Day Ten--Going to Jordan--January 2, 2011

border crossing on Israeli side

I had made an arrangement for a taxi to pick me up at 10:00 a.m. on the Jordanian side of the border.  I decided that if I left the hotel in Israel by 9:15 a.m. I would get across in time.  


I got a taxi to the border, who totally ripped me off (the hotel person said it should cost 30 sheckles and it ended up being 45) then I paid the 101 sheckle fee to cross the border.  I then took my passport to another line and walked across the dead space between the two countries.  I’m not sure if there is a name for this space between the two borders and/or if this is the only place in the world where it exists. 

I know that other borders I’ve crossed you just go through the border check and you’re on the other side.  Here they have what I'm calling “no man’s walkway".

the great divide

I arrived on the other side, put my bags through security and gave my passport to passport control.  

I saw a stack of passports, which I found might be an interesting photo so I took a shot.  Then I was told by an official looking person that I shouldn’t do that.  Oh so sorry.  I knew it was risky but did it anyway.

oops not suppose to photograph

After passing through the Jordanian check point I continued walking to the other side of the fence.  There was a group of taxi drivers standing around.  They asked if I wanted a taxi and I told them I had arranged for one.  The one man had my name on a piece of paper.  Then there was much discussion as to who was going to take me.  Really? 




Finally, Omar, agreed to take me for 35 JD.  I had to ask him to stop in Aquba at an ATM so I could get JD (Jordanian Dinar).  The man from the camp at the Wadi Rum told me I needed local currency to pay for the night.  The Jordanian dinar was stronger than the US dollar. Pretty sad.  What could I do? I'm certainly not in charge of the global money rates.  So I asked Omar to stop and he did.

This is where I had to have belief in humanity that this taxi driver was actually going to take me to where I was going.  I tried to make conversation, mostly to calm my nerves more than anything.  I was in the middle of the desert so who knew what could happen.  I took a photo of him and his identity card, just in case.    Anyway, he wanted to know if I wanted to buy hashish or a ride to Petra the next day. 
He said, “oh I can take you to Petra for the good price of 50 Jordanian Dinar”.  


Funny Yahida from Wadi Rum already told me 35 JD.  This driver Omar was a scammer and a bit on the slimy side.  He spoke fairly good English, but there were times I thought by his answers he didn’t really understand what I was asking.  

So, having the faith that I do, about an hour and a half later, I was delivered to Beit Ali Camp in Wadi Rum.  Now here’s where Omar really came out in his scam suit.  


When I went to pay him and took out 35 JD he then said, "don’t I get a tip?"

I looked at Yahia, who said nothing, so I took out $2.00 USD but he didn’t want that and so I acquiesced into giving him another 5JD.  So I got taken for 40 JD.  But, I was alive and well.

Beit Ali Camp

Now, it was Yahia’s turn.  From the e-mails I'd had with him I was prepared to pay 50 JD for a “chalet” with a toilet and shower.  First he showed me a room with no toilet for 35JD and then a room with three beds that had a toilet, shower and heat for 70JD.  It started at 48 JD but there was a single supplement.  Next, was the “chalet” for 50JD.  “As you like”, he kept saying.  

My Chalet

I was a bit confused as to what I thought was already arranged.  
So I took the “chalet” with two beds, toilet and shower for 50JD, which included dinner and breakfast.  I noticed there was a stack of blankets on each bed and didn’t realize at the time, but there wasn’t any heat in the room.  Later it became very important as it got extremely cold. I didn’t have the best nights sleep due to this cold.

While I was checking in, Yahia told me that he would put me together with another woman traveling by herself from Italy for a Jeep tour at 2:00 p.m.  “This way it is a better price for you”.  

O.K. I thought.

So I was sitting outside of the reception typing on my laptop when the Italian woman came to sit down.  Enrica, from Genoa ordered something to eat because she told me she was very hungry after hiking.  Out came hummos and pita bread.  I decided I was hungry as well.  We started to talk and realized we were each other’s “jeep” partner.  

Then, a bedouin dressed man came over to our table.  He asked if we wanted a “jeep ride".  We both looked at each other because only a few minutes before we had been told my Yahia that someone would come to take us to the visitor’s center and we would get a guide from there.

