Advertisement
Quickly, a list of 'firsts/highlights' that I don't want to forget (In no particular order):
*Sunset in Tel Aviv (I am looking forward to many more throughout the region)
*Shawarma for breakfast (They just can't get it right in the US!)
*Taste of Gong (Artificially flavored grape drink that is oddly popular)
*Getting locked inside the Tel Aviv Opera House on an evening wander
*Shuk purchase, half-kilo of cherries and some zaatar pita for the beach
*Sharing a spliff with a British photographer (works with OBD) and playing with his kitten, Mickey, who looks just like my Mickey (RIP) must have when he was still just over 1 pound
*Meeting several Israelis who are perplexed about why anyone would want to visit Israel (Direct quote, "Miami & New York are incredible cities!")
*Yoga on the plane over
*Tefillin on the plane, just before landing
*Finding that Spanish was the best way to communicate with a Brazilian woman
*Phenomenal delivery burgers (w/ fried egg!) from Zesty
*Listening to OBD's new album with him in his studio
*Realizing that the sun will probably come up while I am typing this...
Shalom, chaverim! It's four in the morning here in Tel Aviv and I can't get myself to go to sleep - my internal clock is somewhere in the middle of the ocean. Hopefully by the time I finish this entry I will have put myself (and not you) to sleep! My layover in Philadelphia proved to go by fairly quickly and by the time I realized how soon my flight was, I was actually speed walking (not quite running) to my gate - only to find a slightly silly lineup of Jews waiting to board for Israel. My 'Duty Free' whiskey was delivered to me at the gate (such service!), and it proved to be quite useful in both meeting my seat buddies and getting some sleep! The eleven hour flight flew by (not really), but I did manage to get in about 3 hours sleep and a few episodes of 'Its always sunny in philadelphia' and 'Curb your enthusiasm'. I still haven't finished 1984, but I think that may be an activity for the beach tomorrow.
I love Tel Aviv. A sunset trip to the beach near Hertzeliya welcomed me to Israel, as the rich orange sun dipped below the horizon. Although I arrived on Tuesday and had many special experiences, today was my first day of real exploration. I went to the shuk (by Jaffo), hit the beach, ate a shawarma, pita and cherries, drank Nestea and Gong (Grape drink with the tagline 'Fun with the cap!'), bought some Bamba (Like a cheesy poof, but peanut butter instead of cheese), and wrote a bit of a rhyme with Or Ben David, my gracious host here in Tel Aviv. OBD is an up 'n coming rapper in Israel and has recently finished producing his second album and first music video (The 6th Day). You can check him out on YouTube and ReverbNation. His apartment is in a building owned by his family that his grandfather built a LONG time ago. The scrappy external appearance and industrial location make it uninteresting to thieves, but its really quite a space to live in! The view is clear and showcases the Azrieli Center (3 very large skyscrapers - a triangle, a square, and a circle). The door opens up into the living area and kitchen with modern-looking drawers (No cupboards - cups are in the drawer). To your left is Or's recording studio, a small cinder-block room that looks like it was built for music production. This is where Or's computer, keyboard, mixer and preamp hang out waiting for his creativity. It is also where I am sitting as I type and it's very, very hot. I will probably be taking breaks to beat the heat. I can't wait for my truly HOT journey that awaits...
I met Or on my last trip to Israel in 2006, he was a soldier paired up with my birthright bus that Summer. I stayed with him after the trip ended and a couple months later, he finished the army and came on a trip across the US with two other friends, Noa & Nati. Natan Hassid (Nati) lives in Jerusalem but came up to Tel Aviv to hang out this evening and tomorrow, until his radio show which is at 9pm - He is one of only 3 radio shows that focus on the global hip-hop scene, highlighting Israel's new talent (He is also a rapper/MC).
Unfortunately, Or speaks incredibly good English, and I often forget that I am here hoping to improve my Hebrew. The chances I do get to use my 30-word vocabulary, I seem to be understood which is very gratifying! I have been able to ask for directions, ask about the trains, purchase stuff, and even tell someone what time it was. However, I have also been laughed at (This is the reaction that I am generally expecting). These are learning experiences and I only wish that I had been explained what was so funny about my broken, grammatically incorrect Hebrew.
I want to talk about my beach experience today. When I hear people exclaim that Israel is expressly apartheid and discriminates against Arabs, I wish they could simply be shown the Tel Aviv beach scene, a popular social gathering place for every demographic of the local (and tourist) population. I took several pictures, but am having trouble uploading, so here is my description. Walking out to the beach, from our especially rare no-fee parking spot, I noticed families, couples, groups of friends, surfers, windsurfers and fisherman all enjoying the natural recreation. I jumped in and instantly remembered exactly how warm the mediterranean is. Bothered only by a barking dog, I observed several groups of Muslim women and their children swimming, chatting, and hanging out around the beach. They are not bothered, despised or ridiculed for their presence. However, in how many Muslim/Arab countries would you expect to see the same level of accepted cultural integration? This is only one example of integration of cultures in Israel. Every street sign proclaims its message in Hebrew, Arabic and English. Welcome to Israel, Shalom l'Yisrael, Salamaa! Israel is truly a unique and special community. I expect to compare these experiences with my travels through Egypt and am excited to take note of the differences AND similarities.
I am still enthralled by the uniqueness of many aspects of every day life in Israel, and could write another couple pages solely based on my 30-minute trip to the shuk! And now that it's 5 in the morning, I am going to go pass out! I should be back on track by tomorrow night, when I plan to be on an overnight bus to Eilat, subsequently catching another bus from Taba to Dahab (Sinai). Tomorrow's gotta be a falafel day...
For those who can't get enough...check out my local blog for www.boulderjewishnews.org! It should be on the homepage somewhere, or just search my name. I love receiving comments and suggestions and can't wait to relate the next couple weeks of my trip to you. Laila Tov!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.079s; Tpl: 0.009s; cc: 11; qc: 48; dbt: 0.0482s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Aunt Iris
non-member comment
hooray
Glad you got there OK. Can't wait to hear of your adventures. Will there be as much drinking as the last trip? Staying up all night? Partying? I am just jealous. Jim is in the dining room playing poker with his pals until midnight. That is the most partying he does. I watched the finals of American Idol tonight with a girlfriend after taking her out for dinner to celebrate her birthday (Jim was eating with the poker group here at the house). Anyway, we can't match your active social life!! Was not happy that my gal, Crystal, did not win American Idol. Enjoy yourself.