Israel 2008: December 2007 Archives

I love open WiFi.  Especially when I'm hanging out near the Dead Sea.  Now you may be wondering - "Mike, why aren't you IN the Dead Sea?"  Unfortunately, this morning I had a flare up of a cornea abrasion I suffered 6 years ago at the hands of a USA Today.  Somehow, surrounding myself with salt water seemed like an absolutely terrible idea. 

We spent a large part of the day today at Masada.  This was probably the first time that I got to truly come up close to Roman ruins.  We watched the sunrise, discussed the history, and walked down the side of the mountain. 



A nature preserve was the next spot.  Some attractive waterfalls, and the Deer-like Ibix.  I learned that Deer are Kosher, but Ibix are not - something about hoof splitting.  Who knew?



Word has gotten around that I have a computer, and I've been able to find WiFi hot spots.  Of course, everyone has been asking to check their email.  I'm debating whether or not to charge.

I knew I had a problem when the Passport control officer looked at me and said, “What happened to your Passport?” Oh. Fuck. “Um...it kinda went through the wash...” It was either that or I sweat profusely like any Jew of Russian descent spending extended periods of time in the Carribean. A few questions in an interrogation area... “Have you ever been to Israel before?” “Do you speak Hebrew?” “How many people in your group?” And then I was cleared. Phew. International incident averted. Shortly thereafter, we were on our way!

It was onward to the Kibbutz Gezer (Carrot) for orientation, and lunch. After, we headed South past Be'er Sheva to Kibbutz...umm...not sure of the name here. I think it's Masahabim-Kaktus, but that's only because that's the SSID of the Wifi.

There's been much group bonding already – which is quite awesome. And then, there have also been COWS!!!

Who wants steak?

I will be posting from Israel whenever I have internet access. I am writing the whole time, however, so there will be some "dumps" as it were. Let's go...

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There's something to be said for Amtrak Business Class – quiet, comfortable, fairly empty. I'm currently enroute to Newark to fly to Israel – though this will obviously be posted sometime later when there's internet access.

Train tracks often run through the most rundown parts of a city – the land is the cheapest. Whether the tracks were built because the land was cheap, or the land is cheap because the tracks are there is a question not easily answered. There is a stark contrast between DC and Baltimore in this particular area – there is starting to be a resurgence in the neighborhoods along thet racks in NorthEast DC. Redevelopment at New York Avenue (though Uline Arena remains sadly neglected), the old Hecht warehouse about to be redeveloped... The same cannot be said for the area along the track in Baltimore. Rundown row houses with disheveled cars parked outside, Unkept lawns. Trash strewn carelessly about. Shattered windows in warehouses that clearly haven't been used in over 20 years.

As we ride through, I am reminded of living in Richmond. While my neighborhood was populated and well kept, there were many parts of the city that weren't just boarded up – they were bricked up, and falling down. American ruins. Same in B'more. One asks – what were these neighborhoods like 50 years ago? 100 years ago? Were they alive? Vibrant? Or were they built desolate?

The tune remains familiar as one rides up through Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, and into Newark – decay upon decay, with occasional spots of renewal.

And now I'm writing on the plane itself at approximate 4:40 AM Israel time (22:40 EST).

There's a lot of waiting once I arrive in Newark. Wait to check in. Wait to go through security. Wait to board plane. I begin meeting my fellow travellers – and it becomes abundantly clear that I picked the right trip. Everyone is in their mid 20s – real jobs, real life, etc. The other group that's on our flight is full of...kids. I can't believe I just referred to them as such, but yet... (I felt really old the other day when I called the police on the skateboarders across the street from my apartment building...at 2 am).

The flight itself has been pretty decent. Except that we were automatically ordered the Kosher meal. I, for one, prefer the trayfey goodness of the goyisha meal. C'est la vie. I've made a truly valiant effort to sleep...but at first I was kept up by a “sanctimonious douchebag” a couple rows behind me telling his life story to an old woman sitting next to him. His voice, quiet annoyingly, appeared to share the resonant frequency of my bones – every word felt like it pierced as I tried, in vain, to doze. I tried the iPod – and it only served to have nasally resonance in the background of Sigur Ros. Fortunately, he finally shut up – but by that point, sleep had successfully evaded me.

Several years worth of campaigning and sleepless election days have allowed me some functionality on next to no sleep. I have sworn to myself that while I reserve the right for a nap here or there, I will not SLEEP until it is the right time – even if that means 36 hours straight of being awake. Every moment I sit here makes me wish more and more that I was the kind of person who'd gladly drop a couple k on a plane ticket so that he could sit somewhere that wasn't within 2 centimeters of the seat in front of him. But I'm also tired, so naturally I'm kinda bitchy.

On the pre-trip paperwork, it was requested that someone bring a guitar. I came very close to doing it, but then I decided to eschew being “that guy”. Sadly, nobody brought it and there was a lament at the lack of available musical instrumentation.

That Kosher meal totally didn't fill me up. I have Wasabi Peas in my bag, but sadly – I do not have a beverage with which to wash it down. Curse my taste for exotic snackfoods!!!!