Akko

Jacob left early the next morning for work so it was just me and Charlie in the morning. He made me a hearty breakfast of some oatmeal and lots of fruit. He also topped up my Rav-Kav for the routes I was going to be taking today. He was really into 3D printing and so he gave me the full breakdown on its history and mechanism as well as all these deep intricate details that was honestly too much for me to fit in my brain. We 3D printed Yoda with a Fat Buddha's body and while it was printing, we talked a bit more about Israel's geography, culture and Palestinian relations. I took a shower and after I was done, Yoddha was also fully printed out. It was really like magic seeing something conjured up in thin air. I had the honors of breaking it off and Charlie also gave it to me as a gift. With everything said and done, it was time for me to depart to Akko so I said my goodbye to Charlie and made my way to the bus stop. It was a fun few days couchsurfing around Israel but as I stepped out that door, I felt a newfound sense of freedom as now I am officially back to being an independent traveler. Today's journey will be a long one as I was going all the way up to Akko and then all the way down to Jerusalem. From the bus stop, I rode to the train station and from there I went up to Akko, and waited for another bus that took me to the old city.

Akko has a lot of historical significance especially since it contains the Undergroud City of the Crusaders. The crusaders of yore had always been of interest for me ever since playing the first Assassin's Creed game. My first stop was the gardens to leave my things just like how I did in Caesarea, expecting it to be left untouched as I went about my day. I chose to leave my clothes bag under a tree and sprawled on my swimming trunks that were still wet from yesterday's swim. I also left my hiking shoes and proceeded to go inside the old city like a naive fool. The city's vibe was surprisingly different, perhaps because the whole city was made to be a tourist spot. There were all sorts of artworks and craftswork plastered around the walls of the city which made every alley and street really unique and fun to get lost in. I would say the only thing constant with the few places I have been so far is the sound of the ocean waves. Here as well from the fortress walls lie the almost endless Mediterranean sea. I went to St. John's Church first hoping to get a good shot but my phone's zoom wasn't good enough. I was doing a lot of backtracking around the old town as well as it turns out most of the spots I wanted to visit required a ticket so I went back to where I first started and bought the ticket and also received map of Akko which a kind lady helped explain to me. I went into the Knight's Kingdom first which took me to the underground city of the Crusaders. It was actually a pretty long route but I was mostly happy because it was airconditioned. I had with me a self-guided audio tour and was simply following the numbers and listening to the information provided by the narrator about the historical significance of the places and how life was like back then. I somehow still got lost and felt like I had seen enough of the Knight's Hall so I found my way back and went to Hamam Al-basha, a Turkish bathhouse that functioned more as a museum. It was only a couple of rooms but it was preserved from back then and through a film, I learned about the history behind these bathhouses. Another similar one was the Ramhal Synagogue that had a small underground portion that also showed a short film. Last but not the least was the Templar's Tunnel which was actually one of the main spots of Akko. It was a long and narrow tunnel that stretched several meters long, there was a huge tour group blocking the way so I had to brush past a lot of people until I got to have the tunnel all to myself. I ended up at the other end of Akko once again and now making another effort to go back all the way to the entrance but not before dropping by one of the museums in the old Knight's Hall as I seem to have missed it. I was planning on dropping by one more museum which was past the garden where I left my things. I admit it has been on my mind for most of the day and I was nervous going back. As I approached the garden, my eyes started to scour for my things by the tree but it wasn't there. My heart sank a bit but still clinging to false hope that maybe I had left it behind the tree, I moved in closer. Alas, it was all gone, I tried to look around the garden some more but this time being completely alone carried a different tone. I went to the nearby policemen to ask for their help but they told me that this place wasn't their jurisdiction. The tourist police was also closed and so I went back again to the place where I bought my tickets to ask if they were able to help. The lady made some calls but to no end. At this point, I knew it was a lost cause but I went back again just to make sure and started to begin the process of acceptance. It sucked but it was truly on me to have done such an irresponsible thing. I made my way to the bus stop with a bit of a heavy heart and some worries about how to survive for the rest of the week but still remaining positive. I could always just buy some clothes and I still had a pair of pajamas left in my bag, some slippers and other important belongings like my passport, powerbank and charger.

As I got on the train back to Tel Aviv, I listened to some mantras to ground me and the Hare Krishna mantra has always helped do just that. I got to Jerusalem near sunset after a long trip that spanned a couple of hours but I was making huge progress and was almost near Abraham Hostel. It was surprisingly chilly in Jerusalem but the vibe here definitely was the most unique on being the holiest city in Israel. On the way to my hostel, I chanced upon some stalls selling really cheap clothes which helped put my mind at ease. I can always come here tomorrow if I needed to. I also passed by the Machane Yehudah market which Elisa actually recommended to me along with sabich to which I ended up getting deeper in the market for dinner. I wanted to buy some clothes there as well but I found it a bit too expensive and I could sense the shop owner wasn't too keen on my loitering around there either. I soon got to Abraham hostel and after the constant interruptions, I finally got to check-in. I had trouble unlocking my room but when I finally did, I found I had two room mates who introduced themselves as Fergus and Oscar. Fergus was a more elderly man who was originally from Hong Kong but now living in England while Oscar was a bigger guy from Sweden. I told them of my plight and they were both quite understanding and offered a lot of advice. I borrowed Oscar's toiletries and took a shower. Not much things left to do as I didn't have much stuff to settle down with so I took the time to get to know my room mates before heading to bed.Read more