Gates of Hades

J. Harrison and his oldest son were enjoying a long-anticipated tour of the holy land in Israel when the unthinkable occurred - Israel came under attack from Gaza by Hamas terrorists. Prior to the attack, J. Harrison and his son had explored a number of biblical sites, such as Caesarea Maritima (where the apostle Paul was imprisoned), Nazareth (boyhood home of Jesus), the Sea of Galilee (where Jesus walked on water, and calmed the storm), and En Gedi (where David hid from King Saul). Photos and detailed descriptions of the locations they visited and their significance in the bible are included that make their tour experiences come alive for readers. While visiting the En Gedi site, the tour company announced that, to protect tourists from possible harm from terrorists, the tour would be terminated that day. Tour members could sign up for bus rides to Jordan the next day, from which they could access the International Airport in Amman for airline flights. After signing up for the evacuation bus rides, J. Harrison, his son and the other tour members were bused back to Jerusalem. En route to Jerusalem, the bus passed a recent rocket hit near the road. After arriving in the hotel in Jerusalem, air raid alarms went off outside in the streets and the tourists, including J. Harrison and his son, were sheltered in the safe room of the hotel, two stories below ground level, before the "e;all clear"e; message was given to them some 45 minutes later. The next morning, J. Harrison, his son, and other tour members were bused to an entry point into Jordan, and then to hotels in Amman, Jordan. The following day, J. Harrison and his son took Egypt Air flights to Cairo, Egypt and to Washington, D.C. and an American Airlines flight from there to home in the Carolinas. All bus rides, hotel rooms, and airline reservations related to emergency evacuations for tour members were handled by the tour company. Thanks to Pilgrim Tours!