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Nothing but the Judean Desert greeted us east of Jerusalem. I broke into song, "Oh, I'm riding in the desert on a horse with no name. Hmm hm hmm hmm hmmm hmmm hm hmmmmm. That was the only part of the only desert song either of us knew and Adam’s not much of a singer so the sing along was short lived. I sang it again with a twist, “Oh I‘m riding in the desert on a horse named Jawad.” Adam didn’t find that verse funny but I found everything to be funny in a desert below sea level. That verse became a little funnier each time I sang it to myself during the long drive.

By this time, questions from armed Israeli soldiers seemed commonplace. We passed the West Bank security gate where a sign read, “Jericho Worlds Oldest City 10,000 years old.” Another sign read “150 meters below sea level.”