24/12/08
When we entered Bethleham, these are the high walls we first faced at the military checkpoint.
I heard that Bethleham is a walled up city and here I saw the gigantic concrete walls and the graffiti on them. Many locals are not happy with the walls being erected but they have to accept it. When these gigantic concrete walls were erected, I heard that many ancient olive trees were also destroyed.
Not all tourists are able to visit Bethleham freely cos' I heard that certain groups were turned back because of the absence of a Spiritual Director with the group.
This evening being Christmas Eve, we had a surprise from the military personnels that came on board to check the bus. This is the usual practise that whenever a tour bus enters Bethleham on Christmas Eve, the military personnels passed out Christmas pressies to us tourists. It is a nice gesture on the part of the Israeli government to give sweets to visitors in the Holy Land.
When we entered Bethleham, these are the high walls we first faced at the military checkpoint.
I heard that Bethleham is a walled up city and here I saw the gigantic concrete walls and the graffiti on them. Many locals are not happy with the walls being erected but they have to accept it. When these gigantic concrete walls were erected, I heard that many ancient olive trees were also destroyed.
Not all tourists are able to visit Bethleham freely cos' I heard that certain groups were turned back because of the absence of a Spiritual Director with the group.
This evening being Christmas Eve, we had a surprise from the military personnels that came on board to check the bus. This is the usual practise that whenever a tour bus enters Bethleham on Christmas Eve, the military personnels passed out Christmas pressies to us tourists. It is a nice gesture on the part of the Israeli government to give sweets to visitors in the Holy Land.
No comments:
Post a Comment