Ending an Era

There was a scaled map in Yafo on the ground outside
a cafe; here is the distance to Gibraltar from that location

Of all my time in Israel, starting with my Birthright trip over two and a half years ago, I have never been farther south than Beersheva.  That means, I am yet to see even half of this tiny country.  Truth be told, however, that half is virtually all desert with nothing to see or do.  About a half hour bus ride south east of Beersheva is a tiny town called Dimona.  It's an open secret that Israel's nuclear facilities are located on the outskirts of this desert dwelling.  Southwest of Dimona, and an hour's drive due south of Beersheva, is Mitzpe Ramon.  It's a tourist attraction, a place for Israelis and foreigners alike to start off on desert hikes, enjoy the flora and fauna of the Negev, or gaze in amazement at an enormous crater.  And then finally, a few hours drive further south, is Eilat, Israel's port city on the Red Sea and the number one tourist destination.  In a country full of religious and historical sites, Eilat is neither.  In a beach country, with dozens of great spots to lay out on sand, frolic in the warm Mediterranean waters, and ogle at the beautiful, gun-totin' Israeli babes, Eilat is still above and beyond a choice getaway spot for anyone with a little extra time on their hands and a few extra shekels in their pocket.

For me, Eilat has been that one elusive place in a country with few locations that can be called difficult to access.  Granted, in the army I've been to some pretty remote locations, but on the whole, every town is simply a couple hours drive form virtually anywhere else.  Except for Eilat.  From Tel Aviv, it's a forty minute flight on a jet plane, an hour on a propellor plane.  A bus ride is five and a half hours.  That's actually about the same distance to Kiryat Shemonah in the north.  However, instead of making multiple stops in densely populated cities along the way, the bus ride to Eilat traveled to Beersheva, through Dimona, then hugged the Jordanian border the entire way south, with only a few random structures along the way for company.  The two lane highway added to the feeling of isolation in a foreign world.  The beautiful lush green of the northern half of Israel begot the incredibly dull, brown sand and rock of the Negev.  But it was a beautiful ride.

Amy and I, on our bike ride

This trip had been built up for quite a long time.  After initially wanting to travel to Eilat after finishing my first three months in the army at Mikveh Alon, then attempting to go with a group of guys during my week break last year in July, then planning to go during a long weekend in November when I moved to my apartment in Jerusalem, and finally deciding on the second to last weekend in Israel.  The imperative to visit Eilat became even greater after my best Israeli friend Sam moved down a year ago for a job.  I had been to his home in Petach Tikvah virtually every Friday evening for dinner with his family since moving out here.  Since he moved to Eilat, I had barely seen the guy.  Now I could kill two birds with one stone.  The only question was which weekend would work for both of us.

After I was officially released from the army on June 14th, a few of us lone soldiers met up Thursday evening in Tel Aviv for one last night out.  It was a great plan in theory, but the execution didn't turn out so well.  Not everyone could make it because a couple guys were actually leaving the country within the next twenty-four hours and needed to pack or get to the airport.  The few of us who did make it out were split up, and more enjoyed seeing each other for a last time than actually being out in Tel Aviv for the evening.  Either way, it was one of my last nights out.
I stayed the rest of the weekend in Tel Aviv, went to the beach with David, Amy and the girls in Herziliya on Friday, then with my friend Tomer on Saturday in Tel Aviv.  On Monday, Amy and I took a nice bike ride from their apartment to the Mediterranean, then south along a bike route to Yafo/Jaffa, then back, stopping for lunch and a quick dip in the sea.  That evening, I made it back to my apartment in Jerusalem for a couple evenings to organize my things.  Quick story: since being released, I am no longer able to ride public transportation for free.  My teudat lochem (fighter ID) expired, however, because the bus drivers to and from Jerusalem simply glanced at the card in my wallet and didn't check for a second ID or the expiration, I got two rides free of charge!

