a novel

On a somewhat spontaneous decision as I was planning the Palestine section of my adventure, I decided I would hike the Jesus Trail in the Galilee. I did not enjoy long hikes as a kid, so it is somewhat surprising that I would decide now to hike the 65 km trail between Nazareth and Capurnum that usually takes about 4 days (read more about it here: http://jesustrail.com/.) I saw it as both a pilgrimage and a personal endurance challenge. Here are some of my reflections from the each day on the hike: Day 1: I hiked at least 13.5 km from Nazareth to Cana. It was exhausting – but invigorating. A challenge I can live up to. The 400+ steps out of Nazareth old city made for a difficult start – but the view from the overlook was breath taking and the rest of the day much easier by comparison. Every time I almost lost the trail markers, my instincts were solid and I chose the right path and I got to celebrate a mini victory when I recognized a white-orange-white blaze up ahead.  ...

As stated by the Bedouin man I met on my drive out to a camp I stayed in for a night near Wadi Rum, every person we meet makes us more human (paraphrase). Traveling solo in Jordan provided me with so many opportunities to meet and share stories with new people. I hope that all of their experiences of humanness will enrich my own. Here are few stories of people I met: The Lebanese woman I met in the Beirut airport who was also traveling alone and encouraged me that Jordan was as safe a place as any to be alone and female (she was traveling in full burka). Jade, the healthy food shop clerk from Britain who had only every traveled in Spain before. She felt led to come to the Jordan River, bought a plane ticket, and two weeks later I met her on our shared tour to Mt. Nebo, the Dead Sea, and Bethany (the site of Jesus’ baptism on the Jordan side of the Jordan). “The world is mad… the universe is love.” The Save the Children employee who shared stories of humanitarian work in co...