Wow! Has today been incredible! Ive had frequent headaches trying to take everything in! There’s just so much to this place, it’s mind blowing. Firstly we started with an Israeli Settler. She was lovely, told us about all her history of her family coming to Isreal from England, practically talking about the life she now lives in over here.

I never knew this but Israeli’s are forbidden to go to Palestine. At all of the check points it has a massive signs telling them they cannot come past the wall. This lady got bombarded with questions from us all asking what she thinks about the Palestinian/ Israeli situation, and the feel we got from her was negative towards them. I’ll talk more about her shortly..

After listening to this lady we all got on the bus and went to the city of David..This is an ancient city only recently discovered.. In the Bible it states that King David was buried elsewhere and that his land was in a complete different place. Then only recently In 2007 a Brit came over to try to unfold more of its mystery’s and uncovered a great deal of what the people now call the real city. I took many pictures and records as I found it fascinating. How so many people were coming to visit a made up area of where they thought he lived. How It’s only just getting unfolded now..

The archaeologist expressed that there is so much more that is still to uncover, but with the current situation going on here at the moment not much is taking place..

As we were leaving to go to talk with the Palestinian lady that was going to talk to us about her life in a near by village, there was a stabbing. We drove past as it just happened.. it was by the Western Wall. A Muslim man attacking two Israeli military officers. Because of this attack the lady we were going to see said she couldn’t meet with us anymore and needed to be with her family.

We then drove into Ramallah to have lunch.. Here’s the thing, the Jewish settler lady that was the speaker from this morning, she came with us.

One of the tour guides insisted she is to see Palestine, although it’s forbidden, as you can even see in the pictures, she still came. Our guide said this is the problem… Israili’s are “forbidden to cross over” but there is nothing wrong with her going. The people want to be friends it’s the government that’s making these problems. He said he’s had plenty of Israeli friends come with him.

As we got to the check point we slowed down, the bus driver and both Palestinian and Israeli guides were worried as they don’t usually have to slow down and thought something was wrong. They usually just go straight through.. Both Jews had to go and hide at the back of the bus. The Palestinian military came onto the bus and looked around, then passed us through.

The Israeli Jew was so nervous!

We got to the restaurant for lunch and I could tell by her body language, this lady looked so uncomfortable. At one point she stood up and walked off with one of our guides.

I guess these Israeli’s are being told they cannot go to Palestine, that in this place they will get killed. You could see she was panicking but the Palestinian people couldn’t care less.

After lunch we went to talk to a high politician of Palestine. it was incredible. I managed to voice record everything from his speech. Many many details on this talk. He started off with going around the table asking us who we were and where we came from before starting his talk. The Jew said she was from London living in Jerusalem!!! He picked it up straight away and at the end, he sure had something to say about her! He said he doesn’t like her people, he ripped on the Jewish race. listen to the tape. I was speechless after hearing what he had to say. One thing he said that will stick with me was that he wants to live in the now, to move forward and stop living in the past. That the Jewish are always talking about the history and not moving forward. He wants to make peace. He wants a two state country. Apparently Puton in Russia invited this man and the Israeli government to Russia two weeks ago to try and make peace. Israel pulled out at the last minute.

There’s an incredible amount of political problems going on right now and Israel will not corporate.

After this brilliant speech/discussion, we went to see Arafats tomb.

It was heavily guarded! They were very strict and would not let us bring anything in other than a phone or camera to take a picture.

We then started driving back towards Jerusalem. The driver took us a really long way because we had the Jew on our bus. We went through a check point but they didn’t come in the bus so was all okay..

After getting off, this lady was very mind blown she said in her own words. She said she’s speechless . She has an hour drive to go home and now she’s going to reflect over what’s gone on today. She said her whole view of the situation has changed her mind. She said she wished every Jew could see they are not out to get them.

She’s going to email us all about her feelings. When she can describe it all better, what she’s going through.

Making our way into Palestine, looking at the inhuman wall I felt very depressed.How Israel can have such a lush way of living and can do what the please. To enter a place of darkness. Hearing Palestinians are currently not even allowed to build on there own land. Seeing such a derelict way of life because of the government. I can understand the hate towards Israel. I can see why these arabs are angry. They are fighting to keep the remaining land that the can call their home. I see so much tension and anger. If only more people around the world could see this.

