A Thursday to relax...or not

Local Cafe - Thursday, 9am-ish

After spending an entire day touring Jerusalem and Bethlehem the day before, I wanted to have a relaxing day on my own. Today would be it. I had a long checklist of things to do, so I head to the coffee shop attached to the building next to my apartment with my laptop. First priority was to update my blog (Wednesday's entry) and recap the previous day. Next step was to plan Friday. Friday was expected to be in the 90s, so a trip to the Dead Sea sound like fun. I booked a tour through Bein Harim tours - the place suggested by Ron Perry (my Jerusalem tour guide and new BFF). Around $90 all in after an online coupon, not bad. I also had to mail off some stuff back home since I have no room to carry stuff with me. I figured the trip to the post office via bike could be a mini tour of the greater Tel Aviv area. It took a while, but I eventually found a local post office and the hours online. I'm set!

Beginning the day at the local Cafe

Coffee Shop

       

A friend stopped by and took a long nap next to me (left)

My iced mocha - YUM (right)

Off to the Post Office

After finding the local post office I picked up a Tel-O-Bike (community rental bike) and head to the post office. I detoured a bit, riding around aimlessly. Since it was daylight and I made a quick cruise through the seedy area by the bus station.

A little on the rough side

Post Office

I was hoping the post office would sell supplies, much like they do in the states. Much to my chagrin, they did not. It was time to be resourceful. At the shop next door (below), I saw a man taking out trash and boxes. I politely asked if I could have one and he smiled and said 'of course'. The man would become my savior! After finding the right sized box, I went into the shop to see if I could purchase tape. The man, Sookie, disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a roll of tape and sealed up the box for me. Sookie spoke decent english, so I asked how much I owed him. He gave me a bit of an off look and than smiled, laughed and said 'nothing'! I thanked him, we spoke for a bit, and I left once a customer came to the register. What a great guy.

 

 

Small market run by the awesome Sookie

Dizengoff Center

The post office was located next to a big mall named Dizengoff Center. From the outside it appeared an Apple store was within, so in I ventured.

 

Everyone going in to the mall is searched with a metal detector. All bags are examined. 

Israeli's accept this as a way of life. 

Dizengoff Center

 

A trip to the toy shop yields nothing original in the world of Legos for my Nephew Quinn :( 

iDigital? WTF?

 

It looks just like a Genius bar at an Apple store!

Apparently Apple does not have a store in Israel, instead they have a partner called iDigital. Take a look at this iDigital store, located elsewhere, to see how far they go to recreate the Apple experience.

Leaving Dizengoff Center

After leaving Dizengoff, I received a call on my cell phone. When a call comes in, it's free, but only one person has called me to date - Raviv, my host/landlord. Raviv called to ask if I left the cooking gas on. Thinking back to when I left, I did notice what I thought to be a noxious odor...but it did not appear to be what I thought was cooking gas. I figured it was just some ethnic food I wasn't familiar with. Raviv asked if he could go in the unit and investigate - I said of course. About an hour later Raviv called and said somehow the cooking gas was on. I'm guessing maybe my bag hit the knob on the way out. He opened the windows and said not to worry. Since natural gas is completely odorless, I guess the additive they use to create the odor in Israel is completely different than back in the states.  I apologized to Raviv for nearly blowing up his unit, but he just laughed it off. "Chris, there's no way you could have blown up my unit...if you ignited the burner it would have made a little 'poof', no big deal". I'm wasn't about to argue with him, but I don't think he's right.

Carmel Market

After cycling up and down the oceanfront, I walked around Carmel Market to see what all the excitement was about. The place was amazing. Very busy with merchants selling just about everything...flowers, fruit, clothing, etc. It was crazy busy - people were elbow to elbow and the market covered several street blocks. Carmel Market is a very short walk from my apartment. I also stopped here at the end of the night to pick up some fruit for my apartment. I still had some pesos from a pervious trip in my moneyclip which the merchant saw. In broken English, he asked about the currency. I told him Mexico and he got very excited, so I gave it to him.

 

Gummies!

Busy streets

 

Bakery

 Grocery

Old Jaffa

Old Jaffa

Next up was a trip to Old Jaffa. An old walled neighborhood build in the 1500's just south of my apartment. Here again I was entirely blown away by what I would discover. From the outside it looks like an old building or a complex of structures, which it is. From the inside though there are a series of streets and buildings - an entire town. I began exploring without a definitive plan - just climbing up random staircases not knowing where I was going. I started from the area by the sea.  The whole experience was amazing. It reminded me of the Harry Potter park at Universal Studios - except genuine. Judging by the number of weddings I saw, this place appears to be a very popular destination for wedding photography.

 

Stairs up to the main level

 

Main level - Haffa Clock Tower

 

A random street in Jaffa

Tel Aviv from Jaffa

After spending a few hours in Old Jaffa I returned home and fell asleep. I'd have to be up early the next day and knew a good nights rest was critical.

