ים המלך-The Dead Sea

Thursday, August-05-10

Tonight I am finally back in Tel Aviv after what feels like much more than just a few days. The trip was fantastic and a great way to end my time here in Israel. We really just relaxed, slept, and enjoyed the sun, and even topped the trip off with massages. To get there we took one of the frequent buses from Arlozorov Station here in TA to the Central Bus Station (CBS) in Jerusalem and then a direct bus to ים המלך-Yam Hamelech (The Dead Sea). This gave us many more options for when to leave since there is only one direct bus from TA each day which left well too early in the morning for us. On the way there the bus was full so about 4 of us decided to sit on the floor instead of waiting another hour for the next bus. It was actually really comfortable and when seats became available after a few stops, I actually decided to remain on the floor. It’s only a 2hr drive from Jerusalem and the bus is really great and dropped us off right outside our hotel. Our last day there we decided to leave around noon so we could spend the day at the Old City. When we arrived we changed into more appropriate clothes for the כותל-Kotel (Western Wall) and went for the #1 Egged bus. Just getting on the bus was an adventure. People were trying to push past each other when there was no room to move, and I could just feel the לחץ-lachatz (pressure) everywhere we went. I’m sure it’s like this in many other cities around the world, but in Jerusalem I just felt that everything was much smaller and there were many more people. I also realised just how much I do not know Jerusalem. Living in Tel Aviv I feel like I know the city so well and it makes me feel like I know Israel, but today was a reality that I really don’t. We ended up getting off a stop or two too early and walking through this Arab Shuk (market). It was really fine, but once we got to the Jewish Quarter, and saw the security check, we were quite relieved. I love being at the the כותל-Kotel (Western Wall) and since knew this was my last time there for a while we took our time. When we decided to leave this time we gave up on the bus and took a taxi back to the CBS. The direct bus to TA leaves every 15min so it wasn’t a problem, except there were so many people that we had to wait for a second bus. And at this time of the evening there was a lot of traffic so it took us well over the hour it would usually take. On the bus I was thinking about all the things I wanted to do before I left and since I only had one day left with the stores open we decided to try and see if we could change from tomorrow morning’s shift to the tongiht. There was room so we went straight home to eat, shower, and now I’m off to my last shift! Hopefully I can stay awake, walking trough Jerusalem with all our things from our trip was so tiring.