Man, you gotta really, really want to come to Israel, because it ain't easy getting here. The border with Lebanon is closed. So is the one with Syria. The only way to enter overland is from Jordan or Egypt. So from Beirut it was back to Syria(one day traveling), then on to Jordan(another day). From there our plan was to get from Amman, the capital of Jordan, to Tel Aviv-a distance of about 100 miles. However there are no longer any direct buses, so we were going to have to improvise. And it was Friday, so we had to arrive before sunset, the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, when all public transportation stops. We left from Amman at 8am and after 4 buses, 2 taxis, and 10 hours we arrived in Tel Aviv just as the sun was dipping into the Mediterranean. Logistically it was the hardest day we've had on this trip.
The funny thing with Israel is that with an Israeli stamp in your passport you will not be allowed to enter many Muslim countries. In fact, you cannot even have any evidence of ever having been in Israel. So an exit stamp from a town in Jordan that borders Israel is a dead giveaway. So no exit stamp from Jordan, no entry stamp from Israel, no exit stamp when you leave Israel, and no entry stamp when you reenter Jordan. The problem is that immigration officials are usually not too happy about pretending that you are not entering or not leaving their country. It usually takes a bit of convincing, and waiting. At the Israeli border we waited 4 hours. It wasn't just that we didn't want an entry stamp, it was also that we had recently been to both Lebanon and Syria, countries that Israel had almost as recently just bombed. At first we spent 30 minutes answering mostly ridiculous question("What is your maternal grandfather's first name?") and then they told us to have a seat while they did a security check. One hour passed...then another...they went to lunch...they came back...still we waited. Hundreds of people passed through while we sat there. The only other person they stopped was a French photographer who had spent most of the past few years in Iraq and Afghanistan. Finally when it was time for them to go home they let us through. When I asked the immigration official why it had taken so long, she replied with a smile, "Because, this is Israel." We smiled too, happy it was finally over.
Was it worth it? Most definitely. Tel Aviv is great-a mix a Europe, the Middle East, and America. I was surprised to see such beautiful beaches in a city of one million plus. Our hotel was just two blocks from the beach, so after our tough travel day we spent a few days indulging in a bit of beach therapy.
Shawn