Israel - Day 3 (cont.)

Okay, so here's our big story from yesterday...
As we told you, we went to Hezekiah's Tunnel yesterday. When you exit the tunnel, you go down a flight of stairs outside and continue to the Pool of Siloam. Mike was in the back of the group (the last 3 people), and he got stopped by an Israeli who was trying to get Mike to pay him a few shekels to see the view from his property. This caused some separation from the group. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, these three (Mike included) continued on to the opening at the end of that area. They did not know that they were actually supposed to turn around 180 degrees to meet up with the group who was not visible at this point.

Mike and these other two ended up going through another tunnel (which, incidentally, was an old Roman sewer!). The tunnel went up about 150 feet over the course of about a quarter mile. At the end was an Israeli in a booth with a gun. When the three tried to go back in the tunnel since they knew it was the wrong way, this Israeli told them it was against regulation. Even though the man was in a uniform, it just didn't seem right. Nevertheless, they had to comply. The Israeli escorted them across a street in a bad neighborhood telling them he was taking them back to the start of Hezekiah's Tunnel) where we had already been. Apparently, it was his job to do this. He tried to take them behind a gate that would lock behind them! Michael did not like this and convinced the other two to walk on their own through a dangerous neighborhood instead. They ended up finding their way back to the beginning of Hezekiah's Tunnel and found out that the man was telling the truth and was not trying to harm them.

Back at the opening for Hezekiah's Tunnel, the found out how to get back down the hill on the outside in order to make it to where their group was. They ran down a steep hill and finally found the group sitting at the Pool of Siloam listening to the guide. Michael slipped in amongst the group thinking he would joke that he had been there all along, when all-of-a-sudden someone in the group told him that Ashley had gone back toward the end of the tunnel looking for him. Somehow, and I will never know why, they had let her go look for Michael ALONE!!! (I think they thought she was just going to go a short way and come back).

When Michael learned of this, he took off quickly, and the two who had been previously lost with him followed. They RAN back up that Roman sewer looking for her and met the guy at the top in the uniform. He said she had passed by there and that he escorted her through. They went with him through the locked gate this time and came out at the entrance to Hezekiah's tunnel once again. They ran down the hill a second time. The whole way Michael was venting to the guy who was running with him about how it was possible that the entire group could be so dense as to let Ashley go off by herself looking for him.

Michael and his friend finally came back tot he bottom at the Pool of Siloam and found the group, and Ashley! Apparently, Ashley ended up going up that same Roman sewer looking for Michael and had come to the top to meet the Israeli with the gun who would escort her and direct her back down. Michael and Ashley both kept missing each other, however. After we finally met and hugged each other for a while, the whole group picked p and began walking back to our hotel---through that same Roman sewer!!! This was the 3rd time Michael went up that steep tunnel!!!

Hezekiah's Tunnel