I survived my three day trip to Eilat this weekend....without sunburn or broken bones! Baruch Hashem! I'm glad I was allowed to go...since I had a little rebellious slip-up on the day of the Jerusalem trip last month. I'm NOT a morning person (shocker) so a 6:45am pick up time is rough for me, especially after a late evening giving one of our group's favorite participants, Steve, a proper farewell party. After staring at my closet for 10 minutes, I realized there was no way I could make it to Jerusalem, so I gave up and went back to sleep. I figured there'd be some sort of monetary consequence, as all of the trips are "mandatory," but when I heard a rumor those who missed would be excluded from the Eilat trip, I got a little nervous. Luckily, it was all a bunch of fluff, and nothing happened....but this time, I learned my lesson by NOT going out the night before and having my bag packed ahead of time.
Contents of my backpack: (Thanks Casey and Tim for my amazing Northface)
-3 turkey sandwiches
-3 1.5 L water bottles
-bag of mixed nuts
-bag of weird asian chex mix
-ipod
-towel
-sneakers
-hat
-purell
-sunscreen
-band aids
After the longest bus ride we've had so far, we were plopped in the middle of nowhere...b'emet really the middle of the Negev desert. Bulldozers literally cleared a road, which added an extra mile of walking BEFORE the hike began. Yariv, our freakishly athletic tour guide, didn't mess around one bit on this hike. If you didn't have sneakers, a hat, and at least 2 liters of water, you weren't going on the 4 hour hike. After loading up on sunscreen, and gathering my nerves, I chose to participate in the REAL hike, not the "lazy" hike. This included climbing in and out of the canyon, ropes, and steep ladders. Whoa whoa whoa....ladders? So I'm pretty afraid of them; falling down backwards to my death does not sound like a good way to go. Ask Luke from Mama D's: I NEVER went up into the attic, in almost 2 years of working there. I don't know what it is, considering I loved my bunk bed growing up. Fear comes with age, I suppose. As usual, I coped with the anxiety by making a joke out of it...and that's how Team Strap-On was born.
....and I actually mean straps! Erica, Leetal, and I decided to fully buckle into our backpacks (not really necessary for this kind of hike) and entertain ourselves with the ridiculousness of the whole scenario. Team Strap-On survived the rigorous hike, and hopefully lost a few pounds of vacation belly in the process. On the outside, I was smiling while DRIPPING in sweat soaked through 2 tank tops, and on the inside....scared beyond belief. I've always claimed that I sweat more than the average human being, and as a result packed tons of my extra strength deodorant before departing for Israel, but the issue reached new levels in the Negev. Even after twenty minutes of resting, I was still drenched while others looked almost good as new. Ew. Not cute. But it's the body's way of cooling, right?? Whose idea was it to hike through the middle of the desert…. in June…. in the middle of the day, anyway? Luckily for us, Abraham and Moses installed ropes, metal ladders, handlebars, and foot grooves into the rocks...providing a challenging "obstacle course" on the way. On my way down the second rope, Yariv literally placed my feet on the cliff for me. He made it look so simple. Climbing down the 60-something foot ladder at the end of the journey helped me face a great fear. There I was, wobbling down a ladder with no one else in sight. I think it's safe to say I'm not afraid of ladders anymore.
