Leaving Israel

Tel Aviv - 9:30am

After a light night out in Tel Aviv, I got up the next morning a little later than I would have liked. My host/landlord Raviv was supposed to stop by the apartment around noon to check me out. This meant I only had about a couple of hours to wander around town. Since I didn't get a chance to see Sheinken Street in action because of Shabbat, I figured I'd start there. This time around the street was much more busy. 

As I walked through the streets, I realized just how much I was going to miss Tel Aviv. There's so much I love about Tel Aviv; the people, the distinct neighborhoods, the oceanfront, the street markets, getting from place to place via Tel-O-Bikes, the ocean, the weather, the everyday nightlife, the list is endless. All around you see Israel soldiers, in part because military service is obligatory (2 years for woman, 3 for men). I wonder obligatory military service is responsible for some of the Israeli pride I see everywhere. It's also remarkable how many people I met from all over that reside in Tel Aviv. Throughout my time in Tel Aviv I met people from all over - from the US, India...even Siberia.

 

Leaving my apartment was hard :(

Sheinken Street

As I reached Sheinken Street, I found a reasonably priced ($50) pair of sunglasses I'd definitely need along the trip. Since I had some shekels (Israeli currency) so I didn't mind. There were a lot of vendors in Carmel Market selling sunglasses and other counterfeit goods, but none selling foakleys (fake Oakley sunglasses)...go figure. It's probably for the better, because every pair of fake Oakleys I have ever had have been uncomfortable.  I passed a post office on the way back and stopped in to mail some rocks to my nephew that I picked up from the Dead Sea. He's a big collector of rocks so I figured he'd appreciate them since they are unique.  Things were much easier this time at the post office since all I needed was a padded envelope.

 

Goodbye, Carmel Market

 

I couldn't resist...this was my breakfast

Checking Out

Shortly after 12 I was back at the apartment. Raviv was working on some maintenance items and was patient with me as I grabbed my stuff and left. Can't say enough good about Raviv. On the way out I passed a post office and mailed some stuff back home. My nephew Quinn is a big collector rocks and the Dead Sea is full of interesting rock and crystal formations.  Things were much easier this time around at the post office since all I needed was a padded envelope and a stamp. My flight was already delayed, bumping the departure time to 7:30pm, so I had a few hours to kill. I stopped by Little Prague for some lunch and than a neighborhood coffee shop before departing for the airport via public transportation. My next stop would be to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. A place where my grandmother was born and where my mother went to school. Cyprus just agreed to a controversial bailout, meaning most people would loose at least 6-7% of all funds in their deposit (checking, savings) accounts to pay for the bailout. Nonetheless, it was an interesting time to be on the island.

Trains, Planes and Automobiles

The first leg of the journey to the airport was simple. A line of vans waits on the street across from my apartment - I think it's the first stop. Once someone boards or at a specific time, the van proceeds to other stops. The vans leave very frequently, every 5 minutes or so. For under $2 this van will take me to the train station with limited stops.

Train Station

The train station I was at was only about 15 minutes from the airport and costs under $4. It's not as cheap as Chicago's blue line, but it's much more comfortable, has a guaranteed seating option, and offers free WiFi.

Departing Ben Gurion Airport

Security

I now entirely understand why this is considered to be the most secure civilian airport in the world. In the US we simply drop off our bags and clear security (x-ray or pat down). Not the same at Ben Gurion. First, you line up in a queue where someone from security confirms you indeed have a flight. They have checklists, so there's no chance of someone slipping by with a counterfeit boarding pass. Next, checked luggage is run through x-ray while you wait. There are inspections without the passenger being present. I kinda wish TSA would behave that way. Some folks like myself are passed on for enhanced screening or bag checks - they went through and swiped every article of clothing I had to check for explosives. The lady actually complimented me for how well I packed - whoever designed the Eagle Creek packing system should get credit. Next, security escorts passengers to the ticket agent for check in. After all this the typical US style security begins. The security folks went through every item in my carry on item by item - swiping the fabric of all items looking for explosive residue. 

Waiting for the flight

I was flying an Israeli low cost carrier called Arkia. In addition to sending me an email to notify the night before of a delay,   they went as to have a real person call me to let me know about the delay. To say the least I was impressed. When I finally got the gate after clearing round one of security, then gave me a coupon for a free drink and pastry. Knowing I had a few hours to kill, I went shopping in the main common air (first picture). All sorts of retailers can be found in this area -  clothing stores from Gucci, Lacoste, to Diesel all have decent sized shops.

 

Ben Gurion Airport

After redeeming my certificate for some food, I head over to the gate. The flight was originally delayed, but delays would continue for the next few hours. The worst part is no one had any information aside from telling us the plane was late.

 

 

No Jetway here... we'd board via the back

The flight wasn't booked and I was able to get a whole row to myself. Since I was at the front of the plane it caught me a while to realize this. 

 

Goodbye Israel!

Arriving in Cyprus

It was about midnight by the time I got the airport. I reached out to my AirBnB host/landlord and confirmed he was still available to let me in. I had been told I could pickup a SIM card at the airport for my phone - however the only thing i could find was a top up card (credit) for service. So I now had about $20 US in credit, but no card. After buying one of those top off cards I found another kiosk that did sell SIM cards, but not for the network my already purchased top off card was for. The search would continue.

 

Larnaca Airport Terminal

Getting to my Apartment

After agreeing to pay a steep fee (roughly US $20) for the 3-4 mile journey to my apartment, I hopped in what would ordinarily be considered the drivers seat of a car. Yup, they drive on the left side of the road here. I avoided getting a rental car for that very reason. After 3 stops at convenience stores  en route suggested by the driver, we finally found a SIM card for my network. When we finally got to the apartment I could not find my AirBnB host/landlord. I was beginning to worry. The driver let me use his phone and I reached the host Demetris. He had gone home because he thought I was not coming. After making me sweat for a little bit, he let me know I was lucky and that he left a key in the lockbox. He gave me a code and all was good. Not too bad for $45/night.

 

Apartment bedroom

 

Apartment living room

 

Apartment during the day

Tomorrow

Early research and the listing description had indicated the apartment was not far from town and accessible via public transportation. Since Google and Apple maps were mostly in Greek it was hard to search and determine what was around the apartment. I'd do more research in the morning, I needed some rest.