Floating
Trip Start
Jan 20, 2004
1
84
88
Trip End
Feb 01, 2005
Jerusalem,
Israel
Monday, January 10, 2005
Haim Again
I had been told how amazing Israel was by all the Israeli's I met, so I figured that since some of my friends were back there, I would have to go and see it for myself. After a delayed flight (where there were 117 old English pensioners who had been on a cruise or something arking up about the wait) and then a worse connection (lucky I met some Israeli's in the airport at Buenos Aires to hang out with for the duration)I was in Israel at 6am New Years Eve.
I got from the airport to Jerusalem and Haim picked me up from near the bus station. It was so good to see him again. If you look under my entry for Arraial D'Ajuda you will know all about our history.
It was an amazing day in Jerusalem, mid winter in a city that snows and it was a beautifully sunny and clear day with temperatures more like Buenos Aires in the summer. We went to the village of Abu Ghosh, an Arabic village just outside Jerusalem which is famous for it's food. We bought some hommus and falafel from a famous hommus man who is on TV and then went to a park overlooking a valley. It was an old ruin and we walked around and found the caves that Haim used to play in when he was a kid.
We then drove around Jerusalem with Haim pointing out certain things and points of interest. As we were driving I saw lots of Orthodox Jews dressed in black and topped with black brimmed hats, beards and side ringlets.
New Years Eve
After a nap we got ready and went to a club called Campus for a New Years Eve party. You have to be over 24 to get in which was a strange age, as in Australia we only have over 18 or over 28's and they are few and far between. Haim was asked for ID and then he said I was a tourist, so I was waved in.
The dancefloor was empty at 11:15pm, but within 15 minutes it was packed. Haim and I started dancing and having a great time. Haim commented on the number of santa hats proclaiming "Happy New Year" and how the Israeli's have no idea how to seperate Christmas and New Year (the Jewish calendar celebrates New Year on another day). They did the countdown to New Year, released some balloons and Haim pashed me for a very long time. This is when the dirty dancing really started. With one long kiss, everything was released and we were being very dirty on the dancefloor. It was the most fun I'd had in a long time and definitely the best night out in a club for probably ever. I didn't care about anyone watching us and we were just having fun, being totally into each other. Haim pulled out his signature dance moves of getting right down on his heels, dancing to me and then coming back up. I also did the ridiculous wall rooting move from Destiny Childs' Lose Your Breath videoclip.
We were photographed a few times for the website and I think I remember the flash going off occasionally during another lip locking session. After 4 hardcore hours I was ready to go home and sleep.
The Old City
It was Saturday and the Sabbath when Haim took me to the old city. He was an excellent tour guide, and we saw the tomb of King David and visited the different quarters of the city, although we weren't allowed in the Muslim quarter as it was prayer hour, but went to the gate. We went to the West Wall and saw everyone praying. The men and women don't pray together so there were two sides. Haim had his skull cap on and he went to pray and I went to check out the women's side.
I went up to the wall and touched it and also left a little note with my wish on it. All the women were walking backwards away from the wall until they were about 20 metres away, so I did the same. The West Wall is often referred to as the Wailing Wall, but there was no one wailing there and the signs ask people to be quiet so that they don't interupt other people praying.
We also wandered along the market streets filled with all sorts of touristy things, same as South America, just a different theme. It was hard to imagine that there were so many people living within the city walls as there was no Greater Jerusalem until 150 years ago. It is such an interesting mix as it is holy to so many religions and that there have been so many fights over this little place set in the barren, rocky hills.
After this we went to a lookout near the Hebrew University and the hospital where Haim works and then had a coffee. Everywhere you go in Israel there are metal detectors and bag checks. Haim said that the guy hardly even looked in my bag which wasn't a good job. You feel quite safe, although it was strange to see the young army recruits getting on a public bus with their machine gun slung casually over their shoulder like a tote bag.
Floating in the Dead Sea
Haim had to go back to work, so I was left to my devices, and decided to go for a float in the Dead Sea, which was 1 1/2 hours by bus. I met Jesus on the bus (a Mexican living in New York) and we went for a float and took pictures for each other.
