The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1900-07-12
TO THE HOLY LAND.
The Rush of Tourists Is Now I'm.
usually Great
Facilities for Travelling Are Not Up
to the Requirements - Amer
leans Visiting Bible
Countries.

IeOple VINO nave decided on taking
a tour through Egypt and the Holy
Land this year complain of unusual
difficulty in getting berths in trans
Atlantic liners and agents in charge
of trips to these countries say that it
is almost impossible to get them
started on schedule time. This, says
the New York Sun, is ascribed to two
causes. One is that the number of in
tending tourists in the lands of Bible
story has increased beyond all ex-
pectatons and the second is that the
British government has taken no less
than Is large steamships off the
hands of the different steamship COM
panies. The tourist season in Egypt
and the Holy Land begins in necem-
Der and ends from March to May ac-
cording to locality. After March the
hot desert winds begin. to blow in
Egypt and by the end of April it be-
comes too warm for comfort even in
Palestine, although the nights are
cool.
A man who has personally conduct
ed great number of tours through
the Bible lands said lately in talking
of the present status of travel in
these countries: Il do not suppose
there ever was a time when it was so
hard to make dates for tourists. The
number of people who want to go to
the Holy Land is far in excess of the
accommodations. The taking of so
chine nv ha Dr;t.eL
ment for war purposes makes it diff
cult to arrange tours, especially as
the season lasts only few months
How do | account for the large num-
Der of people who are going this
year? Well, there are a number of
contributing causes. During and for
some time before the war with SPAIN
the tourist business dropped lower
than it had been for several years,
and tourists are now making up for
lost time. Then again times have
been good since the war and people
are spending more money. The chief
reason believe is that trip through
these countries is not considered so
formidable an undertaking as it used
to be. Modern inventions have worked
wonders, and even the road from
Cairo to the Pyramids. which used to
be traversed on mules has trolley
line. with an Arab conductor, clad in
a garment that to an American looks
like nightshirt. jumping on and off
the cars. collecting fares and pulling
the bell strap just like IAN American
conductor.
1T may be too that the prominence
given by newspapers to questions of
religion and discussions on the Bible
has inspired number of Americans
with the desire to visit Bible coun-
tries. At all events il is fact that
there We're never in my memory so
many people who wanted to go to these
countries as at present. This time of
the year is the popular one for TAX
ing the trip. The later rains are over
and the air is pure and balmy there
just like ideal June weather in this
country, with an average temperature
of SIS degrees in the daytime. The
nights are cool. Most tourists leave
for home in March. but a few take
chances of the desert winds and re-
main longer. No one who has not en-
countered them can realize what
these winds are like. The particles
of sand find their way through closed
doors and get into the food. They
even find their way into your watch
and stop II and the sand being sharp
and gritty. cuts the mucous mem
brane and causes nose bleed 1t acts
the same way on the lungs with some
people and produces hemorrhages.
storms. | once was caught in a small
one with friend Our Arab guides
covered their faces but we were not
posted and the sand acted exactly like
4 sand blast and took all the skin off