With a very very very heavy heart I bid goodbye to Israel.
What a lovely 5 weeks I've had. All my life I had so many illusions about Israel...not a country I wanted to visit. I have collected so many beautiful memories of so many beautiful places and lovely people with open hearts and not such "jewish" habits!
Highlights of my trip:
Watching the sunset over the desert and the color of the red Jordan mountains.
Camping out on the beach on the shores of the Red Sea
Getting swept off my feet in the Dead Sea
Visiting Golan Heights and seeing the beauty of nature destroyed by war
Attending a typical Jewish wedding
Weird things that only happen in Israel:
Watch out for freshly shaven men on a local bus....most likely they are suicide bombers
Have your bags checked at the entrance of every mall, every restaurant, every public area
Be asked if you are carrying a weapon as you enter a movie theatre
See kids walking around with M16's on a beach
Funniest phrase I learned in Israel:
Instead of saying I don't give a damn...you say, "It doesn't even interest my left ball"
What a lovely experience I had. The lovely evenings spent with Eran on the terrace talking about god only knows what but seems like the two of us never run out of stuff to talk about. The walks on the beach, the fights, the making up, the love...so much unconditional love! The time spent meditating together, the weird experiences that Eran helped me through. I can't believe he still loves after seeing me go through some of the insane stuff that I went through. I cannot imagine loving someone so much and so unconditionally. So I spent 5 weeks with him...but no conditions on what happens in the future. Lovely to not want to cage the other and keep them for yourself. Because he doesn't try to cage me, I want to be in his life...because I choose to....and vice versa! We are going to meet again in Goa in a couple of months. Looks like Goa might become home for a while. Not too shabby...get a little cottage right on the beach...meditate, do yoga, read, chill out! Not a bad life! There has been a little talk of starting an orphanage in Goa but who knows. I am just flowing at the moment.
Next stop....LONDON! Can't wait to meet my beautiful gals in London. Party time begins tonite. A week in London and then let's see....choices are Paris or India! I'll keep you posted!
Lots of love and kisses
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Med sea to Dead sea to Red Sea
After a lovely breakfast with Nir and Dana (Eran's lovely friends) we left our apartment on the banks of med(iterranean) sea enroute to Dead sea. Dead sea is so crazy. It is lower than sea level -400 meters. How strange is that. Also, it is the saltiest sea in the world. So, we arrived at the there
at around 6 pm. Spent the evening hanging out with one of Eran's friends house in a quibbutz by the sea. The night, we spent on a cliff looking down at the Dead sea. It was beautiful. We set up our tent, got the firing going. Eran's friend gave us a bottle of wine which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was a beautiful evening...one I will remember forever as one of the strangest places I slept in. Oh did I tell you, we were a stone's throw away from an army base? Well, it's really hard to find a secluded spot in Israel coz you can be pretty sure that the army found it as well.
Next morning, we went to a spa on the shores of the Dead Sea. I walked into the sea and it bloody swept me off my feet....literally. It's so salty that it is almost impossible to stand in it. The water is so dense that it kicks you off your feet and makes you float. And the water feels like oil ...very disgusting. But it's really good for the skin so I hung in there. After the sea, we took a mud bath and then to sulfur springs. By the end of it all, my skin was very soft, smooth and glowing. After the relaxing afternoon, we started our journey to the Red Sea.
2 hours later, through the dry, barren, beautiful desert, we arrived in Eilat on the banks of Red Sea. The city is like Vegas, with big hotels, and very touristy. I wanted to spend a night on the beach as I had never slept on the beach. So, Eran was kind enough to oblige and after spending a lovely evening exploring the city, we pitched a tent on the beach. It was yet another beautiful night, sleeping under the stars, with waves crashing literally a few feet away from you. Woke up the sun and had a lovely early morning swim in the Red Sea.
Spent some time just hanging out, 
meditating, on the beach and then headed off to the Sheraton hotel. This is where we were going to spend the next night. It's nice to clean up in a nice hotel after living like vagabonds for a couple of days. The hotel was really beautiful...Vegas style...huge, with 5 swimming pools, lots of bars minus the casinos ofcourse.
