Back up on the stick

Hello from the central bus station in Jerusalem.  After getting up super early to catch the 7AM bus, which was sold out anyway, we got tickets for the 10AM and are killing time at an internet cafe. 

We spent Thursday through Sunday night in Tzfat, Israel.  We stayed with an organization called Livnot U'lehibinot, which is the organization that ran my two-week trip to Israel back in 2008.  It was great to see some familiar faces, and to meet some new people as well.  Our timing worked out to span a Shabbat (Friday night to Saturday night), a hike near the Golan Heights, and a Passover Seder.  The passover seder was like none I had been to before, and lasted from around 8PM to 2AM.  It was intense, but a great experience.  Jerod was a trooper and took all of the Judaism I through at him with a grain of salt.  He definitely learned a lot about religion/culture from that experience.

After the first night of Passover we took the first bus from Tzfat to Jerusalem (9PM since they don't run during the holiday) so we could get an early start towards Eilat, where we will cross into the Sinai Penninsula.  As I mentioned before, the first bus was sold out, and the bus station is mobbed with people coming and going for the holiday week.

Today marks the end of our first month on the road.  We have spent a considerable amount of time in Israel and Jordan, but will still leave them with sights unseen and trails unhiked.  I guess it is a good excuse to return some time.  That being said, we are excited to be moving forward with the trip and getting a new country under our belts.  Egypt will be a bit of a whirlwind, since we have a set departure day on 15 April when we fly from Cairo to Istanbul. 

Things are great, though, and our spirits are high.  Thanks for reading.