September 13th: The beach

Due to being jetlagged, and because we didn't wake up until 5pm the day before, we didn't go to sleep until 3am. Traveling does really weird things to your sleep patterns, and I woke up at 4:30am while Chelsey managed to sleep until 6. Since we couldn't get back to sleep, we figured it would be best to get an early start, and after a nice breakfast and ample sunscreening, we set off to walk from our apartment to the beach.

It was a pretty long walk, almost 3 miles each way in the hot sun. But it was definitely worth our while. Our route took us down Arlozorov Street in Ramat Gan, a few blocks down and over the highway, and then another stretch down Arlozorov in Tel Aviv. We were right in the middle of the hotels, so we were a little worried that the beaches were private, but a short walk brought us to a spot that looked suitable for our use. When we set our stuff down on the sand at around 10am, barely anybody was there at all! I guess most of the beachgoers arrive later in the day. When we got there we noticed an Israeli couple doing some seemingly inappropriate things on the beach. It was comically disturbing.

The water in the Mediterranean was perfect for swimming! Usually the waves are huge, and crash at a point where they would go over our heads, but since we were near the hotels, they had built large rock barriers a few hundred feet out that weakened the waves. If we went out past our waists, it was possible to stand calmly in the water, letting the waves roll past us, crashing behind us so we didn't get splashed. The temperature was also amazing, as the water was refreshing but not cold. After hanging out in the water for a while, we built a sand structure. We were originally going for a sandcastle, but instead built a giant sand wall. At one point, a little girl was making a sandcastle right next to us, but a friendly dog chased her and she ran away screaming to her dad.
After a few hours at the beach, we got hungry and decided it was time to return home. On the way, we stopped at a grocery store and bought a bag of freshly made pita bread. Walking back was uncomfortable because we drank most of our water on the way there, and it was even hotter than the morning. It was even worse for Chelsey because her sandals were uncomfortable and not the best for an hour-long walk. We ran out of water about 15 minutes away from the apartment, so we decided there was only one possible solution - arktikim (popsicles). I guess I'm not used to eating popsicles in actual heat... in Seattle I can usually manage to get through one without it dripping all over my feet, but in Israel that's not the case.

A few minutes later we got back to the apartment and discovered that Chelsey had gotten badly sunburned on her back. Ouch! It was annoying because she had reapplied sunscreen before our walk back to the apartment, so either she missed a spot or got burnt before the walk. I also had a small sunburn on my back as well. No wonder the Israelis are so tan! After a nice pita lunch (Chelsey had tomato and cucumber, while I made a cheese melt) we decided it would be best to relax for a while. I read about ten pages of my book but couldn't stay awake, and by the time we woke up from our nap it was already 7pm! Guess that makes sense considering I only slept an hour and a half the night before.

For dinner Chelsey made an amazing feast of chicken, sauteed onions, cucumbers and tomatoes, all to put inside a pita with a special spicy sauce called "Schoog" (the 'ch' pronounced like Chanukah). It was delicious! I have a feeling I'm going to be eating pretty well this trip :)