hi everyone as you know Jerusalem has many holy sites I've made a lot of videos about them but
what you need to know is that in between the holy sites there are quite a few non-holy people who
may try to scam you in this video I will show you where you should be extra careful and I
will give you some very useful tips to avoid these scammers I will say that Jerusalem is
safer for tourists than most other cities in Berlin I saw much more sophisticated ways to
scam tourists but you know still nobody wants to visit a religious site and get scammed two
minutes later it can ruin the whole day by the way I see a deep connection between these scammers who
want an extra dollar and the holy sites I will talk about it at the end of the video but now
the tactless well should you be more alert many tours especially group tours start the day at
the top of the amount of Olives my Jerusalem booklet does too you have the sun behind you
the Magnificent old city of Jerusalem in front of you and whole loads of scam artists all around you
in short I will say that this is not the place to buy that fake Rolex watch you've
always wanted make sure you keep your wallet closed if you want to change your
lens on your camera then go to a corner to do it or enter the cemetery and do it there
from the lookout most Travelers continue to Gethsemane outside the church there are some very
aggressive sellers I guess it is their right to be aggressive but it is also your right not to buy my
tip here is simple if you feel pressured then take it as a sign you shouldn't buy anything from them
ask what the prices before you touch the object and don't pick anything up in your hand
The next place you should be aware of is the Via Dolorosa. Now there are dozens of shops along the Via Dolorosa,
and most of them are decent Merchants who want to make a living but among them there are some very
aggressive sellers remember compare the prices from one shop to another and never put up with
ugly Behavior so we are probably hungry by now in my Jerusalem app I pinpoint some great options but
let's say that you've made a mistake and came to Jerusalem without purchasing my app with all my
tours and tips it happens people make mistakes anyway there are some restaurants that play a
dirty trick on customers in restaurants you should always ask for the menu if you get a menu without
a prices list it's a very bad sign if they don't let you know what the prices are then you should
be suspicious don't even order a cup of coffee they will charge you 10 bucks for it now there
is another thing that they do they they give you a menu and you see a Falafel or Shawarma
and the price is reasonable and you order but then they bring you the Falafel plate which is
much more expensive now in many restaurants in Israel you can buy falafelina pita bread or in
a plate which is a bit more expensive it is very common but in some of the restaurants they charge
a ridiculous price for the Falafel plate without asking you so my tip for you here is to get my app
and if not say that you want a Falafel for seven dollars and not the plate for 25 bucks
to be aware of on your way to the Western Wall from the Jewish quarter you will come
across people wanting to tie a red string around your wrist and bless you and then
they will ask you for money if you want to donate money great time for it but I don't
like people preferring other people to donate money and I don't know who the money goes to
my tip for you here don't accept the red string and just keep walking
The last place I want to show you is where most tourists enter the city
Jaffa Gate. Here I wouldn’t change money, or use the services of any of the illegal guides who
will just take you to their uncles’ shops and pressure you to buy jewelry, or use any taxis.
Jaffa Gate is the main gateway into the city so there are plenty of honest shops
and the great tip-based tours start from here. But in general, be aware.
Now I have to say that I know that these kinds of videos are very helpful
for travelers but for me personally, as a tour guide, I would rather talk about
history and religion so let’s add a bit of extra knowledge to this video. Shall we?
The scammers are not a new thing. They were here from the moment Jerusalem became Jerusalem. Mark
Twain wrote about most of what I’ve outlined here 150 years ago. The best-selling of Twain’s work
during his lifetime was the travel book “The Innocents Abroad”, which he wrote while he
was here in 1867. His book, not so politically correct I must say, describes Jerusalem better
than any travel video you will ever see. Including, of course, my videos.
But there is another point to make here: how can it be that next to the
holiest places – the place where the Jewish temples stood, where Jesus was resurrected,
where Muhammed ascended to heaven to negotiate with God about how many prayers a Muslim
ought to pray – right next to these places that are so important to billions of people,
you have someone trying to rip you off and sell you a falafel for $25.
The highest and the lowest are two sides of the same coin. Think about it, the Jewish
temples stood where Abraham almost sacrificed his son, and where Jesus suffered on the cross,
next to thieves, humiliated, mocked by the masses. Sacrifice, humiliation, blood, holiness,
faith… These are all very closely related. Here, on this side, are the holiest sites and here, just
outside Jaffa Gate is the valley, Gay in Hebrew, where they sacrificed children. Guy Ben Hinom,
Gehenom, hell. It is not a coincidence that the stairway to heaven and hell are so close.
That’s it, if you want my personal blessing then give this video a like, subscribe,
check out my internet site and be a good person. See you in Jerusalem. Yalla bye.