The Dead Sea & Purim with Michelle!!!

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These last few weeks have gone by so fast. And have also been some of my favorites. I have so much to write about!

One of my best friends decided to come to Israel for a visit. Michelle and I have known each other for close to 15 years and it pretty much goes without saying that when we're together, we're always in for the most random, insane & unforgettable moments ever. Which held so true for this little get together of ours.

Elad and I picked Michelle up from the airport on the 5th. I made a sign with the letter "B" on it (a nickname we've had for one another for a long time, another story...) Her flight landed at 10 am... we figured with landing, customs, baggage, etc... that we wouldn't have to be there right at 10. Poor B. Elad got a call while we were en route to the airport. At first I thought it was customs.. maybe they thought she was a terrorist and needed to confirm that she was infact just here for 12 days on a holiday.. but it was Michelle not knowing what to do, getting a cab driver to call us while she sat by herself at the airport. I felt so bad and needless to say she was a bit upset. I didn't even get to hold the sign for her 😞

Once that whole ordeal was over, Michelle handed me a pack of Canadian Belmont cigarettes. Mmmm, I have never been so happy to poison my body with the sweet taste of charcoal filter goodness. We drove in to Tel Aviv so she could check in to the Hayarkon 48 Hostel then went for some food at Miguel's Restaurant (the first place Elad and I ate together) I've been there so many times since the first time with Elad, the food is delectable and very reasonable price wise.

After lunch, Michelle & I went back to the hostel, got settled in and headed to the market and then the beach. She arrived on a perfect day, it was around 25 degrees and beautiful. The weather wasn't as nice even just days before so she was lucky (like I was when I arrived!!) In the evening, we got ready to go out to Noga. Definitely my favorite place in Tel Aviv. I'm not big on the club scene, I prefer bars and this place is really cool plus it has a lot of pool tables and yes, I am turning in to a pro now. haha not quite, but getting much better! Anyways, Michelle had a great first night.

We also made a list of all of the things Michelle wanted to do while she was here. We came up with:
~Yafo
~Dead Sea
~Purim
~Jerusalem & Bethlehem
~Eilat
~Golan Heights for some hiking

The Dead Sea is a salt lake between Israel and the West Bank to the west and Jordan to the east. The shores are the lowest point on the surface of the Earth on dry land (1,385 feet below sea level) and is 8.6 times more salty than the ocean- 33.7% salinity, which is why it is called the Dead Sea... nothing could possibly live in the water!
We decided we were going to go on Saturday. Only one small problem... on Saturdays, busses do not run as it is Sabbath (the weekly day of rest) so we ended up taking a cab to the airport and renting a car. I was so stoked to be driving in Israel!!!!!! And the drive was positively stunning. Michelle and I kept asking ourselves "Why do we live in Canada?" (probably the free health care and no war thing haha) But seriously, it was just intangible. The views of the desert, the landscape, the countryside, the camels hehe yeah, we saw a bunch of camels!!! It was breath taking, almost too much for my eyes to perceive. And when we arrived to the first Dead Sea resort we saw a sign for about an hour and a half drive, we pulled in, payed the 35 shekel entrance fee and again were in awe at the sheer beauty that this country provides. Astonishing. I could sit here and type out every descriptive word I know and still it could not express what it was like to be there.
After taking some pictures (which do no justice for the beauty) we went for a "swim" in the Dead Sea. Seeing pictures of people gave me an idea of what to expect but I really don't think anyone is prepared for the feeling of absolute buoyancy the water provides until you actually try it. Such a strange feeling of not being able to keep your legs down in the water!!! Oh, and if you have any cuts on your body or if you've shaved recently, be prepared for a stinging sensation you've never felt before! Also... DO NOT get the water in your eyes. Accidentally Michelle and I both got it in our eyes which resulted in intense, and I mean extreme intense burning pain. You cannot open your eye(s) for a good 5 minutes. We were playing an inadvertent game of Marco Polo so we didn't lose each other. LOL!
After the sensation of having our eyes burned out of our heads, we decided to do the infamous Dead Sea mud body mask. You just take the mud from the ground and rub it all over your body. It is so good for your skin. The high concentration of natural salt and minerals (potassium, magnesium, sodium, bromine and calcium) in the sea is absorbed in to the mud and you're basically feeding it to your skin by applying it on yourself. Let it dry in the sun, wash it off with the fresh water showers provided at the resort and you have never felt your skin so soft and smooth (except maybe as a baby!!!) I will most definitely be going back for more.
We chilled at the Dead Sea for a few hours and headed back. On the way we saw some Israeli soldiers and decided to stop and take some pics with them, they were really cool and had no problems with letting us take pictures. We also saw a guy giving out camel rides but opted out of that as the camel didn't look like he was in the best mood. (I didn't feel like getting spit on haha)
We also, I think, by accident ended up going through Jerusalem (we were following the signs!!) to get back to the airport so it was very nice to see some of the scenery there. All in all, it was an unforgettable day.

Michelle, again, was really lucky. She had no idea that she booked her trip while Purim festivities were going on! She didn't even know what Purim was. Well, neither did I until I took the Judaism course. It is one of the best Jewish holidays... a little bit like Halloween where everyone dresses up and parties!!! If you're interested in reading about the story of Purim, visit this link:
Elad and I bought our "costumes" last minute, it was pretty funny actually. I got pink wings, pink stockings, a pink head band and some glitter so I could be a fairy. Elad got a surgeon mask and some fake blood that we put on a white shirt of his so he pretty much looked like a crazy dude that likes to cut people open. Michelle went to the Shuk and bought some wings and I put some stars on her face. Off to Eco Pak, the first "club" in Tel Aviv I've been to. It was okay, very packed and pretty small... not much of a club and drinks were way too expensive. The bartender flashed a little light in Michelle's face and made sure to let her know that "service" wasn't included. Nice. Everyone was dressed up though so that was cool 😊 We left after not staying too long and had a drink at a cute little cafe across the street.
According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between "cursed be Haman" and "blessed be Mordecai" (read the link about Purim if you're confused) we (Mich & I) undeniably got that job done. I don't care if I'm Jewish or not, I freaking LOVE PURIM and will continue celebrating it until the day I die. Pretty sure Michelle feels the same way too. Purim was on the 10th but Tel Aviv keeps it going all week long so there were multitudes of parties and celebrations going on so the next night (which was actually Purim) we went to Noga, played some pool (with my wings on) and got very, very tipsy. For sure the most inebriated I've been while in Israel. None the less it was a fantastic time.

This has been a very long entry, my fingers are sore and I'm starving so I'm going to end it for now... I still have much more to catch up on but you'll just have to wait! I promise, it will be sooner than later though!!!! Talk to you soon,
J

😊

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