Day One
It was a very early start as I drove to Luton airport from home ( at 2:30am!) but it was an easy drive... when I arrived at Luton the plane was on time and without a hitch I was on my way to the Middle East and I remember being so excited about my journey! Also slightly unnerved about how straightforward things had been and what would happen to me in Israel ....
A typically tedious 5 hours later I sleepily looked out of the window and saw the bright lights of Tel Aviv, a very large city! I began to wonder how easy it would be to find my way to the hostel I was staying in but it all felt like one big adventure so I wasn't too bothered, anything was better than being cramped up in the plane for any longer. The heat hit me as I stepped off the plane and headed for security , who asked me plenty of questions and closely checked my scope ( which I'm sure they thought was a bazooka! ) and cameras before giving me a permit and letting me through. I headed for the train station and felt slightly overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of this intriguing country....
Somehow I winged it on the train and got off at the right place and I even found the street my hostel room was in ! However it was a rough part of the city and as I trundled along with my bags looking for the right building I felt like the locals must have been wondering what the hell I was doing in their neighbourhood! I took a chance on a building ( no street numbers ) that looked like a block of flats and the passcode I typed in worked! It was a big relief to find my room in the night ( which wasn't a hostel , just a random flat ) and I got ready to go and find some food in the city...
A place to eat wasn't easy to find in this part of Tel Aviv , no streetlights, all the signs in hebrew or arabic and no people! Looking like you are lost in a foreign city at night on your own isn't the best idea and I asked the first person I saw, an excitable Arab! Who didn't know what a ' restauarant' was and began pointing in many directions ( including the sky I think!) as to were I should go. I carried on and asked to doormen outside what looked like a bar , again ' food? Restaurant? ' I asked , to which they look really confused and ushered me into the building! Phew it was a nightclub... there was beer! At least I could have a beer! I asked for a Tuborg at the bar, the bartender looked at me strangely, walked to his boss, pointed at me , they chatted more, he nodded his head, I got a beer! Could this night get any more random... ( well yes quite a bit more!) . I guessed you paid at the end as he didn't ask for money so I had a wonder around the place, enjoying the local music , the people dancing and some sort of local ceremony , another person then gave me a big plate of food with chips and burgers, wow I loved this place! The music was getting louder and the d.j was playing good english music so I had a dance with the random Israeli people and got another beer, I asked to pay and the guy said ' you are at a Jewish wedding!' , it now all made sense! The free food ,drinks and all the ceremonies and dancing!
For the next couple of hours ( and despite some puzzling looks from people!) The beers flowed , the locals were smoking something and the dancing continued ! I had a piece of wedding cake and I even signed the book on my way out! ' Hi I'm the random english guy who crashed your wedding, thanks for the free food! I hope you have a great life together! '. I staggered back to my room and passed out hoping I would wake up at 5am as I had to meet the group I was travelling with at 6;30am back at the airport! It had already been a holiday to remember and I hadn't been in Israel for more than a few hours....
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