We kicked off the trip by doing a short hike in the desert by the city. Extremely rocky stuff, very cool though. After a while we got a great view of Eilat by the Red Sea, as well as Jordan a long way off.
After dinner, a group of us went out to check out a small thrill ride we glimpsed on the beach front. From what we could tell, it was a red ball you could sit inside while bungee chords shot you into the air. Y'all know I'm a sucker for adrenaline, so I went to check it out with my friends Val, Mikhail, Alyssa, Mara and Jeremy.
The Sling Shot.
Camera's on the freaked-out customers inside the ball.
Since there was an odd number of us actually intending to ride, someone had to get on without a partner. I volunteered and got in line ahead of my friends, all the while listening to this exciting, charged-up "MC" do his thing with a mic to get people excited. He was all smiles, playing to the crowd and whoever was in the Sling Shot. Soon it was my turn to get inside, with this kid half my age. While the MC asked me questions on the mic, Mara and the rest of my friends cheered me on.
Just before takeoff.
Just before takeoff.
We were launched into the air, and the adrenaline was priceless. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but shooting up into the night sky was an incredible feeling. Live for this stuff.
After landing.
After landing.
The MC ended up giving me two more free rides, as well as a free DVD recording of my reaction on camera. I don't know if the MC realized it, but giving me all of that extra stuff made me feel pretty special. Brings a smile to my face just thinking about it.
Later that night, I went out to a club around the same area, which was a great time. It was called the Unplugged Bar, this kind of box of a place nearby the beach. The music was happenin', and the energy was great among my friends. For some reason I started picking up a little attention from this tall, silent guy--and my friend Nati cut him off to dance with me, coming to the rescue. That girl is legit.
Some of the weirdness continued, though. While I was dancing with a girl I'd just met there, the same guy that tried to dance with me--let's call him Darth Maul--swooped in and took my dance partner away. Confused and frustrated, I continued dancing for a while with my friends. I guess a macho part of me eventually surfaced and I returned to get my lady back, throwing off Darth Maul's groove. He tried to whisk her away again, but she wasn't having it, and he peaced out. Someone tell that brotha the Dark Side of the Force never pays.
The next day, we did a "tour" of Eilat, really just coming down to one historical site and hearing how Israel and Jordan didn't get along in this city. The site was a building with a statue in front of it, kind of an Israeli-style "Flags of Our Fathers" depiction of erecting the Israeli flag on formerly Jordanian soil. The statue's in the picture below, if you care to squint.
An unbeatable cast of characters:
Sophia, her lover-boy Laco, Corina, me, Mikhail, and Jeremy.
Later that night, I went out to a club around the same area, which was a great time. It was called the Unplugged Bar, this kind of box of a place nearby the beach. The music was happenin', and the energy was great among my friends. For some reason I started picking up a little attention from this tall, silent guy--and my friend Nati cut him off to dance with me, coming to the rescue. That girl is legit.
Some of the weirdness continued, though. While I was dancing with a girl I'd just met there, the same guy that tried to dance with me--let's call him Darth Maul--swooped in and took my dance partner away. Confused and frustrated, I continued dancing for a while with my friends. I guess a macho part of me eventually surfaced and I returned to get my lady back, throwing off Darth Maul's groove. He tried to whisk her away again, but she wasn't having it, and he peaced out. Someone tell that brotha the Dark Side of the Force never pays.
The next day, we did a "tour" of Eilat, really just coming down to one historical site and hearing how Israel and Jordan didn't get along in this city. The site was a building with a statue in front of it, kind of an Israeli-style "Flags of Our Fathers" depiction of erecting the Israeli flag on formerly Jordanian soil. The statue's in the picture below, if you care to squint.
An unbeatable cast of characters:
Sophia, her lover-boy Laco, Corina, me, Mikhail, and Jeremy.
Later that day, my man Oded put together a discussion about martyrdom. My small group talked about what the term means to Christianity. Toward the end of our discussion I had an almost-clash with Nicky, the MVP from Tzfat earlier in the semester (and one of my most beloved friends since). We didn't see eye-to-eye on violence/self-defense, and what I managed to say to him sadly wasn't the whole and articulated truth about how I felt. The discussion was great food for thought, as always... with everything here.
