Bunker. Hashish. Araq. Adventures on the aubergine farm

The greatest charm of hitchhiking is that every day gives a chance to experience something new. Meet interesting people, visit interesting places or  experience amazing turns of action. As it was the case on that day. Whenever I am "forced" to sleep somewhere "on the wild" (sometimes in a tent and often even without it), I always try to choose a place  where every night will calm, and at the same time unforgettable. In this scenario, however, the opposite was true. It was already dark and I came across this place by accident because I wanted to get away from the noisy crossroads connecting the routes to Eilat, Jerusalem and Ber Sheva. The hill above the crossroads looked quite tempting. And that didn't disappoint me at all.

I came across an abandoned bunker with fortifications in the form of a wide network of trenches. Probably the entire area was built by IDF (Israel Defence Forces) in case of unexpected visit of Jordanis. I spent the night in a bunker. Despite a slight anxiety, I fell asleep quite quickly. When it came in the morning, I started the process of getting out of the bunker to look around. A astonishing view of the Nagew desert panorama nearly knocked me off my feet. I was surrounded by trenches that made me feel like a child again. If I found a stick, I would run and keep it in my hands imitating a weapon. For sure it was a bull's eye. 

Before I went to sleep I planned what I would do tomorrow. And it looked more or less like that: visit the Ein Gedi National Park, swim in the Dead Sea and get to Jericho! The plan went better than I expected.

Ein Gedi visited! The bath was there! And sea salt after bathing in this most saline lake has stayed with me for longer even despite the provisional shower made of perforated water bottles. It wasn't cool.

All I had to do was reach Jericho, find a place to sleep and in the morning look around  there.  Jericho is one of the oldest known human habitats in the world.  To reach the road I had to climb a bit. In some places the hill was strongly inclined. 

The hitchhike is working very well in Israel. In Palestine  even better. Of course it is well-known true that there are no rules at all. Sometimes opinions about the level of hitchhiking difficulties are different among hitchhikers. But in my case the average waiting time was 20 minutes.   

Bay stop. I start. I put on my thumb. Shot! The first car. I missed. The second car.... shot! Full. Nothing is going. I took a photo. There is a lorry going on (on in the photo below). I pull out a hitchhiker weapon, shoot and.... it is! caught. I had a lift exactly to jericho. Great!

Mohammed is the owner of a transport company transporting rubber from Egypt to Israel. I told him a few words about myself. After a short conversation, he asked me where I was going to sleep tonight.   

- In the tent - I answered.
- In a tent? today will be rain! 

He said this in the same way as if artillery missiles were to fall with the rain. Later in the evening he added that it would be the first rain in 4 months. But after he said it I didn't know what to say. My tongue got paralysis in one moment. After a few seconds Mohammed added:

- If you do not want to sleep in a tent, you can sleep in my home.  

- Yes! Sounds good. 

Then I thanked my future host for the proposal.

What would travel be if you do not interact with restaurants? Only ordinary tourism. Interactions with locals are the essence of travelling. It is a great opportunity that allows us to verify the truth of common stereotypes or simple prejudices without rational motivation. When I talked about my travels in the Middle East, I heard the same kind of gibberish. "Why are you travelling there? You haven't heard what Muslims are doing". These people have always known better. They were not there, but they knew.

Jericho. There used to be a casino at the entrance to the city. Today it is only an abandoned building. The casino was built to attract tourists. It prospeared quite well, I heard from Mohammed. After the intifada of Al-Aksa (the rise of the Palestinians against the occupants from Israel), it has been closed because the Jews cannot visit the areas governed by the Palestinian Authority any longer. And in Islam gambling is haram (prohibited).

Everyone who once visited the Middle East knows perfectly well that there is a specific atmosphere. Street traders, fruit markets, tearooms etc. When you enter Palestine from Israel you will experience a shock. And that is what I can assure you. It's like two other worlds you visit when you go literally one step, it's like a step through a magical portal. Such an empirical boom. Well-tended streets versus dusty disorder.   

Mohammed showed me everything I had to see in Jericho. I expected much more, but it was still enough to satisfy the hunger for exploration.

I went with him in a couple of places and then he asked me:

- Do you drink alcohol?  

After a while, I answered:

-No means yes, but very rarely.

- Do you want to drink today?

- The occasion is great. I can!

- Wait in the car.

I was wondering why he put on a cap and pulled the hood over it when he entered the shop. Did he want to rob him? He was obviously overweight. So he could moved the seat further  and left the engine running, which would have made it much easier to escape. 

When he was leaving he started to rush, with two shopping bags in his hands.

- Why did you put on a hat when you entered the shop? -  I asked him out of curiosity. 

- Here live only Muslims and they look badly at those drinking alcohol.   

I couldn't stop laughing. Because of his apparent overweight, he looked quite specific. Even today, as if I had seen him from a distance, I would have been able to recognize him. But that had to work. Or that's just how it seemed to him.  

Mohamed mentioned something about a barbecue that his friends will organise. That's why we will go there sit, drink, relax  and after all I will go to his home. And tomorrow at dawn on his way to work, he will give me a lift to Jerusalem. Excellent - I thought. When my host mentioned about BBQ, I expected a rather backyard meeting. Surely not what I found there. We went to the farm. Nothing around, just aubergines, and among them there was a shed, table and two benches on both sides .The Grill was ready. Friends of Mohammed were expecting our arrival. Everyone was male, which didn't surprise me again. This is how it usually happens there. 

Suddenly Arak appeared on the table. It is a kind of aniseed vodka. It is produced here in Jericho. When water is added to it, it turns from transparent to milk-white. During the meeting Mohammed said he had to take something from the car. He left. I was alone with the rest of my new Palestinian friends. I tried to communicate with them by showing them something with my hands and using some words in Arabic but I couldn't do it. 

When Mohammed returned, he held a big cube of Egyptian smuggled  hashish in the newspaper. He asked me whether I knew what it was. I replied that of course. It was hashish. We started to make a joint with tobacco. The party lasted until midnight.   

I was exhausted. My new friend, too. Hashish, arrack and lovely aubergine paste smashed me completely. Time to rest.

Mohammed said that when we get to him we must be quiet, because his wife and children will probably already sleep and he didn't want to wake them up. We arrived. Another shock. Mohammed lives in a villa and has a swimming pool in the backyard. I thought it was just my imagination. But not. I'm touching, true. I lay down on the couch and a frame stoped. I fell asleep.

 Summary 

Hitchhiking trips are trips in which you can wake up in a bunker, visit interesting places, smoke hashish in a shed on an aubergine farm and sleep in a villa with a swimming pool. You can't plan anything, everything is possible:)

Thank you for spending your time reading it. This is just one of many stories. If you want more of them just follow!