Incredible to see such young boys holding such lethal shot guns. They don’t look as old as 18!

A van i pictured by the wailing wall. coming out from King Davids city.

Here is King Davids city. This man talks about the history. This picture is the Wailing Wall from under ground. I could help but feel some sort of energy going on below ground. It was quite strange, the flys and bugs all gravitated to this wall like a magnet.

The scene of the stabbing.

One of the many heavily guarded checkpoints

Today we have gone to the Holocaust. Before entering through the Museum we sat in front of a lovely elderly lady that was actually a survivor of the holocaust.

She told us about her story, from 4 years old the Germans came into her home pointing guns at her family to get out. The family all gathered in the church and there they stayed for weeks not knowing what was going to happen next. One of her uncles came in the door and yelled to her  RUN! .. The young girl not willing to let go of her mother was demanded to run out of the church loosing her in the rush. Just escaping the terror that was about to take place. That was the last time she saw her mother. Luckily throughout her travels of running away, people always looked after her. From one lady to the next, hiding her as much as they could until she became a little older (the lady was explaining that she had no papers so she could not say what her actual age was) she just got told by who ever was looking after her at the time what they roughly guessed it was..

The Germans came again to where she was staying. At the time she said, the Germans didn’t want little girls (because they were no use to slave labour) couldn’t do any work. So they would shoot them. The person at the time looking after her cut all her hair off and told her she needed to become a boy. She worked in concentration camps and the only thing she had was a picture of her family and some dirty clothes. Before having to move to another camp she got thrown onto a train with dozens of other people.. Cramped up and could hardly breathe, people would soil themselves and the stink she said was horrific. They were taking these Jews to the

Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. There they would strip everyone down and take anything and everything they owned. She panicked because they would see that he was actually a she. As this girl that looked like a boy came off the train, people ran straight into the snow. They hadn’t had any water or anything to eat in days and were using the ice as food and drink.. The Nazi’s put them into a line parting the female and male.. Thankfully the man she was with knew they would find out this little boy was actually a girl, so pushed her into the female line and misplaced her papers she had been given from the last camp. This lady told us, that was the last time she saw that “parent”/ carer that had been with her. She said she was walking down the line with the others and if anyone would stop to take a rest the soldiers would just shoot them. There was no stopping.

She was holding her photo shivering in the cold walking towards the concentration camp when one of the soldiers came up to her and told her to open her hand. She was holding onto the only memory, most valuable, only possession other than her dirty clothes she was wearing, opened her hand and he took it from her. He ripped it up in front of her face. This was a girl under the age of ten, with no family, no home, walking into a slave labour camp.

She said it was hell, she saw people die from sickness, starvation, die from being so cold. She said if someone was to step out of line and not do what the Germans  told them the soldiers would let off the Shepard dogs. People would die from infection, from these brutal dog bites. She said she was lucky though because there was always a lady caring for her, one would get taken away never to be seen again but then another would appear and take her place. This went on for years.

The lady told us one day she caught typhus so bad she thought this was the end of her life… She went outside and took herself to where all the dead body’s were, where the soldiers would throw all the other dead bodies . She really thought that was going to be her last night and wanted to be with the other body’s. When the morning came an unimaginable thing happened. A man in different coloured uniform came up to her and was ever so kind, he had a big smile on his face and called for others to help him carry her to their base. It was the British. They had taken over from the Nazi’s and finally she was saved. They gave her water and food.. However , many people after being saved actually died because they got serious food poising from eating too much  all at once.. The British thought they were doing the right thing by giving them lots of food but because they hadn’t eaten in such a long time there bodies shut down from overload.

She said from there she went to another camp but it was nothing like any of the others before. They treated her well, she could leave and come back, she had freedom. But because she was still a girl the British needed to find a home for her. One family came In and they wanted to take her to there home in Germany, but they were Christian. All the other people in the camp told her she shouldn’t go with them because they were Christian and she was Jew and if anyone were to find out she could take the risk of getting killed. So she stayed there for years until one family from America asked if she could go and live with them. She did.. She moved to Maine on the east coast of America. There she lived a happy child hood. Now she’s living over here in Isreal. In her 90’s and has found many clues and pieces fitting her life back together.

