Never A Dull Moment

Hello from Tel Aviv, our final destination in Israel!

Our trip has certainly been full of adventure.  Yesterday was no exception!  We left our hostel at 9 AM and walked our bikes down the many steps to the city centre of Nazareth.  It was quite a challenge to lift the bike with the panniers on them over every step, but there wasn't really another option to get out of the city.  Unless we wanted to ride up a very steep hill similar to the one we walked up the day before.  No thank you.

Getting out of Nazareth required a lot of patience.  Patience which I didn't really have.  Navigating our way through the city took some time, but thankfully we had some helpful strangers that gave us directions along the way.  We even had a fireman come over to us and tell us that he was also a cyclist.  He said if we needed a place to stay, a place to shower, eat etc. we were welcome to stay at the fire house.  So that certainly lifted my spirits!

We were cycling on major highways which had wide shoulders which was good.  However, there was SO MUCH TRAFFIC; lots of big trucks and buses.  When we stopped to take a break, true to his form, Dad looked over the cement barrier and saw oranges in the dirt.  Sure enough, he hopped over and became a little scavenger, gathering food for our snack break.  At least oranges have peels so I didn't have to eat the dirt like I've had to in the past with the tomatoes Dad has found on the side of the highway.

This is honestly like finding gold for him.

We were able to see Mount Carmel in the distance, the place that many Christians associate with the prophet, Elijah.  Jewish and Muslims also view Mount Carmel as a sacred place.  Dad and I were both picturing a singular mountain, but it turns out Mount Carmel is actually a coastal mountain range.  Although different religions have pinpointed spots on top that they believe are where Elijah had a contest with the prophets of Baal.  There is no biblical reference to an actual spot so...I didn't feel the need to cycle up and across a range of mountains to see a spot where some people believe this happened.  So we kept on riding and, instead, flanked the mountain.  Don't get me wrong, we still had to do some climbing, but it was nothing in comparison to cycling up the mountain itself.  However, I still got frustrated.  As per usual.  I seem to lose my patience just before we get to the top.  Dad seems to have a better sense of what is coming next and he basically started laughing at me (and taking picture) while I had a meltdown because I think he knew that we were about to go downhill for a few kilometers.

Waiting for the train

Our plans was to cycle to the town of Benyamina and take the train to Tel Aviv.  We were under a bit of a time crunch because bikes aren't allowed on the train from 3:00-6:00 PM and it was an hour long train ride, so we were racing to catch the 1:57 train.  We were able to get there on time with no problem and, although getting our bikes on the train was a hassle (mostly because nobody moves out of the way and just stares at you), we eventually made it to Tel Aviv.

Then, we had to navigate our way to the "apartment" we were staying at.  Instead of searching for a hotel (which is usually difficult enough), Dad had arranged for us to rent some lady's apartment for our two nights in the city.  This sounds simple enough, but when the owner doesn't speak English and the address listed is actually an entire block of buildings, it can be difficult to figure things out.  After waiting for a bit on the street, I had to start sending text messages to her saying things like "I am wearing a bright neon jacket.  I have blonde hair.  My father is wearing a bright orange shirt and a yellow helmet".  How she could possibly miss us I have no idea.  Eventually, she arrived with her daughter who spoke a bit of English.  Before we got to the room, we entered the apartment buildign which is falling apart.  There are large puddles on the floor simply because the roof is leaking and...nobody cares enough to do anything about it.  We were staying on the 9th floor and the elevator only fits one person (it is a tiny square), so getting our bikes up there was a challenge.  It involved a lot of maneuvering and strategic planning.  Dad and I had to come up separately with our bikes and then the owner's daughter had to carry the panniers.  I don't think these ladies were expecting to do so much physical labour that afternoon.  Anyway, the apartment itself is nice.  I am sleeping on a pull out couch while Dad sleeps in a queen bed in his own room.  Interesting how that worked out.  To be honest, I'm just thankful I don't have to deal with his snoring and heavy breathing anymore.

It was now 4:30PM and I was thinking "Great, finally time to relax", but I was wrong.  Since we had one more day in Tel Aviv before leaving, we had planned on renting a car the following day so we could drive around and find bike boxes somewhere.  This is one of the most challenging parts of a bike trip-how to get the bikes home on the plane without any boxes.  It usually involves calling bicycle stores in the city and hoping that we can find something that works.  Somehow, Dad is always able to make something work using multiple boxes, mailing tape, and his experience in the field of makeshift bicycle boxes.  However, the ideal situation is to find large, cardboard boxes that are made to carry bikes.  The problem is transporting these boxes back to our hotel to eventually put the bikes inside.  Hence, the rental car plan.

