Day 19, June 18

(Greg) After Mass, we ate the breakfast prepared for us by the sisters. By 8:30, after a few wrong turns, we were at the travel agent to pick up our tickets. For two hours, we waited there only to be told that we had to come back at 12:30. So back to the monastery we went and packed our bags. At 12:09, we were back at the travel agent once again. (Needless to say, this wasn't the most exciting day of our trip so far.) Since they spelt my name Dodoh (perhaps trying to be funny) we wasted another two hours there.

(Chris) FINALLY, we had the expensive, hassled tickets and we left Haifa for good. We went to Muhuraqua at the far edge of some big national park south of Haifa. It was here that Elias slew the Baalites (I Kings 18.)

It was a bit tricky to find because signs were only in Hebrew, but a lady at a rest area wrote it out and we held it up as we drove, "OK, I see it - the upside down 'L' with the slash thru it!"

Of course, we took the incredibly windy, bumpy dirt/rock road instead of the easy way. It was therefore more adventurous and we were able to write things in the dust on the cars after. We read the Bible beneath a statue of a knife-wielding Elias statue and then paid 1 shekel to look at the stunning view our valiant car rentals had brought us to.

 Then we hurried to Tel Aviv because our car rentals were due at 5pm. We hit the horrible rush hour traffic and were slowed by a 4 car crash (not involving us!) but got the cars turned in before 6pm and were charged for a busted blinker and un-full gas tank. We walked down Gordon and Ben Yehuda Streets till we found lodging at No.1 Hostel. Not perfect, but adequate. Valuables went into the locker so we'd have no worries at the beach.

We bought some groceries and ate soybean sandwiches and ruffles at the beach. Then we swam as the sun set. Very nice beach. We climbed on the break wall rocks, did water throws, and floated like buoys. After, we walked the pleasant boardwalk, watching Israeli girls, artists, and people stepping on our grapes. The room was hot, but we hit the hay at a moderate hour.