Jerusalem Tourist Traps

I'm sure I wasn't the first or last person to fall for this one but even now I feel very foolish. Having just finished the walk of the Old City walls and man approached me and offered to give me a guided tour. "Duh ! Okay !" We set off at a brisk pace... I had to practically jog to keep up ... into the maze of alleys and streets. Every now and then we'd stop somewhere, he'd give a two second speech about the place before we headed off again. At the Western Wall, after I'd had my photo taken, I finally broached the subject of payment for this not very enjoyable experience. I can't recall the exact figure now but it made me very, very angry. Let's say it was around 50 just for argument's sake .. that's US dollars, not shekels !!! We had a little disagreement at this point as you can imagine. I almost lost my temper totally, but realising where I was and how vulnerable I was I eventually gave him about half of what he wanted before he stormed off.

The atmosphere within the City walls is really tense. And that's not avoidable. I am talking about some spiritual density, something you can feel almost physically. It makes you feel involved in a story much greater and older than you. You may call it Kafkaesque feeling. Honestly speaking, it wasn't very comfortable for me. Outside the walls the air is lighter.
In any case it's incomparable with any other place I've been to. I guess being in a sea storm may produce similar sensations.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is very tacky, but a necessary (and still very interesting) item on your itinerary. It's a bit strange to find that both the place where Christ was crucified (pic) and buried are all in the same space that the church now occupies! But all prejudices aside, you just have to ignore it all, and immerse in religion for a little while.

People try to let you pay to much at the markets! Play a good game of high and low bidding. Don't be afraid, it's perfectly normal. Learn the prices well, because bidding to low is an insult. Walking away doesn't help you by the way, salesmen are not impressed by doing that.

You can't beat the Western Wall. Many tourists and pilgrims flock to this holy site. It's amazing watching everyone at the wall, sending chills down your back when you press your hand against its warm surface, touched by millions before and millions to come. Yes, many tourists come to this place, but it's a tourist trap worth coming to.

I don't think I have ever seen so much tourist junk for sale as in Jerusalem; the main roads and alleyways to the Dome of the Rock are just the worst, as are the Stations of the Cross. Spirituality for sale? It ruins any religious experience you might have been planning to have here.

taxis,taxis,taxis-----------
if you plan a trip to the west bank,you can go to the arab station near nablus road;arab taxi drivers will tell you that it is closed;why?because a bus-ticket to jericho will cost you 2 shekels to abu-dis,then 5 shekels with a collective taxi;but if you travel with a private taxi,the driver will charge you 100 shekels

At the Damascus gate they were charging for rides on the camel in the picture -- but the camel wasn't user friendly and he didn't smell too good either. I also think they chew tobacco (: