to renew my visa!
Well I suppose that it is not really "renewing my visa" since Israel isn't very friendly with submitting through the proper channels visa renewals, especially not a multiple exit visa. For anyone not familiar with the world of visa's and passports while staying in a foreign country for an extended period of time, a multiple exit visa is the best kind because it means that if you leave the country and return, your visa will still be valid. Israel isn't really in the habit of handing those out, especially not to people without a valid reason for wanting one (which I most certainly am not considering where I live and work). Instead for me to stay in Israel I need to leave and return to the country and ask for a new visa when I re-enter for another three month stint here. Some people go home, but considering the high cost of holiday travel back to the states and the relatively tight budget I am under here, I need to hop over to a neighbor country and come back after a few days which narrows it down to Jordan or Egypt. After some research and budgeting and some critical thinking I chose to plan a trip to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
Egypt is significantly further away, but I find it much more appeal for various reasons. To begin with, it's much more affordable to get a rewarding experience in Egypt than in Jordan. Jordan is absurdly expensive especially all the places that one would want to go in a touristy visit. Petra itself is expensive, as are taxis around the country and then once you get in Petra everything is expensive- in short it is a complete tourist trap. Another person at the university went for a few days and ended up spending more than a few hundred dollars there just to see a few places and get around. Don't get me wrong I want to see Petra, just maybe further down the road and if I get a visitor I'd like to take them with me. Add to that the entrance and exit taxes for Israel, the entrance tax and cost of a visa for Jordan and it adds up really quick in a really big way.
Egypt however only has an exit tax for Israel, but is free to enter and doesn't have a re-entry tax for Israel at that border.The value of the dollar goes a lot further there, even in the resort coast of the Sinai Peninsula.To give you an idea of how much further the dollar goes, I budgeted my travel cost across Israel, my travel in Egypt, my housing, and a few activities and return trip for a grand total of 150 dollars for a four day trip. Jordan would probably break 500 dollars for a similar trip. Now I know what you are all asking yourself- What can you possibly do as a tourist and where can you stay for a total of 150 for 4 days?
I should add that over half of the is going to be spent in Israel, either traveling or paying my exit tax.
So here is the basic Itinerary:
Day 1: Travel from Nablus to Ramallah, Ramallah to Jerusalem, Jerusalem to the Eilat Border, Eilat to Dahab on the coast of the Read Sea on the Sinai Peninsula
This is going to be a full day of travel, and by a full day I mean that I will have to leave Nablus before dawn but I think it can be done with a full battery on my Ipod. It's about an hour to Jerusalem from here and then four hours from Jerusalem to the border and two more to my final destination. For a measly five Euros (7 bucks) I'll be staying a very nice bungalow on the beach with a private room and a shared bath. The bungalows are actually real bungalows with palm frond roofs and mattresses on the floor.
Day 2: Staying in Dahab for the day and snorkeling around the coral reefs of the Red Sea. Gear rental in less than 10 dollars for the day and I can spend the rest of my time on the beach or exploring the coastal town. At 11PM at night I'll be headed to Mt. Sinai to hike up the mountain and arrive at the summit in time to watch the sunrise over the desert mountains
Day 3: Hike down the mountain and visit the St. Catherine Monastery which was built in the 6th century and is still occupied today. After exploring that, I'll hope over to the monastery museum which houses "perhaps one of the finest collections of ancient handwritten books and codices in the world." Pardon my cursing mom, but hell yeah! After this I will be headed back to Dahab to catch a taxi back north closer to the border to spend the night in a small hippie beach town called Tarabin to once again in a beachside bungalow.
Day 4: Wake up and begin my trip back to Nablus. I think three nights out of the country is sufficient time to look like I'm actually not trying to do exactly what I was doing- hopping the border for a new visa. I don't have to start nearly as early this time though because once I get back to Jerusalem I can relax on my time frame to get home. If nothing else, I can probably stay in Ramallah with a friend before returning to work the next day.
So for three nights abroad, seeing the mountain where Moses received the commandments, sreef snorkeling in the Red Sea and getting a view of one of the most beautiful deserts and scenic views in the middle east I'll spend a grand total of 150 dollars, really only 80 of which will be in Egypt. I'd call that a great trip outline and I'm already excited to go!!
It also helps me to write this because now I know what to write about specifically when I get back from that trip! Oh, and a week later I'll be in Bethlehem for Christmas. Yup, spending Christmas where Christ was born, I love this place!
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