On Wednesday we travelled from Amman to Jerusalem via the King Hussain (Allenby) Bridge border.
We left Amman at 1:15pm after praying Dhuhr and reached the Jordan checkpoint at 3pm. We left the Jordan checkpoint at 4:40pm (sat and waited in-between) to catch the bus over the border.
At the Israeli border we were questioned briefly, and then asked to wait in a waiting area after filling in forms. Three out of six of us were questioned again, and they had clearly done some research on us in the meantime. Generally, we were treated quite well by the Israeli security staff. The waiting area had AC and even wifi (though I don't know if we were meant to use this). There was no aggression in the way we were treated.
Eventually, we left the border at 8:40pm and reached the Hashimi Hotel at 11pm.
The Hashimi (http://www.hashimihotel.com/) is a very basic hotel/hostel and is not good value for money, the manager was also an unpleasant man in my opinion who spoilt the first night of my trip (my full review Tripadvisor review here) but it is only one of two in the Old City that I know of (the other being the Golden Gate Inn http://www.goldengate4.com/) - if I get the opportunity to go again and the Golden Gate is not available I would stay at the hotel again solely because it is a 7-9 minute walk to Masjid Al Aqsa from the hotel. The Golden Gate will add 1 minute to that walk, but that hotel is cheaper, the bedrooms have more character and from my experience of talking to staff their they seemed more pleasant.
Once we were settled we went out to look for something to eat, but only had around 8 shekels each as the exchange rate was very poor at the border and we didn't want to change more. We found a popular takeaway right across the road from the Damascus Gate and had a very good falafel and salad pitta sandwich. After that, we headed back to the hotel for rest so we could make an early start with Fajr at Masjid Al-Aqsa.
Tip: Restaurants are more expensive directly outside of the Damascus gate (e.g. approx £9 for quarter/half roast chicken and fries), if you walk out of the gate and turn right, walk for around 8/10 minutes to Sharie Salah ud Deen (Salah ud Deen Street) you can buy Broast Chicken (fried chicken) with wedges and drink for £3.50/£4 and can also find many money exchange places that offer a better rate than close to Damascus gate.
Costs:
Taxi Amman to border: 35JD for 6 (£29.35)
Jordan coach: 5.3JD (£4.86)
Israel coach: 42 shekels (£7.11)
falafel sandwich: 7 shekels (£1.20)
Hotel triple room: £25 per night x 3 (£75)
We left Amman at 1:15pm after praying Dhuhr and reached the Jordan checkpoint at 3pm. We left the Jordan checkpoint at 4:40pm (sat and waited in-between) to catch the bus over the border.
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| Streets of Jerusalem |
Eventually, we left the border at 8:40pm and reached the Hashimi Hotel at 11pm.
The Hashimi (http://www.hashimihotel.com/) is a very basic hotel/hostel and is not good value for money, the manager was also an unpleasant man in my opinion who spoilt the first night of my trip (my full review Tripadvisor review here) but it is only one of two in the Old City that I know of (the other being the Golden Gate Inn http://www.goldengate4.com/) - if I get the opportunity to go again and the Golden Gate is not available I would stay at the hotel again solely because it is a 7-9 minute walk to Masjid Al Aqsa from the hotel. The Golden Gate will add 1 minute to that walk, but that hotel is cheaper, the bedrooms have more character and from my experience of talking to staff their they seemed more pleasant.
Once we were settled we went out to look for something to eat, but only had around 8 shekels each as the exchange rate was very poor at the border and we didn't want to change more. We found a popular takeaway right across the road from the Damascus Gate and had a very good falafel and salad pitta sandwich. After that, we headed back to the hotel for rest so we could make an early start with Fajr at Masjid Al-Aqsa.
Tip: Restaurants are more expensive directly outside of the Damascus gate (e.g. approx £9 for quarter/half roast chicken and fries), if you walk out of the gate and turn right, walk for around 8/10 minutes to Sharie Salah ud Deen (Salah ud Deen Street) you can buy Broast Chicken (fried chicken) with wedges and drink for £3.50/£4 and can also find many money exchange places that offer a better rate than close to Damascus gate.
Costs:
Taxi Amman to border: 35JD for 6 (£29.35)
Jordan coach: 5.3JD (£4.86)
Israel coach: 42 shekels (£7.11)
falafel sandwich: 7 shekels (£1.20)
Hotel triple room: £25 per night x 3 (£75)
I agree the Hashimi is not good value in terms of the rooms and facilities but it has amazing views from the roof terrace where you can eat a great breakfast. Insha'allah will try your alternative suggestion next time!
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ReplyDeleteSalaam Br Muhammad, I agree with you about the view, which is the best thing about the hotel aside from the proximity to Masjid Al Aqsa, but I had some negative experiences with the Manager so will also probably stay at the Golden Gate Inn next time (Insha'Allah). I always review hotels on Tripadvisor as that website has helped so much in past travels, my full review of Hashimi can be found at: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g293983-d582387-r132156573-HaShimi_Hotel_and_Hostel-Jerusalem.html
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