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“AGAIN I TELL YOU,
IT IS EASIER FOR A CAMEL
TO GO
THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE
THAN FOR SOMEONE
WHO IS RICH
TO ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD"
MATTHEW 19:24
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- I would like to know
about camel riding in Jerusalem, can you help?
Sara Blum,
New York City
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The best place to go camel riding in Jerusalem is on
the Mount of Olives. Every morning you can
normally find 12-year-old Shushi (and his owner Ali)
looking for riders, right next to the panoramic view
of the Holy City. Shushi is in fact, not a
camel (which has two humps) but a dromedary with one
hump. All the “camels” in the Holy Land are
dromedaries.
Shushi eats like a horse, his favorite foods
being bread, grass, oranges and grapefruits.
He’s very quiet, but in springtime he gets ornery
for some female company. He doesn’t spit and
even allows you to touch him. And he has a
license from the Jerusalem Municipality to boot.
When Ali wants him to stand up, he pats Shushi on
the right leg and whispers “howah.” Shushi
stands up with his back legs first so you are rocked
forward.
Then, as he rises from his front
knees, you are rocked backwards. Hang on
tight!
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Mounting a grinning Shushi on the
Mount of Olives |
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When he wants Shushi to get down, Ali clicks his
teeth with a guttural “hee.”
And the price -- $3 to go up – and $5 to get off!!!
(But if you've learned to bargain in the bazaar, you
can get the whole deal and a kiss from the camel for
only a few bucks!) (Today in 2023 -- the price
has gone UP!) |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Camel riding in the Holy City |
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Try comparing your camel ride with
Mark Twain’s.
After his 1867 Holy Land pilgrimage he wrote,
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“The camel would not turn out for a king. He
stalks serenely along, bringing his cushioned
stilts forward with the long regular swing of a
pendulum and whatever is in the way, must get out
of the way peaceably or be wiped out forcibly by
the bulky sacks.
I cannot think of anything more certain to make
one shudder than to have a soft-footed camel sneak
up behind you and touch you on the ear with its
soft, flabby underlip.”
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Coming to Jerusalem this
year? Does the hustle and bustle of
the market give you a high, yet you would like some
quiet moments in the holy sites? Are you eager
to eat humus and knafe elbow-to-elbow with
the "natives," or is dining in the style of King
Solomon and the Queen of Sheba more to your taste?
Gila's Guide
will lift up your spirit as you "Explore
Jerusalem's Soul." This up-to-date PDF (Adobe Acrobat) 46-page
guide gives you the Top Ten places to meditate on
the Bible, the Top Ten lesser-known churches worth
visiting, the Top Ten most rewarding roof-top views
and the Top Ten places for yummy Middle Eastern soul
food. More on
Gila's Guide...
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Or -- try an
alternative camel-riding adventure -- by the
lowest place on earth |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Pistachio posing by the
Dead Sea |
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Pistachio, or Fistuk in Hebrew and
Arabic, has to be the most beautifully
dressed and healthiest camel I have ever
seen. After everyone in my group had
gone for a jaunt on Pistachio, I translated
pilgrims' questions for the camel keeper.
Q: How old is Pistachio? A:
"13 years old which is actually not old.
A camel can live to be in his/her thirties."
Q: What does he eat? A:
"A mixture." No kidding. That
was the keeper's answer! What he meant
was a mixture of pomegranate, grapefruit and
orange rinds (from the fresh juice vendor)
mixed with the wild tall brown grasses
growing by the shores of the Dead Sea.
Q: Who keeps Pistachio company?
A: "His consort is named Cashew, but
today she is moody and doesn't feel like
'working'!" |
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Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
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Gila and Pistachio
February 2023 / On tour with Gila, you will
have FUN! |
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Copyright 2005,
2023
Gila Yudkin. Permission needed to reprint in
any medium. |
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More Holy Land adventures |
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Ramparts walk |
Hezekiah's Tunnel |
Temple Mount tour |
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GILA
YUDKIN
•
TCHERNIKOVSKI
64A
•
JERUSALEM
•
ISRAEL
gila@itsgila.com
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