She went to her old house, it was the same just with different people living in it.  The family mezuzah was still in the door way. Some interpret Jewish law to require a mezuzah on every doorway in the home.

She has all the pictures of when she went back 70 years later. She showed us the church that is now a library.

It was incredible hearing her story. As she was describing it I felt I was right there with her.. It took her an hour going over her story and by the end we were all in tears.

Listening to that I understand why it is so important for the Jew’s to have a home land. There is so much conflict though because the Palestinian’s were here also.

It’s really the settlements that need to stop. The Holocaust people have there place here but all others shouldn’t be coming just for the sake of a nicer place in the sun!

After hearing her story we went through the museum, it was so sad. Seeing all the people that died just because of their religion. I still can’t comprehend how someone can convince other people to kill Jews in the war. At the end of the day we are all human.

These last three days have been overwhelming. I think I’ll be reflecting on this for a long time to try comprehend everything.

On a happy note.. The food here (Mediterranean) is so fresh, healthy and delicious. If I could eat this everyday I would be so healthy and happy!

🙂 xxxx

Today we started off with meeting a Jewish settler in his community in the heart of Palestine.

Where do I start…

My blood was boiling almost as soon as he opened his mouth.. Actually my blood was boiling as soon as we drove into the community.. The grass was lush green, where the Palestinians barely have enough water to drink!

Firstly he stared with how he came from east coast America, how he has an Australian wife and was practically boasting about how nice his life was growing up. His grandparents were some of the people that went through the concentration camps and moved to Israel after the war. This is how he has come to living here. He wanted to bring his family to the home land.  He was describing Palestine as Judea! Not Palestine,  and how it was perfectly well off as a country before they came. He was practically saying because of history they can move onto this land and the people of Judea either join them being  Jews or move out. He was so anti Palestinians. He thinks they should all stay in their refugee camps and just settle there! There was so much more he said. I was utterly shocked. I couldn’t quite comprehend how he was so against the poor Palestinian people. They are the ones that have been pushed out into Refugee camps and are struggling to have enough water to drink. I was so close to getting up and walking out. It was very upsetting. He kept saying this is all Israel pointing to the map of Old Palestine. Saying he doesn’t want there to be a two state solution, and to only call it Israel!

As soon as he had finished talking, Mrs G told me she wants to leave right NOW! She was also extremely upset and disappointed.. I took her to the bus and we both sat fuming, we were appalled  by the things this nasty man had said. He was totally unfair and couldn’t see the other side. The man couldn’t see that this land had people on it before the government kicked them out.

Now there are many Palestinians living in hundreds of refugee camps because of these “settlers” . The Palestinians are hoping one day they will return to the homes. Not knowing whats actually going on.. How their homes are now occupied by settlers.

It made me want to go and study human rights. I feel I need to do something.  My voice is so small and I’m no millionaire that can support by giving money. Maybe I can voice awareness? How hopeless I feel for these families. But how much I want to help in some way.

As many children that can be educated about what’s actually going on can hopefully grow up and speak up. It’s the people of the country that need to solve this crisis. I believe the government here is completely unfair and corrupt.

Mrs G wanted to see what it would be like to be in Palestinian’s shoes. Every day our guide and who ever else wants to come into Israel has to go through these heavily guarded check points. Most Palestinians don’t have the paperwork or are just not allowed to come through.

I secretly videoed the process. The army taking our passports. Our guide having to put his finger prints down and explain he was just showing us through the check points. They asked many questions and why we had been in Palestine. Usually when we are with the group on the bus it’s not a problem, we don’t get hassled so much..

After we had done the check points we got into the taxi and went to the hotel. It was silent majority of the way back. Just trying to comprehend everything from the big day we have just had.

We had been invited by our Palestinian bus driver to join him and his family for dinner. What a beautiful evening. They were so welcoming. Thanking us for coming. I can’t put into words how this evening felt to me. I was very overwhelmed. Such kind and generous people.

As many children that can be educated about what’s going on can hopefully grow up and speak up. It’s the people of the county that need to solve this crisis. This government here is completely unfair and corrupt.

