Day 1 – Sunday 23rd March

Well, it's just You and me, Jesus

It is very odd to set off on an overseas holiday without Mum, considering she has been my travelling companion on the two previous ones, but she doesn't have any desire to go to Israel. This is partly why we went to Scandinavia and Russia in 2006. I had originally intended going to Israel on a tour, while Mum stayed in London. I changed my mind about that when I saw the Russian tour in the Insight book, as we have always wanted to see The Hermitage in St Petersburg.

To experience Israel with my best friends, though, is awesome. I was so happy when Virginia asked me last year if I wanted to go on Chuck Missler's Tour with them. Then she suggested I go to Egypt too, considering I am so close. She knows I have been fascinated with Egyptian history for years.

Tom drove me to Tullamarine in my car, while James drove with Glenn and Virginia. This meant he could drive their car back, and Tom could drop mine off and James take him home from my place.

After getting our Boarding Passes and going through Customs, Glenn, Virginia and I met up again and had a drink at Starbucks before heading off to our respective flights. Their flight left at 5:00pm, and mine at 5:30pm. The flight was uneventful, and I watched a few movies that I probably wouldn't have chosen to see otherwise. I enjoyed a couple of them – Enchanted, a modern fairy-tale, part animation and part real people. It is a fun movie that most kids and adults would enjoy.

I had no problem suspending belief for this movie, but I didn't enjoy The Bee Movie, after Barry met a human and they could talk to each other. When the girl was walking down the street talking to Barry while he sat on her shoulder, I couldn't be bothered any more.

I watched a movie with “The Rock”, Dwayne Johnson, who played a pro-footballer with an enormous ego, who discovered he had an 8-year-old daughter. It was very sweet and funny.


Bangkok Airport

I had no difficulty finding my way to where I needed to catch my El Al flight to Ben Gurion Airport. I went through the Security check and headed to my Gate. There is nothing in this area except seating. The seats were already taken, so I sat on the tubing that helped to support the glass barriers around the floor. I took out my drop-spindle and started to spin. {I had asked about being able to take it on the plane when I checked my luggage at Tullamarine and was told it was fine}. One of the airport employees put a portable sign in front of where I was, and another one across from me diagonally. I read the sign I was behind from the back – it reminded people to have their Boarding Pass and Passport ready. I didn't read the other one, assuming it said the same thing. [I can hear Mum now, saying, Oh Trish – but it's cool].

We went down the ramp to the next level, where El Al staff were checking the Boarding Passes. When the girl looked at mine, she asked if I had gone through the El Al Security Check – well, of course not, I hadn't read the second sign! A young man led me back up the ramp to the waiting area, and I read the sign advising people to go to the Security Check in the direction of the arrow. It was only a few metres away from where I had been waiting and spinning, but there was a full seat between myself and the lecturns where they were checking people, so of course, I hadn't noticed. I have been telling people for years that I am the most unobservant person they are likely to meet. Ginny finally realised it a few weeks ago when she and Glenn were talking about a new building in town, and she asked me what it was. I said I hadn't noticed it...

The El Al man was very nice and explained he needed to ask me some questions – why was I going to Israel, where was I going, do I have family there, how long, etc. I told him I understood the need for the questions, and that I wanted to be safe too. There was no problem – he asked if I had anything that could be used as a weapon – knife, scissors? I showed him the hook on my drop-spindle, but he said that was fine. I am glad, because I didn't want to have to hand it over.

Back to the end of the queue ... Of course, if Mum had accompanied me, she would have read the second sign and we would have gone through the Security Check in the first instance...
Yes, Mum, I promise to be more observant in the next seven weeks.

The flight was uneventful. I wanted to go to sleep, because it was nearly 1:00am, and I had been up early. The young man next to me was watching movies nearly all night, and for some reason, I could hear some things through his headset. There was a shoot-out at one stage that was a real issue for me... ping, ping, ping, ping ...