Israel-Jordan-Israel-Haifa

Shorlty before the bad news at the border

We hit Jordan like a freight train. In and out to Petra and back from Eliat in less than 24hrs. We drove from Masada to Eliat and were there by noon. We crossed the border to Jordan without incident. After a sketchy cab driver took us for 2 Jordanian Dollars, we got a new cab driver who's secret dream was to be an Formula one driver. He got us to Wadi Musa in under 2 hrs, it was a harrowing ride. I then spent the night in the coldest hotel room in Jordan, 6am we were up and down to Petra. Very cool.

By two pm we were in a cab on the way back from Wadi Musa to the Israeli border. We were then both hassled by some of the most attractive passport control officers in the world.  Justin was also informed by customs that he in fact had already been stamped in Ben Gurion against his wishes and without his knowledge...a pall of negative sentiment toward Israel seemed to settle over the team from the border crossing through the evening.

From Eliat we hopped in the car and drove 450km to Haifa getting in at 12pm.Of note was our wrong turn into W Jerusalem that resulted in us being heckled/harassed by two Hasidic guys for driving on Shabas. High prices, border hassles, unwanted passport stamps, horrible weather and chance encounters with religious extremists is making me want to get to Tanzania early.