Cold day

It was freezing cold last night. Minus 1 or even lower elsewhere in the City. Had my 2 heaters on but wasn't enough so wore my bathrobe and buried myself under 2 blankets. At about 2am I had an asthma attack but it wasn't major. The good thing was it wasn't raining. It was very dry and crispy. That made the morning more bearable.

Anti-slip shoes

Thanks to everyone for their New Year greetings and gifts (clothes, shoes, medicines, lai see, food). I've shared them around with the other chinese religious today. And the shoes are a blessing because they are ice - snow anti-slip. I wore them this morning and could walk confidently without fear of falling ... without crouching and holding on to railings. It makes a big difference when I can walk without fear of falling ... it changes the mood, the whole day's work goes a long way when you have some form of independence and freedom from fear.

The Garbage Strike seems to be over. I noticed the trash along Suleiman Street have been removed. But I've not been to West Jerusalem yet so I don't know the situation there. But let's hope it's over. No one should get sick because of this.

Our hostel for pilgrims "Casa Nova"

Casa Nova's new lobby

had a makeover at the lobby. It looks so much better ... less cluttered and more inviting. But right now it's low season for tourism so it's very empty. If things continue to be calm, we expect a rise in tourist numbers in summer.

The New Year saw a rise in prices of goods and services here. Because of the drought, water has become more expensive as well. And the bitterly cold winter meant that electric bills go up because of heaters being turned on most of the time.  Poor people are now suffering greatly. And it's worse in Syria for the refugee christians. We haven't forgotten them.