Day 7- Sunday

We decide to take a break and heads to the Mediteranean and the beach. It's a guilty pleasure as this is not a luxury many of the farmers we speak to in the week will ever experience.


This means traveling to Tel Aviv which we set out to do at 9am. We take an Arab bus to the Old City, and walk through it to Jaffa Gate where we take an Israeli bus to the central bus terminal. Traffic is very bad, and we are surprised at it.


When we get ot the terminal, the queues are huge, and we imediately stressed out, even Camilla, who is Norwegian and doesn't believe in queuing is upset by the throngs of people waiting to get on a Bus to Tel Aviv which, after an hour wait, doesn't turn up- in fact no traffic is moving at all.

So we walk out of the terminal and passed the stationary vehicles trying to work out what is going on.

We get onto the Tel Aviv highway and walk passed a large protest. We later discover this is a protest of Holocaust Survivers who say they are being neglected and treated poorly by the government. The march as shut down the entire city centre.

We walk passed this and end up at a junction where traffic is slowly moving again. We decide to take a taxi and fight hard amongst the Orthodox Jews waiting for lifts to try and hail one. Eventually we get on board and head to the beach. By this time we are so tired, and it is so hot that we sit in silence for the whole journey.

Things soon perk up when we arrive though. The sea is warm and close by, the beach is golden sand. Camilla enjoys the freedom of being able to wear a bikini and not attract stern stares of disapproval from Muslim women, or the equally distressing howls of approval from young Muslim men.

There is too much litter around for me and I do not enjoy the hot sunshine but Camilla is in heaven as she swaps between the warm waves and the hot sand.

The taxi fare took up all of our money and we are left with a pittance to spend on food. We buy bread, humous and water and head back to the beach. Camilla bathes and I read in the shade applying sun cream vigorously.

After three short hours we had back to Jerusalem, handle the bus system (and queues) well and get back to meet a friend for dinner at a great outdoors restaraunt. We have a great chat and finish they day rested and ready for the next weeks work.

...Only then do I realise to my horror that I am lobster pink all over and badly burned, despite only being exposed to the sun for milliseconds- typical.