Israel Day 2, Part 2: Dear Penthouse Forum
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Dear Penthouse Forum, I never believed these stories were actually true...until last night.
That’s probably how this entry should begin. But due to the fact that my mother will inevitably be reading this entry we’ll stick with the PG stuff.
In Israel on Shabbat, there’s not much to do. From sunup to sundown it’s a day of rest, and unless you’re flying or checking in to a hotel, good luck finding anything open. Many restaurants and shops close for the day, though many tourist traps are open. Hence my decision to hit the Dead Sea and Masada on my first day in Israel.
Shabbat was also New Years Eve Day, so I wasn’t quite sure how the night would go. Do people still go out in Tel Aviv on New Years? I figured at the very least I could find a bar with cable to watch the other celebrations happening around the world.
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Arriving back at my hotel after the Dead Sea Spa Experience(tm) I took a quick shower and brief nap. I then headed out to find some food as several restaurants near my hotel had reopened (following sundown). I debated a big meal at a larger restaurant, but as many of the places were prixe fixe, I settled on a basic pita diner across the street from my hotel. The food was affordable and packed with flavor. What made the experience particularly incredible though was that the restaurant was filled with locals and not the typical tourist crowd. I met a couple of local teens who planned to spend New Years Eve drinking on the beach as well as a Londoner who was taking his time seeing the world between jobs.
Arriving at the bar we found the crowd already spilling into the streets. As Tel Aviv doesn’t have (or at least doesn’t enforce) open-container laws, most revelers had a drink or bottle in hand. We made our way into the bar and after a long wait (4H has nothing on these guys) we managed to get a drink, then staked our claim on one of the platforms in the bar.
“Happy New Year-- Dear God, please don’t let us burn to death.” NYE 2011 at Shpagat.
The Kosher Pita Restaurant
Taken w iPhone4s
Mmmm. Kosher Coke!
Taken w iPhone4s
What occurred next wasn’t too dissimilar from a typical New Years Eve in the streets. More drinks were purchased, dancing occurred, more drinks, and then someone handed me a stick. At first I thought it was filled with confetti, but then a hot Israeli soldier corrected me, “Nope, it’s a flare,” he said, “at midnight, you light it on fire.”
For a brief moment sobriety returned to me and I took in my surroundings. I was in a packed bar, that featured untreated wood panelling and floors and much of this was now soaked in alcohol from the revelers. If someone dropped a flare, we were fucked.
About the time this revelation hit the countdown began. At some point my flare was lit, people screamed, confetti went everywhere and 2012 began. Eventually I made it back to my hotel and my bed. While rumors of the rest of the evening do exist, I can neither confirm nor deny that they occurred. Those stories are best saved for Penthouse Forum.
Flares at Shpagat.
Taken w iPhone4s
