Sunshine Highway

"Take another ride."

Since my last post I have taken some long bus rides: five hours on a bus to Eilat from Jerusalem and another five hours on a bus from Eilat to Tel Aviv. Soon I will be taking a train to Haifa and another train from there to Beer Sheva. This week has been and will continue to be very travel intensive.

As my bus sped down the highway on Sunday night, some of the heaviness I felt at the end of last week drifted away. When I woke up the next morning, I felt like I had entered a sunshine paradise. My time in Eilat is the closest I have ever come to having a tropical vacation. For most people the exotic resort area of Eilat includes sitting on the beach all day, shopping on the boardwalk, eating expensive food, and going out at night. These activities have never really held that much appeal to me but I knew that I could still have a good time in Eilat if I kept myself busy. After two full days I had literally done everything there was to do in the city (that was within my budget). I visited both the history and art museums, I walked along the North Shore all the way to the Coral Reef National Reserve (this path takes you along all the beaches in Eilat), I swam with dolphins at Dolphin Reef, I snorkeled and scuba dived in Eilat's Coral Reef, I hiked up to Mt. Tzfahot (where you can see Egypt and Jordan in a gorgeous desert view), and I wandered in part of the residential area. I was actually staying in an apartment, instead of a hostel, with a friend of one of my roommates from the University of Haifa. It was refreshing to have a private space, access to a television, and a kind hostess.

Eilat was fun but I think it would have been more fun if I took advantage of the opportunity to take day trips. From Eilat it is possible to go to Egypt, Jordan, and some interesting spots in the Negev desert. Unfortunately, it isn't particularly easy to do any of those things without going with an organized group. After evaluating the cost and my dislike for organized trips, I decided not to join a travel group. I could have taken buses to wherever I wanted to go but it would not have been very safe alone. I hope that one day I will have a more opportune chance see the Sinai, Petra, Timna National Park, and the Red Canyon. In the end, I decided to give myself one relaxing beach day instead of a day trip; however, the weather report told me that a bad storm was on its way. Taking that as a sign to leave, I headed for Tel Aviv.

My ride from Eilat to Tel Aviv was very different than my arriving journey. Sandstorms made visibility terrible and the drive seemed relatively dangerous. I made it to Tel Aviv unscathed but the bad weather has continued here. It has been raining the whole time but I have not let that stop me from doing a lot of walking around. I have visited the the major shopping areas, the few sites, and the Old City of Yaffo. I have enjoyed taking in a little bit of the culture here and people watching. My favorite observation was a mass of hipsters at the Antiques and Secondhand Fair in Dizengoff Square on Friday. I actually joined in on the fun by buying a cute sailor style shirt to wear for Purim (the Jewish holiday of debauchery coming up this week).

I have tried two museums I have not been to before since I have been in Tel Aviv, the Eretz Israel Museum and the Helena Rubinstein Pavilion of Contemporary Art. The former was a hodge-podge of history and archeology of Israel from ancient to contemporary civilization. Different buildings with exhibitions and outdoor displays were spread out in a park. I found it pleasant and informative but a little confusing as well. The contemporary art museum was nothing special but it was free. The current exhibit is about art in Berlin.

By far the highlight of my time in Tel Aviv has been socializing with people. On Thursday I had dinner with two Swedish girls and an Israeli guy that I met at a delicious vegan restaurant. We sat for almost two hours talking and eating. They were unique, nice people. I am glad I met them. Yesterday I spent the afternoon watching movies with guy in my dorm (a mixed dorm where I am the only girl) and afterward we went to dinner. Later that evening we played cards and had some beer with three other guys. It was a good time.

These past two weeks have gone by very fast. Traveling alone was not as difficult as I imagined it would be. I found it empowering to be able to control my schedule and itinerary all alone. My only regret is that I don't have more time to travel.

Next time you hear from me I will be finishing up my first week at Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva. Wish me luck!