 

Tomorrow

The big Tel Aviv marathon was scheduled tomorrow. Although it was cancelled because of the heat, a 10k is still taking place throughout the city. Most of the main roads are shut down. I figured a visit to the Dead Sea is a must. Aside from being the lowest point on earth not covered by water,  it is stated one can not sink in the Dead Sea. Plus the water if full of mystical minerals that cure everything from arthritis to psoriasis. Researching, I found a combo-tour of Masada and the Dead Sea. Great considering the weather is supposed to be in the 90s! Pickup for the tour is scheduled for 6am!

Touring Jerusalem, Palestine and the West Bank

Tel Aviv - Wednesday, 8am-ish

A couple of years ago my friend, Ryan Middleton, toured Israel with his church group. When this trip was just an idea, Ryan was adamant that if I went to Israel I must meet his friend and former tour guide Ron Perry. Ron handles all tours to Israel for his church group and they absolutely love him. Over the years the church has changed travel agencies and almost everything else about the Israel trip - but Ron is as much a fixture of  the Israel tour as the city of Jerusalem itself. I would soon understand why. So, after a couple of days,  Ryan put me in touch with Ron. With only a night's notice we were set to meet in Jerusalem at the central bus station. I tried to get an idea of what was in store - was I just getting coffee or was I getting a tour. I asked Ron how much he wanted on the call and he said he'd spend half a day with me for free. I figured I could be walking into a giant scam. Anyhow, Ron offers me advice on how to get Jerusalem - a cab for around $120-$150 or a bus ride from Tel Aviv central station for something like $30 round trip. Ron's advice the night before helped me figure out how to get to the bus station using public transportation, so I was beginning to look up. Although I had only a few hours of sleep I was awake and ready to go. I brought along the caffeinated gummy candy my mom packed for me into my day pack just in case. Very glad I had them.

Jerusalem - Old City Tour

Getting to Jerusalem

With Ron's advice, getting to the Tel Aviv central bus station was easy. Mini-buses pass by every ten minutes or so and jet to the station. I think the fare was right under $2. The central bus station is a sight itself. Inside is a gigantic market. Tel Aviv's station has something like six floors with any kind of shop you can imagine. Busses do not leave at a fixed time. They leave once enough people are in the bus or after a certain length of time. The buses are comfortable with coach seats and even have free wifi. The journey to Jerusalem was about an hour. The Jerusalem central bus station was similar.  The Jerusalem Chords Bridge is an absolute work of art.

Tel Aviv Bus Station

(not my photo)

Meeting Ron Perry

Ron Perry

Upon arriving at the airport in Tel Aviv I picked up a SIM card for my phone. In Europe it's common to get free incoming calls (there's a tariff attached to calling mobile phones, so the person receiving the call does not pay). Anyhow, Ron and I exchanged messages back and forth and met up at the train station. From there we went to the Old City including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre . Ron was going to walk me through the Old City and go through the 14 stages of the cross - recreating the trial of Jesus at the various places. Essentially, recreate Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ on site. Walking around the Old City church was incredible - most of what you see is at least a couple of hundred years old, some parts thousands. Ron's of Jewish heritage, but since he's a professional guide he can spin a tour for any faith. Ron's knowledge was second to none. Probably what I liked most about Ron was how he treated other people and the site. Whenever Ron saw garbage on the ground, he picked it up. Whenever he saw a confused or lost tourist, he stopped to help and make them feel comfortable. "Being a tourist can be a humiliating experience" he often said.  Often, he just engaged in conversation with people of all cultures - Ron just loves talking to people. I heard him speak English, French, Hebrew, Arabic, and I think Russian. Ron's the tour guide you want to hire, regardless of spirituality, and he can be reached in Israel at 050-552-9534. He doesn't have a web page or a US number. In my downtime I need to fix that, because he said business is extremely slow. Ron mentioned American clients are his primary customers. 10 years ago he said about 80 percent of all tourists were American. Now it's down to maybe 10-20%. Part of the decrease could be related to the increase in tourism from former eastern block countries. When the Soviet Union fell, travel restrictions were lifted any many people from that region now make the trip to Jerusalem. 

Old City

Entrance to the Old City is through the Jaffa Gate. It's entirely free and you walk through tons of markets. The markets sell anything you can imagine and is very much like a flea market. You can get diapers, toiletries, religious artifacts, ancient antiquities, coffee, pirated software, etc.

At the entrance, Jaffa Gate

Old City Market

Bootleg movies and software for sale at Old City

ILL!

(Too many Illinois fans to list)

Ohio State 

(Figured this would make my OSU friends Michelle and Mike)

Closest to Purdue I could find...