Seeing the expressions in the drawings. these families are going through such pain. The Israeli army comes into these refugee camps regularly and search the homes for weapons, at all hours of the night! The children are so disturbed here.

Going through the Checkpoints

The Palestinian family that open armed welcomed us into their home

Here we have the checkpoints. Mrs G managed to convince our Palestinian guide to show us what he has to go through every day. Sometimes he cannot even get to work  because the queues are so long.

What a wonderful way to end the Evening!

Today was a highlight.

We started off with a nice early morning 6am.. Again!

We headed off to a museum.. G and I drifted around looking at old scrolls and eventually got a little over the whole thing. So we went to the beautiful shop inside of the museum. There were tones of Arabic designs, gifts, books in Arab and Hebrew then we stumbled across the jewellery 🙂 well we stuck around looking at everything and I came out with a beautiful bracelet I absolutely adore. An Egyptian hieroglyph or “lotus bud” from the 14th century BCE..

I love it!

Mrs G bought a divine scarf and we got a few Egyptian coasters for the house and a groovy glow in the dark t shirt!

So we had a lovely morning the two of us in the shop!!

After our shopping, we headed to the oldest city in the world.  The first city was built 12000 years ago and many more were done on top of each other over the thousands of years..it was in Jericho. My goodness was it hot! We are right in the middle of the dessert now!

There were camels around and trenches all over showing the remains of the cities that were active thousands of years ago.

After exploring the oldest city in the world we heading to the Dead Sea! What an experience.. When the tour guide was saying you float, I was thinking, of course we’re going to float unless you’re going to drink tones of water and try drown yourself! We all float!

Well this was a complete different float!

As soon as I got into the water my arms and legs completely came up to the top, it was as if I was in space. It was mind blowing! So hard to explain how it felt.. Like I was a feather or something! I put the mud all over and let it soak for about 15 minutes, then drifted around the sea for a while.. It was so peaceful.. My skin feels incredible, like silk.. Although I still feel a little salty and have a yucky muddy smell! Already I’ve had two baths! It certainly was an experience though, well worth the after smell and saltiness. We came into the Dead Sea from Jordan! Traveling along the dessert roads, the smell was very strong from the sulpha. very much smelt like poop! All these horrible smells, Im completely putting this place off! haha, I can assure you, it is well worth it!

After seeing the Dead Sea we went another half hour in land to more desert. I have such a spectacular view of the desert mountains.. We’re staying at a place called Ein Gedi hotel. I can’t wait to wake up and have my breakfast with such a scenic view. I love the mornings here, the sun is always out and there are many birds that seem to be right at my balcony. Let’s hope they are here tomorrow! Today has defiantly been one of my highlights!

Here is a short clip from the oldest City in the world dating back 12,000  years.

This was certainly a highlight! People celebrating in the street of Jerusalem before we got on the bus to travel North.

Today I woke up to such beautiful scenery of the desert mountains. Another early start to get to Masada. We went up on a cable car to the ancient ruins of Herod the Great. He built palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. I was pleasantly surprised how well we did going up and exploring the ruins with the wheelchair! It was pretty Rocky but we did it! Gee was it scary going up in the cable cars at such a height, we saw some incredible views. So many of these places I’ve been to on this trip I have had no idea ever even existed!

After trekking up the mountain we all got on the bus and traveled to another ancient ruin. This one is one of the oldest, dating back to 5thousand BC! It was called “Bet she’an National Park; it was in the middle of a shithole in a Jewish community. There were hardly any tourists because this place when it was active didn’t have a religion! Incredible! Funny how so much of the population in this world today are sheep! People will go to made up modern day ruins over religion but because this hasn’t any it’s empty. Our guide was saying how he can’t make sense of it.. How there’s still 95% of uncovered ruins around this area but there isn’t enough interest or anything stimulating from any Bible for people to bother about it.

This country is so rich , so much to see and learn! Just from being here a week I’ve gained so much.

After we saw this incredible site we got on the bus and traveled further north. We stopped to visit the place Jesus was baptised. There were lots of people there, getting into the water.. Some even naked. It didn’t really interest me very much, I couldn’t quite understand how this one story has made such a massive impact on so many peoples life’s. Making people go into a trance, getting undressed and crying in the water because thousands of years ago one person was apparently baptised. Anything could have happened back then and it’s been like Chinese whispers ever since.

