Backpacking is a great way to discover yourself and to meet like-minded people. Once in a while you meet people you have great chemistry with and decide to travel together over and over again.
Zelia and I met when we were traveling in Estonia. Being inspired by her courage to venture as a solo female backpacker and her ability to think on her feet to handle adverse situations, we have traveled to several other countries ever since and have great chemistry together. We are always on the same bandwidth and every time we open our mouths there are always random inappropriate jokes about each other!
I purposely spent a few extra days in Jordan so that I could meet up with her to travel Israel together. While I was entering Israel from Jordan, Zelia and her friend were coming from Egypt and we ended up meeting in the southern Israeli city of Eilat. That same night we took a bus up north to Tel Aviv, 50 miles northeast of Gaza Strip. The three of us spent the week visiting Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ramallah (a Palestinian city in the West Bank), and the Dead Sea.
I have lost count of how many selfies we have taken over the week and the random jokes that were bouncing around one after another. On our last day in Israel, our goodbye was especially difficult: She will be traveling to Greece for her final stop before heading back to Hong Kong for good, while I will be leaving the Middle East to backpack in Russia next and will be on the road for the rest of the year. We have enjoyed each other’s company but this time we have no plan of our next journey together – Personally it was a tough goodbye. But as we have always made the effort to meet up in a new country, I am sure we will meet up again soon!
The Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray.
@Jerusalem
The Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray.
@Jerusalem
Over a thousand young soldiers gathered in the Old City of Jerusalem.
@Jerusalem
Flag of Israel in Masada National Park.
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From all the people I know who have been to Israel, I always get the same advice: Don’t let them put an Israeli stamp on your passport – Otherwise you will be banned from entering certain other Muslim countries such as Iran, Lebanon, and the UAE.
@Masada
Masada National Park.
@Masada
Old City of Jerusalem.
@Jerusalem
Old City of Jerusalem.
@Jerusalem
On our way to the Dead Sea.
@EinBokek
Visiting the Israeli side of the Dead Sea in Ein Bokek.
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I kept teasing her because she is an advanced diver and yet she was nervous about sinking in the Dead Sea. No one has ever sunk in the Dead Sea – What is the odd that she would be the first one? 🙂
@EinBokek
Visiting the Israeli side of the Dead Sea in Ein Bokek.
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I kept teasing her because she is an advanced diver and yet she was nervous about sinking in the Dead Sea. No one has ever sunk in the Dead Sea – What is the odd that she would be the first one? 🙂
@EinBokek
Messing around on Instagram with the food we bought in different cities.
@TelAviv
Hummus.
@Jerusalem
On our way to the Dead Sea.
@EinBokek
Masada National Park.
@Masada
Masada National Park.
@Masada
Old City of Jerusalem.
@Jerusalem
Dome of the Rock.
@Jerusalem
View of Dome of the Rock from Mount Olives.
@Jerusalem
On our way to the Dead Sea.
@EinBokek
Masada National Park.
@Masada
On our way to the Dead Sea.
@EinBokek
On our way to the Dead Sea.
@EinBokek
Old City of Jerusalem.
@Jerusalem
Ramallah, a Palestinian city in the West Bank. While it was touristy in Jerusalem, there was no tourist in Ramallah beside us. Many times people were curious and wanted to take pictures with us.
@Ramallah
Beachfront in Tel Aviv, where we spent a good part of our last day in Israel at.
@TelAviv