We did Karaoke right after dinner, which was one of the best highlights of the trip. I went up and did Faith by George Michael, which was just so much fun. Again, Mara was cheering me on with a bunch of other friends while I was in the spotlight. I'm not the strongest singer, but I got pretty into it and the audience seemed to respond. I got compliments from people afterward, and I was happy with how silly and exciting the whole thing had been. I was a backup dancer for "Raining Men," too, which was its own ridiculousness.
Afterward I went out with a group to an 3-D IMAX movie, which was pretty cool. Those big goofy glasses were obnoxious to wear. Post-movie I chilled with friends at a place called the Underground Bar, where my friend Kayla hit me with a whopper in front of everybody: "You're the most well-liked person I know here." Or something like that. Girl had me walking on air with her kind words. Way to make a man feel loved, Kayla.
Good times at the Underground.
Some of us cruised to a second club, where I had a really good time on the dance floor. This one dance partner was giving me a lot more than I was ready for, but it was a lot of fun. It was a great outing. Tearing it up with friends in a club is one of those small treasures I've stumbled upon on this year.
The last morning, we did a Jeep tour through the desert with a hilarious group of people. We laughed throughout pretty much the entire bumpy ride.
We did Karaoke right after dinner, which was one of the best highlights of the trip. I went up and did Faith by George Michael, which was just so much fun. Again, Mara was cheering me on with a bunch of other friends while I was in the spotlight. I'm not the strongest singer, but I got pretty into it and the audience seemed to respond. I got compliments from people afterward, and I was happy with how silly and exciting the whole thing had been. I was a backup dancer for "Raining Men," too, which was its own ridiculousness.
"Faith"
"Raining Men"
Afterward I went out with a group to an 3-D IMAX movie, which was pretty cool. Those big goofy glasses were obnoxious to wear. Post-movie I chilled with friends at a place called the Underground Bar, where my friend Kayla hit me with a whopper in front of everybody: "You're the most well-liked person I know here." Or something like that. Girl had me walking on air with her kind words. Way to make a man feel loved, Kayla.
Good times at the Underground.
Some of us cruised to a second club, where I had a really good time on the dance floor. This one dance partner was giving me a lot more than I was ready for, but it was a lot of fun. It was a great outing. Tearing it up with friends in a club is one of those small treasures I've stumbled upon on this year.
The last morning, we did a Jeep tour through the desert with a hilarious group of people. We laughed throughout pretty much the entire bumpy ride.
Left to right in the Jeep:
Laco, Sophia, Kayla, Mikhail, Val and I.
Laco, Sophia, Kayla, Mikhail, Val and I.
My Dream Girls:
Nati on the left, my savior at the club.
Kayla, the lady with the bullseye compliment at the bar.
This is us trying to get our bearings
during the bumpiest jeep ride in recorded history.
Nati on the left, my savior at the club.
Kayla, the lady with the bullseye compliment at the bar.
This is us trying to get our bearings
during the bumpiest jeep ride in recorded history.
The last activity was a cruise on the Red Sea, but Nati gets boat sick easily, So Val and I stayed with her and just chilled out. The three of us had such a good time; really, with Nati, the laughter never stops. We all went to a KFC, Val and I cried over the fact that this Israeli one didn't have biscuits, and then we made our way to the beach to relax.
Had a chat with the Big G 'round these parts.
Nati and Val, knocked out.
That was pretty much the end of our trip, and the beginning of Hannukah. What an amazing start to the holiday. And such great friends to share it with.
Shalom,
Eric
Shalom,
Eric
1 comment:
These entries are absolutely hilarious. Loved the story about being rescued on the dance floor. Don't you know when somebody's trying to pick you up? Funny. :-)
Singing Faith by George Michael???I'm not surprised! I used to play that one over and over and over when you were a kid (I guess I can say that now!)all strapped up in your car seat (remember the Acura Integra?). Guess it all came back to you, huh? Love it.
ma
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