What’s in… Palestine?

Israel is, agreeably, a popular travel destination that sees millions of visitor each year. But what about Palestine? As it is often forgotten by travellers or ignored because of its size, ‘danger’ or whatever the reasons may be.

I felt the need to find out…

What’s in palestine?

Very competent barbers.

Like in the olden days, they use a sharp knife to shave every single facial hair off the surface. Complementary head massage at the end.

 barber palestine
trust the barber

 

Bethlehem and Nazareth; birthplace and hometown of Jezus Christ. 

Pilgrims cross the border from Israel and make a quick stop to Jezus Christ’s place of birth. A grand basilica -church of Nativity- was built on the spot where said birth supposedly took place. As you can imagine, the town has a plethora of kitsch souvenirs on sale everywhere.

touristy

 

Hummus and falafel galore!

There is some argument between Israel and Palestine on the origin of these dishes, but let’s not nitpick about who started it or who did it better… At the end of the day, you will find top-notch hummus and falafel in Palestine. Some of the best I’ve ever eaten!

hummus and falafel
hummus and falafel

 

Lively market scenes…

As in every Middle Eastern country, there is shouting, haggling, laughter and various smells of spices, meat and fruit whisking by.

market Palestine
at the market
having a hot mint tea just outside the market
having a hot mint tea just outside the market

 

Israeli military men and women armed to the teeth

This is a phenomenon you see in both Palestine and in Israel. It’s very unusual for most of us to see heavy ammunition resting on the hip of a 19 year-old, while they’re having a laugh and a smoke. You get used to it… eventually.

army
army

 

A concrete wall that’s 8 meter tall and segregates Israelis from Palestinians. 

The extensive wall surrounds the Occupied Territories and is equipped with militarised watch towers overlooking both sides as well as snipers making sure nothing or nobody tries to cross. Palestinians use the wall space to express their dreams, wishes and the injustice they feel is done to them.

wall palestine
walking around the endless wall
wall with watch tower, palestine
watch tower and palestinian art
wall palestine
expression and protest via street art
wall art, palestine
wall art

Massive refugee camps

When I heard about the ‘refugee camp’, I thought of the camps I had seen before in war zones; temporary blue tents, white bags of rice and flour, people standing in line to get some food. That’s not what the Palestinian camps are like. They are “permanent” refugee camps. Small concrete houses/rooms next to one another, housing several member of the extended family. They have schools, mosques and playgrounds. People have been living in these camps for years and probably will keep living that way for a while.

We stayed in one of the camps and were shown around by a resident; a 25 year-old man who has been living there his entire life. He told us about his struggles, his daily life and openly shared his opinions. If you have the opportunity to visit the West Bank, make sure to visit Dheisheh Refugee Camp. Even if you don’t spend the night, it might help you get some insight on the conflict’s history and the current developments.

Dheisheh Refugee Camp
Dheisheh Refugee Camp
kids at school in the camp
kids at school in the camp

So what else is in Palestine? 

Things you would never believe if I told you so.

 

So is Palestine worth a visit? Absolutely.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s fairly easy for many nationalities to enter Palestine and the locals are very pleased to receive independent visitors.

Is it dangerous? Some places are. Beyond the protests happening in some villages, life goes on. Generally speaking, if you stay away from the protests, there is not much danger for you as an outsider. Check the current political situation before you decide to cross the border!

peace
peace…

After years of traveling, this is one of the off -the-beaten-track destinations that really touched me. It’s a place we’ve heard so much about in the news and it seems as though the “shock value is gone down and so has the media coverage. Eventually, it has been “forgotten”.

I choose not to write politics, but visiting Israel and Palestine, is a trip involving politics to some degree whether you like it or not. Both places are impressive in their own ways, couldn’t we all just get along? *Dreams…

peace

 

Have you ever considered visiting Palestine? Do countries with an unstable political character scare you off as travel destinations?

The post “What’s in… Palestine?” first appeared on Travel Cake.

 

Comments

15 responses to “What’s in… Palestine?”

  1. Dana Carmel @ Time Travel Plans Avatar

    I’ve definitely been itching to visit Israel more and more lately and I’ve always thought that I’d venture over to Palestine as well. This post is definitely motivating me even more. And I’m especially interested in visiting the Dheisheh Refugee Camp. It would be so fascinating to spend the night there. And I’m definitely going to check out that documentary – it looks really good!

    1. frecklesoup Avatar
      frecklesoup

      Fantastic! I hope you find your way there some day! The documentary will keep your mind busy until then… 🙂

  2. Franca Avatar

    What a nice post! I’d go to Palestine only for the hummus and falafel. I’m kidding, it sounds a very interesting country to visit, I have to be honest though when it comes to countries with ‘unstable political character’ as you call it, I would think twice before going.

    1. frecklesoup Avatar
      frecklesoup

      You’re right to think twice, those places can get dangerous. It’s all relative though… Thanks for stopping by!

  3. Dariece @GoatsOnTheRoad Avatar

    Wow, what a wonderful post! We love travelling to the “off the beaten path” type places, and Palestine is definitely one of those. Thank you for sharing about Palestine, somewhere that is rarely, if ever, spoken about by bloggers – or western media.

    Cheers and happy travels 🙂
    Dariece

    1. frecklesoup Avatar
      frecklesoup

      Definitely off the path, indeed 🙂 I think these places should get more media/blogger attention. Just like the places you are covering! Thanks for commenting!

  4. Michelle Avatar
    Michelle

    I like your take on Palestine – very similar to my impressions of it. I spent a week in Israel and Palestine in October and actually felt MORE welcome in the PA cities than Israeli ones… Palestinians wanted to talk to us, and welcome us to Palestine! Regarding safety, I never felt “unsafe”, a couple of “uneasy” moments, but I had those in Madrid too!

    1. frecklesoup Avatar
      frecklesoup

      I couldn’t agree more! Strange that places people fear most, often have a very friendly and welcoming population! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

  5. Travel Makes Me Tick Avatar

    Interesting, especially that (as many people I suppose) I haven’t even considered Palestine as a potential destination in the face of the ongoing conflict. But to be honest, I’m not sure how I’d feel being a ‘tourist’ there….

    1. frecklesoup Avatar
      frecklesoup

      I get what you mean, but the Palestinians I met were very happy to see tourists. Not only for economical reasons, but also to be able to tell their stories to outsiders as they feel forgotten by the world. Everyone we met there, begged us to tell our friends to come visit. 🙂

  6. ground ball Avatar

    Very good information. Lucky me I discovered your blog by
    accident (stumbleupon). I have book marked it for later!

  7. Emory Avatar

    We stumbled over here by a different website and thought I might as well check
    things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you.
    Look forward to looking into your web page repeatedly.

    1. frecklesoup Avatar
      frecklesoup

      Great! Welcome! 🙂

  8. aysar Avatar
    aysar

    thank you my friend for this fisit
    aysar alsaifi
    ibdaa center
    palestine / dheisheh refugee camp

    1. frecklesoup Avatar
      frecklesoup

      You’re welcome! We had a great stay!

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