Taybeh is a small town which has a lot of interest from different parties. The hotel manager, born in Taybeh, with some roots in the US, told us about the challenges he faces as a business man. The situation in Palestine is complex and more intricate than you can imagine. The only way to get an understanding is to visit Palestine and speak to the people. No matter what you think you know, won’t even scratch the surface.
After two challenging days, today’s ride was going to be a different. Taybeh is 800 metres above sea level and we will be travelling to Jericho which is 250 metres below sea level. So a significant drop and little to no hill climbing.
The ride lasted 21 miles and we traversed through the most beautiful scenery. Windy roads as we cut through the valley with a stop at the desert overseeing Jordan. Cycling downhill is a very different type of riding, focusing on skill, awareness and aptitude. My bike had disc brakes which were simply amazing and I would have struggled with standard caliper rim brakes.
I was very cautious when descending as the roads picked up speed very quickly and the corners and bends often backed the edge of a drop. I am not a good descender and one thing I will be focusing on when I return. Nevertheless the scenery was simply breathtaking.
Once we arrived close to Jericho, we headed to mount temptation, a place where it is believed Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights and was tempted by the devil. We kept our bikes in a room and headed up the hill using a cable car, giving us a good view of the city. We headed for lunch in the restaurant and then walked up to the monastery on top of the hill, before heading back to pick up our bikes and cycle to the hotel.
Another good day completed.