Enrica asked how much and where he would take us.  She had a much better idea of what to see and where to go because she had already been to the visitor’s center and found out some information.  

I’m not sure what happened with the negotiation other than we were discussing whether the tour would be 2 hour or 3 hours.  I thought we were having the 2 hour tour but it turned into the 3 hour and cost 28 JD each.  High Arabian finances.  


I don’t know why but I was feeling like I was in Ali Baba and the 40 thieves.  There was just something about the people I’d met so far, an underlying current of, I’m not sure I completely trust you.  I didn’t think so in a safety manner but in a financial way, always being “taken”.

I did know that we agreed upon 2:00 p.m. for our departure time.  It was about 1:00 p.m. so I had something to eat, grabbed my camera and off we went into the wild red desert.  


Our driver (I forget his name) put us into a hugh new Toyota double door truck.  So much for the jeep.  I thought maybe he was taking us to the visitor’s center, where we would change into a jeep, but no, off we went just with him in this not "open air" jeep.  As it turned out I was ok with it since I wasn’t getting the fine grain of sand all over me and my camera.

The first stop was "Lawrence’s Stop".  This is where Lawrence of Arabia actually came during the 1st World War and I think it’s where the movie was made.  There was a tent where other bedouins were making and selling tea.  As well they also sold lots of different things.

We went from tea to tea, stopping at different places throughout the wadi.  There were scads of jeeps filled with people roaming around the desert, “just like us” touring around.  The desert was amazing, all red sand just like Sedona.  

There were a few hieroglyphs on the rock.  I was amazed at the vastness of the desert and have always been in awe of the Bedouins for knowing where to go in the sea of sand.  Our driver, just drove us from place to place in the middle of the sand.  There weren't any roads, signs or directions of any kind.  They just know it.

the hierglyphs

This area of Wadi Rum is now a protected area of the desert, so it’s just for tourists.  There is a fee to go through the area, which I’m sure helps the locals a tad.  We did drive through Wadi City where the Bedouins are building cement block style houses.  Shabby as can be.

The small bridge

The best part of the day was at the end.  Our driver made two stops.  The first to one of his friends to get a carton of cigarettes and then he went to the store to buy milk.  Then he told us that he has two families, one in this town and another in another town.  He has two wives and 4 children.    

My new friends

the tea man

It’s 2011, really, you are still living this way?  See Ali Baba.  Sorry to be so narrow minded.  I will also say that I didn’t see many women at all anywhere.  

I was glad to be sharing the tour but Enrica didn’t talk much.  I wasn’t sure if it was because of her little English or that she was just a quiet person.

my name in arabic

She did tell me about the bus to Petra for 5JD which was a far cry from the 35 (or 50 that Omar wanted) I thought I was going to pay.  When we returned from our jeep tour we talked with Yehia about reserving the bus for the next day.  He took care of it right away.

Did I mention that the Beit Ali Camp had wireless internet, that I had even in my "chalet"!

Dinner was o.k. I met an American couple from New York who I shared a table with.  I talked with them about their journey through Syria then Israel before coming to Jordan.  They told me the husband had been detained a bit when they came into Israel but they expected they might be just because they had been in Syria.  What's with this world we live in?

  

Day Nine-January First

saying goodbye

Happy New Year’s.  Rather uneventful.  Given that it was shabbat, it was quieter than usual.  I went down to have my last breakfast at Dizengoff Suites.  I’ve enjoyed having my lattes and cappuccinos every morning as well as other good food.  All the food here has very generous portions.

I went back upstairs to prepare my bags, as I was flying to Eilat at 4:30 p.m.  When I returned to the room, the girls had awoken and didn’t feel too bad for having been up most of the night.  They ate the remaining pasta from the night before for their breakfast.  

We were going to go to the art market and Hacarmel but as it was now raining we decided not to.  We didn’t know what to do so we just found a place to eat on Dizengoff Street.

Emily and I said our goodbyes and I took a taxi to the smaller airport in Tel Aviv, Sde Dov which was very close to the hotel.  


Upon checking in I was questioned thoroughly, but eventually let through.  The security guard asked me why I was in Israel and why I was going to Eilat.  She also wanted to know if I was involved with organizations at my home, like a temple and when did I go there.  I found this quite odd.  She asked if I was going to cross the border to go to Jordan as well.  After all this questioning I was let through and able to get on an earlier flight.  

