January 24th: The Negev and Eilat, Part IV

I woke up around 9AM today for the free breakfast offered by the hostel, then went back to bed for a while.  Today was Saturday–Shabbat–so there was nothing mandatory planned, in case anyone was extremely observant.

This is a hotel. Crazy.

There were a few optional activities, but I wanted to do what everyone else was doing, and not many people in my group signed up for the activities.  Instead, most were just chilling at the beach.  Around noon, I took off solo to meet up with them, snapping a few photos of the Red Sea along the way.

Half way there, I learned that the group was going to go snorkeling at the Eilat Coral Reserve.  That was the same place I went snorkeling when I was here 12 years ago!  I started walking towards the place, passing a cool mural along the way:

The mural in Eilat.

Part of the mural.

The mural was huge, extending maybe an eighth a mile, and full of images of sea life and desert life.

Near the end of the mural, I came across the entrance to a small navy base, and snapped a photo of the flags and military boat beyond the gate.

The naval base in Eilat.

After taking the photo, I was summoned by someone to my right.  Thinking I was in trouble for taking the picture, I looked over expecting to see a military officer.  Instead, my eyes were met by a mother and her two children.  They were standing next to a silver minivan with a flat tire, and requested my help changing it.  With my limited Hebrew, I showed them where to place the jack under the car and helped them take off the old tire.  The woman’s husband arrived just as I got the tire off.  She thanked me for my help, and with a warm smile, I said ‘You’re welcome’ and continued on my way.

After another 15 minutes of walking, I was starting to run out of water.  I took another look at the map on my phone.  It would easily be another half hour of walking, if not more–the reserve was half way to Egypt!!  I had marooned myself.

I found a roundabout with a bunch of statues of people playing musical instruments, and waited for a taxi to come by.  It took me the rest of the way to the reserve.

Kite surfers on the Red Sea. See a video of this here: https://vimeo.com/119165758

I was dropped off in a big commercial area with lots of different activities–kite surfing, scuba diving, surfing, snorkeling–so it was nearly impossible to find my group.  I  called Morgan, Andrew, and Yael, but they didn’t answer.  I figured they must already be in the water.

Finally, I called Mason to ask where they were.  “Um…I didn’t say anything about going to the reserve,” he said.  Turns out, only Yael, Morgan, and Andrew went there.  The rest of the group was still chilling at the beach I passed 20 minutes ago!

It was my fault.  I misinterpreted the WhatsApp chatter as meaning that everyone was going there.  I should have checked to make sure.  Since I didn’t know exactly where Morgan, Andrew, and Yael were, I just decided to head back to the beach where the others were.  It wasn’t a total waste, though.  I helped that family with their tire, and the walk was pleasant.  Plus, seeing a bit of the reef where I snorkeled 12 years ago was pretty cool–snorkeling in Eilat was my second favorite memory of my time with Alexander Muss.  (My favorite was climbing Masada at dawn.)

I caught another cab, which took me back to the beach.  On the way, I struck up a conversation with the driver, who was quite a character: he was a former defense freelancer, who’s been all over the world protecting ships from various threats.  Nice guy!

He dropped me off in front of the beach, and I quickly found my group.  They were sunbathing–something I was hoping to do, as my tan from our beach days in Tel Aviv was fading.

My family. Photo courtesy of Morgan.

Ouch.

I pulled up a chair next to Jess, and noticed that his left foot was in a small bucket of water.  “What’s with your foot?” I asked.

He had stepped on a sea urchin.

I was concerned, but he was in good spirits, so we just relaxed on the beach for the next couple of hours.  I had a nice conversation with Ruth, who was going to leave the program a little early, just after we got back from Eilat.  She’s an aspiring actor and model, and after her internship didn’t go the way she needed it to, she was eager to continue on her journey.

Garrett and me.

We packed up as the sun started to go down, and decided to head to a restaurant for a quick dinner before the bus ride back to Tel Aviv.  It was going to be long–three and a half hours–so we needed to leave early, around 6PM.

However, Sharon and Jess had such a great time that they planned on staying in Eilat an extra day, and just taking Sunday off from work.