Anyway, after that we drove more north to the city of Galilee. Fortunately we are staying at a wonderful Scottish hotel. It very much reminds me of dad. From the carpets, to the furniture, even some of the workers are Scottish! Made me think, imagine if my father actually knew I was over here! He would seriously have a fit! Probably not speak to me for a year like when I got my tattoo! (Thankfully that’s almost disappeared after 5 sessions of lazier )!

But hopefully after this trip and the one in Iran I can go back to Australia and explain to him in person what an educational experience this and the next trip will have been. I don’t know though! Scottish blood! Still will probably hit the roof and have a fit.

Just before dinner we met with some of the other people that are here with us with National Geographic. We all had a discussion on the current situation with Israel and Palestine. Apparently the Israeli settler that spoke with us on Monday (the one that came with us to Ramallah In Palestine) wrote up an article about what she went through that day and how much Israel and Palestine should be at peace. There was a great deal more to it and our leader of the group is converting it into English.

I was surprised that everyone else was also very pro Palestine. Considering majority of them are American Jews, they see that the Israeli government is corrupt and things are very wrong here.

We were talking In Depth politics tonight. I recorded it all!

It makes me giggle a bit..This little blonde Aussie actually having an interest in politics!? I have surprised myself! The adrenaline talking about it within the group though.. I really feel drawn to it.

One of the ladies from National Geographic is in human rights and she said depending on what I want to be able to try help in she has many contacts in london. I thought it would be fantastic to be able to do a day or even half a day at least a week of volunteer work in an office for children’s human rights.

There certainly is a real need for help in it..The Israeli government are arresting and imprisoning children as young as 12 years old!! Have a read of this article..

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/israel-imprisonment-palestinian-children-decried-160803142431941.html

It’s sickening. A lot of Palestinian children go to prison for stone throwing, Israeli Military say it’s a terror attack. There just angry because this idiot government is pushing Palestinians out of there homes for Jewish settlers. And the process on how the settlements are established are wrong too. The government demands they need that land for the military that eventually gets turned into settlements. This explains the procedure of what the corrupt government does to establish these communities.

https://www.quora.com/How-much-of-the-land-on-which-Israeli-settlements-are-built-was-confiscated-from-private-Palestinian-owners

It’s sad, unfair and not enough talk is done about it. While we were all talking in the dining room before dinner tonight, some of the waiters were giving us all very dirty looks. The body language was quite obvious how touchy this topic is. I can see so much tension between the two. One of our group leaders was explaining they had a discussion  in public at a restaurant about this talk and some people over heard at another table, came up to them and verbally started attacked them, telling them they should go kill themselves, that they hope they get raped by Arabs! I couldn’t believe this!

This is why no Israeli talks about this. The people know it’s bad but are taught to just put there head down and pretend nothing is going on.

Although it’s such a complex and sticky situation here I’m so SO happy and grateful I have had the opportunity to join such an educational trip. It’s opened up my mind and possibly new doors in my life.

Today we started off exploring the place where Jesus apparently spent a lot of his adult years. It begins when after his Baptism, he goes back to the Galilee from his time in the desert.  In this early period he preaches around Galilee and recruits his first disciples who begin to travel with him and eventually form the core of the early church.

Again, who knows if this was actually true. When we did visit we got told one of the rooms in the ruins was his. The architecture was delightful ..How preserved it has been from so many years ago.

My biggest highlight from this morning was rolling down the hill with Mrs G in her wheelchair! What a site it is! I’m holding on the back.. She loves it! So much laughter! It was such fun. I must get someone to take a video next time!

After we jumped back on the bus and drove further north.. We went to a place called Gejah. Israel and Lebanon share this part of the land, you can imagine the conflict there!

From 1985 -2000 Israel and Lebanon had massive conflict. In 2000 Lebanon “Hezbollah” (like an army of Lebanon), kidnapped 3 Israeli soldiers , they were found dead by Israeli military. The conflict kept on until 2007, Israel withdrew.

