Eretz Yisrael – The Land of Israel
I remember when we went to Britain in 1997, I was walking down a street in London, saying to myself – “I am in London, England, on the other side of the world”. It seemed so amazing that I could leave Australia, and a day later, I could be in a land with thousands of years of history. You feel that 200 hundred years for white Australia is so insignificant.
When we were in Moscow, I mentioned to a couple of ladies on the tour, as we were walking in the Red Square, how surreal it was. This was a place I had only seen on TV or in books, and here I was, walking near the Kremlin.
I am in Israel, the land of my Jesus – where He lived and died and was resurrected. And of course, it is the land to which He will return... I don't know if there is a term for something beyond surreal...
The plane landed around 7:30am. It didn't take long to go through Passport Control and collect my bag. I went to the ATM to withdraw some Israeli New Shekels, and then got a cab to my hotel. There were signs saying Ashdod and Jerusalem – Bible towns. It cost ILS130.
When I checked in, I mentioned that I really wanted a cup of tea, and was told that I could have more than that because breakfast was available until 11:00am. They have Porridge, but is called Oatmeal here - with sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle. I think it is my favourite breakfast. I also had a slice of bread that looked like it had alfalfa sprouts in it. It was savoury – it was nice, but I am glad I didn't have anything on it; it wouldn't have tasted very nice with jam.
I rang Mum to let her know I had arrived safely, but left a message as she didn't answer. When I was ready to go out, I asked at Reception about getting a bus to visit Avi Wasserman, as I had arranged to buy some of his spindles. I walked to Ben Yehuda Street, which is the next street from the hotel. I was told to catch #200 bus to take me to the Central Bus Station, and then to get a bus to Ness Ziona. Avi had told me to ring him and he would pick me up at the bus station there. The Tel Aviv bus system is a bit too complicated for my brain. I eventually asked a girl at a bus stop which bus I needed to catch to the Bus Station, but she didn't know. She was very nice, and asked a couple of other people for me, but they didn't know either. I decided that it was too much for someone with jet-lag, and returned to the hotel.
I walked back along the waterfront and bought a bottle of water and one of lemonade and a packet of chips. I wasn't really hungry and just wanted a snack. This was ILS18.
I rang Avi to say I couldn't come because I couldn't get to the Bus Station. He was disappointed because I had come so far, and suggested I get a taxi from the hotel to the Bus Station. Of course, something so simple hadn't occurred to me. The taxi driver offered to take me to the town for ILS140, but I declined. The fare was just over ILS31. The Bus Station is huge, with floors of shops. In most public buildings in Tel Aviv, there is a security guard at the entrance to check people's bags and their person. It is unfortunate that it is necessary, but under the circumstances, it makes people feel safer.
I got on my bus and paid ILS10 – much cheaper than the taxi would have been. Avi had told me I could ring him from the public phones – there are no longer are public phones there, as most people have cell-phones now. As Avi doesn't use the bus, he didn't realise this. I asked in a couple of shops for a phone, but they didn't have one there for public use. I forgot to bring the instructions for using my global roaming, so couldn't work out how to ring Avi on my mobile. I then decided to ask the young man in one of the stores to ring Avi for me, and I would pay for the call. He told me I didn't have to pay, and rang Avi to come and pick me up. I bought a bottle of water because it was over 30C and I was thirsty. It was 7 shekels so I gave him 10 and said to keep the change.
Avi came and drove me to his house. It is lovely, with beautiful woodwork cupboards and a dining table he had made. He and his wife are very hospitable, and gave me a cup of tea and some nibbles to eat. They have a friend from Germany staying, to whom they have been showing Israel.
Avi had three tubs of spindles for me to try. I like to spin finely, so I chose to look at one tub of smaller spindles. I bought a couple of Israeli Olive-wood, one of English Yew, and an Israeli Rose-wood decorated with real pearls. Joy, you can have your pick of one of these. Joy bought me a spindle when she and Les went on a Fibre Adventure to the Shetland Isles last year. It is made with drift-wood found on Fair Isle.
Avi took me back to the Bus Station to return to Tel Aviv, and went to put me on the right bus. The man drove off while we were saying good-bye! Avi then saw a Sherut pull up. This is a shared taxi which holds 10 people, and picks up and puts down along the bus route to the Central Bus Station in the Israeli towns. It is faster than the normal buses. It cost the same as the bus.
Back in Tel Aviv, it was nearly 7:00pm, and I was shattered. I got a taxi from the Bus Station to the hotel. The taxi driver had told me it would cost ILS50. I knew that was too much, as I had paid 20 shekels less to get there. By rights, taxi drivers should use their meters, and not quote a price, but I was too tired to argue. I just wanted to go to bed. He was very nice and chatty, and showed me the main streets in Tel Aviv, with a bit of a history lesson thrown in.
He told me after I had my dinner, I could go to “Mike's Place”, a Sports Bar down the street from the hotel. I just said I was too tired even to eat, and intended going straight to bed... Sports and Bar – two things that are so not me!
Virginia's mother was concerned when told that I was planning to catch a bus in Israel, so she will be happy to learn that I made it back without any drama. On Tripadvisor.com's Israel forum, another traveller voiced safety concerns after the murder of the 8 students in Jerusalem this month. Douglas, a frequent traveller to Israel, who will be here again in May to celebrate Israel's 60th Anniversary, stated that in Cincinatti, where he lives, there were 80 murders last year. He said that he feels safer in Israel because of their strict security measures than he does in the US.
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