If you haven't seen it yet, part 1 of the Israel blog is here.
After Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, next on the agenda was the Dead Sea. One of my main goals of all time was to float in the Dead Sea. It just looks so cool when people float there, reading magazines and drinking mai tais as if they were on a floaty mattress...but with no mattress! Luckily I wasn't the only one with this dream. To get the Dead Sea, we drove East from Jerusalem. A few of the others in the group had been to Israel before and had some general idea of what we were doing and where we were going. When we were driving, all I had to do was follow the car in front of me (or sleep when Dominika drove). If not for the camels, goats, and sheep roaming the barren desert hillsides, and the random patches of perfectly placed palm trees, everything looked like we were on Mars (cuz I've been to Mars and I know what the highways are like there). The air smelled like I had a salt lick shoved up my nose. It was nice.
On the way, we were stopped at a few checkpoints where soldiers with big machine guns made us roll down the windows to racially profile us. This wasn't part of my dream, but it was a necessary compromise. We passed these checkpoints without any problems, but it was always a bit stressful when we approached, as we all had to sit up straight in our seats, shut off the walkie talkies (our communication between cars), turn Bruno Mars down on the radio, remove our sunglasses, and put on our best smiley faces.
We stopped at the Ahava factory for some girly cosmetics made from Dead Sea water (water from the Dead Sea, not sea water that is dead...although I guess sea water is not alive, so in fact it IS dead...). Apparently it makes your face look better, as long as you aren't too ugly. At 422 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, and the magic of the salt can make your face pretty. By the way, the Dead Sea is not really a sea at all (otherwise it would be 0 meters below sea level, you know?).
Looking for the beach, we found some where you had to pay, but luckily came across a free rocky beach near En Gedi, and another one further south along a hotel and shopping area (near Oasis hotel if you're looking for it). This was a really nice area with changing rooms, strong showers and beautiful landscape. Igors and I managed a mud bath before jumping in, while Domi managed a half bath. I'm not going to tell you, so you'll have to imagine who rubbed mud on whom. The fact the sun comes from behind the mountains on the Israel side of the sea means that the afternoon sun in the Winter is short lived. We lost it around 3pm. Just as I dreamed, the water was very floaty, but also bitter tasting, oily, and generally dangerous to get in your eyes or mouth (so not very nice). But it was awesome to float; we couldn't sink even if we wanted to.
Also in the area is Masada (David's 2000 year old fortress on the top of a mountain) and the En Gedi Kibbutz and botanical gardens. It was interesting to see the plush gardens and man-made forests in the middle of the barren desert. The kibbutz is an interesting idea - a communal community (like a department of redundancy department) where people work in exchange for living expenses, mostly in agriculture. It seemed that there were a lot of younger people speaking English there, so maybe people go to Israel to work in a place like this to get in touch with their Jewish roots. We hiked around the nature reserve, and met some interesting animals like hyrex and ibex. Israel likes animals that end with "ex". Luckily there was no T-Rex.
We slept in the town of Arad, where we met Jenia and Ilona. Jenia is the sister of Leonid, a guy I met in a hostel in Barcelona a couple years ago. He wasn't able to meet up, but introduced us to his sister, whom we met in a bar called Muza, that reminded me of a Chili's or something (it's the hotspot in Arad; even the hotel clerk told us to go there). One thing about Israel is that everyone goes to the army, including the women. It was interesting to talk to 2 young, pretty girls who also serve in the military, and could probably kick my ass.
Our final city was Eilat, at the southern tip of Israel, where everyone just wanted to relax and go to the beach. It was in the 70s, so this wasn't a bad idea. But I decided to go on a day trip to Petra, in Jordan. After some pleading, trying to get someone to come with me, I realized there was no hope, so I decided to go by myself. Our landlady helped me set up the tour, and the guy came to pick me up in the morning. It was very pleasant weather, blue skies, a perfect day for sightseeing. I paid $265, which actually seemed like a good deal considering the entry fee to go in Petra costs about half that, plus you'd have to pay the border crossing fee ($60) and for transportation and food. I rode on a bus with a Russian group and nobody spoke with me, except one guy who said one word: "Vietnam?". He seemed nice at least. The border was pretty disorganized and slow, taking over an hour to get through, even though most of that time was sitting around and waiting. While we were waiting, it gave me some time to talk to our guide. He was only 22 years old, but was pretty knowledgeable and engaging. He was bragging about girls he picks up on the tours, said "what the fuck" a lot, and told me how two 60 year old lesbians tried to pay him $700 to spend the night with them. Not sure how that relates to a tour of Petra, but whatever.