Odd given Starbucks withdrawal from Jerusalem, 

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

This church is nothing short of amazing. This is where the 14 Stations of the Cross are recreated. Throughout my time touring I saw no less than a dozen groups of all faiths carrying crosses, reciting prayers, etc. This is the site where Jesus was tried and crucified. What's interesting is how little the various religions trust each other. The main entrance is actually controlled by two Muslim families who share responsibility of opening the Church every day.

The keyholder of the Holy Sepulchre and me

People praying outside the Western Wall

Me on the rooftop of one of the churches

Ron & me enjoying some Turkish tea. I really enjoyed talking to Ron about everything.

Baidum Antiquités Dealer

It seemed Ron new just about everyone in the Old City. We passed by a shop I assumed sold recreations of ancient antiquities, but Ron said they were all authentic and the shop, Baidum, was very well known throughout the world. The shop was closed but the owner's son, Rami, was outside and insisted we come in. Rami attended university in the states (LA) and spoke perfect English. I made it clear I could not afford anything in the shop, but he gave me a tour anyway.  Later, the owner/father (left of me) insisted we stay, have tea and talk. This sort of hospitality is confusing to me. 

The Baidun family with me and Ron. 

Note all antiquities are authentic, including the statue next to Ron!

Finishing up Jerusalem

Ron and I concluded our tour around 4pm. He was incredibly gracious and asked for nothing from me - I insisted but couldn't pay him nearly enough. I mentioned if it might be possible to go to Bethlehem and the birthplace of Christ. Bethlehem was handed over to Palestinian control in 1995. Sometime after that period Jews from Israel were barred from entering, so Ron could not accompany me to this site. I was a bit concerned about safety and he reiterated the area was safe. Ron made arrangements and for $100 US I was going to get a private driver and tour of Bethlehem...all to begin in under 20 minutes.

Surprise trip to the West Bank-Palestine!

Israeli wall separating Israel from Palestine

View from Bethlehem 

After entering Palestine I was (seriously) greeted by Minnie Mouse. I imagine the Palestinians do this to create familiarity for westerners.  I never left the car aside from when I went into the church. 

A fake Starbucks! Or should I say Stars & Bucks! Taken from the car.

Lots of narrow rock stairways

Kneeling down at the birthplace of Christ 

(star below is within the fireplace looking thing)

Closeup of the point of birth

Back to Tel Aviv

After my short trip to Bethlehem, the driver took me back to the Jerusalem Bus Station. I picked up a few essentials from the drug story and head back home. The trip back was incredibly short - maybe because I feel asleep on the bus and was exhausted.

Jerusalem Bus Station 

Chords Bridge 

(not my photo)

Gift Shopping at Palestine

Ron mentioned the tour guide would be paid by the ministry of tourism and that I'd have to stop at the gift shop on my way out. He said I didn't have to purchase anything, but to spend time in the shop and maybe get a cross I promised to buy for someone back home (hi Olga). Everything in the shop was extremely expensive. They had a lot of stuff carved out of wood (see my photos below) costing thousands of dollars. Almost all the crosses bigger than a few inches were over $25. The crosses were made from the Olive Trees around the area. I'll need to ship the stuff I picked up before I leave Tel Aviv because I do not have room to carry anything - shouldn't be a big deal.

Back to Polly's

I got back to the Tel Aviv bus station around 10pm. My host/landlord Raviv mentioned this area was sketchy, but not necessarily unsafe. He was right, the area outside the station was sketchy. I spent some time looking for a Tel O Bike (bike rental stations throughout the city) stand without success. So I hopped a bus in the general direction and ended up back on Allenby street. From there I picked up a Tel O Bike and went home. 

I was exhausted, but also didn't want to call it a night. So after getting back home, I dropped off my day pack and head to Polly's. I got there around midnight The outside bar was open and my favorite friend of Israel, Roy served me up a nice cold beer after insisting everyone at the bar do a shot on the house because, in part, 'Christopher had returned'. I learned a bit more about Roy. He spent 4 months in military jail after serving a year to get out of the 3 year commitment. Didn't realize that was an option. He was certain to tell me that Israeli military jails are not like US prisons and that he was not raped. He also spent several years in the states, but not Chicago. He asked me if I had ever been to Tulum in Mexico - it's one of his favorite spots in the world. We argued back and forth about which was better, Playa del Carman or Tulum. I assured him he was incorrect. Throughout the night Roy introduced me to a the others at the outdoor bar. I had a nice conversation with an Israeli pediatric physician and schoolteacher. My hebrew is still rough, but I'm sure the two ladies appreciated my feeble attempt to converse in their native tongue. They gave up on me and insisted to we speak English. O'well, I tried. It's unusually warm I keep hearing from everyone. The 80s are not normal this time of the year, so everyone is making the most of it. 

Outside bar at Polly's

Tomorrow

After extensive touring today, I'm planning to take it easy tomorrow. Write a blog entry (what you're reading now), visit Jaffa and the Carmel Market by bike. 