Due to the cloudy sky, I was unable to get any photos from the sky.

I arrived in Eilat and took a taxi to the Ceasar Premier Hotel.  The location was good but the hotel wasn’t too exciting.  The rug in the hallway of my floor was falling apart but the room was nice with two double beds.  However, the room was so hot and I found out that the air doesn’t work in the evening.  Are you kidding me?  What do you do in the summer when it’s 35+ degrees Celsius about 95 - 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

I walked around the boardwalk and found a place to have a wrapped sandwich with hummos, eggplant and a few other salads.  It was o.k. not great.  The boardwalk was kindof a funky place.  Part carnival, part beach slock.  

The hotel had free wireless internet but only in the lobby.  I took my computer and sat in the lobby for several hours (catching up on my blog).  I met an 18 year old Russian boy who was using his IPad to communicate on Facebook.  He was on vacation with his mother from St. Petersburg.  There is always someone to talk to if you want.

After writing for several hours I’d had enough so I went upstairs to my room, got in bed, read a bit and went to sleep.

Day Eight--New Year's Eve--Sylvester

Many months ago a friend from Portola (Jackie Tushinsky) set up a group on facebook for people from our “ junior high era” to communicate with one another.  During some of the conversations I discovered that someone in the group, named Neal Levy lived in Tel Aviv.  I wasn’t sure we even knew each other then but I communicated with him and we decided we would meet when I was in Tel Aviv.  So, this morning I was to meet Neal.  

He came to the hotel and we had a nice chat.  He has lived here for a long time, since high school.  He lived on kibbutz early on, married an Israeli had two kids and currently divorced.

We had interesting discussions about the current situation in Israel.  Emily joined us and it was quite interesting for me to listen to the two of them discuss her impressions of what she has experienced since she has come here.

It was another glorious day and I thought it would be fun to rent bikes and ride to Hayercohen park.  I found a bike rental not far from our hotel .  Renting bikes was one of the good deals found in Tel Aviv.  It was only $15.00 for the day.  Unfortunately it was Friday so the day ended at 3:00 p.m. 

Off we went to the bike path.  We rode past the port and continued onto, we didn’t know where.  I saw a tent, flags and lots of people near what seemed to be the end of the path, when we got closer we discovered that they were having a surfing contest. 

 The waves weren’t very big maybe 3 - 4 feet but the one girl I spoke to said they were good waves for Israel.  It was fun to watch for a while.  

surfers

The ride back was much more difficult because we were riding into the wind and a storm was brewing.  When we crossed back over the bridge that led to the port, oh by the way we never made it to the park, Emily decided she wanted ice cream.  We found a place called Dr.  something and had an ice cream and water.  

Not too far down the path, after we got back on our bikes, we discovered a farmer’s market on two sides of a building that was also a permanent high end food market/eatery.  Very similar to Eataly’s that I had just visited when I was in New York.    We were so sorry we had just had ice cream.

the juice bar

The outside farmer’s market was fantastic and just as incredible inside too.  We tasted cheeses, olive oils, olives, tomatoes, etc.  For the first time we found people who spoke English so we were able to communicate and find out where the items were from.  When we went inside we saw more incredible homemade pastas, fish, cheeses, breads, vegetables, juices, meats you name it.  With all this great food,  Emily got the idea that we should make dinner for New Year’s Eve in our hotel room.  She convinced me that there was more equipment in our suite’s kitchen then she had on kibbutz and after all they cooked meals for themselves for six weeks so she was thoroughly confident that she could do this.   So I went along with the idea.  We invited her friend Tamara, who was going to spend the night with us because her family was in Jerusalem and she wanted to have New Year’s Eve in Tel Aviv.