Today we drove through it towards a place that use to be Syria. In 1967 there was war between Israel and Syria. Israel defeated Syria and took over the Golan Heights. Then in 1973 Syria tried to take it back and the Israelis fought up hill defeating Syria once again.

We also went to “Canaanite gate” Around 1500 B.C To enter a fortified enclosure that surrounded the temple and palace, back then the visitor had to pass through a gate and a narrow passage. The L-shaped form of the passage had both defensive and ceremonial origins. In times of war, when the city was under siege, the angle of the passageway prevented invaders from hoisting a battering ram to destroy the gate. In times of peace, a visitor was not afforded direct access to the temple or gate. This was revealed only in 1979. It was an incredible site to see.

After we had a local lunch, fish from the Galilee then got on a boat! It was called the “Jesus boat” 😂

Apparently in 1986 a boat was discovered. There’s actually no link that it was Jesus’s boat as I’ve just done a bit of research but anything to get tourists right! It was a boat found in the 1st century AD.  Now it’s called the Jesus boat!

We drifted along until we reached our hotel. What another incredible day today has been!

This was where Jesus lived. Underneath is Old Syria that is now called the Golan Heights.

This is Lebanese, Sharing parts of it with Israel. The Canaanite gate, still being uncovered.

Where Jesus lived

Old Syria

The Gate

Lebanon

Today we spoke to two interesting people. One of them was a Palestinian 30year old lady that jumped on our bus at 7am!! We had to be up and ready to travel to Nazareth. My gosh, I really could hardly keep my eyes open and here’s this sweetheart talking about her complicated life she’s had. She was one of the Palestinians that was living in Nazareth that didn’t get kicked out by the Israeli’s. One of the lucky ones with an Israeli passport. Her family are all Arab Palestinians but have Israeli citizenship. She was telling us about her brother, he was a little older than her and when she was 14 and he 19, he was involved in a peace organisation and one day went to a protest. The Israeli army shot him. He died that day trying to protest for peace. Apparently witnesses say he wasn’t even  protesting and just sitting underneath an olive tree waiting for his friends. This was one of many Arab Israeli’s that have died because of the military.

Interesting isn’t it.. Even though he’s an Israel citizen he still gets killed.

The lady told us a great deal more to her troubled life with conflict going to an Israeli school and the bullying that went on.

If only she had spoken a little later in the day on our bus, I could talk a great deal more about this Palestinian Israeli..It was just far to early and the thinking cap wasn’t quite screwed on my head enough!

Once we got to Nazareth we went into the place apparently Jesus mother Mary got told she was pregnant…. By an “Angel”.

I have to laugh about this. I just can’t understand all these people seriously going down into what some might call a cave to take photos from where Mary saw this angel”. If she had been told she was pregnant with Jesus back then, why the hell did she end up in Bethlehem? Surly she wouldn’t travel almost a hundred miles on foot just to give birth!? She was 6 months pregnant at the time she was told..apparently!

Here we go again with the Chinese whispers.

After seeing this we ventured towards the bus, I’m super proud of how well G is doing! Every morning she is in the best of moods. Its so lovely so see such a big smile on her face each morning. Usually back in london we won’t start the day until 9.30-10am! Everyday here has been 6-7am starts! Also how well G is traveling with the wheelchair.. My gosh is it bumpy and there’s always stairs and cobbled pavements. G just holds on and trusts I get her there! Only about 7 times have we almost stacked it!

After an hour on the bus we went in land. To what Israeli’s call the country. It looks more like pure dessert with a few stick trees here and there with a leaf, 2 if your lucky.

We went to an elderly mans house. He is a “druze” Arab Israeli. This man and his family have lived here hundreds of years. He has fought in the Lebanon/Israel conflict and so have his sons in the Syria/Israel wars. His son’s never made it home. One got blown up from a suicide terrorist bomb. And the other was shot. He was telling us how all the media came to film and wanted to talk to the family at the funeral of his younger son, only  18 his son was. He said to them, what is the difference between my boy and the suicide bomber boy? They were both sent to fight for there country by the government. The other boys family will be grieving exactly like we are. The boys were the Same age, Same religion, both Arabs, both dies fighting for the government.

