Day 1: 31.3km Eilat (Israel)
Day 2: 143.4km Makhteshim En Yahav Nature Reserve
Day 3: 100.4km En Gedi
Day 4: 77.7km Jerusalem
Forget sea-level change, if my funding application is successful I'll change the title: "The occurrence of events to a particular item after discussion, mentioning and/or muttering of said item: a preliminary investigation".Take Mr Stick for example. No sooner had I extolled his worth to the world (wide web) than he is wrenched unceremoniously from my life. After leaving him safe and sound resting in the shade of my tent, I found him (or rather what remained of him)on the cold embers of a bonfire lit by some Jordonian Philistines. Could they not have seen his immeasurable uses? What really got me aggrevated was that there was about 5 broken pallets lying 20m away! I was absolutely distraught and can only say that when I finally do get round to watching Castaway, I'll identify 100% with Mr Hanks after he loses Wilson.
Although Mr Stick's cycling days are over, his adventure continues; I hurled him into the Red Sea. The world is now his. Long live Mr Stick.A replacement was in order, so I stopped off at a shop and purchased for myself a new multi-functional travelling companion: Mr Broom Handle. Although some Jordonian police at a checkpoint wanted us to part ways (they showed me a broom with a broken handle and pointed at Mr Broom before pointing at themselves), he is still in my company. Also, besides the best efforts of a taxi driver "Stopstopstop. I think that beyond that checkpoint no bicycles to border", I did manage to reach the border without a reliance on carbon-emitting fossil fuels.
Israel is Europe. The people appear European, the cars appear European and the prices are more than certainly European. The horns are also European. So far on my journey in Israel I have been beeped at 3 times; once because the car itself was carrying bicycles.
I had planned to spend 2 nights in Eilat, but a look on BBC informed me that there would be tailwinds up towards the Dead Sea. The following morning I set off...into a headwind. After cursing the pions in The Corporation for a full 15km, they came good as the winds died down and restarted from the south. Not a strong wind, but it helped.
After 130km, the wind changed to a Northerly and it was STRONG. I struggled on for a short while but had had enough so found a campsite in the lee of an extremely spikey Accacia tree. The wind was still blowing fiercly so I dug a pit in which to do my cooking. No sooner had this been completed than the wind died completely; nothing.
Lying covered in sweat that night in the middle of the desert, I muttered "wouldn't it be nice if there was a bit of a breeze". 2 minutes later I heard a roar as the wind came rushing through the trees. It built up and built up until I was sure the tent was going to blow away. I spent about an hour and a half with my arms against the inside of the tent, pushing against the wind. My main fear was that a twig, never mind a branch, was going to snap of the tree and rip my tent to shreds. Luckily I never mentioned this thought aloud!
The following morning I set off only to bump into Thibaut, the French cyclist from before. Monika had taken her flight back to Europe and he was heading down to Egypt. "I was just thinking of you and if we'd bump into each other" were his words (uttered in a french accent of course).
I camped for free at the free campsite next to the free beach at En Gedi on the Dead Sea, thus obtaining the obligatory float for free. People who say you get nothing for free are wrong.
Was talking to another cyclist along the Dead Sea (not a tourer) and she asked about anything going wrong on the bike. "Not so far" I gleefully replied. Normally when asked this question, I add that little muttered "touch wood" and make a grasp towards Mr Stick (I know, I know. Mr Stick was actually bamboo and thus not wood per se, but I don't really believe in the superstition anyway so it's really neither here nor there whether he was herbacious or not). With our relationship still in its early stages, I refrained from groping Mr Broom. With 15km still to climb to Jerusalem (-400m to +800m), my pedal broke. I got to feel the bearings drop out one by one as I clunked my way to the top of the hill just hoping the whole thing wouldn't drop off. It didn't. However, looking on the bright side, it costs some people thousands in therapy while being doped up to the eyeballs to feel good. It took me just four hours to lift myself out of the largest depression in the world (pictures are of a depressed me).Am spending 3 nights in Jerusalem before heading north towards the Sea of Galilee.
Sexy Fold
Guess where?
This was my first foray into the old town, and the last thing I expected to find: a tractor faceoff!
At the risk of starting WWIII: It's only a wall people! A mighty fine wall made of micritic limestone blocks, but a wall nonetheless.
3 comments:
Where are you heading? You seem to be going south towards Africa. What's your route to Dublin?
All is explained (I hope) in the latest update. Just decided that since I was in this part of the world, a detour into the Middle East was in order.
"A sexy fold" Kez you are to interesting to keep up this geologist lark. A tractor stand off though, now your talking!!!
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