We walked together along the road I took from the hostel, passing the mural.  Someone spotted a fish with spikes on it and pointed, saying “Look, Jess!  It’s what you stepped on!”

Just outside of the restaurant, I found the most elaborate swing I’ve ever seen

A half hour later, we arrived at a nice restaurant on the beach that sold sushi, stir fry, and other dishes.  The 15 or so of us relaxed together as the sun started to set.  I was absolutely content.

The food was amazing.  Natti and I got each got a stir fry, and most of the others shared sushi.  Once our food arrived, a couple of stray cats decided to come beg for scraps.  I fed them a couple small pieces of meat, and after I finished, let them lick my chopsticks.

We hurried back to the hostel to pack, but not before Brittney and I took a few photos of the sunset.

The Red Sea.

After we finished packing, we all gathered in the lobby of the hostel for a quick Havdalah service–the ceremony that marks the end of Shabbat.  Lilah volunteered to sing the prayer; her voice recovered from the previous night.

After that, it was onto the buses to head back to our respective cities.  We were pooped!

This was our last big trip, but damn, was it good!!  The hikes were incredible, the views were breathtaking, Eilat was gorgeous, and my new family and I bonded even more.  It was everything I had hoped it would be, and more.

January 23rd: The Negev and Eilat, Part III

Eilat!

Our bus dropped us off in front of our hostel.  It was a modest building simply called the Youth Hostel and Guest House, located near the southern end of the city.  The interior was nice, though, with a courtyard instead of a hallway connecting the rooms.  After checking in, Oliver and I went up to our room to unpack and take a little nap.  (Oliver, Daniel V., German Daniel, and I signed up to room together a few days prior.)

The group that took the challenge hike, including both Daniels, arrived during our nap.  I wanted to hear about their hike, but they were exhausted and needed to settle in, first–shower, nap, etc.

In the meantime, Oliver and I decided to go get some lunch with Myriam, one of the October session folks.  We wandered out of the hostel, and found a pizza place right next door, with some great food.

We ate and chatted for a while, before heading back to the hostel to relax until dinner.

A banquet was planned for that evening with everyone in Destination Israel, just like the previous night at the Bedouin tent.  Most of my Tel Aviv group sat together, and we exchanged stories from the different hikes.

The challenge hike. Photo courtesy of Mason.

I learned that the challenge hike was exactly as advertised: It made the previous day’s hike through the Gov River look like a cake walk.  They had to climb near-vertical walls without harnesses, at times using all their upper body strength to pull themselves up and later down the mountain.

Their reward was a view that’s hard to beat, overlooking four countries: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia!  They ate lunch atop that mountain, enjoying their victory over their own limits.

The view from the top of the challenge hike. Photo courtesy of Mason.

It sounded amazing, but I’m glad I decided to do the easier option—by the end of the first hike, my knees were a little wobbly.  I don’t know if they would have held for the entire challenge hike.  (I guess I need to do more leg work at the gym!)

To my amazement, I also learned that despite her illness, Lilah completed the challenge hike!  Her sense of humor also survived: According to her, Jess has ankles that are too small for his body.  (Jess neither confirmed nor denied these claims.  Suspicious.)

A series of speeches and a few prayers preceded dinner.  Zach and Lilah were not pleased with the speakers delaying their meal—they were hungry!  They took turn making small jabs at the speakers, though being quiet enough so that only our table heard (…usually).  Hearing the jabs, Leah suffered another giggle fit:

Leah

Despite the annoying speeches, it was nice having everyone from all of the different Destination Israel programs together at once:

The banquet in Eilat

…Well, for the most part.  During the speeches, a group of French people on one of the programs had to repeatedly be shushed.  This same group also got into an argument at the Bedouin tent the previous night, and had to be broken up before fists started flying!  They’re clearly a troubled bunch, to put it lightly.  I had a brief encounter with one of them in line for food at the dinner.  There was a large line, and she simply budged to the front.  “Uh, the line starts back there,” I said as I gestured towards the back of the line.  She got defensive, saying something like “I was always here! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”  Irritating.  I let it go, though. (Others around me we also incredulous at her rudeness.)

