Jesus Trail
T
he hardest part of traveling to an exotic destination is getting someone to go with you. So when my friend Jeff Weill asked me to hike the Jesus Trail in Israel I said yes. I mean I'm 63. If not now when?
I feel like I'm a pretty good traveler. First of all, I have my travel bag, which I have perfected over decades. It's got everything you really need in a set-aside, ready-to-go bag. Just grab it and go.
I also have my travel checklist, which includes other possible preparations gleaned from past trips. I review that list and tweak it for the trip at hand.
This trip is different because we are hiking and backpacking. Everything we need is carried on our backs. I am experienced at this with about eight months of backpacking under my belt. Problem is, that was 37 years ago. With some rearranging, I got my borrowed high-tech backpack down to 15 pounds total.
Perhaps the most important item for international travel today is making sure your cellphone works overseas without putting you in bankruptcy. The way to do that is to buy a local SIM card (Subscriber Identity Card) with prepaid 50 gigs or so of data.
I used the Internet to shop for a great deal on an Israeli SIM with 50 gigs for $30. Unfortunately, our plane arrived in Tel Aviv after their airport store was closed. But they were able to ship it to me from Israel in advance. Warning: Make sure your phone is “unlocked” so your international SIM card will work. If your phone is paid for, cell phone carriers are required by law to unlock your phone. They can usually do it remotely.
Because I am always testing my websites, I have an Iphone as well. I ordered a Google Fi SIM card which works in 200 countries for $70 max unlimited coverage. It may sound like I went overboard, but having full, unlimited mobile data and phone functionality is essential for international travel. Don't leave home without it.
Of course, covid adds complexity. Israel requires a PCR test 72 hours before you leave. To guarantee the lab results within 24 hours, you have to pay $165. We took our chances and got the free government test. We were sweating it but the negative results arrived in the nick of time.
We had to have five documents: A negative covid test, vaccination cards, passport, proof of medical insurance and a complex, computer-generated Israel arrival form. Rather than buy special covid travel insurance, Jeff and I both went to the Mississippi Blue Cross/ Blue Shield website and printed out a free proof of insurance. (Jeff and I compete to see who can be the cheapest and we figured that would get us through.) Nobody ever asked us for the proof of insurance documents.
Both Jeff and I took smaller day packs on the plane with enough essentials so we could continue on our trip even if our luggage was lost. Jeff bagged and taped our backpacks so we could check it as one bag and save money.
The total affair was $1,160, which is pretty darn amazing to go one-third the way around the world.
All our documents checked out in Jackson and we boarded our flight to Dallas. After a perfect two-hour layover, we boarded our 10.5 hour flight to Helsinki, Finland. Documents checked again, no problem.
People complain about the horrors of long international flights but I consider that bunk. I am fed, provided the beverages of my choice and finally have the chance to watch two movies in a row. If you want to sleep, there's Benadryl, Dramamine or Ambien, which works on everybody.
Being relatively small is a huge asset when flying. At five feet eight, 165 pounds, the seats are plenty roomy. I bring a blow up pillow for my back, one for my neck, earplugs and a professionalgrade eye shade. I am a traveling machine!
As it turns out, the flight to Helsinki was almost completely empty. I guess this is what happens when the government is your major shareholder. Every passenger was able to lay out over three or more seats and even then nine out of 20 rows were empty. I have never seen anything like it. It made me wonder if the Russian Ukraine war was a factor.
We had an eight-hour layover in Helsinki (the airport was stark, clean and elegant) so we decided to do a quick visit of downtown Helsinki. We asked the guy at passport control if this was OK and after checking our documents, he said “no problem.”
We Googled “most scenic restaurant” in Helsinki, picked the finalist and caught the train into town. We had to walk about 20 minutes but it was through the heart of downtown Helsinki. Snow was on the ground and we were wearing light jackets.
Helsinki is just what you would image: A European city with a slightly Eastern European/ Russian feel. It was developed and prosperous, approximately equal with the U.S. It's what Ukraine was becoming before falling victim to this hideous war.
As a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Finland, already in the European Union, may soon announce plans, along with Sweden, to join NATO. Russia has invaded Finland multiple times, most recently in 1939 but the fierce resistance of the Finnish people has protected their independence. The war resulted in 25,000 Finnish soldiers dead and 150,000 Russian soldiers dead.
After a delicious lunch surrounded by a scenic view of the
Helsinki harbor, we took an Uber to the magnificent Helsinki Cathedral where a 100 or so decked out youngsters were taking senior prom photos. The young girls were in fancy dresses and the boys in elaborate tuxedos. The chilly breeze didn't seem to bother the girls barebacked formal gowns. The kids were friendly and we chatted about life in Helsinki.
We Ubered to another site then ran out of time and Ubered back to the airport. We had plenty of time but we got lost in the airport due to horrible signage and had to exit and go through security a second time.
We still had 15 minutes to spare when a newbie at the Finnair flight desk noticed an error in my Israel entry form. The Israelis do dates with the day, month, year. My form has month, day, year. In the old days, I could have just corrected this with a pen but in the computer age, it meant the whole form was invalid and I couldn't get on the plane. The only solution would be to redo the form in the next 10 minutes.
This is where computer skills come in handy. I did a Google search, found the form and, with shaky fingers and pounding heart, completed it just in the nick of time. I now had a valid Green Pass and could get on the plane.
They scanned my boarding pass. Oh no! It beeped red and the words “no admittance” appeared on the screen. Jeff, already through, looked at me nervously. The attendant, looking confused, worked the keyboard with lightning speed. My shoulders slumped. I knew I was not getting on this plane. Then, miraculously, I saw the attendant nod, “Oh, a seat change.” He put a new seat sticker on my boarding pass and I was on my way.
PS: You can go to the Northside Sun's website and click on the Friends menu and follow my journey down the Jesus Trail. My posts are public so you don't have to register or be my friend to view them.