Countries visited thus far

Germany (very short walk outside city between flights)

Israel

Palestine

Checking in...again!

Art Plus Hotel - Tuesday, 8am-ish

Art+ Hotel 

(not my pic)

So for reasons I don't entirely understand, I woke up around 8am and could not go back to sleep. This was quite frustrating considering I hadn't sleep more than 3 hours the few nights before. Maybe my body just didn't like the hotel floor. Anyhow, after waking up I sent a message to the AirBnB host that I would be renting from for Tuesday - Sunday. He immediately wrote me back saying his other renter just left and he could have the unit clean in an hour. Music to my ears. After a shower I packed my bags and was on my way!

My first AirBnB experience

So I'll be honest, after dealing with this shirtless idiot I didn't know what to expect from AirBnB. With my expectations low I made my way further south to the neigbhorhood of Kerem Ha Teimanim. The area is very close to the beach (about a block and a half) and across the street from Carmel Market. Think huge flee market. After waiting for 15 minutes for my host (the person I was renting from) I began to worry. I did have my cell, but I ran data that was included in the plan (the provider, Orange, only lets you refill via credit card if you're an Israeli and have a coded credit card). I walked around a bit, found an open wifi network, and sent my host a message. I quickly heard back and found out I was at the wrong building. For reasons not entirely clear to me, AirBnB does not publish addresses of units until the very end of the 'shopping' process. So I was going purely off a rough location and a visual of what the outside looked like. Anyhow, he met me and we went to the unit.

I LOVE AirBnB

Perhaps my opinion may change later in the trip, but my host Raviv is incredible. The unit not only matched the photos, but Raviv was incredibly generous in every conceivable way. He let me check in super early, he provided me with a map of Tel Aviv and spent no less than an hour with my explaining areas I 'must visit' and where I could find essentials not provided. He even stocked the fridge with a courtesy liter of water and orange juice! Raviv has such class. What' also nice is that he has dish detergent, laundry detergent, and just about anything else I could need. I'm on my own with Shampoo and Soap though. He also directed me to the shop in the building next door for help with my 3g service - they were able to add data to my plan. Yippee! Oh, like other units built after the gulf war...the unit has a safe room. Simply put, the bedroom has a huge window with an iron cover that retracts covering the glass. The bedroom has a nice view of Haifa and the water.

Nice kitchen/living room

(not my pic)

Simple bedroom/safe room

Old Jaffa in the distance

(not my pic)

Attack of the Birds

While he was showing me how the washing machine worked, Raviv opened a window. Anyhow, after he left birds started flying in. So I had two birds of some sort flying around the unit. I was able to open the window and shoe them out after cowering in the bedroom for an unspecified amount of time. I think they were envious because I, too, know how to fly.

Lunch at Little Prague & Allenby Street

After the attack from the birds, I jetted over to Allenby Street (a very cool section of Tel Aviv). My friend wanted to meet up at a little bar called Little Prague, which I very much enjoyed. I can't recommend the Chicken Kebobs enough. Very tasty. After a late lunch I went back to the apartment for a much needed nap.

Service was excellent at Little Prague

A night on Allenby & Rothschild Boulevard


After waking up from my nap and doing some trip planning I headed over to Allenby Street and visited the place I never made it to the night before, Joe's Bar. Although it was late, the bar was rather quiet, allowing for some good conversation with the staff. The doorman, Dario, gave me some good advice should I go through Serbia. Apparently there are nightclubs in the capital city of Belgrade on the water there that I must see. I will probably pass through if I can catch a train from Greece northbound.

Joe's Bar (not my pic)

Rothschild Boulevard. The boulevard is a very wide street with a ton of restaurants and bars. I was lucky enough to find a place called Polly with incredibly friendly staff. Anyhow, the bartender Roy was absolutely fabulous. His assistant was also. I got to learn a lot about the obligatory military service expected of all Israeli's. Men must serve for 3 years, woman 2.

Polly (not my pic)

Roy & Me

Roy's assistant/waitress...a name I can't remember ;(

Cycling home at 2am!

Bike Station 

(not my photo)

Throughout Israel are a bunch of bicycle rental stations. It's a genius idea. After purchasing a membership, the first 30 minutes of use are free. Plus, just like a redbox movie,  you can return them at *any* station. So they're great for point to point transportation. The default language is hebrew, which through me off, but I eventually figured out how to work the machine and rented one! Either Tel Aviv has more terrain than Chicago or I am out of shape! I very much enjoyed cycling around Tel Aviv at night and found a return station adjacent to a closed Carmel Market just next to my apartment.



Up Early Tomorrow

My friend, Ryan, put me in touch with one of his friends that does tours in the town of Jerusalem...so tomorrow will be an early and busy day!

Thank you for reading!