Before we came on the trip, I had e-mailed the owner of a bicycle shop here in Tel Aviv and he told me to message him once we arrived and he would be able to tell me if he had any boxes.  So, Dad said I should call him to see if he had any boxes that we could pick up the following day once we had the car.  I called him and sure enough, they had two boxes! FABULOUS!  I asked him if he could set them aside so we could pick them up the following day with the car.  He replied with "We're closed tomorrow".  WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK.  I have just come from Tiberias where everything was closed on Friday and Saturday due to Shabbat.  Then in Nazareth, everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) was closed because it was Sunday.  Now, I'm being told that this bike shop is closed every Tuesday.  How does anyone make any money here??

Anyway, he told me that if we wanted the boxes they were open until 6:00 PM.  This put us in quite a predicament.  I looked up where the bike shop was in relation to the apartment and it was about 7 km away.  Dad made an executive decision to ride to the shop and get the boxes and...well figure out how to get them home after the fact.  The important thing was to get the bike boxes.

So, off we went.  I rushed out of the door so fast I was just wearing a tank top, didn't have my sunglasses or rearview mirror attached making it difficult to deal with the traffic.  I felt like I was on "The Amazing Race", pedaling as fast I could, quickly stopping to check my map, and yelling at Dad "turn Right, turn Left, ride on the sidewalk because this is a one-way street and we are going in the wrong direction".  The street the shop was on was an absolute gong show.  Semi trucks were trying to parallel park, there was a fish market, and many pedestrians walking everywhere.  However, we made it to the shop!  And he had the boxes!  Great! Now, what to do...

Dad had brought some rope with him and folded the boxes so they would be easier to handle.  We still wouldn't be able to ride with them, but it made it easier to walk the bikes.  As we started walking and the sun started to set, Dad said "It's going to be a long walk home...".  And it really was.

Dad working his magic

Along the way Dad said "if you see any place that sells mailing tape, let me know".  Of course the boxes were useless without mailing tape, so this was also on our list of things to get.  After going into a few stores, Dad eventually found some in a hobby shop.  I don't think he's ever felt so victorious.

Look at that smile!

Soon enough, the light had gone and we were in the dark.  We thought walking along the sea would be better but there wasn't really any light so it was kind of sketch.  At this point, Dad decided to try riding with the boxes.  He used a bungee chord and a piece of cardboard to brace his shoulder and basically started riding his bike with these giant boxes on the side of him, carrying them like a purse.  It was hilarious and amazing all at the same time.  My dad is actually so smart and really does always have some sort of "angle" to make things work.

Tried to enjoy the sunset while also trying to get home as quickly as possible

Working his angle

Trying to diffuse the stress by taking a selfie

And...he's off!

I literally could not stop laughing at Dad while also being amazed at the same time

Cue the rainfall and the wind

We rode for awhile, but then it started to rain, the wind picked up, the streets were abandoned and we were essentially in complete darkness.  I was periodically checking my phone to make sure we were headed in the right direction but it kept dying, then coming back to life for 10 seconds, and dying again. Ah, the joys of technology.  I was pretty cold at this point because, like I said, when we left the apartment so suddenly I was just wearing shorts and a tank top.

At about 7:00 PM, 2.5 hours after we'd left the apartment, we made it back.  WITH the boxes and WITH the mailing tape.  All in all, a successful mission.

We quickly showered and went out to eat.  For some reason I thought being in Tel Aviv would mean lots of restaurants, people everywhere, more of metropolitan area of Israel.  However, we are staying in Bat Yam because it's closer to the airport and...it's pretty dreary and shady.  We ate at a falafel/shawarma place and stopped at a bakery and the supermarket on the way home.  We had pastries and tea once we got back to the apartment and went to bed!

Today I am planning on doing some souvenir shopping (although I don't have high hopes for the merchandise available in Bat Yam from what I've seen), Dad will ride his bike, and we will go to the beach.  Since we don't have to spend the day renting a car and looking for boxes, we just get to relax!  What a concept!

Stay tuned for one last post before this adventure comes to an end!

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