Day I: Israel Trip: April 9th, 2006
Airport:
We arrived after missing a night of sleep. I had had a bad cold/flu before leaving and luckily it was better so I was able to get through the long night. We had to wait a really long time to get our rental car. We couldn't find the tourist info center (you have to go there before you leave the baggage claim area cause once you're out you're out!) and no one was very interested in helping. O well... We bought an expensive and stupid Israel guide that we later found out was not current (better than nothing for sure though).
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem:
So... we drove toward Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. When we got to Jerusalem it was impossible to find the continuing highway because either there were no signs or we couldn't read the ones that were there. So we ended up on a road in the middle of no where. We then found a picnic area in the beautiful Jerusalem "forest" and fell asleep in our rental car for a few hours before trying to get through Jerusalem again. After getting lost a million times and oooing and ahhhing at many unknown Israeli residential areas we (by an act of God) found the 90 going down to the Dead Sea where we wanted to spend the next few nights. Going down to the Dead Sea the scenery changed and you could see the Bedhoin tents, camels to ride, pottery for sale and our water bottles sucked into themselves as we descended to the lowest place on earth. This place made verses like "out of the depths I cry out to you o Lord" come alive with new meaning.
En Gedi Free Beach and Campground:
We arrived at En Gedi campground/free beach. And were overjoyed to find that camping was absolutely free. So we set up our never been set up before Coleman tent-totally sticking out in the diverse crowd of Orthodox Jews eating lunch and gabbing on cell phones, "normal" modern Jewist youth settin gup their tents, and tourists pouring out of their buses to float on the Dead Sea. We were so pooped we just crashed in our tent and slept for another few hourse until some buses of Muslims arrived and the Muslim women and children started picking at our tent. We were shocked to find that we were surrounded by 100-200 Arabs and the others were gone. That night after falling asleep on the stoney ground (Dieter managed to pop my air matress;-)) we were rudely awaken after nightfall by very strong winds and some Palestinian youth throwing a very LOUD rave party on the next hill. This led to us being afraid to a) leave our tent by ourselves or b) leave the tent alone for fear that something might be stolen. We eventually ventured out once in fear and trempbling to the restroom and were relieved to find everything there upon our return. So after not sleeping a wink we "awoke" with aches and pains all over to seize the new day (Carpe Diem!)
We arrived after missing a night of sleep. I had had a bad cold/flu before leaving and luckily it was better so I was able to get through the long night. We had to wait a really long time to get our rental car. We couldn't find the tourist info center (you have to go there before you leave the baggage claim area cause once you're out you're out!) and no one was very interested in helping. O well... We bought an expensive and stupid Israel guide that we later found out was not current (better than nothing for sure though).
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem:
So... we drove toward Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. When we got to Jerusalem it was impossible to find the continuing highway because either there were no signs or we couldn't read the ones that were there. So we ended up on a road in the middle of no where. We then found a picnic area in the beautiful Jerusalem "forest" and fell asleep in our rental car for a few hours before trying to get through Jerusalem again. After getting lost a million times and oooing and ahhhing at many unknown Israeli residential areas we (by an act of God) found the 90 going down to the Dead Sea where we wanted to spend the next few nights. Going down to the Dead Sea the scenery changed and you could see the Bedhoin tents, camels to ride, pottery for sale and our water bottles sucked into themselves as we descended to the lowest place on earth. This place made verses like "out of the depths I cry out to you o Lord" come alive with new meaning.
En Gedi Free Beach and Campground:
We arrived at En Gedi campground/free beach. And were overjoyed to find that camping was absolutely free. So we set up our never been set up before Coleman tent-totally sticking out in the diverse crowd of Orthodox Jews eating lunch and gabbing on cell phones, "normal" modern Jewist youth settin gup their tents, and tourists pouring out of their buses to float on the Dead Sea. We were so pooped we just crashed in our tent and slept for another few hourse until some buses of Muslims arrived and the Muslim women and children started picking at our tent. We were shocked to find that we were surrounded by 100-200 Arabs and the others were gone. That night after falling asleep on the stoney ground (Dieter managed to pop my air matress;-)) we were rudely awaken after nightfall by very strong winds and some Palestinian youth throwing a very LOUD rave party on the next hill. This led to us being afraid to a) leave our tent by ourselves or b) leave the tent alone for fear that something might be stolen. We eventually ventured out once in fear and trempbling to the restroom and were relieved to find everything there upon our return. So after not sleeping a wink we "awoke" with aches and pains all over to seize the new day (Carpe Diem!)
posted by Hannah's Music at 1:59 AM
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