Upon arrival in Eilat, Israel's southern beach resort location, I showered off and fed the fat kid that lives in my stomach: an array of freshly sliced hazeh oaf (chicken breast), oriz (rice), and all my favorite Israeli salads. Boy, do I love Israel's hotel food! That evening, Oranim arranged for us to have a private party at a nearby club, but I was just exhausted and decided not to partake. Instead I woke up at 3:58 am (eight minutes after I was supposed to be downstairs) and went on a sunrise hike! What an incredible experience, hiking in the dark dodging camel poop through the Negev. The last stretch of uphill climbing almost defeated me, but I talked myself through it because I knew if I stopped to rest, I'd never get up. The view was more than worth it. We sat and watched the sun rise with a magnificently clear view of the Red Sea, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Sinai in Egypt. What more could you ask for? Back at the hotel by 7:30 am, we ate another fabulous meal of cheese varieties, eggs, salad, tuna, and fresh bread with nutella. We're turning into real Israelis, as apparent from our act of making extra sandwiches from the buffet wrapped in napkins to eat for lunch later. Right when the hotel pool opened at 9 am, Leetal, Erica, Guy, and I were ready to play. We enjoyed our own private party for quite awhile, waking up many of the other people who'd chosen to party the previous night instead of hiking in the morning. The pool at Shalom Plaza hotel was a blatant Israeli stereotype. The lifeguard doubled as a Dj, blasting the generally loved Euro techno beats you hear all over Israel. The girls doused themselves in baby oil and sipped energy drinks. The men played shesh-besh, and ogled the girls. I bought a 5 shekel ananas (pineapple) artik, and the food stand served schnitzel and chips. The heat is so intense in Eilat that it reminded me of Palm Springs when you can only lay out for a few minutes before jumping in the water again. Being the dedicated tanner that I am (with tons of sunscreen and a hat of course) I survived five hours in the sun. That evening, we walked the tayelet of Eilat, reminiscent of Las Vegas, towards a bar called Three Monkeys. Inside, a black man with a fur coat, digital belt, gold teeth, and a necklace displaying both a cross AND magen david sang American cover songs with a cute blond girl and great band. He definitely loved me...probably since I was jumping around singing along to every song, and even held the microphone for me to sing the chorus to "Where is the Love?" Amazing! The night got even better when Idan and I decided to ride this giant bungee ball thing in the middle of the tayelet. Such a great adrenaline rush! I laughed my butt off!
The next day, I TRIED to walk and shop the tayelet, but it was just too darn hot. My dress was soaked in sweat, and even though the beach was beautiful, I was anxious to head back to the pool. Another lazy Shabbat, and the trip was complete. Closing thoughts on Eilat? Super HOT weather, gorgeous beaches, GREAT hotel resorts, GREAT nightlife, BAD times for my hair, and a mix of Vegas, Palm Springs, Mexico, and Venice beach...rolled into one crazy Israeli city! Great experience, but still nothing beats my love, TEL AVIV! Happy to be home!
Contents of my backpack: (Thanks Casey and Tim for my amazing Northface)
-3 turkey sandwiches
-3 1.5 L water bottles
-bag of mixed nuts
-bag of weird asian chex mix
-ipod
-towel
-sneakers
-hat
-purell
-sunscreen
-band aids
After the longest bus ride we've had so far, we were plopped in the middle of nowhere...b'emet really the middle of the Negev desert. Bulldozers literally cleared a road, which added an extra mile of walking BEFORE the hike began. Yariv, our freakishly athletic tour guide, didn't mess around one bit on this hike. If you didn't have sneakers, a hat, and at least 2 liters of water, you weren't going on the 4 hour hike. After loading up on sunscreen, and gathering my nerves, I chose to participate in the REAL hike, not the "lazy" hike. This included climbing in and out of the canyon, ropes, and steep ladders. Whoa whoa whoa....ladders? So I'm pretty afraid of them; falling down backwards to my death does not sound like a good way to go. Ask Luke from Mama D's: I NEVER went up into the attic, in almost 2 years of working there. I don't know what it is, considering I loved my bunk bed growing up. Fear comes with age, I suppose. As usual, I coped with the anxiety by making a joke out of it...and that's how Team Strap-On was born.