The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth at 400m below sea level. Due to the salt and minerals, you float on top of the water. I normally float vertically, but I was bobbing around the surface and could even see my stomach floating out of the water and my toes pointing skywards. The water was an amazing clear green colour that you generally reserve for tropical beaches. When I had carefully manuoevered myself to be a perfect floating vertical pin I could see the bottom of the sea 50cm beneath my feet.
The water feels very glossy and beads on your skin, but it is great for your skin and afterwards it feels fantastically soft. I licked my hand, but the water is the most vile I have ever tasted. It has a very rank taste. I'm glad I didn't get my eyes wet, that would have been bad news.
I floated around for about an hour and half. Jesus had had to go back to Jerusalem earlier. I met an Australian guy and his two sons who were holidaying and then watched a group of three sisters in their early 20's faffing about trying to build up the courage to get in. I had a feeling that I will be back at the Dead Sea one day in the future.
Tel Aviv
I also went to Tel Aviv for a day to see my Colombian friend Constanza who I met for literally 10 minutes on the boat to Manaus and we have kept in touch. She is married to an Israeli and so lives in Tel Aviv. It was so nice to see her and speak Spanish to her and her visiting younger sister.
Tel Aviv is only 50 years old, and reminded me of Melbourne with the tree-lined streets. I saw the Mediterranean for the first time and just had a good day walking the streets with Constanza and Erica.
Aviad
I almost didn't get to see Aviad as he hadn't checked his emails and when he did it wasn't until I'd been in Israel for almost a week. We met and hung out in Cusco so it was good to see him again. He came to visit me in Jerusalem as he had been very busy studying for some tests to get into medical school. We went to a couple of cool bars and it was so good to see him again.
It's All About The People
I had a great time in Israel as I was with great people. It was so good to be with Haim again, but although I could and would do whatever it took to be with him, I was on the plane to London feeling happy as I had had a great time and achieved closure.
Haim's housemates Shani and Nerit were lovely and funny and I had fun with them while Haim was at work. I think they were also happy to have someone else to gang up against Haim! They taught me shem shala and showed me a better alternative to waxing my moustache!
The Airport Dramas
Tel Aviv has a new international terminal and it is very nice. Pity about what happens to you inside it... On my way in, I asked the girl not to stamp my passport, which led to a series of questions as to why and then a bit more interrogation, but I managed to avoid it.
The real nightmare was on the way to check in to my British Airways flight. I was there about 3 hours before my flight, and my main mistake was asking the nearest official looking people which line I should go to. This lead to a 1 hour and 45 minute interrogation and security check.
It started off okay, just a whole heap of questions checking my story. This was stuff like, how did you pay for your ticket, what was the purpose of my visit, who were my friends, where did I stay and then they wanted more info about Haim. They even wanted to see my pictures on my digital camera. I was asked why I went to the States, did I have a receipt from the hostel in New York, what did I do in South America, how did I get around, could they see my guidebook and then a zillion other questions, but if you see me anytime soon, you will no doubt hear the full extent of probing questions.
I then had everything in my luggage checked and they even swabbed my toothpaste. They told me I had to put my biscuits from Argentina in my checked luggage and then wouldn't say why due to "security reasons". When they packed my big backpack again, they came up and said "do you have another bag that you can put these in as they don't fit" and I told them that they had been in my bag before so they obviously did fit, and no I didn't have any more room since suddenly all these biscuits had to go in my checked luggage.
No fewer than 10 people interrogated me and looked at everything. The bit that upset me was when I was having my personal security check in a cubicle. As I was wearing jeans I had to pull them down to my knees and the head security bitch said to me and nasty voice "next time I advise you to bring your boyfriend to the airport, it will make things easier for you" I said "why, because he's Israeli?" and she told me that she couldn't tell me why. This was so humiliating and I felt so vulnerable with my pants down. This brought tears to my eyes then and again on the plane. Up until then I had been okay. It was sad to leave on a bad note after I had been so happy when I left Haim.
Things I Learned
* Every building has to be built out of the sand coloured Jerusalem stone which only makes it easier to get lost!
* Most Israeli's speak English, except bus drivers when you ask them to let you off somewhere in particular they just say "No English, no English" or "Russian, Russian".
* Everything closes down from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday except the bars
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