didn’t benefit from 12 years of Catholic education, this is the path on which Jesus carried his cross.

The path leads you though the Old City to various Churches that have been built on the different stations.  After following the path you end up at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, constructed on the area where Jesus was crucified.

As you could imagine the place is teeming with tourists and pilgrims. It’s quite a spectacle. 

There is a team of Franciscan monks who's job it is to keep the faithful under control. They have a sort of harried look about them, and have a hell of a time keeping snap-happy tourists out of the way of the official religious goings on inside the church.

Like the rest of Jerusalem, this place is totally fascinating. 

On the Via Dolorosa

Monks lead prayers through the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Out side the church.

People praying on the slab that Jesus was anointed on, after his death.

People queue to get into the site of Jesus's burial.

Tourist shops outside the church sell all kinds of amazing stuff.

Whose side are you on?

Jerusalem, Israel

When the Palestinian security guy with the snub nosed AK-47 asks you which side your on, there is only one answer. The answer made even easier when you’re chatting with him by the entrance to the tomb of Yasser Arafat.

The town of Ramallah sits in the West Bank, surrounded by the Israeli security wall. It serves as the capital of the Palestinian Authority. Despite the strife a few hundred kilometers away in Gaza, the West Bank is pretty quiet.

The downtown area is not unlike Amman or even parts of Lebanon, and apart from the occasional bit of graffiti, you’d have know idea about the tension that has existed here. On the surface it seems like any normal town; the people are warm, the falafel is delicious and coffee is strong.

Perhaps the most obvious sign of conflict is the wall. From the window of the bus that takes you from Jerusalem to Ramallah, you can see it extend over the hills and into the distance. You can also see Jewish settlers compounds.

Being in a place that you hear about on the news all the time is a strange feeling. 

Having spent a total of 6 hours in the West Bank, I’m far from an expert on the politics of the area. It seems like a nice place is all. 

After paying respects to Yasser Arafat, we headed to Bethlehem to check out the Church of the Nativity. Unlike Ramallah, this West Bank town was crawling with tourists.

The church was built on the site where Jesus is said to have been borne. Despite is huge religious significance, the tourists here are almost the main attraction. There is a steady stream of pilgrims into the church, singing Christmas carols and hymns.

It’s a remarkable place. 

Downtown Ramallah

A young dude in downtown Ramallah.

This amazing guy sells tea from the big silver kettle.

Yasser Arafat's tomb.

The honour guard at the tomb.

The security wall.

A guard tower at the corner of the security wall.

Pilgrims photograph the site where Jesus was born.

It was freezing in Bethlehem so this nice bloke called Sammy made us Turkish coffee.