We commenced in buying our ingredients.  First we decided to have cheese and bread for an appetizer.  We got one cheese from outside and one from inside.

our pasta

 From the pasta counter we got a mixture of raviolis and another pasta that looked like loose fusilli.  (see photo of pasta).  This was very expensive pasta.  Then we had to decide whether we would buy a sauce or make a sauce.  Our decision was to make our own.  So, we needed tomatoes, basil, an onion and olive oil. Also we needed parmesan cheese, which we were able to find. The thing about the parmesan cheese here is that it’s made from sheep or goat cheese and not aged very long, but it was fine.  I wanted to have a salad and found lettuce and a few cucumbers.  It wasn’t so easy to just buy one or two of something because most items, vegetables, were packaged in large quantities.  At the bread station we got three rolls for our appetizer and decided not to get any dessert because most of what we saw was too much in size and cost.  OMG, we had three bags of food.

the cheese shop

Now, the challenge was to ride the bikes back to the shop with these heavy bags of food.  The one day I didn’t have one of my reusable bags, that I have been carrying every day.  

Oh well.  We succeeded in getting back to the bike shop  at about 2:59, we were late as it was and then when we got back to the street I turned the wrong way.  For once, Emily was right with her directions.  

On our walk back to the hotel we found a bakery that had some nice desserts so we got those as well and there you have it our dinner. 

on our ride back

As I’m writing this I realize we didn’t take any photos of the fabulous dinner that Emily made for us. 

First she put the cheese and slices of bread with olive oil on a plate for our appetizer.  Then she cooked up the two different pastas and made a delicious tomato basil sauce.  We were so full and there was so much food left over.  Everything was so delicious.  We then decided we would go out to the beach for a “New Year’s” drink before the girls headed to the club.  

Goodbye 2010

We started walking down the street and it started to rain.  No raincoats on any of us.  We trudged through and got to the Renaissance Hotel.  My brilliant idea was to go through the hotel out to the beach.  Wrong, it was shabbat so all the doors leading to the beach were closed.  Back up the stairs we went and outside to get to the beach.  

It wasn’t raining as bad by now.  We arrived at the “La La” bar/restaurant on the beach.  It wasn’t very crowded, well it was fairly early and the weather sucked so I wasn’t so surprised.  We enjoyed a drink and then I walked back to the hotel and the girls found a taxi to go to the club at the port.

Well, welcome to 2011.  I think it takes some time to adjust to the new year especially since I’m traveling and don’t have any time frame to keep to.

Day Seven--December 30--Tel Aviv Museum of Art

Day Seven--Dec. 30

front of Tel Aviv Museum of Art

Today I ventured alone to the Tel Aviv Art Museum.  It was fairly easy to find and not too far from my hotel maybe a 20 minute walk.  This was a part of Tel Aviv I had not seen yet. Emily wanted to go shopping with her friends and I would meet her later.

The museum has a nice collection of Impressionist paintings, Monet, Sisley, as well as many Chagalls, Picasso’s and others from that period.  They also had a few special exhibits from Israeli artists.  I enjoyed the kibbutz and other paintings of Yadid Rubin , his paintings were very brightly colored and his style was like using large pointillism.  The other exhibit I saw was of AVIGDOR ARIKHA.  There were many drawings and self portraits and also included were drawings he had made of  "A STRAY DOG" that was from a book written by S.Y. Agnon.  

I got hungry and went to the cafe and had a coffee and sandwich.  After eating something I went back upstairs to see another Israeli artist Moshe Gershuni, much more modern and political, but by then I was too tired to really absorb any more.  

After being in the museum for several hours I phoned Emily so I could meet her at the big Azreli shopping center.  It only took me 15 or 20 minutes to find these very tall buildings. It reminded me very much of the Galleria in Houston.  There was a hotel at the bottom and it’s necessary to take an elevator or escalator to get into the shopping center.  Did I mention that every building in Tel Aviv has security so it’s not so easy to enter a building.  No one seems to mind either.  It has become part of the society that people hand over their bags or purses to be checked.  Even I started doing it after a few times.

Being in this oversized mall with hundreds maybe thousands of people was not my idea of a good time but I tried to be patient as the girls were looking for something to wear to “Sylvester”.  That’s what the Israeli’s call “New Year’s Eve”.  I guess it’s a way to get around the Jewish New Year vs. secular New Year.  

I was quite tired and really wanted to lie down.  We all left together and walked back across Dizengoff to our hotel.  We found a local “chain” bakery/restaurant “Aroma” and the girls wanted to get something to eat.  Everything looked so good.  We got a few things both savory and sweet and continued our way back to the hotel.  As it turned out we were quite tired and ended up staying in the hotel watching “Elizabethtown” on Emily’s computer.  It was nice to lay low for a change.

