The yearly pilgrimage

If you're wondering why I've been MIA for over a month it's because I was holidaying once again in sunny Israel and was maybe a bit lazy too.

I visited new places and had new experiences while almost being melted by the unsympathetic sun.

Last year I flew to Israel on their national airline - El Al after which I swore never to fly with them again.
They are a bit crazy about their security but they're apparently kind to animals.

With this trip being a spontaneous last minute decision, the El Al flight being the only direct flight and the cheapest flight available I caved in in about well, one second and booked my flight with them once again.

This time however I went prepared to not take any of the terrorist interrogation they put me through personally and decided to wear a smile on my face through all of it.

So they questioned me and checked my bags like last year and then decided to put me through a physical check which was almost as good as them getting me ready for the beach.

I was in 'the special interrogation room' 10 minutes before my flight took off and had to run through immigration and security check in well, 10 minutes and then was on my way to the Holy Land.

I think another girl in my place would've most probably cried but I knew what I was putting myself through and as long as I was getting on that flight I didn't really care how many more questions I was asked.

I was in Israel for 16 days which went by too fast and felt more like 4. It was great to see my friends again and be so far away from Bombay and work and everything else.

My trip can be summarised as:

- A lot of walking.

- Eating hummus/ falafel everyday.

- Drinking fruit juice like it was going out of style.

- Looking for the perfect juice place and then finding it and feeling like I had achieved something.

When you have found the one, you look no further. It was like the perfect relationship. Yes, I am still talking about juice.

- Going to the beach and snacking on fruits and veggies while having a beer. Strange!

- Eating a lot of ice-cream.

- Meeting new people.

- Trying to exercise. It happened only once.

- Trying Sabich - like a falafel but with eggplant, egg, hummus obviously and many more sauces.

- Learning many new Hebrew words.

- Hearing many Israelis using Hindi and Marathi words - I was greeted with kasa kai, sab kuch milta hai, do you want amba (mango sauce), and obviously namaste.

- Having long conversations about life, love and food.
- Breaking my sunglasses and then sticking them back with strong Israeli superglue because no other sunglasses can take their place.

- Watching The Dictator in Tel aviv which for some reason was even funnier.

- Crossing the border and visiting the Palestinian side.

- Getting excited walking around Bethlehem - the birthplace of Jesus.

- Making my third trip to Jerusalem - there is a lot of good peaceful energy there and I tried stealing some of it for myself.

- Visiting an art museum in Tel aviv.

- Piling on on my friends MBA class trip.

- Going to a winery in Golan Heights and tasting several wines before noon.

- Going swimming in the Sea of Galilee.

- Trying to surf and failing miserably miserably. It was so bad I had to say it twice.

- And then getting stung by a jellyfish.

- Seeing the Scientology centre and then coming home and googling it to try and understand what its about for the 7th time maybe.

- Having a wonderful Shabbat dinner.

- Learning new bus routes and feeling like a local.
- Learning that Yoni is a common Israeli name for a boy.
- Noticing that most men in Israel are bald yet beautiful.

- Trying to cook. Ok, I just cut the veggies and pretended to stir a bit.

- Drinking flavoured mineral water. Peach is my favourite.

- Pretending to understand Hebrew and responding with many nods.

- Being woken up by a dog at 7am everyday.

- He would also steal the blanket and take quick naps next to me.

- And follow us for lunches, dinners, on the bus, and to a movie.

- He also understood Spanish and drank water from a cup. Yes, I am still talking about the dog.

There was so much more to do but not enough time.
I was to spend a day learning cycling.
And have dinner one night at Blackout (a completely dark restaurant where you can't see your food). At first I thought it was crazy but the idea seemed more fun than crazy so I had to try it. Unfortunately there were many others like me which is why we didn't get a table before I had to return home to the motherland.
It would probably have been something like this.

Oh well! There's always next time.

Till then I'll have to find ways to beat my post-travel blues.