The total drive to Petra took around 3 hours, stopping for souvenirs and snacks on the way. At one of the stops, all of the tour bus drivers were sitting around smoking sheesha together. I guess it wasn't included in the tour package, because none of them offered to share. As we approached Petra, I noticed that the area around it had little towns in the hills, with majestic views of the rocks and canyons in the valley. There were very modest homes, earthy colors, shades of yellow and brown to blend into the hills. I was having a nice time sightseeing just on the ride there, and we hadn't even been to Petra yet.
So what is Petra anyway? If you've seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you may recognize the high rock walls and the Treasury building. Here's a clip from the movie, and my clip trying to re-enact it. I should have brought some coconuts to make the sound of horses walking.
Me going into petra:
Indiana Jones going into petra
Petra is over 2000 years old, made famous by the buildings carved into the rocks and the advanced water system that controlled and stored water effectively for this desert town. It's even been called one of the top places to see before you die by a lot of publications, and I'd have to agree.
The
city starts with an entry path through the high rocks, then a series of
caves where people used to live. There were many things carved into the
rock walls; columns, obelisks, tombs, statues, etc. Since I had no
friends to take pictures of me, I made friends with a couple other guys
and we took pictures of each other. Of course the most important thing
for me was to ride a camel. I negotiated a camel ride for 26 shekels
(they accepted Israel money) which is all I had in my pocket. Normally
they ask for 5 Jordanian Dinar or 7 USD.
On the way home we had a nice lunch buffet...chicken and lamb stews, many salads, hummus, eggplant, couscous, and a lentil soup of which I had 3 bowls. I love lentil soup. This paragraph really adds no value to the description of Petra, but I wanted you to know because the soup was good!
At the border going back into Israel I somehow accidentally snuck past 2 Jordanian check points. Armed guards had to chase after me, yelling at me with their guns (yelling with their mouths, but carrying their guns). That didn't make me nervous at all. Actually, I almost peed my pants. How did they let me past the checkpoints? After they let me go, I got to the Israel side of the border, where three people asked a lot of questions, but in a very polite way (no chasing me with guns). One guy at the passport control even wrote down the website "airbnb.com" when I told him how we booked our accommodation, because he never heard about renting apartments that way. I'm sure they were all strategic questions, and he didn't really care about airbnb, but he was friendly about it so it made it sound like he was interested, not interrogating me.
Back in Eilat, we continued our nightly routine of pita and hummus and games of Uno. On our last night we couldn't get any food because everything was closed for Shabbat (from Friday night til Saturday night). I still can't get used to the random holidays in Poland where the shops are closed...I don't know how I would survive with everything closed for Shabbat every week. I am used to Fred Meyer and Target being open every day no matter what.
On our last day we snorkelled in the Red Sea (which actually IS a sea!), near the coral reef beach. It was the 4th "sea" we swam in during the trip. It was nice because they created a path for snorkellers along the reef, so it was easy to follow without getting eaten by sharks. Relaxing in 80 degrees, getting a bit tanned, we enjoyed our last day before going home to snow and frozenness.
If you're interested in my full albums, here they are: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
After Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, next on the agenda was the Dead Sea. One of my main goals of all time was to float in the Dead Sea. It just looks so cool when people float there, reading magazines and drinking mai tais as if they were on a floaty mattress...but with no mattress! Luckily I wasn't the only one with this dream. To get the Dead Sea, we drove East from Jerusalem. A few of the others in the group had been to Israel before and had some general idea of what we were doing and where we were going. When we were driving, all I had to do was follow the car in front of me (or sleep when Dominika drove). If not for the camels, goats, and sheep roaming the barren desert hillsides, and the random patches of perfectly placed palm trees, everything looked like we were on Mars (cuz I've been to Mars and I know what the highways are like there). The air smelled like I had a salt lick shoved up my nose. It was nice.
Camels on the side of the road (so you know it's not Mars)
On the way, we were stopped at a few checkpoints where soldiers with big machine guns made us roll down the windows to racially profile us. This wasn't part of my dream, but it was a necessary compromise. We passed these checkpoints without any problems, but it was always a bit stressful when we approached, as we all had to sit up straight in our seats, shut off the walkie talkies (our communication between cars), turn Bruno Mars down on the radio, remove our sunglasses, and put on our best smiley faces.
