Ascension: Pucker up your fish lips!

Late last night, Sylvia and I slipped into our room (I was the late one, for once!). It was about 12:30. We had a hostel/room mate who needed to be up at 3 in the morning, and had asked us to be quiet and turn out the lights, which we obliged. After we slipped into the room, Sylvia slipped into the bathroom (the shower was just a spray hanging down from a pipe, about 3 feet from the sink, across from the toilet - no stall or anything. But good, hot water and clean), and then whispered to me to find her the toilet paper (for some reason they keep it at the front desk and you have to grab a new role when the time arrives). I searched in the dark as best I could, grabbed my head lamp, and still couldn't find it. So, I opened the door ever so slightly (it is a very loud door) and asked her where it was. No idea. So, I resumed my search. Opened the door again to tell her I couldn't find it, at which point the roommate whose name we don't know popped up and whispered in a very exasperated (as much as a whisper can be), "Shhh! Please!". Having been chastised, I went and woke up Anny, who informed me that it was already in the bathroom, on the toilet behind Sylvia. Of course. Apparently the "Shhh" roommate was much more adept at slipping in and out than we are. I never heard a thing.

I did, however, wake up a bit before 6 (alarm was set for 6), and thought, "Forget this!", rolled over and reset the alarm for 7. When it went off, I thought, "Forget this!" and rolled over again - no alarm this time. I intended to get up early and work on my paper, since Mr. Friendly took up all my time last night. And then I thought I could do it during the day, which I did. So I missed some of the fun today. But not all of it!

We enjoyed a good breakfast (well, Amy, Anny and I did - Sylvia opted for a little fruit shake), and then headed for the beach in search of some snorkeling. We found a little spot, after some walking, and went for it. I really LOVE just floating in the water and looking at the fish. I could do it all day. But the snorkeling wasn't all that great - just one little reef with lots of fish - but nothing major. Poor Anny cut her foot on the rocks, and sat most of it out (she also hadn't worn her contact, so she couldn't see much. She's had a rough time of it!).

So, we called it good. The girls headed off down the beach to the observatory, and I headed home to do some work. I was relatively successful - still so much of that darn paper to write! Sigh. But I also spent about 1/2 hour working out details for a camel ride tonight. That was a waste - the girls came home so tired they didn't care about the camel ride (even thought they had requested it). But oh well. Sylvia had gotten rather burned, and Amy was just plain tired. So Anny and I walked down and got some dinner and some breakfast for tomorrow morning. We will depart early tomorrow morning and see Jericho, as well as Jerusalem. So excited! Sylvia, in a change, was down for the count by 7 or so. She still seems out. She didn't eat much - that shake, and then (after an apparent physical breakdown) got some pita and hummus. We'll have to watch her calorie intake a little better.

Interesting observations: 1. I'm a lot tougher than I look. I can outlast the best of them! And I'm confirmed in my personal hypothesis that I'm not as affected by either hot or cold as many other people. I get that from my dad. 2. I find that I love to let my eyes wander over all the Hebrew surrounding me and sound it out, understanding as much as I can and thrilled when I figure out a new word or phrase from context; yet, there's so much I don't know! 3. It's sometimes exhausting to be the travel planner, translator, decider and calm person all the time. 4. In addition to Hebrew, the next common languages are (about equally) English and Russian. I didn't realize how thorough the Russian element had penetrated Israeli society. 5. Next time, maybe seeing as much as possible in the fewest days possible isn't the best way to plan. Everyone just ends up exhausted. We'll just stick to the north of the country, I think. 6. I get a real thrill out of traveling to new places and getting around on local terms (not planned tour terms). And I love speaking Hebrew! I wish I spoke more languages, but I guess I'm working on it.

The following are sites from today. I'm having trouble with putting in pictures - it just adds it as HTML code, so I don't know how to move the pics around. But you can see some of the adventures of today. And Sylvia's sunburned and tired self. My favorite is the snorkel pic - as we attempt to smile, all we get is kind of puckered fish lips (hence the title)!. Enjoy!

That's all for now!