The next day, we drove through the desert, checked out the beduoin villages along the way and ended up at the Desert Ashram. There is a lovely Osho ashram in the middle of the desert, surrounded on three sides by firing zones. Firing zones are areas that are used by the army for target practice.
It was the most surreal thing to see. We decided to stay a night in the ashram. This ashram is more like a commune that Osho had envisioned. About 20 people, all in their mid thirties, live in this ashram as one big family. They have one kitchen and dining hall where they take turns cooking. They have meditations during the day and also invite therapists to hold groups every so often. We were lucky enough to arrive there on a friday, which is the Sabbath friday. They prepared a special meal and before the meal, there was singing. People brought their guitars, sitars, drums and sang songs of peace and love...all the time surrounded by firing zones. Fuckin' crazy! I love these people...they are tired of all the war and shit and have created their own little piece of heaven.
So, we are back in Tel Aviv now. The sun is about to set so it will get cool enough to go for a run. I've been running along the beach any chance I get. It's really quite nice in the evening. I feel really at home here. Life is very simple and enriching. I love Eran and cherish every minute I spend with him. We have a lot of fun together. The funniest is our fights...when I am really angry at him, I yell at him in hindi and he yells back at me in Hebrew. We get all the shit out and it always makes us laugh. I love to meditate with him, I love our talks, our walks, our shooting the shit, our differences, our similarities. I still have another 3 weeks to spend with him. After that...who the hell knows !!!!
After a lovely breakfast with Nir and Dana (Eran's lovely friends) we left our apartment on the banks of med(iterranean) sea enroute to Dead sea. Dead sea is so crazy. It is lower than sea level -400 meters. How strange is that. Also, it is the saltiest sea in the world. So, we arrived at the there
at around 6 pm. Spent the evening hanging out with one of Eran's friends house in a quibbutz by the sea. The night, we spent on a cliff looking down at the Dead sea. It was beautiful. We set up our tent, got the firing going. Eran's friend gave us a bottle of wine which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was a beautiful evening...one I will remember forever as one of the strangest places I slept in. Oh did I tell you, we were a stone's throw away from an army base? Well, it's really hard to find a secluded spot in Israel coz you can be pretty sure that the army found it as well.Next morning, we went to a spa on the shores of the Dead Sea. I walked into the sea and it bloody swept me off my feet....literally. It's so salty that it is almost impossible to stand in it. The water is so dense that it kicks you off your feet and makes you float. And the water feels like oil ...very disgusting. But it's really good for the skin so I hung in there. After the sea, we took a mud bath and then to sulfur springs. By the end of it all, my skin was very soft, smooth and glowing. After the relaxing afternoon, we started our journey to the Red Sea.
2 hours later, through the dry, barren, beautiful desert, we arrived in Eilat on the banks of Red Sea. The city is like Vegas, with big hotels, and very touristy. I wanted to spend a night on the beach as I had never slept on the beach. So, Eran was kind enough to oblige and after spending a lovely evening exploring the city, we pitched a tent on the beach. It was yet another beautiful night, sleeping under the stars, with waves crashing literally a few feet away from you. Woke up the sun and had a lovely early morning swim in the Red Sea.
Spent some time just hanging out, 
meditating, on the beach and then headed off to the Sheraton hotel. This is where we were going to spend the next night. It's nice to clean up in a nice hotel after living like vagabonds for a couple of days. The hotel was really beautiful...Vegas style...huge, with 5 swimming pools, lots of bars minus the casinos ofcourse.
The next day, we drove through the desert, checked out the beduoin villages along the way and ended up at the Desert Ashram. There is a lovely Osho ashram in the middle of the desert, surrounded on three sides by firing zones. Firing zones are areas that are used by the army for target practice.