We stopped at the Ahava factory for some girly cosmetics made from Dead Sea water (water from the Dead Sea, not sea water that is dead...although I guess sea water is not alive, so in fact it IS dead...). Apparently it makes your face look better, as long as you aren't too ugly. At 422 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, and the magic of the salt can make your face pretty. By the way, the Dead Sea is not really a sea at all (otherwise it would be 0 meters below sea level, you know?).
Looking for the beach, we found some where you had to pay, but luckily came across a free rocky beach near En Gedi, and another one further south along a hotel and shopping area (near Oasis hotel if you're looking for it). This was a really nice area with changing rooms, strong showers and beautiful landscape. Igors and I managed a mud bath before jumping in, while Domi managed a half bath. I'm not going to tell you, so you'll have to imagine who rubbed mud on whom. The fact the sun comes from behind the mountains on the Israel side of the sea means that the afternoon sun in the Winter is short lived. We lost it around 3pm. Just as I dreamed, the water was very floaty, but also bitter tasting, oily, and generally dangerous to get in your eyes or mouth (so not very nice). But it was awesome to float; we couldn't sink even if we wanted to.
Gosia, Renata, and Igors floating on the Dead Sea
Dead Sea mud bathers
Also in the area is Masada (David's 2000 year old fortress on the top of a mountain) and the En Gedi Kibbutz and botanical gardens. It was interesting to see the plush gardens and man-made forests in the middle of the barren desert. The kibbutz is an interesting idea - a communal community (like a department of redundancy department) where people work in exchange for living expenses, mostly in agriculture. It seemed that there were a lot of younger people speaking English there, so maybe people go to Israel to work in a place like this to get in touch with their Jewish roots. We hiked around the nature reserve, and met some interesting animals like hyrex and ibex. Israel likes animals that end with "ex". Luckily there was no T-Rex.
Going up to Masada - the squares are where the Romans camped out before their seige of the fortress
Like the Grand Canyon!
We slept in the town of Arad, where we met Jenia and Ilona. Jenia is the sister of Leonid, a guy I met in a hostel in Barcelona a couple years ago. He wasn't able to meet up, but introduced us to his sister, whom we met in a bar called Muza, that reminded me of a Chili's or something (it's the hotspot in Arad; even the hotel clerk told us to go there). One thing about Israel is that everyone goes to the army, including the women. It was interesting to talk to 2 young, pretty girls who also serve in the military, and could probably kick my ass.
Our final city was Eilat, at the southern tip of Israel, where everyone just wanted to relax and go to the beach. It was in the 70s, so this wasn't a bad idea. But I decided to go on a day trip to Petra, in Jordan. After some pleading, trying to get someone to come with me, I realized there was no hope, so I decided to go by myself. Our landlady helped me set up the tour, and the guy came to pick me up in the morning. It was very pleasant weather, blue skies, a perfect day for sightseeing. I paid $265, which actually seemed like a good deal considering the entry fee to go in Petra costs about half that, plus you'd have to pay the border crossing fee ($60) and for transportation and food. I rode on a bus with a Russian group and nobody spoke with me, except one guy who said one word: "Vietnam?". He seemed nice at least. The border was pretty disorganized and slow, taking over an hour to get through, even though most of that time was sitting around and waiting. While we were waiting, it gave me some time to talk to our guide. He was only 22 years old, but was pretty knowledgeable and engaging. He was bragging about girls he picks up on the tours, said "what the fuck" a lot, and told me how two 60 year old lesbians tried to pay him $700 to spend the night with them. Not sure how that relates to a tour of Petra, but whatever.
The total drive to Petra took around 3 hours, stopping for souvenirs and snacks on the way. At one of the stops, all of the tour bus drivers were sitting around smoking sheesha together. I guess it wasn't included in the tour package, because none of them offered to share. As we approached Petra, I noticed that the area around it had little towns in the hills, with majestic views of the rocks and canyons in the valley. There were very modest homes, earthy colors, shades of yellow and brown to blend into the hills. I was having a nice time sightseeing just on the ride there, and we hadn't even been to Petra yet.
So what is Petra anyway? If you've seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you may recognize the high rock walls and the Treasury building. Here's a clip from the movie, and my clip trying to re-enact it. I should have brought some coconuts to make the sound of horses walking.
