Eilat Trip #2: The Good One

Jordan River Valley

This weekend the program had a trip to Eilat and since it was planned by competent adults it went really well. No expectations not being met by reality leading to disappointment on this trip!!! (Not sarcasm) We got up Friday morning and took our sweet ass time loading onto the buses, the counselors making sure we had hats, 2 liters of water and closed toe shoes. I want to say how it's not necessary for people our age to be treated like children but I would be lying if I did. Sad truth. Not all 20 year olds are capable of 20 year old behavior. We stop for breakfast at a mall and all approx 70 of us line up at the Aroma (upscale Israeli starbucks I guess). I see donuts. I get two. They even warmed them up for me so the jelly inside was more like a syrup but I honestly think that was just the way they are, regardless of them being warmed up. No regrets. Just donuts. Our next stop is at the Hebrew Israelite community near Dimona. One of the leaders there was talking to us and he was a very smooth talker but there were still a few things that were pretty off-putting. At first it seemed like a really good community. Mandatory exercise, emphasis on lowering stress, vegan diet, which he said is natural for people and can't be disputed... But then there were some other things. They don't really believe in higher education, he cited it as being responsible for the production of weapons of mass destruction, but ignored the fact that so many great things also come from higher education... They are not very supportive of LGBT, he said it was unsustainable... He also talked about how women absorb the dna of men and physically become more like them when they have sex... So much pseudoscience... It was a good thing we weren't staying very long. I even asked one of the teens who was born there if she liked it. I got a silent head nod saying no. All I needed to (not) hear.

We get back on the bus and keep going, past the "Krembo factory". Krembo is a chocolate mousse puff atop a graham cracker covered in chocolate. It resembles a dome or part of the nuclear power plant near dimona (southern desert city)... They keep the "krembo factory" heavily guarded and don't let anyone know the secret recipe. Also if you are seen taking pictures of it you might get a talking from the security or cops. It's best to not talk about the "krembo factory". We take a stop for lunch at the Yotvata store/gift shop. There are very few things in the desert on the way to Eilat so all these places we stopped at I had been on my last trips to Israel about 5 and 8 years ago. We finally get to the hotel, a few hours to nap and shower before dinner. Dinner was pretty good, the vegetarian option consisted of corn cutlets and spring rolls but there was many options for salad stuffs. After dinner we went on a "party" boat for a few hours. It was a boat and there was loud music and a very understocked bar. The only liquor they had was vodka and they ran out of that super fast and all the beers were room temperature. We also all got a voucher for one free drink, other wise it would be about $7. Oh Israel. At one point they bring out this bellydancer and she puts on her playlist and is just making everyone uncomfortable. She has a dedicated playlist, videographer and photographer. They make us clear a space for her to dance around and make everyone feel super awkward for a a good twenty minutes. If you made eye contact you were as good as dead. She honed in on people feeling uncomfortable like a heat seeking missile. After she finally ruined the mood enough she vanished. Probably just resting in her tanning bed, just waiting to strike at the next party. The music selection was great at some points but horrible at others. A lot of people were just being party poopers and not dancing at all. Now usually I would be one of those party poopers but this time... I was not.

Breakfast the next day included jachnun. I love jachnun. Look it up. Jachnun Jachnun. The next part of our day, and the last part for me as I needed to leave Saturday to be back for my sunday class and midterm due on sunday, was a 5 hour hike through Amir canyon. It was great but like the party boat, not everyone was enjoying it. We played a few little games on our little breaks but group participation was really low. People made the mistake of eating their lunch too early, not packing enough for lunch and then complaining about it when lunch came. Did pack more than enough food. Didn't get a sun burn. Did do a lot of rock scrambling. Didn't poop on the party. Did have a great time. Didn't fall or cut myself. Did see a lot of awesome rock formations. Didn't take a lot of pictures. Took two. Did meet a lot of new (nice) people. Unfortunately when it was over we went back to the hotel and then I, along with a bunch of other kids, rode back to Tel Aviv where we promptly fell asleep.