Day Six--Old Jaffa

Today we went to Old Jaffa with a group of Emily's friends who she has met on her program.   They are all on "chofesh" (vacation) in Tel Aviv this week as well.


First we met at the old clock tower where I snapped a photo of the group.

Then we walked through the "shuk" where the girls haggled with the vendors over skirts, necklaces, tops,  similar stuff to HaCarmel.  It's more like an open flea market because there are old things and new things.

Dr. Shashuka's

Then it was off to eat at Dr. Shashuka's restaurant.  What an interesting place.  I loved the pots and pans hanging from the ceiling.  After the kids ate shashuka, the waiter brought cake and turkish coffee to them all.  Now we were ready to tour through old Jaffa.

prayers in old Jaffa

Flora was our tour guide.   Reading to us from the tour book Flora led us around the cobble stone old city.  It's really quite touristy with over priced shops of art work and nick nacks.




We found St. Peter's Church and went inside to find a baby jesus "doll" in a glass case decorated by red silk.  Then on our walk out of the old city we discovered many artist studios.

One of the girls and I saw a man in one of the studios.  We went in and spoke with him about what he was doing.  He said he held art classes there and showed us some of his students work.  What I found interesting was that he was stretching his own canvas.  He told me he makes all his own canvas (it was a greyish color) because to buy canvas is too expensive.    


Emily and I walked back to our hotel for a rest before our evening adventure.




We took a cab to the restaurant Dallal and had a fantastic meal.  They gave us a choice of appetizers, remember included with our performance ticket.  I had some lentil dish and Emily got a hummus made from white beans.  For my entree I had risotto and Emily had raviolis.  Then we went to see the Bat Sheva dance company perform.  They are the premiere modern dance company of Israel.  It was a good performance.  Another long day.  Lila tov.

Day Five--The Art Market and Neve Tzedek

Every Tuesday there is an art market on Nachalat Binyamin next to where HaCarmel is.  After eating breakfast we walked over here to see what was for sale.  Emily was in the market for a necklace and maybe earrings.  She also found the jeweler who she bought a ring from two years ago and showed him she was still wearing it.




We had fun walking down the street stopping to look at all the different vendors.

At the end of the street we continued to Neve Tzedek, which is the oldest jewish part of Tel Aviv that has been and continues to be revitalized.








Now it has extremely expensive and very fashionable clothing boutiques, hip restaurants and of course many gelaterias.





  Near the end of Shabazi is the Suzanne Della Dance Center where the Bat Sheva Dance company lives.  We went in to see if there might be a performance this week.  We were lucky enough to find one the next night and bought two tickets.
The girl we bought the tickets from told us that if we ate at the restaurant Dellal we would receive a free appetizer.  Sounded good to us.  So we made a reservation.

At the end of Shabazi Street you are near the beach close to Jaffa.  We crossed the street to walk along the beach.  It's just so easy to do.  We went to check out the restaurant Manta Rea, where we were suppose to eat with several others that evening and decided it was too expensive for the students who would be joining us.  We had a lovely walk back to our hotel and saw yet another beautiful sunset.

Day Four--The day in Jerusalem

After a very full first day in Tel Aviv we awoke Monday morning, had a wonderful breakfast at our hotel and then ventured to the central bus station.  Emily wanted us to take the bus to Jerusalem.  The taxi ride from the hotel to the bus station was almost as much as the bus ride to Jerusalem.  It was very easy, cheap, and quick.

On the bus ride, I'm sure it's a romance novel

My tour guide, Emily, had decided we should go to the Israel Museum, so when we arrived at the Jerusalem central bus station we took a taxi to the museum.  The museum has greatly expanded since my previous visits.  Emily showed me the exhibits that she had previously seen and liked, her favorite is the pop art.  There was a wall filled with Warhol portraits of  important Jewish people; The Marx Brothers, Gertrude Stein, Freud, Albert Einstein etc.  I wasn't allowed to take photos in the museum so I can't show it here.
The sculpture garden is really the most magnificent part of the museum with fabulous views of the city. I especially liked the Robert Indiana's "love" sculpture done in Hebrew.