It was the most surreal thing to see. We decided to stay a night in the ashram. This ashram is more like a commune that Osho had envisioned. About 20 people, all in their mid thirties, live in this ashram as one big family. They have one kitchen and dining hall where they take turns cooking. They have meditations during the day and also invite therapists to hold groups every so often. We were lucky enough to arrive there on a friday, which is the Sabbath friday. They prepared a special meal and before the meal, there was singing. People brought their guitars, sitars, drums and sang songs of peace and love...all the time surrounded by firing zones. Fuckin' crazy! I love these people...they are tired of all the war and shit and have created their own little piece of heaven.
So, we are back in Tel Aviv now. The sun is about to set so it will get cool enough to go for a run. I've been running along the beach any chance I get. It's really quite nice in the evening. I feel really at home here. Life is very simple and enriching. I love Eran and cherish every minute I spend with him. We have a lot of fun together. The funniest is our fights...when I am really angry at him, I yell at him in hindi and he yells back at me in Hebrew. We get all the shit out and it always makes us laugh. I love to meditate with him, I love our talks, our walks, our shooting the shit, our differences, our similarities. I still have another 3 weeks to spend with him. After that...who the hell knows !!!!
The Big Fat Jewish Wedding
Me and Eran got up early on thursday and started our long journey (2 hours) to Eran's parent's house in the North. Apparently 2 hours is considered a very long drive according to Israeli standards. I understand that now having travelled from the northern most point to the southern most tip of Israel. It takes 6 hours to go across the country. Considering what a small country Israel is, it is very geographically diverse and it is surrounded on all sides by, putting it lightly, not so friendly neighbours. Jordan runs alongside pretty much the entire length of Israel, and in the north are the lovely Lebanese and Syrian neighbours. In the south, Israel shares its border with chums like Egypt and Saudi Arabia is just a stone's throw away.
So, we drove to Golan Heights where Eran is from. His parents live in a Mushaf...it is like a Quibbutz but a bit more modern idea and works a bit better. For those of you who don't know what a quibbutz is, here's a short lesson. A bunch of people live together in a little community where they all work together and all the money goes to the joint fund in the quibbutz. Then the joint fund divides the money equally among the members living in the community. Kids don't live with their parents but are raised in a communal nursery. The idea was nice but didn't work. So, in a Mushaf people live together in a community, and all do their own work and earn their own money. But they live like a big tight-knit family.
Needless to say I was a bit scared to go to his hometown...coz the whole bloody community (about 80 families) is his family. But the fear was completely baseless as they welcomed me with open arms. His dad especially is a beautiful person with a very warm heart. He made me feel really welcome...making delicious treats for us to eat. Very warm and loving family. I met his brothers and other friends. The day after we arrived there was his brother's wedding. What a gorgeous setting. If, under the influence of drugs or under a fit of insanity, I ever decide to get married again, I would like to do it the way they did it. The setting was a lovely rustic restaurant on the edge of a cliff overlooking a beautiful valley and Golan heights. They had cushions on the floor for seating with low tables. There were hammocks everywhere, a live band playing some beautiful hebrew and arabic tunes.
The ceremony itself lasted for maybe 10 minutes and was beautiful. After the ceremony, we all ate and the dancing began around 4 pm. Then we danced with the older people until around 6 pm and the real partying started after the oldies left. Great music, lots of booze and the green stuff, and pretty soon it was looking like a trance party in Goa. We danced till about 1 in the morning and then everyone just passed out outside. Next morning there was a lovely breakfast and the usual funny drunken stories from the night before. Very fun! It was one big stress free wedding party.
After the party split, Eran took me for a little sightseeing tour. Beautiful Golan heights....miles and miles of beautiful barren land with the highest concentration of mine fields per square meter in the world. All the sights he showed me had a war story behind it. We drove to Mt. Hermon which is the highest point in Israel. There are checkpoints all over the place as this is close to the border with Syria and Lebanon. At the top of the mountain there was an army bunker. It's really surreal to see that. In Canada you go to a top of the mountain, you see a lighthouse welcoming the ships to the harbour. Here you go to the top and there is an army bunker. Shootout points that look directly into Syria. Underground hiding places for war times. Very sad. Eran said that seeing these places through my eyes has given him a completely different perspective. He was shocked at how many war stories he told me and made him realize that growing up how much of the dinner table conversation was about war!
