My Private Guided Tour’ Wasn’t a Bargain

I always wanted to go to Jericho Palestine. Unfortunately, on this trip, I couldn’t figure out how to get there. I hadn’t given up on trying – but how to fit it into my trip was becoming a problem. In my desperation, I accepted a friend of a friend’s suggestion to go there with my guide’s friend. ‘My Private Guided Tour’ Wasn’t a Bargain to Jericho Palestine,

Traveling alone has many benefits. You can do what you want when you want to and go where you want to when you want to go. Traveling alone also requires that your senses are always filtering information. I feel my filter keeps me safe. I am a vigilant traveler but you have to be these days.

During a comfortable, warm evening in Jerusalem, I was meeting a friend of my tour guide for tea. We chatted, and my new ‘friend’ told me about his hometown, Jericho, Palestine.  He offered to take me on an evening drive to visit Jericho. He told me it was close and wouldn’t take long to get there. Because I wanted to visit Jericho, this seemed like an excellent idea even though it was last minute and unplanned. One of the benefits of being a solo traveler is accepting kind offers and impromptu trips.

An Evening Drive to Jericho Palestine

Jericho’s glory days have passed but continues to be occupied as a small village in present-day Palestine. Here are some things to know about Jericho and Jericho’s history.

Facts About Jericho

• The oldest inhabited place on earth is Jericho’s.
• Here’s what to see at Jericho for history buffs like me. It’s located in the middle of the West Bank.
• Summary of the history: Jericho (Palestine) – Archaeology of the Ancient City\
• Jericho is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
• However, the first occupants at Jericho were around much earlier than that.
• Jericho walls were built during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A period (PPN).
• Jericho is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• According to the Bible, Jericho was the place where the walls came tumbling down.
• Ruled by Babylonians, Persian Empire, Roman Empire, the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires

Jericho’s history and claim to being the oldest inhabited city

• Natufian (10,800-8,500 BC), sedentary hunter-gatherers, lived in semi-subterranean oval stone structures
• Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (8,500-7,300 BC), lived in roofed, oval semi-subterranean dwellings in a village, engaging in long-distance trade and growing domesticated crops, construction of the first tower (4 meters tall), and a defensive perimeter wall
• Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (7,300-6,000 BC), lived in rectangular houses with red-and-white-painted floors, with caches of plastered human skulls
• Early Neolithic (6,000-5,000 BC) Jericho was mostly abandoned during this period
• Middle/Late Neolithic (5,000-3,100 BC), very minimal occupation, but still inhabited
• Early / Middle Bronze Age (3,100-1,800 BC), extensive defensive walls constructed, rectangular towers 15-20 meters long and 6-8 meters tall with extensive cemeteries
• Late Bronze Age (1,800-1,400 BC), Jericho was destroyed

Arriving In Jericho Palestine

When we arrived in Jericho, my impression was of a typical, Middle Eastern town. It was busy that evening as people prepared for Eid. Eid marks the end of the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is 40 days of fasting for all Muslims from sunrise to sunset.  Eid is a celebration of special prayers and congratulations. The cows in the truck are going to market. At the market, each family will buy a cow or several depending on the size of the family. The lamb or cow is sacrificed as part of the Muslim tradition. Part of the cow is tithed to the poor, and the rest of the sacrifice is eaten by the family during the celebration days.

Jericho, Palestine

On my evening drive into Jericho, I saw open cafes, shops, and markets with people hurrying around. That night Jericho was a small busy village. We didn’t stop in the town of Jericho to walk around. Instead, my host continued driving to the outskirts of town. My radar was beginning to buzz loudly. I wished I had stopped in town, walked around the markets and had done some people watching. I wasn’t interested in going to a club. But my guide kept offering to show me the clubs and buy me wine. Even though he didn’t drink, he was becoming overly curious about me and even more friendly. He wanted me to be “relaxed.” I was as relaxed as I wanted to be. Nope, no thanks I told him. Then again, another offer and another “No thanks I am good.”

Outside of Town

We drove further and further out of town. There were bright street lamps that focused only on the residents property. Imagine driving through a small village down a country road in Kansas, surrounded by small country homes lit by one streetlight, house lights and not much else. The roads were empty. We didn’t see another car. No one was out walking. Occasional I heard a dog bark. As we drove further, the houses became fewer and fewer.

I wasn’t panicking, but my Jiminy Cricket was heating up. Evening drive to Jericho, Palestine – was turning out to be a little different than I expected.

Arriving at Home #1

A Trusted Friend…

My thoughts raced. I told myself, this is a trusted friend of my guide. My thought is I  do not have to be worried. But I was becoming uncomfortable. I had my guide’s cell number on my phone. I thought I could call if I needed him. 

The first home that my new ‘friend’ showed me was a deserted-looking house. No one had been there for a long time. There were trees with some fruit on the ground. In the backyard was a swimming pool, but it was so dirty that no one could swim in it. At least not anytime soon.

The Pool

The Front Door

Then a big strobe light came on and I could see the place a little better. The strobe was like a bright security spotlight.

Let’s Move On

I suggested that we move on. My new ‘friend’ wanted to show me his other home. He said that these houses were his. Maybe they were or maybe he was the caretaker. He told me that he came out a few times each week to water the palm trees.

The palm trees were watered by large water tanks on the property. He enjoyed coming regularly from Jerusalem to water the palm trees. My guide was proud of the properties he was showing me. To him, these properties were an oasis. He called them his oasis, his paradise. We moved on.

Home #2

Living Room with a Bed in It

At the next house, there was an unmade bed in the living room. Now I was certainly uncomfortable. I’m alone with a stranger in a house full of clutter in a foreign land on the outskirts of the small village called Jericho, Palestine.  In reality, I had no idea where I was. That evening I had walked into a very strange situation. My head whispered to my pounding heart to stay calm. Smile.

Far From Home

The more I looked around, the more I realized we were pretty far away from the village of Jericho. I could see it in the distance – the orange lights of the city glowed. My proud driver showed off the swimming pool at one side of the property which looked more like a raised hot tub. Thankfully, I wasn’t invited to go swimming. By this time, I’m not saying very much – just listening. My heart is pounding and my mouth was dry as I realize we were from very different worlds.  Anything can happen in a different culture and society.  He also told me that his brothers, cousins, and uncles owned the properties around his estate.

Looking Through My Camera Lens

Jericho Palestine

Training Complex

Through my camera lens, I spied a training facility. But who was training here? I snapped a shot without focusing.

Jericho Palestine

Training Base in  a Residential Neighborhood

His Explanation

I asked him what I was looking at through my camera lens. He told me it was a training facility. Snapping these pictures, quickly, all shot by my pointing and shooting without focusing, I suggested maybe it was time for us to go. He acted almost insulted. With some reluctance, he hesitated and then said, “Ok, Let’s we go.”

We had seen Jericho. It just wasn’t what I expected.

If you want to go to Jericho – Take a Jericho Tour.

Expect the unexpected.

Stay safe.

Final Advice

Always meet in a public place. When you meet a new person, take selfies with your new ‘friend’. Let’s call him “Bob.” Post the photo of you and Bob on Facebook, but don’t get in his car – take your car or public transportation. But, don’t get stuck!

Read more about some of the simpler adventure