Arriving in Tel Aviv

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Knowing I'd have limited time, just three days, I had chalked out a detailed itinerary for the 3 days I'd spend here in Israel.

I landed at Ben Gurion airport on time. By 5:30am I was through security and looking for the Xchange office.

It was initially a struggle to cipher out the English signs from the Hebrew ones.

Once I got the hang of it the rest went like clockwork. I even made it to the 5:56am train as intended.

The train was empty! Just a guard who passed through the compartments once. Was something wrong?

I hopped of at Central Railway station where i'd catch a bus to Jaffa.

Getting to Bus #10 from Central Rlw St is a bit tricky as there are two exits to bus stands. I chose the wrong one and wasted a whole 40 minutes in the process!!

Waiting at the bus station was quite an experience. There were mostly soliders. I was the odd one out with just a city map, cell phone and no gun.

I made it to Jaffa by 7.30am.

Walking down the 4000 year old Jaffa port that morning was one of the best days i'd spent this year. There was something magical in the air. I guess it was the sea breeze, the clear sky, the white stone and just the deserted hour of morning. There was not a soul in sight!

I made my way though the port down to the docks and then onward to the wishing bridge just by the Kedumim square

An ancient legend holds that if one stands on the bridge holding one's zodiac sign and makes a wish while gazing out to sea, the wish will come true.

I made my way onward to the jaffa Flea market. I passed the famous Abulafia bakery but somehow nothing looked appealing. I had my Shakshuka on my mind 😊

The Flea market of jaffa was bustling with locals. Most of the stuff apart from shoes looked pretty junky.

I wish i had more time to browse through the market but I had to finish with breakfast and meet the contact by 9.30am. I had 35 minutes..

I found my way to the famous Dr Shakshuka famous for guess what? Shakshuka of course.

The spread for breakfast for quite interesting. Definately one of the biggest breakfasts i've had in a while. The waitor was quite a friendly sort.

9:15am Busy wiping my frying pan clean of the delicious egg dish when my phone rang. It was the contact. They were waiting for me by the clock tower. I confirmed the meeting point and indicated i'd be there in 15 minutes.

The spread for breakfast for quite interesting. Definately one of the biggest breakfasts i've had in a while. The waitor was quite a friendly sort.

9:15am Busy wiping my frying pan clean of the delicious egg dish when my phone rang. It was the contact. They were waiting for me by the clock tower. I confirmed the meeting point and indicated i'd be there in 15 minutes.

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