The next day, he took me to see his dad's farms. Avocado, grapefruit, pomegranate and my favorite mango trees. We went on an ATV, which Eran drives like a maniac. It's nice to see this side of the calm, meditative Eran. He can be quite a rough, tough farm boy. Very nice ;) I like! We picked mangoes off the trees, got covered by mango juice, delicious, delicious, delicious!
Got back home to Tel Aviv for a day to do our laundry before setting off to the south of Israel.
Me and Eran got up early on thursday and started our long journey (2 hours) to Eran's parent's house in the North. Apparently 2 hours is considered a very long drive according to Israeli standards. I understand that now having travelled from the northern most point to the southern most tip of Israel. It takes 6 hours to go across the country. Considering what a small country Israel is, it is very geographically diverse and it is surrounded on all sides by, putting it lightly, not so friendly neighbours. Jordan runs alongside pretty much the entire length of Israel, and in the north are the lovely Lebanese and Syrian neighbours. In the south, Israel shares its border with chums like Egypt and Saudi Arabia is just a stone's throw away.
So, we drove to Golan Heights where Eran is from. His parents live in a Mushaf...it is like a Quibbutz but a bit more modern idea and works a bit better. For those of you who don't know what a quibbutz is, here's a short lesson. A bunch of people live together in a little community where they all work together and all the money goes to the joint fund in the quibbutz. Then the joint fund divides the money equally among the members living in the community. Kids don't live with their parents but are raised in a communal nursery. The idea was nice but didn't work. So, in a Mushaf people live together in a community, and all do their own work and earn their own money. But they live like a big tight-knit family.
Needless to say I was a bit scared to go to his hometown...coz the whole bloody community (about 80 families) is his family. But the fear was completely baseless as they welcomed me with open arms. His dad especially is a beautiful person with a very warm heart. He made me feel really welcome...making delicious treats for us to eat. Very warm and loving family. I met his brothers and other friends. The day after we arrived there was his brother's wedding. What a gorgeous setting. If, under the influence of drugs or under a fit of insanity, I ever decide to get married again, I would like to do it the way they did it. The setting was a lovely rustic restaurant on the edge of a cliff overlooking a beautiful valley and Golan heights. They had cushions on the floor for seating with low tables. There were hammocks everywhere, a live band playing some beautiful hebrew and arabic tunes.
The ceremony itself lasted for maybe 10 minutes and was beautiful. After the ceremony, we all ate and the dancing began around 4 pm. Then we danced with the older people until around 6 pm and the real partying started after the oldies left. Great music, lots of booze and the green stuff, and pretty soon it was looking like a trance party in Goa. We danced till about 1 in the morning and then everyone just passed out outside. Next morning there was a lovely breakfast and the usual funny drunken stories from the night before. Very fun! It was one big stress free wedding party.
After the party split, Eran took me for a little sightseeing tour. Beautiful Golan heights....miles and miles of beautiful barren land with the highest concentration of mine fields per square meter in the world. All the sights he showed me had a war story behind it. We drove to Mt. Hermon which is the highest point in Israel. There are checkpoints all over the place as this is close to the border with Syria and Lebanon. At the top of the mountain there was an army bunker. It's really surreal to see that. In Canada you go to a top of the mountain, you see a lighthouse welcoming the ships to the harbour. Here you go to the top and there is an army bunker. Shootout points that look directly into Syria. Underground hiding places for war times. Very sad. Eran said that seeing these places through my eyes has given him a completely different perspective. He was shocked at how many war stories he told me and made him realize that growing up how much of the dinner table conversation was about war!
The next day, he took me to see his dad's farms. Avocado, grapefruit, pomegranate and my favorite mango trees. We went on an ATV, which Eran drives like a maniac. It's nice to see this side of the calm, meditative Eran. He can be quite a rough, tough farm boy. Very nice ;) I like! We picked mangoes off the trees, got covered by mango juice, delicious, delicious, delicious!
Got back home to Tel Aviv for a day to do our laundry before setting off to the south of Israel.
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