We were blessed with a beautiful day and decided to walk to Ben Yehuda Street where Emily knew of some restaurant that had "the best" hummus.  We had a lovely walk through the botanic garden, which took us about a half hour, and discovered (after a few phone calls to her friends) the restaurant, that Yes, had some of the best hummus I've ever had.  I cannot tell you the name of it because it was in hebrew and frankly I don't remember.  However, it is near the corner of Ben Yehuda and King David Streets. We demolished the hummus and pita in a few seconds, it was nearly 3:00 and we were starving.   Of course after our meal we needed to find some ice cream, which is extremely easy because there are several on every corner.  Why is all the food so delicious here?   I'm doing so much walking that I'm not worrying about the calories.  How many times a day can you have ice cream?

Ben Yehuda Street musicians

Next, what to do when in Jerusalem, visit the Kotel and the Arab market.
So off we were.  We entered through the Jaffa Gate then zig zagged through the narrow cobble stone streets of the "shuk" through to the other side where we entered the "jewish quarter" and found the kotel.

 We sat for a time at the wall and as the sun was going down we walked out of the old city to what else, a mall.  I'm in no way buying anything but Emily likes to look.
Our day to Jerusalem ended with a dinner at Speggetim and a sherut ride back to Tel Aviv.  A sherut is a van that holds 10 people and it's cheaper than a taxi but more than the bus.  The only caveat is the driver waits until the van is full.  We waited nearly 1/2 an hour before the driver would leave Jerusalem.  All part of the journey.

Day Three--First days in Israel

The first days are the hardest days to remember, due to a bit of jet lag and much running around with no time to record.  However, due to the quick draw of my photo hand I am able to recall many things.
Saturday night December 25, after flying approx. 12,000 miles on two airplanes, I arrived into Tel Aviv International airport. With no muss and no fuss got a cab to The Dizengoff Suites where Emily was awaiting my arrival.  After a quick shower we ventured out to get some dinner.  The first of many misdirections.  We asked the front desk person at our hotel how to get to Shenkin Street, as Emily had a restaurant in mind that she wanted to go to.  In following the directions we were given we found ourselves very far off where we wanted to be.  But, not to be lead astray we persevered and found Shenkin Street.  We found Suzettes and had a good meal.  Well anything probably would have been good as I was extremely hungry, you can imagine, the food on the plane was less than appetizing.  By the time we finished our meal and walked back to the hotel I was ready for bed.  It's a long way to get here from Santa Barbara.  On the walk back it struck me that I had left my new permaloft (fake down) jacket on the plane.  I was bummed.


I was actually able to sleep fairly well and woke the next morning ready to go.
Emily and I walked back to the same neighborhood we had dinner in, without getting lost this time, and met a few of her friends (Leo and Tamara) for breakfast.  This breakfast was my introduction to the Israeli specialty, 'Shakshuka'.

Emily and her friends

After breakfast we were off to the Tel Aviv Shuk 'Ha Carmel' where you can get just about anything you need for fairly good prices, from food to clothing to beauty supplies, fabrics, you name it I'm sure you can find it.  Also, there are lots of juice bars with fresh fruits and vegetables of all kinds; pomegranet, orange, apple, pineapple, carrots, beets, etc.  I had a fresh squeezed pomegranate and apple juice, yummy and so refreshing.

pomegranates

 I can't believe the hot weather here.  Once we walked through the marketplace we continued down Shenkin Street, which is a mix of Melrose (in L.A.) and Soho (in N.Y.) rather hip and somewhat expensive with some deals to be had.  I will say that most of the clothes/fashions here are similar to America.

We continued our days journey by walking next to the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.  The tiled concrete walkway goes for miles along the beachfront.  We walked all the way to the Port and watched the sunset.  The one thing I am sad about is that the sun sets so early in the winter.  By 5:00 or 5:15 it's dark outside.  However, in Tel Aviv that doesn't mean much as there is activity all night long.  The horns of the cars and buses are never ending bundled in with the ambulance sirens.  Not the most peaceful.  Which is why I wouldn't live in a big city.

For dinner we ate at a very hip restaurant "Rustico" on Rothschild Street.  What a great beginning.