Sore arms from dragging suitcases and dried sweat making my entire body salty and crusty (except for the pits and back that haven't dried yet) - all this aside, this is my kind of Israel experience! It's so much more real the tour bus experience! Anny, with the biggest suitcase and least experience traveling "light," is still being a trooper, but she's sure tired! We're all pretty tired. But what adventures!
The hostel this morning had a pretty decent breakfast, but the company left something to be desired. An older gentleman (probably in his 60s) asked if he could sit at the table with me, and we struck up a conversation. I love talking to people from different parts of the world! He's a Jew from Istanbul and began talking to me about visiting Istanbul - apparently it's quite cheap from Israel. I am always a bit naive in these situations, and this was no exception. Pretty soon I realized he was trying to get something more than breakfast going, and I'm too darn shy to tell him to go away. So, of course, in talking about why I couldn't date him (ummm...he's in his 60s! but apparently that wasn't a problem for him), we arrived at the fact that I'm Mormon. I explained a little about my beliefs, which he dismissed, and eventually got bored with me when it became clear this wasn't going anywhere. Eventually Sylvia came in to breakfast and rescued me, until I finally finished breakfast and headed back to the room. The biggest problem was that the internet was only available in that room. I hid for a while, then went down to brave it. We came out OK.
I've found my Hebrew to be totally conversational - better than I anticipated. Of course, just as I do in English and Spanish, I keep forgetting random words that I KNOW, and then it's embarrassing. I don't know why this happens to me, but overall, I'm doing quite well. My travel companions are impressed anyway. I had to turn down ANOTHER proposal to accompany an old guy (probably in his 70s, this time) to his hotel room tonight. Either I'm more experienced now, or it's just plain easier in Hebrew - in either case, I successfully shut him down, with a smile.
And so we have arrived in Eilat. It is a beautiful resort town. We changed our plans a bit and will stay here two nights (the hostel is so much nicer, it seems a good decision - and we'll have some time to snorkel, ride camels, and do all kinds of things tomorrow!). We found out in one of the guide books that you can stay with bedouins! How did I not know this!? We're now trying to change our plans and figure out a way to make this happen while we're in Jerusalem - maybe stay with Bedouins one of the nights.
For tonight, we had a lovely meal at a restaurant on the beach, and walked home to our hostel. I've been sitting here for about an hour chatting it up with a very friendly, proudly Jewish gay young man. Anyway, it's been a lovely day. Ready for bed.
On the bus ride down - Anny and Amy managed to surround themselves with attractive young Israeli soldiers.
Pics of us on the shores of the Red Sea. More great fun to come!
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