Thursday 7th December 1995 & Friday 8th December
The day started before 5a.m. but that’s another story of packing/sorting and so on. Tikka was picked up by Carole, Grace & Jessica at lunchtime and I escaped from Consumer Forum at 1.30’ish only to return a minute later having forgotten my blue jacket … typical.
He’s off – lugging the Argos backpack & the Israeli cloth bag (courtesy of Arab run shop at the American Colony Hotel, Jerusalem; bartered for on last visit in January ’92). Both these are loaded to the gunnels with probably superfluous paraphernalia. A quick wave to Julia Delavitch on passing St. Mary’s and down to Baron’s Court tube for the District service to Victoria, £1.70 single.
Trouble with the signalling at Earl’s Court means overhearing driver/controller radio conversations (I was in front coach) … “you can’t go yet, I’ve got trains everywhere !” etc.. Amused by LT incompetence or was it just bad luck … anyway, it took quite a while to reach Victoria.
£16.50 return bought for Gatwick Express which a good fast ride (30 mins +). Long haul over to the North Terminal on funkyish monorail number where I have plenty of time to kill before official check-in time of 3.55p.m.. Buy a Toblerone (honey for the chapping lips) & a Cadbury’s choccy bar of some description. Very bare Terminal – have to smoke outside mostly. Chat to Body Shop lady who has packed away the sun creams but gives me leaflet & advises me that things are cheaper ‘airside’.
Check in ok – Argos has to go to ‘special’ rollers as he’s deemed awkward – weighs 10.6 or 10.9 kilos as weighing digitally seems difficult. Through Customs (no bleeps) & marginal improvement in excitement quotient – use the 2 hours + to reasonable avail … cheese omelette & microwaved potato (erk) saved by Anchor butterlettes, espresso coffee from Costas from a Roman from Pyramida ? Variety of people – use a loo I’m not supposed to as they were re-plumbing but there was no sign to say so.
Fine metal /water (turned off … drought ?!) sculpture centred round spiral up/down walkway which kids & grown-ups would both like. Pop 57p into its childrens’ blind box.
Shopping garnered one medium placcy bottle of cocoa lotion (after sun) & orangey flavour lip salve after much use of tester bottles in Body Shop. (£4.50). Highlight was Past Times shop (recently accessed via mail order for marbles wooden box & Lindisfarne notepaper) where tempted by many things but limit myself to one ruler (wooden) 84p with Kings & Queens of England and a smashing little copy of the Book of Kells (£3.50).
Man next to me does a ‘spillikins’ with dodgy displays. Charming salesgirl.
200 white Silk Cut – no films, too dear. Check out Clinique, made in U.S.A. also too dear – late purchase before the long travellate to gate 48 was an amazing Waterstone’s 1996 Diary designed by Shiel & Cohen … v.pleased with that £4.95 … hope to get several more as Christmas presents. Ta to Terry Jones M.P. !
Last fag for 5½ hours & board 757 of Air 2000. Sit next to 2 Josephs, returning from stay in Hendon – one no English other President of Haifa food export co. … good company … teaches me todaraba = thank you, bevakasha = please, éfó = where is, anim mehapez = I am looking for, mă schlomhă =how are you ?, ok = ok, yes = ken, no = lō, maybe = ōnlai, hot = χαμ = ham with a gutteral h, ani rayev = I’m hungry, and quite amusingly ani nŏtsori = I am a Christian … no, I am not sorry I’m a Christian ! Joseph & I discuss Israeli politics & people.
Air 2000 … lady pilot did fine, food very average (only kosher … i.e. poor margarine, so so chicken liver pâté, niceish apple pie thing). Stewardesses had no idea that Jews like to congregate in groups of 8 to 10 to pray which they did mi-plane mid-flight – I thought that pretty ignorant considering 90% of my fellow passengers were Jewish & the plane tos and fros to and from Tel Aviv daily.
Landed 2a.m. local time – customs no sweat but baggage rondavel took its time due to lack of transporters. Pleasing bronze of David Ben Gurion whose eyes appeared to follow me around the hall & gaze upon spot where some unfortunate terrorist was gunned to blazes (plaque marks the spot at carousel 4).
2 cigarettes later – I had survived the dearth – expensive hot chocolate in the 24 hour café. Maybe I’ll take a bus into town & walk slow to new Egged bus station he thinks. But no buses at this time of morn & taxis too costly. Re-meet the Josephs outside & then decide to pack cloth bag at bottom of rucksack & start walking. What’s 15 kilometres on a cool night ?
The moon is nearly full, the going relatively easy alongside the speeding motorway and some somewhat putrid aquafers on my right hand side. It takes ages to clear the airport & its runway – aren’t they huge. Begin to flag, feet sore – me black boots need sheepskin liners. At the Yehuda interchange, about half way to Jaffa / Yafo where I had decided to head for, having missed a visit 4 years back & it being close to the bus station, I drop anchor & thumb comes out.
