March 2017 - West Bank

I wanted to go to the baptismal site on the Jordan and to Bethlehem. We went on a tour that went to these places, along with Jericho and Ramallah. The ruins at Jericho were surprisingly uninteresting, but we saw a kingfisher. In Bethlehem we stopped by the wall and the Banksy hotel. Maybe someday we'll see pieces of this wall in museums like the Berlin wall.

The River Jordan, near where Jesus may have been baptized?	Touching the Jordan!
The River Jordan, near where Jesus may have been baptized?	Touching the Jordan!
A sign of the tumultuous past	Area A of the West Bank	Monastery of the Temptation, right near the Jordan
A sign of the tumultuous past	Area A of the West Bank	Monastery of the Temptation, right near the Jordan
	The modern city of Jericho, down the hill from the ancient city	The ruins at Jericho. Pretty underwhelming.
	The modern city of Jericho, down the hill from the ancient city	The ruins at Jericho. Pretty underwhelming.
		A white-throated kingfisher was the coolest thing we saw at the ruins of Jericho
		A white-throated kingfisher was the coolest thing we saw at the ruins of Jericho
Brave enough to drink from Elisha's Well. I was not.	Living out in the Judean wilderness	Arafat's tomb. A bit of a strange experience.
Brave enough to drink from Elisha's Well. I was not.	Living out in the Judean wilderness	Arafat's tomb. A bit of a strange experience.
	The flag of the Arab revolt	Ramallah, the capital of the Palestinian territory
	The flag of the Arab revolt	Ramallah, the capital of the Palestinian territory
	The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem	Some of the fine detail inside the church
	The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem	Some of the fine detail inside the church
	A really big Christmas ornament	Descending down to the manger area
	A really big Christmas ornament	Descending down to the manger area
	The star marks the spot where the baby Jesus miraculously appeared in a pillar of light	The mosaic floor from the original Byzantine church
	The star marks the spot where the baby Jesus miraculously appeared in a pillar of light	The mosaic floor from the original Byzantine church
The Catholic wing of the Church of the Nativity	A nativity at the Church of the Nativity. Gotta love it.	The town of Bethlehem. Surprisingly cute.
The Catholic wing of the Church of the Nativity	A nativity at the Church of the Nativity. Gotta love it.	The town of Bethlehem. Surprisingly cute.
	The barrier
	The barrier
		The Banksy hotel
		The Banksy hotel
	The first Banksy that we came across
	The first Banksy that we came across