Despite that encounter, dinner was great!  My group ate while discussing our plans for the evening.  Today was both Yas’s and Sharon’s birthdays, and we wanted to celebrate!  Leah and the other coordinators recommended a bar called the Three Monkeys.

On the way to the Three Monkeys, Lilah found a car that matched her wardrobe.

We started the festivities with a pregame at the hostel, using alcohol left over from the previous night along with fresh stuff bought in Eilat.  Merriment commenced!!  I had a few shots of something very strong, and had fun conversations with Lilah, Brittney, Yael, Natasha (from the October session), and a woman named Chelsea from one of the other sessions.

The Eilat boardwalk.

About an hour later, most of us slowly made our way out of the hostel towards the Three Monkeys.  I was with Lilah, Andrew, Morgan, Mason, Jess, and a few others.  We walked along a boardwalk complete with carnival rides and tons of restaurants, eventually arriving at The Three Monkeys.

After grabbing a drink, we were pleasantly surprised to see a band come out and start playing!  It was an all-female group: two singers, a drummer, and a guitar player.  They played hits ranging from the 60’s to today.  We had a ball dancing and singing along!!!

The band learned of Yas’s and Sharon’s birthdays, and they were invited on stage during a song!  Yas wasn’t around at the moment, so Sharon came on stage solo.  Yael and others quickly followed, filling the stage while dancing and singing.  It was fantastic.  Easily the best time I’ve had in a bar in Israel.

The Three Monkeys Pub. Photo courtesy of Sarah S.

As things died down a bit, I joined Lilah, Jess, and a bunch of others chilling at a table outside the club.  Between her illness and yelling in the bar, Lilah’s voice was completely shot.

While hanging out with them, I got a call from Oliver.  He wanted me to grab Rebecca’s jacket, which she had left in the bar.  The reason?  Rebecca slipped in the bathroom and got a bad cut on her leg.  Oliver was with her in the hospital!!  He said she would be fine, though.

I grabbed her coat, and let the others know about Rebecca.  A half hour later, I saw a snapchat from Sarah R.: Rebecca was back, now at another club, with a hospital bracelet on her wrist and her smiling.  The caption: “From the hospital to da club!”

Lilah, Mason, Sharon, and a few others and I left the Three Monkeys soon afterwards.  A few people went on to another club, but I just went to the hostel to head to bed.  I was beat (but happy)!

Oliver and Rebecca arrived at the hostel soon after I did.  Rebecca’s cut was about an inch and a half long and needed stitches!  She was in good spirits, though.  We all went to bed with a smile on our faces.

January 4th and 5th: The Calm before the Storm

January 4th:

While at work today, I got a call back from Leah’s dentist in Jerusalem, with whom I’d left a message a couple of days prior.  As I figured, it would take two trips to Jerusalem in order to get me fitted with a new permanent crown: one to take an impression of my tooth so the new crown could be made, and another to put the newly-made crown in.  I had just over one month left in Israel, so I asked how long it would take to finish the entire thing.  Turnaround for the new crown: A week or two.  Sounded good, but there was one hiccup that could mess everything up:

The weather.

A major storm was forecast to hit all of Israel this week.  Snow was even forecast for Jerusalem (!), which means that the major road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem was likely to be closed.  I didn’t want to be stranded in Jerusalem (or somewhere between there and Tel Aviv), so I decided to not schedule an appointment quite yet.

I think it’s for the best.  If the crown holds up okay over the next week, hopefully it’ll last until I get back home.

That evening was a meeting with everyone on the Destination Israel program in Tel Aviv: My group, the October group, and the coordinators.  We were meeting to go over the plan for a major trip coming up: The Negev and Eilat!  It was scheduled to happen this Thursday through Saturday.  The itinerary sounded great!  However, the forecast made it likely that we would have to postpone the trip.  They said they would let us know the next day.

 

January 5th:

The forecast was looking more and more intense, and around noon, we learned that the trip to the Negev and Eilat would indeed have to be postponed.  I’m really looking forward to this trip, so as long as it’s not cancelled, I’m fine with the delay.  Better that than hiking through the desert in the rain (or worse: a flash flood).