Me going into petra:
Indiana Jones going into petra
Petra is over 2000 years old, made famous by the buildings carved into the rocks and the advanced water system that controlled and stored water effectively for this desert town. It's even been called one of the top places to see before you die by a lot of publications, and I'd have to agree.
The water system runs along the side of the road
Peek-a-boo
The Treasury
Our playboy guide told us that about 30 years ago the local Bedouins
lived in the caves within the city. But after it became a UNESCO site
(bringing in lots of cash), the Bedouins agreed to move out, in exchange
for exclusive "merchandising rights". They are all over the city
selling anything you can think of: magnets, cups, jewelry, scarves, etc.
Men, women, even 5 year old kids, walk around or sit on the paths
trying to take your money sell you something. They
also sit at the front gate, offering "free" horse rides. Except the
horse rides aren't free because they don't leave you alone until you
give them a $5 tip. Generally, their pushy-ness made them unpleasant to
me, and I saw a couple of them kick their horses, which made me dislike
those two even more. However I was entertained by their hair and make
up...it reminded me of the Pirates of the Caribbean.
Caves everywhere in the rocks
I'm glad the guy who took this picture didn't steal my camera...I don't think I could have chased him
Petra is a really cool place!
On the way home we had a nice lunch buffet...chicken and lamb stews, many salads, hummus, eggplant, couscous, and a lentil soup of which I had 3 bowls. I love lentil soup. This paragraph really adds no value to the description of Petra, but I wanted you to know because the soup was good!
At the border going back into Israel I somehow accidentally snuck past 2 Jordanian check points. Armed guards had to chase after me, yelling at me with their guns (yelling with their mouths, but carrying their guns). That didn't make me nervous at all. Actually, I almost peed my pants. How did they let me past the checkpoints? After they let me go, I got to the Israel side of the border, where three people asked a lot of questions, but in a very polite way (no chasing me with guns). One guy at the passport control even wrote down the website "airbnb.com" when I told him how we booked our accommodation, because he never heard about renting apartments that way. I'm sure they were all strategic questions, and he didn't really care about airbnb, but he was friendly about it so it made it sound like he was interested, not interrogating me.
Back in Eilat, we continued our nightly routine of pita and hummus and games of Uno. On our last night we couldn't get any food because everything was closed for Shabbat (from Friday night til Saturday night). I still can't get used to the random holidays in Poland where the shops are closed...I don't know how I would survive with everything closed for Shabbat every week. I am used to Fred Meyer and Target being open every day no matter what.
On our last day we snorkelled in the Red Sea (which actually IS a sea!), near the coral reef beach. It was the 4th "sea" we swam in during the trip. It was nice because they created a path for snorkellers along the reef, so it was easy to follow without getting eaten by sharks. Relaxing in 80 degrees, getting a bit tanned, we enjoyed our last day before going home to snow and frozenness.
Snorkeling the Red Sea
Enjoying a last bit of sun
Our flight home was Sunday morning at 6 am, so we hung out in Jerusalem
for a bit of nightlife (by nightlife I mean that the others went to some
bars, while I slept in the car), and got to airport at 3. The airport
was packed at 3 am, reminding me of rush hour at O'hare. The fact we
didn't really sleep, plus the crowds and the super strict security made
for a bit of a headache. The security asked lots of questions; taking us
separately to interview us about our group, where we're from, what we
do, how we know each other, etc, then they met with each other to make
sure the stories matched. They scanned our stuff and asked us about what
was in our bags, then sent us to a third checkpoint where we had to
explain more. There was more than 20 minutes of scanning and questioning
before we even got to the flight check-in desk. I can't complain
because they do it for our own safety, but this was more intense than
anything I've seen. I guess they are used to it, because even with the
crowd and all the checks, it only took us an hour to get through
everything. Funny thing is that even with all that checking, they didn't
find a bottle of coke Irina had in her carry-on bag. I guess they are
focused on more important things, rather than dangerous caffeinated
beverages, like the rest of the world looks for.
Anyway, I can't say enough about how great of a trip this was. It was a
great group of friends, old and new, and a wonderful mix of history,
sightseeing, and relaxation. 8 days in Israel was a good amount, and if
you ever need any tips or ideas, just let me know.
Jumping for another great trip
If you're interested in my full albums, here they are: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
