DAY 8 - Beach and Bummed

Shelter Hostel

Although it was barely after 8 that Saturday morning, it was the latest we had slept on this trip. I was surprised the Mennonite girls were still asleep. I crept out of bed, dressed, and made my way outside to the outdoor living area. Complimentary coffee and tea was kept on a nearby table for guests. I sat outside and dranked my coffee until Pamela was up and ready.

Our hostel is right behind the thicket of trees. It is secure by a wall and gate. After midnight, the door is locked. Although we were reassured over and over again the neighborhood was safe (even for us to surf the web at night in the park) it was still a nice feeling to know we were all sheltered in.

As routine, we made our way to the park to hook up to the web, check our emails, the bank, and to upload photo's. While settling in our parkbench, I was relieved to see the elderly man back in his regular spot, sleeping. The night before we became concerned when we didn't see him, worried maybe he had passed away.

After we were done on the computer, we went back to the shelter to change into shorts. We wanted to spend the day resting and beachcombing.

Music blasted from the outdoor speakers of a nearby restaurant.

Was really surprised to see the hookah so popular on the beach.

After we were back at the hostel we remembered we needed to get breakfast food and snacks for our bus ride in the morning to Jerusalem.

We headed up the street and disappointedly noticed our favorite store was closed. We had forgotten that it was still the shabbat. An elderly man sitting nearby reassured us that the store would be open within an hour.

He asked where we were from. As usual my Texas accent gave us away. Inviting us to share the bench with him and to wait for the store to open, he shared with us stories about Eilat. He was born and raised in Israel, and knew everything about the area.

I asked him about the homeless man at the park. He explained that the man was married, had grown kids, and wasn't really homeless. His own kids would sometimes check on him, try and get him to return back to his home, but he keeps choosing to return to the park! I wondered if maybe he was mentally ill.

I told him we were headed for Jerusalem and our conversation turned to politics. We talked about the U.S. and Israel's relations. Things were not very good, and he asked me to not repeat some of the things he had said about Israel's relations with Iran. He seemed to be in the know about something in the near future. It was about war.

I sat there gloomly and started to feel bad. Bad as in I felt I was coming down with something. My throat was feeling scratchy and I was feeling very very tired.

The store opened and we bid farewell to our new friend.

After selecting breakfast food, bottled water, and snacks for our bus ride, we headed back to the shelter.

Late into the night, I could tell whatever I was coming down with was moving into my chest. This wasn't good. And I wasn't very happy. The last time I had gotten sick was when my family had taken a trip to Las Vegas. That was over three years ago! What was it about going on trips?