Lorry passes but 2nd vehicle stops. Wow ! Nice young guy who’s just been to Heathrow, seen his girlfriend & returned after a night at Stansted Airport – on his way to work at 4.50a.m. for El Al Arkia security takes me out of his way close to the centre of Jaffa. Thank you.
Plod towards goal of St. Peter’s church spotted earlier on map. Am led up to museum, outside which is splendid animal trough in old stone and on museum entrance wall a stone relief gives joy to the eye. Through enchanting scrub garden, on up to crown of hill where stands a memorial arch in codestone (? / cool to touch) symbolising Jacob’s Dream.
I am moved.
This is a powerful site – a plaque tells me that during the British Palestine mandate they made soap here !
Path leads down to the left and round to the right where an old fig tree I circle. Who lies here ? Down a bit and left down a cobbled alley, past a Daniel type den and round to oversee the old port where the reef divides. Tel Aviv gleams north of me; back up right past door of church and stand again by its Italianate tower of fine design but I don’t desire to enter.
I descend inspired but tired towards old Tel Aviv passing unsavoury early bakery & decent furniture shops – stop for honey bread at an Arab bakehouse – ace. Directions needed for the station … Kaminsky ? Reach destination at 6.10a.m.. Extraordinary place, buses on 5 floors, escalators out of order, freshen up in loo & purchase one way ticket to Eilat for £10. Bus due to leave from last gate at 6.30a.m.. Phew, slump dog exhausted onto metal bench which gives way & bump my head. Been up for 23 hours now & done enough for one day – conk out on 2nd row bus seat & am promptly woken by Israeli woman wanting her ticketed seat !
Snatch the odd 20 minutes kip en route south, stopping briefly at Beer’Sheva (good egg & cucumber baguette & peach nectar) where man I recognise from last time still seeking foreign bank notes & coins for his collection. Shall try to get his address because I have several that he would enjoy & that I don’t honestly need.
Last stop is deep in the Negev, way past Dimona where a South African pair join the mostly male & female Israeli army khaki bus customers. We talk & join in respectful criticism of Israeli attitudes to tourists – worse in Tel Aviv & amongst El Al staff apparently. Bus driver did a professional job only spoiled by his missus constantly yakking away for the entire 5 hour ride & one must say by the indifference of the passengers. Surprised by the growth of towns & horti/agriculture since 1992 – what fertile earth is here.
Noon Friday – back in Eilat, busier than before, more tourists, more hotels but fun & warm. After trying a few places, eventually settle at the inviting & reasonably priced Marina Club Hotel and am allocated Room 218, overlooking palms & pool – just right. Time once more to shave/wash/brush up & unpack :- 5 nights are anticipated …
Grease up, Ambre Solaire 10 remnants squeezed at Earlsfield (home) into Sainsbury’s Factor 2 bottle. Catch the last day’s rays before heading into town for a mosey around old & new haunts. Many new shops & less greenery than before. Excellent doughnut & Danish pastry at ‘The Family Bakery’, an even better guava milk-shake in a bottle from an English run deli up the hill, cheap tape shop doesn’t have Genesis ‘We Can’t Dance’. See new public swimming pools shortly to open which look good – I hope City authorities will retain as much green space as possible but concrete threatens this fine town. Wonderful enclave close to Eilat Music Academy blooming with bougainvillea, impatiens perennials and birds.
Back down to the hotel zone – stop at Neptune Hotel to buy this notebook & then at cramped shop where I fall temporarily in love (again) with the salesgirl & buy a baguette, some good aubergine/onion tub pâté and a fair banana milk-shake in a carton. Succumb to a £2 box of Dead Sea Mineral Soap which was asking to be bought or was it my imagination ? Vow to return to this cornucopia of interest … or is it just for the girl !
Unwind at base camp – assemble my 2 prong plug & Enya thrills the air, quelle chanteuse.
Still hungry so dress up a bit and cross the bridge – Ben & Jerry’s ice cream parlour looks under-stocked and is expensive. At 7p.m. am shown to unreserved seat close to the door of the Tandoori on King’s Wharf … the scene 3.9 years ago of the best meal I ate in Israel. For once a restaurant has managed to retain its quality – saladdy starter with lemon, 2 veg samosas, a tray of condiments, a butter nãn, sag paner washed down with 2 sweet lassis … oh for sweet lassis ! Practice few words of Hindi with staff – one sari lady who spoke excellent Hebrew, Nepali type from Dehra Dun keen on cricket and man from Bombay who had attended sister Christian school to that run on Mount Abu. 40 shekels (£8) well spent.
2 Natrasleeps (hop & valerian) just in case.
Perchance to dream.