Finally, I was in touch with Sam about visiting him in Eilat and bought tickets for Thursday morning to travel south.  Regardless if one is in the military or not, no bus ride to Eilat is free.  Roundtrip from Tel Aviv cost about 130 shekels.  I have a friend who traveled to Dimona via train (he was still in the army so it was free) and then bought a bus ticket from there to minimize the cost.  Anyway, long story short, the bus is pulling out of the central station in Tel Aviv when Sam calls me and tells me to get off the bus because he is on his way home to Petach Tikvah for his mom's birthday on Friday.  He thought I was planning on coming down the following week!

I continued to Eilat and finally arrived at the last major destination I was yet to visit in Israel.

And Eilat is hot!  But it's a semi-enjoyable heat because it's dry.  Tel Aviv and the rest of israel is very humid.  Eilat, at the far end of the desert and at the tip of the Red Sea, is very hot but very dry.  Temperatures often exceed 100 degrees, but the sun feels good and it's easy to breathe.  The city itself is very small; everything is concentrated along the beach front and does not extend into the desert.  It reminds me at the same time of Las Vegas and Venice Beach.  Enormous, luxurious hotels are sprouting up everywhere, yet with the heat and Israeli small-town feel to every city, it feels very much like Los Angeles.

Eilat is situated in a very interesting and precarious position.  Less than a kilometer to its east is Jordan and the resort of Aqaba.  A few kilometers to its west and south is Egypt and the city of Taba.  Sam told me that on a clear night, it is possible to see lights from Saudi Arabia.  A large Jordanian flag towers over its waters.  It's interesting to note the juxtaposition of these three nations, both of whom have peace treaties with Israel, yet which are hardly friendly.

One unfortunate thing about Eilat is that I heard more Russian and Arabic than English.  I was really looking forward to running into some American tourists, but evidently, as Sam explained to me, they generally come in the fall when the weather cools down slightly.

On Sunday, we went to the bus station and I extended my ticket for an extra day so we could go snorkeling.  A major attraction of Eilat is its water sports.  Sam owns all the equipment, so it was free, and a lot of fun.  It was my first time snorkeling and I had a blast.  Eilat boasts the only coral reef in the northern hemisphere, and we swam out to see parts of it.

And as a last parting moment, we went up into the mountains overlooking the city, Jordan, and Egypt, and shared a celebratory cigar and beer, saying farewell to each other for a long time.

I came back to Tel Aviv on Monday, and on Tuesday went with my cousins to Lena and Kaya's end of the school year party in Herziliya.  I was saying goodbye to them the next day and wanted to spend as much time with them as possible.  I was also able to have a few beers with Shmaya that evening.

And the next day, David, Amy and the girls flew to Madrid.  It was weird saying goodbye to them.  It was just as if they were leaving for the army instead of me.  It also helps to know that I'm going to see them in a few days when David, Lena and I go to an Iron Maiden concert in New Jersey!

On Thursday, family friends of theirs drove me to Jerusalem to pack up the rest of my things.  I said goodbye to my roommates, and returned to Tel Aviv.  I enjoyed the last few days in the city, walking around, eating a shwarma.  At this point, on Saturday evening, I'm already packed and ready to go.  It doesn't feel real.  Maybe that's just because I'm pretty apathetic to being here.  I've been bored beyond belief, ready to be home and start the next stage of my life.  I want to that to happen already.

Of the lone soldiers I drafted with way back at Mikveh Alon, I've kept in touch with a handful.  Most of those guys have gone back to their home countries by now.  A couple left a few days after they were released.  Adam left a few days ago.  Still others will leave by the end of the summer.  Some guys will stay in Israel.  Even of those who became Israeli citizens, not everyone will stay.  More will come on all that later.

For all of us, however, it's the end of an era.  It's the end of a time we came, enlisted and served in the military for the State of Israel.  This story is still not over.  All of us carry something with us to the end of our lives of a time we were soldiers in an army that served a cause greater than ourselves.  That story will continue.

For now, this is my last post in Israel.  This lone soldier flies to America at 10:15 am, Sunday morning.

Shia, Kaya, and Lena: gonna miss you guys!!!