Wow so the last few days were full on! I had so much fun though – I think one of the biggest reasons I love being in Israel is having so much family around – if you are brought up with them all around its just there and you can get used to it. When you haven’t coming back to it is intense at the beginning but so natural and real and comforting.

Yesterday we all drove down to Nahalal (where my grandma’s other sister lives – Chava) and to a nearby restaurant where many people were converging for my grandma’s 80th. Slowly more and more people arrived and it was so amazing to meet them! People came who have such interesting stories of how they are connected to my family. A friend who studied at the same hospital as my grandma in Israel 60 years ago!! And also this awesome family who are the children of two brothers who my grandma and her sisters grew up with because they’re mother fell in love with the two brothers father and they became like step-brothers. Fast forward 60 years and the two brothers have had 5 children between them – and they are so awesome! And they love us so much and two of them used to babysit me when I was really little and I couldn’t speak properly so I used to add a “P” before their names and the nicknames stuck and they still use it today!!

Anyway after a huge meal including many en tree’s and a main and dessert and lots to drink and a speech from my uncle chuck and lots of talking heaps of us went back to Nahalal for coffee. Nahalal is really interesting it was the first Moshav in Israel. To explain what a Moshav is I have to explain the notion of settlements briefly. The entire country of Israel today except for the few big cities is comprised of hundreds of settlements all fairly close to each other – which is weird because except for in the desert you can’t drive for more than like 5 minutes in any direction anywhere without being in a settlement or an Arabic village. There are different kinds of settlements some of them are just villages some of them are Kibbutizim and some of them are Moshav which is basically a circular village of houses where everyone owns a plot of land that extends outwards (see photo).

That evening we went over to the village where Tamar lives. On a spiritual village called Harduf. We sat and played music and drank tea for a few hours then we headed home with my delirious second cousin in the back seat. She’s learning English and I’m learning Hebrew so we’re helping each other out a bit.

This morning after a walk around Nahalal we went up to visit my mums cousin Yuval at his home in Avtalyon, such a beautiful place that has an exquisite view or the north. They want to get out of Israel so mum and him are talking about doing a house swap for a year! After eating and talking for a few hours I dropped the girls off back at Nahalal and then I drove back to Kaddarim where I’m gonna stay for then next two nights.

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This Morning we went up to the old city of Safed which is like Jerusalem one of the 4 holy cities in Israel it is also the highest altitude wise.

Very cool place with lots of religious people walking around old and young (lots of religious students from all around the world).

We’re going to go back soon to have a decent look around as we didn’t have much time today.

This afternoon I drove back down to Tel-Aviv with my uncle and grandma to pick up my great aunt Shula. She is awesome, shes 82 and a hoot! We got stuck in traffic on the way home and ended up going on a fat detour through North Israel but we eventually got home!

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So this morning we picked up the car from Avis which was a bit stressful enough as it is! Every once in awhile (not very often usually) you encounter people who don’t speak English well at all. Avis guy was one – mum had to act as translator and he was getting a bit agitated. Anyway we got it and we set out… weird changing gears with your right hand let alone driving on the wrong side of the road, let alone with Israeli drivers on the road!

It’s nice to have a Rental it gives mum and I an air of independence and a chance to not get pre-occupied with family stuff and to just enjoy traveling the country.

On the way up north we stopped on top of Mt Tabor and had a look down the Israel Valley (rich in agriculture) We arrived at Kaddarim and its so good to see my Uncle Chuck and his kids Yotum & Itamar. They’re the ones making Bar Mitzvah in a weeks time.

Now we’re just hanging out with Toolie (Chucks Cat) and about to eat dinner then we’re gonna watch The Third Man. Cool.

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The sharav here has ended and its cooled down a bit thank god – its actually just coming out of winter to spring here.

Today my dad picked me up from shiller and we hung out for the afternoon. It’s kinda weird but I guess its getting more normal each time I’m here. We drove up to the north of Tel Aviv to a place called “” which has a Marina that has lots of apartments and fashion shops and restaurants – kinda like the viaduct – my dad’s best friend Beni owns a few Restaurants around Tel Aviv one of them being here. We basically just hung out and ate food constantly – I’m so into the idea of opening a Israeli food cafe thing back at home!

Then we went to one of Beni’s other restaurant where a impromptu shopping sessions for Jeans took place and a pair were bought for me basically against my will! I was trying hard to find a pair I like at least so I will wear them – but the fashions here are… erm… different and considering the latest Lee Cooper promotion is called “Skinny Is Dead” needless to say I couldn’t find any skinny jeans… They love tacky zips and belts and lots of wash and distress. yuck.. anyway I sound like enough of a ponce. After we ‘dropped in to say hi to people’ more like dodgy dealing I came back to Shiller where I fell asleep pretty quick – and early – which explains why I’m up at 4.30am writing this and watching Sudio60 (the best show right now – actually – i’m so freaking addicted).

In a few hours after we wake and eat we’re going to get the rental car to drive north. I’m freaking out. Seriously you should see the way people drive here! Don’t be surprised if you read here on the next post that I’ve had a prang.

Over and Out

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So the flying was intense. two back to back 12 hours flights seperated by a painfull 2 hour transit in bankok (not the best airport in the world). Also an intense interregation by Israeli security force in bangkok (they’re stationed everywhere that flys direct to Israel). They have to be like that but they’re so damn suspicious of Israeli people who don’t live in Israel anymore – asking tons of questions about when the last time we were there and why we were coming, for how long, to do what, who packed bags, left your hand luggage unattended?

Anyway we made it in the end. The plane has to fly a certain path as to avoid flying over places like saudi and kuwait so in the end makes the flight several hours longer than it has to.

We arrived in the middle of a “Sharav” which basically is when it gets so hot in the desert it creates one of those freak sand storms (that you see in the movies) and therefor if the winds are blowing towards the cities it gets FUCKING HOT. Seriously. It’s only the beging of spring here and its not usually this hot. But we arrived and the temp was about 20 degrees and I was like pffft whats all this about (I was wearing jeans and a cardie and didnt feel hot at all). I was then reminded that it was 7.30am in the morning! After the 30 minutes drive to Shiller (The Kibbutz we’re staying in for the first few days) the temp had already risen to 28. And at the highest point of the day it had reached about 38. It was hot. Unbearable. They say that today will be the last day of the sharav and it should get a bit cooler.

We were so tired when we got here but we forced ourseleves to stay awake cause it was day time. I went bowling with Oren and Lior who are my mums friends kids. It was fun but I only just survived – traveling in the heat with jet lag was hard!

After some dinner we konked out early and of course woke up at bloody 4am the next morning.

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