The “druze”religious beliefs are reincarnation. They believe once one person dies another is born and comes back in a different body. He was saying how the druze’s only intermarriage and how loyal they stick to there religious beliefs. He said he’s always protecting every other man’s  wife’s and daughters because maybe they could have been an aunt, grandmother, or sibling to him.

It was interesting to hear about this belief. I have heard it before but didn’t know there was a whole cult of them.

We then got invited into his home where his sweet wife made us a feast.

Some of the best times on this trip has been getting invited to join families for a meal. I am fascinated hearing each person’s stories and beliefs. How they all stay in the one place and have such big families and friends that are all joined by either religion or race. They are all so welcoming and friendly.

After this we got into the bus and traveled hours towards Tel Aviv.It took us about 5 hours, a few bathroom stops and windy roads.

We arrived at the beach! Such a beautiful view I have, once again looking out onto water. This country has so much to see and so many hidden secrets of history.

Again I have to say how lucky I feel. How much this “working holiday” has educated and opened my mind completely. I’m wanting to come back already and we haven’t even left yet!

Tomorrow we are off to Hebron. We are going to a Palestinian lady’s embroidery shop, then having lunch in the old town. This I think will be an experience. Hebron is completely off limits to any Israeli and if full of Palestinian military. It really is a site seeing these young boys and girls with massive shot guns across their bodies.

Here are only a few pictures from today..

Majority of it we were traveling..

Well Mrs G and I were a little naughty Today. We actually organised to go off on our own, without National Geographic! About two nights ago we spoke to our Palestinian leader of our group about what we wished to do for this day. He was very hesitant at first. Really didn’t know why we would even want to go to such a place. Maybe from the outside we are well dressed, speak nicely and maybe he thought we would feel uncomfortable in the area?

We started off with a Palestinian driver collecting us from our hotel in Tel Aviv at 9.30, that Husam our guide had organised for us. Through many checkpoints we went venturing into the heart of Palestine towards Hebron. Section A. It says on a massive sign before you enter that this road leads towards area A and the Israeli government prohibit’s any Israeli citizens to enter.

Luckily we’re not citizens!

After the driver got lost and many times stopping to ask other Palestinians where this place was,  we were greeted from this very thin man that spoke great English.. He was expressing himself like he was in such desperation for help. He was what some might say a guide for this area, however nobody comes to this place because of the talk people tend to speak before coming. It seriously was a ghost town.

Unfortunately the Israeli government have been putting settlers right on top of Palestinian territory. 400 Israeli settlers are living on top of the old town market where Palestinians have their shops. Many of them are closed and have had to move out because of the violent Jewish settlers throwing rocks and human faeces down on to the shop keepers and Palestinian customers. It was like a zoo going to this place called Hebron. There’s now cages to try keep out what the Jews are throwing down but it still comes through. I saw horrible sites walking down this road. The remaining shop keepers begging for us to buy their things.

There are 400 settlers and two thousand Israeli military to protect these settlers. It should be the other way around. The military  should be trying to protect the Palestinians. They were there first and are getting bullied beyond any words can describe. The settlers get away with anything, they do what they like and yell at the Arabs because they know nothing will happen to them as the military will be on their side. It’s seriously heart breaking. When I got back to my room I started looking into Hebron and what I found was cruel, heartbreaking and just unfair. I wanted to copy and paste the links I watched onto this however I think it’s just too brutal, It leaves a very sad imprint of this once beautiful place that’s now turned into a zoo. I have added one short documentary at the end of the page about the reality of this place.

I filmed as much as I could while we were walking down the ghost town and took a few pictures which you will see attached. While we were walking I looked up , through the cage there was an Israeli solider pointing his gun down towards us. These soldiers are as young as my little brother. 16 is the age they start with the military. There brains aren’t nearly matured enough. And if one kid says something the other follows. I can remember being their age and so easily influenced. If all these boys and girls are getting told that the Palestinians are bad and that they, the military, are there to protect the Jewish settlers, of course they are going to have these egos wanting to fight, having one sided, narrow minds.

