The 12 hour flight to Israel was exhausting as I couldn't sleep a wink. But things sort of evened out because I managed to get a 1 month visa to stay in Israel, and none of my luggage was opened (the last time I had stuff stolen). Arrived at my home in the Old City, but couldn't unlock the gate as someone stuffed sand into the keyhole. After trying for half an hour, my driver and I gave up - partly out of fear as a crowd of youths were gathering around us. You wouldn't want that to happen in the Old City after midnight, believe me! I also forgot the phone number of the house so I couldn't wake anyone up to unlock the gates. So the driver and I decided I should put up in a hotel till dawn. Only problem was all the hotels were fully booked. Luckily the kind staff at Novotel - Nafez and Amin, whom I know well, helped me contact some 8 other hotels till they finally found a room for me at the far end of Jerusalem New City. It was already 2.30am. Anyway at 6am I called for our faithful handyman Jadallah to fetch me back to the Old City. And so begins another episode of my journey in the Holyland; another set of footprints in the much trodden roads of Jerusalem.