What You'll Need
- A sun hat that can be easily stuffed into a shoulder bag
- Empty Ziploc bags in various sizes
- A tiny headlamp on a removable elastic band for poking around in dark grottoes (we found ours at Campmor for about $20)
- Small, lightweight binoculars
- Light wrap for evenings (they are cool)
- Energy bars
Tips on Getting Through the Tel Aviv Airport
Things were on (very) high alert when we were there, but in retrospect, we were probably in the safest airport in the world. Upon entering, don't panic when you look at the big board that lists arrivals and departures: The Hebrew will change to English if you wait just a moment. It took us every bit of three hours to go through security, but the staff was calm, patient, polite, and very, very thorough.
Favorite Reads—For Before, During, or After a Trip to the Middle East
Petra and the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans by Jane Taylor
(you might not want to take this with you because it's heavy, but it's packed
with great information and gorgeous photographs)
The Holy Land by Jerome Murphy-O'Connor (this Oxford
Archaeological Guide covers more than 200 sites and includes maps and
photographs)
Walking the Bible, Abraham, and Walking
With God by Gourmet contributing editor Bruce Feiler (these books
reflect his life as a traveler through the heart of the Middle East)
Palestine & Palestinians by the Alternative Tourism Group
(of great interest if you take a side trip to Bethlehem)
Travels with a Tangerine: From Morocco to Turkey in the Footsteps of
Islam's Greatest Traveler by Tim Mackintosh-Smith (for anyone who ever
wanted to be an explorer when they grew up)
The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macauley (a masterpiece)
Quarantine by Jim Crace (if you love intense, imaginative,
profound novels)
Drinking the Sea at Gaza by Amira Hass (passionate and
observant; from the first Israeli journalist to live in the Palestinian enclave)
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