I can’t express enough how sorry I felt for these Palestinian people. Mrs G and I were silent walking through. We saw things that were heartbreaking. Walking down the cobbled ally way we reached the lady we wanted to see. This lady was one of the last Palestinian embroidery shops left. She and her sister started this tiny shop up about 6 years ago. First thing once we got there, was her offering us tea and biscuits. Our driver, mrs G, and the thin man that tagged along with us all sat down. She spoke to us about how hard her life has been, how her parents organised a marriage for her. How her husband would beat her and not let her study any English. She spoke about her home, when the wall got put up she was no longer allowed to go to the other side where her work in a factory was. She lost her income and was confined to home. All she wanted to do was educate herself.

Her sister started embroidering at home and she went to help her, there they eventually made enough products to find a small shop in the ally ways of Hebron to sell these items. Although she could not speak English and at the time there were many tourists visiting Hebron…  Her sister started leaving her on her own an hour a day so she could learn English herself.

After years of learning on her own she today speaks brilliant English. I voice recorded her story on my phone to listen to again when I get home.

We bought many things from this lady.

It was sad saying goodbye to her. She told us if we ever go back she would love to have us stay with her at her home, lots of food she says.

I’m writing this right now with tears down my face thinking about this little boy thats just popped back into my head, no older than Ruby’s age (4) following us through the ally ways. I kept turning around and he would get closer and closer, then when I went up to him, to I don’t know, cuddle him or just say hello to him he ran off. Then again he came back but was a bit distant hiding behind polls whilst we walked up the hill. I tried to tell G whilst we were walking but it was a bit of a commotion going up the hill with the cobbled stones , luckily we had the driver and the thin man helping us. When I turned to see the little boy again he was gone.

My heart really goes out to this mystery boy. Where was his parents? All I wanted to do was hug him and help him somehow.

It makes me so so sad and helpless because I can just feel Hebron getting so much worse. The energy and vibe around that part was very negative and depressing. In the back of my mind I see war between Jews and Arabs, I mean war much worse than it currently is. I don’t see Hebron being there with the Palestinians when or if I ever come back. It just makes me think, what’s going to happen to these helpless children. I’ll never get that image of the little boy following us out of my head.

It makes me so angry how superficial and fake the western world is. Unless you don’t see these places I’ve been to, it’s not cared about. People just sit around the tv watching the news and only comment on how sad it is but because it’s not in there world nothing happens. It’s just a shrug of the shoulders and forgotten about.

I would have to be heartless not to try to help in some way.

Thankfully after our dinner we have had tonight, Alicia, who is one of our guides partners of National Geographic has given me a dozen names and places to visit when I’m back in london. London is apparently the head quarters for human rights for Palestinians. Mrs G is wanting to help in some way too.

We have one more day here before going back home. It’s going to be a “nothing day” just reflecting back over this mind blowing trip. We have said goodbye to National Geographic and are going to give our heads a rest before the journey home.

For me, all I want to see is peace. Unfortunately I think somehow it’s going to get worse before getting better. This place really needs to be heard. In the media all that gets put on air is pro Israeli because America is Israel’s “best friend” and they control Main Stream media. They are actually the ones who are supplying this country with weapons. We got told , before any other country can buy weapons from America they need to be “tested” firstly. This is what America is doing, giving Israel weapons to test out. Who better than doing it with neighbouring Palestine before it’s safe to sell back in America. Some might call it washing the laundry. It’s a bypass for America.

Thankfully the brothers of Palestine -Jordan, Lebanon, jihadist of Syria, and even Iran is stepping in to help the Palestinians, but with there own wars and conflicts going on, who knows whats going to happen. I feel things behind closed doors are stirring and shits about to hit the fan. It’s a big conflict with Iran because America has actually become good friends with them too where as Iran and Israel hate each other. Israel keeps trying to take the neighbours land, already it has taken the bottom of Syria and Lebanon and hasn’t stopped trying to take over Palestinian territory.

It’s all very difficult to explain how much conflict is actually going on here. I think I would need to sit and write for many more hours about it.

I hope things start to change. I hope the governments can come to some sort of an agreement between them selfs. I hope they can meet and solve it. Israel keeps pulling out at the last minute when the Palestinian government tries to meet. Oh boy, I think I’ve written enough for now.

Peace ❤️ please xxx

Here is just one of the many disgraceful videos I found online.