....and I actually mean straps! Erica, Leetal, and I decided to fully buckle into our backpacks (not really necessary for this kind of hike) and entertain ourselves with the ridiculousness of the whole scenario. Team Strap-On survived the rigorous hike, and hopefully lost a few pounds of vacation belly in the process. On the outside, I was smiling while DRIPPING in sweat soaked through 2 tank tops, and on the inside....scared beyond belief. I've always claimed that I sweat more than the average human being, and as a result packed tons of my extra strength deodorant before departing for Israel, but the issue reached new levels in the Negev. Even after twenty minutes of resting, I was still drenched while others looked almost good as new. Ew. Not cute. But it's the body's way of cooling, right?? Whose idea was it to hike through the middle of the desert…. in June…. in the middle of the day, anyway? Luckily for us, Abraham and Moses installed ropes, metal ladders, handlebars, and foot grooves into the rocks...providing a challenging "obstacle course" on the way. On my way down the second rope, Yariv literally placed my feet on the cliff for me. He made it look so simple. Climbing down the 60-something foot ladder at the end of the journey helped me face a great fear. There I was, wobbling down a ladder with no one else in sight. I think it's safe to say I'm not afraid of ladders anymore.
Upon arrival in Eilat, Israel's southern beach resort location, I showered off and fed the fat kid that lives in my stomach: an array of freshly sliced hazeh oaf (chicken breast), oriz (rice), and all my favorite Israeli salads. Boy, do I love Israel's hotel food! That evening, Oranim arranged for us to have a private party at a nearby club, but I was just exhausted and decided not to partake. Instead I woke up at 3:58 am (eight minutes after I was supposed to be downstairs) and went on a sunrise hike! What an incredible experience, hiking in the dark dodging camel poop through the Negev. The last stretch of uphill climbing almost defeated me, but I talked myself through it because I knew if I stopped to rest, I'd never get up. The view was more than worth it. We sat and watched the sun rise with a magnificently clear view of the Red Sea, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Sinai in Egypt. What more could you ask for? Back at the hotel by 7:30 am, we ate another fabulous meal of cheese varieties, eggs, salad, tuna, and fresh bread with nutella. We're turning into real Israelis, as apparent from our act of making extra sandwiches from the buffet wrapped in napkins to eat for lunch later. Right when the hotel pool opened at 9 am, Leetal, Erica, Guy, and I were ready to play. We enjoyed our own private party for quite awhile, waking up many of the other people who'd chosen to party the previous night instead of hiking in the morning. The pool at Shalom Plaza hotel was a blatant Israeli stereotype. The lifeguard doubled as a Dj, blasting the generally loved Euro techno beats you hear all over Israel. The girls doused themselves in baby oil and sipped energy drinks. The men played shesh-besh, and ogled the girls. I bought a 5 shekel ananas (pineapple) artik, and the food stand served schnitzel and chips. The heat is so intense in Eilat that it reminded me of Palm Springs when you can only lay out for a few minutes before jumping in the water again. Being the dedicated tanner that I am (with tons of sunscreen and a hat of course) I survived five hours in the sun. That evening, we walked the tayelet of Eilat, reminiscent of Las Vegas, towards a bar called Three Monkeys. Inside, a black man with a fur coat, digital belt, gold teeth, and a necklace displaying both a cross AND magen david sang American cover songs with a cute blond girl and great band. He definitely loved me...probably since I was jumping around singing along to every song, and even held the microphone for me to sing the chorus to "Where is the Love?" Amazing! The night got even better when Idan and I decided to ride this giant bungee ball thing in the middle of the tayelet. Such a great adrenaline rush! I laughed my butt off!
The next day, I TRIED to walk and shop the tayelet, but it was just too darn hot. My dress was soaked in sweat, and even though the beach was beautiful, I was anxious to head back to the pool. Another lazy Shabbat, and the trip was complete. Closing thoughts on Eilat? Super HOT weather, gorgeous beaches, GREAT hotel resorts, GREAT nightlife, BAD times for my hair, and a mix of Vegas, Palm Springs, Mexico, and Venice beach...rolled into one crazy Israeli city! Great experience, but still nothing beats my love, TEL AVIV! Happy to be home!
Hebrew phrases for today's post:
Tiyul: tour
Meeshkafaim shemesh: sunglasses
Kef leerot otach: Good to see you!
Ani asukah akshav: I'm busy right now
Anachnu noseem b'autobus l'kol makom!: We travel by bus everywhere!
Climbing down the rope
Team Strap-On
Eilat Resort
Jordan...at dawn
Sunrise hike
Band at Three Monkeys, "Everyday People"
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