Tel Aviv

Finally, culimination of planning, booking, and traveling. Arrived into Tel Aviv 45 minutes later than the original time due to a suitcase that had gone missing in Bangkok. Was concerned the taxi I had pre booked might have left, but then that's what travel insurance is for, no point in swetting the small stuff. I had been a bit anxious about the customs and border petrol at Tel Aviv. But there were no issues, facial recognition identificatil gives you the blue slip, and then walk to the customs who question you again and then you are free to collect your luggage and out I was. Honestly, I had been worried about being refused entry. :). My luggage when I got it was opened, the lock was open, and the bag had not been shut properly. But by now, I was beyond caring of that.

I had to pick up the sim card that had not arrived and now was informed to pick it up at a shop at arrivials foyer, then called the taxi company thinking mmmmm......... this was going to be a waste of time. Bu I was pleasantly surprised the taxi was yet there. The manager told me. We had a bit of misunderstanding his English and my interpretation of it. He was saying go past the escalators and take the elevators, I thought that meant go beyound it, but what he meant was go parrallel to it passing it on your side and take the elvators got to the top floor and then could not find my taxi driver, so called the manager guy again and he got the taxi driver to come from where ever he was and that was that.

The taxi driver was very good too, chatty in a nice way, informed about shabbath and how I would have no issues in Telaviv on Shabbath, but not so in Jerusalam. He went on to say they were a lot more conservative there in Jerusalem. It was going to be 38 degrees today, so it was going to be a hot day, though it did rain a bit while we were on our way to the hotel.

Arrived at the hotel, and the driver helped me to get my luggage to the reception. He thought it was too heavy for me to take it up the ramp. what a gentlman. But then we got to the lobby, and there was some ambulance staff putting on a male on to a streacher. there was blood everywhere. and I thought bloody hell what was happening, and it was only around 7.00 am. There were a lot of airline crew from a foreign airline in the lobby too, some of whom were helping the ambulance staff. Mmmmmm, I tried not to rubber neck, so got into the reception.

I had booked for the night of the 1st, even though I was checking in only on the 2nd, so that I would not have to stay till the afternoon to check in. once I got to the room, it was tiny. But I just needed to have a bed to sleep. When I looked in my luggage, I think the airport staff had had looked at the medicines I had in there. I had brought with me some Asprins, Gaviscons, and Antibiotics. At 7.30, I thought I would go down, have a hot cup of tea, and then go to sleep. Whilst I waited, I thought I might rethink my idea of staying here once Marita went back. Marita comes tomorrow, and we had booked an apartment for 4 nights, but then went for breakfast and thought Nah this place is good. The breakfast alone was worth the money I was paying. Honestly, it was all vegetarian food, but it was lovely. The manager came and said and asked me how the breakfast was and said you can order your eggs made the way you want, but I was a very happy lady with the spread in front of me. I had not thought of eating any of this, only came to have a cup of hot tea, but .......after Breakfast had a shower and that sealed the deal. it was a rain shower, and anyone who has stayed at the farm knows how bad our gravity fed shower is. So I am going to keep the bookings I have made here. plus the breakfast manager was really nice to me, so why look at a gift horse in the mouth.

Caught up on some beauty sleep for a couple of hours, now eating complimentry popcorn and writing the journal. It's 1.41 pm, not sleepy, so I might go for a walk after this.

Woke up with Col doing a group call, Shan and I were in shock. Was nice chatting and catching up, Shan was giving me a hard time as she woke up at 4 00am, and she thought I might be in some trouble so she had jumped out of bed to answer the call, here was Colin now ringing us at 4.00am in NZ. He had woken up and couldn't get back to sleep. Then Troy joined the call, so it was great. Nothing has changed in the whanau.

Got all dressed up to go for dinner and a walk. Stopped to listen to some drumming. Boy it was hot and muggy so after a while went to have dinner but the restaurant was fully booked, so went and changed into some shorts and went back for a walk along the promenade. Found a restaurant on the beach. Food is very nice. Real crab in the pasta yum!!!.. For those of you who don't live in NZ we don't get real crab in NZ often, so it's a treat to eat crab.

Night Life with Families, the Beach Promenade, the Keep Fit Facilities along the Beach, the Cranes and the Development, and the Same Sex Culture are all things that I can honestly say is a melting pot that makes Tel Avivv a Unconventional Cosmopolitan City in the fringe of what is better known as Holy Land to many.

See Colin, the same moon shining britlghtly in Whitemans Valley is also shining in TelAviv. I say this as Colin had mentioned how the moon was very bright at 4.00am in WV. :) Czytaj więcej