Jayyus Nightlife

I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that Jayous isn't a great place for bars and nightclubs. Nightlife basically consists of an occasional smoking of nargileh (water pipe) and sitting around drinking tea and nibbling on katayef.

The only time things do liven up tends to leave you wishing you were still sipping tea - the army generally comes into the village most nights, all flashing lights, heavily armed humvees and loud sirens. On my first night here a young man was arrested at the Wall checkpoint and we had to spend several hours comforting his frantic mother (who already had a son in prison for the past year). Fortunately he turned up again before the end of the night.

Another night the army encircled the edge of the village and set off a couple of explosions. They were on their way through the village but in a rather cute method of resistance a few of the local kids built their own mini-Wall, consisting of a donkey trough and rocks laid across the road and blocking the path. Of course the soldiers could remove it all with ease but they hate to leave their vehicles in case it could be an ambush. So instead they just turned round and left. Very clever, kids!