שלום מירושלים!

If I've learned anything in Israel thus far, it would be the value of good old H2O. Seriously. I cannot describe the unreal heat level in Eilat. Think Arizona in August. But hotter.
Ashley and I flew to Eilat from Tel Aviv on Monday... so worth it because we got there in one hour instead of five or six. When we got there we checked into our hotel (well actually hostel...enough said), jumped into our swimsuits, and booked it to the beach as quickly as possible.
Really, I don't know how anyone functions in Eilat on a regular basis. It is like you are living in an actual sauna, where you can't breathe, move, eat, or actually do anything other than sit in the water and kvetch about how hot you are.

But as far as vacations go, Eilat is AMAZINGGG. Ashley and I hung out on the beach all day, moving only to go to the bar and get lunch.
Have I mentioned that Israeli boys really like American girls? Because they REALLY like American girls.
So everywhere we go, we are constantly making new friends. Friends who want to buy us drinks, friends who want to practice English together, friends who want to help us put on sunscreen... clearly GREAT friends. ;)

So later that night, after the sun started setting, after we had soaked up every last ray the day had to offer, we headed back to our humble abode to make ourselves presentable for dinner. If you know me, you won't be surprised that I found a sushi restaurant for us to eat at... right next to a group of Israeli men playing volleyball shirtless in their short SHORT short swimsuits. Enough said.
So that night was pretty tame in Eilat.. we met some friends and hung out with them until pretty late... at which point the sun finally caught up with us and we headed home to go to sleep.

On Tuesday we decided we really wanted to do something different at the beach... as the Israelis call it "Shnorkel". We rented some snorkeling equipment and headed for Coral Beach, where a huge coral reef awaited our exploratory pleasure. We had a fabulous time doggy paddling around, checking out the fish and sucking in salt water.

A bit later our new friend Andrey met up with us and after a quick discussion, we decided to change beaches to get some extreme water sport action...on a banana boat. Seems harmless enough when you think about it... a large yellow inflatable getting dragged behind a boat, the worst thing that can happen is you fall off and lose your swimsuit. Well my friends, if you know anything about me, you know that I tend to get hurt where most others would not. So after getting bounced off the back of the banana boat, leg somehow sandwiched between a rope and a hard place (or inflatable place), my leg has begun to resemble Rihanna's face after the Chris Brown situation.

And this picture was taken before the bruising really started.. it's so blue I'm practically a smurf now. Nasty.

Injuries aside I would still call the day a success. Later that night Ashley and I decided to try out the club scene in Eilat. And for a stressed country, these Israelis sure know how to party.

Our Israeli friends George and Andrey took us to a really nice outdoor club called The Riviera...where every person was somehow the most attractive human being on earth. Seriously, Israelis are BEAUTIFUL. Its kind of ridiculous.
So the club was very fun, good music, great dancing, and fabulous drinks. :) Did you know drinking actually improves one's use of a foreign language? My Hebrew actually improves with a few beers! ;)



Around 2:30 Ashley and I were ready to go, yawning, eyes heavy. We were quickly informed that we were practically grandmas.. in Israel (Eilat and Tel Aviv in particular) everyone stays out until 5 or 6 am. Ha! No way Jose! And we thought we could pass for Israelis...
This morning we packed our suitcases, checked out, made our way to the central bus station, and boarded a bus for Jerusalem. Along the way we saw some of the country's most beautiful sights:



Now we're in Jerusalem staying overnight in my cousin's apartment. Such a beautiful city.. SO excited to stay here for the next 4 days!

Miss you all! Love you all!

אני פא!

Well I seemed to have made it into the land of milk and honey. With my travel buddy Ashley in tow, around 10:00 pm Saturday night I boarded my flight and set off to see the wizard...I mean the world. ;)
I think when I grow up (if I grow up) I will invent an airplane with all business class seating. I mean, I am so grateful for the all expense paid trip, and so I really cannot complain, but I must state that there are really nothing quite like airplane seats. Seriously, how can a person actually be SORE from sitting on her booty for 12 hours? It seems like it couldn't be possible, and yet somehow, my body HURTS. Could it be caused by the makeshift pillow I created from the drop down tray in front of me, bouncing into my head every time the airplane bumped? Or could it be from the elbowing in my neck by my seatmate, an 11 year old Muslim boy who seemed to forget that he and I were strangers, and that we typically do not touch people we don't know?

I know, you feel really bad for me, right? ;) (I'm hoping that joking sarcasm is able to be communicated via blog, if not, please let me know and I will sort you out straightaway).

So now, I'm sitting in a beautiful apartment in Ranaana, a suburb of Tel Aviv, being hosted for the night by Ashley's family friends. Tomorrow morning we're off to Eilat for two nights, where sun, heat, and sandy beaches await our arrival. Many pictures will be taken, and dutifully posted as soon as possible.

Smell ya later!
כל טוב!

So close...

If you are anything like me, then chances are you are a neurotic, chronic, overpacker. I'm not talking a few too many shirts, a few too many skirts. I mean crammed, bulging, and heavy suitcases packed to the brim with literally EVERYTHING. I'm not exaggerating (though many might doubt this, knowing me and my love of elaborate story telling). And the sad thing is, I truly BELIEVE that I honestly NEED every single thing I have wrestled into the bag. Because of this syndrome, I tend to try to pack in private, knowing full well that if my parents ever caught sight of the amount of CRAP in my bag, they would doubt my intelligence, maturity, ability to travel alone, and SANITY.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your level of traveling wisdom) my mom walked in on me with my bag unzipped (no, this is not an analogy for anything inappropriate, get your minds out of the gutter!) and like the control freak that I have come to accept and love, proceeded to empty my bag, her level of disgust rising every millisecond. Now, I have gotten to know my mom pretty well after the last 20.5 years, and know that in these situations, I am best off just nodding and apologizing for my extreme ignorance and letting her take the reigns. So I did, and now, sitting before me, is a much lighter, more efficient, and professionally organized duffel bag which will ((gasp)) close and open with only the smallest flick of the wrist.

yay.

So tomorrow is the day... a crazy day of traveling and money spending where I never anticipated spending it.
Passport? Check.
Confirmation number? Check.
Ipod? Check.
Coloring book and crayons? Double Check.

See ya'll (as my Big would say) on the other side... Ta-ta, Au Revoir, L'hitraot Chaverim!

eeehkeey.

This past week was a blast and a half in the Chi... between Sarah's impromptu visit, escaping the rain inside the House of Blues, running around UW Madison, catching up with Sarah, Jenny, and Hilly G, and cuddling with my Shmorgie, I would say this was an overall success.
It is currently 1:11 am and I just got back to C-bus from Chi citayy. Currently my floor is covered in clothes, shoes, chargers, and all kinds of random things that somehow need to be packed away in an organized fashion within the next 36 hours... ((sigh))... the trials and tribulations of world traveling begin.. somehow I can't feel too bad for myself ;)

as exciting as this post is, I think I'm going to call it a night and go to bed... tomorrow there are zillions of things to get done... yay so close I can almost taste it!