MacNamara diary, 19 August 1916-29 May 1919 / John Patrick MacNamara - Page 194
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[Page 194]
that was leaving for Damascus at 11. The carriages on the train, though the seats are hard, are very comfortable & travel very smoothly indeed - what a contrast to the way we have to travel going to Egypt in open cattle trucks, whereas coming up here we got a first class train.
Shortly after leaving Haifa & after skirting the Carmel Range we came out on to the Plain of Esdraelon, stopping at [El] Afule & Beisan. This plain is very rich indeed, the soil for the most part being chocolate in colour. At present it is looking at its best, everything being so green & fresh looking. As we were going along we saw natives ploughing in the rain though the soil was really not fit for ploughing on account of of being so wet.
The country about Afule is about the richest I have so far seen. After leaving Beisan we crossed the Jordan River, near where it comes out of