Update on Beit Halochem ride

We have been without Internet for the rest of the bike ride - in Beer Sheva, wifi was spotty and in Eilat, there was none in the hotel. We are now in Tel Aviv after a long bus ride from Eilat so I will update things from here. These comments will be brief, but I will include some pictures.

Starting from today - our rides are completed and they were great.  Nimi enjoyed her rides and did really well - her gearing worked out so well that she found the steep climbs quite doable.  The desert, the Ramon Craters are absolutely spectacular.  Probably, the most breathtaking scenery we have seen in the country -  even more spectacular than the north that we have done many times.

Today, after a typical Israeli breakfast, we packed our stuff and took the tour bus directly to Tel Aviv.  Only a handful of us from the trip on the bus as others either chose to fly back or were staying longer in Eilat.  The weather has been amazing - warm but not too hot. Perfect for riding. There was rain on the bus ride back and we feel fortunate that it held off for us.

Yesterday's ride for me was one of the best - it seems the scenery kept getting more spectacular.  Just 6 of us from the Challenge group chose to do another major climb and then finish with a ride to Timna (the other groups rode there but left before we arrived).  That area was an ancient Egyptian mining area (for copper) and the rock formations are similar to Arizona. Simply breathtaking.  The mountain climb took us to a view of four countries -  Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.  we were climbing switchbacks alongside the Egyptian border. The climb was amazing but we flew down the descent as the switchbacks were not so severe.

To complete the ride, we had dinner on a old tall ship as we were cruising on the Red Sea.  We had a really good group of people all week and it was nice to celebrate with everyone.

The second last day was supposed to be the toughest - we had a scary descent first into the crater and then a climb up the same route called Scorpion.  This was the steepest climb with multiple tight switchbacks. Average grade 10-11%.  On completing that climb we then had another one to finish the day, also tough but not as severe.  I was up for the challenge and my legs were feeling good.

Working backwords:

The second ride was moderately tough as we were still in the Jerusalem forest and we still had steep climbs.  Our hotel was in Neve Ilan, a very picturess area  near Beit Shemish. The following two days we were staying in Beersheva. The third ride was the easiest and that was perfect  because it was a good recovery day.

First day ride

We were very organized - up early at 5am (we gained an hour as the clocks went back last night) - had a makeshift breakfast of what we had left in our fridge and at 7am called for a taxi. That was an experience - the driver was a crazy racecar nut who would weave in and out of traffic at ridiculous speeds, honking at anyone in his way, squeezing between cars and buses.  I thought we might not get to our destination in one piece.

We arrived at Beit Halochem early.  Gonan, my challenge ride leader (a former Israeli team rider) helped us find our bikes and bike cases and we waited as riders from Jerusalem came in but the buses with the majority fo the group coming from Tel Aviv were late. Sunday is a regular workday and traffic is like Toronto.  As people arrived, we met many people we  had ridden with before including some of the war vets like Shimon and Danny.  We met a young kid (probably only 19 or 20) who had lost his eyesight 8 months ago when as a soldier he had to set off a blast in one of the tunnels in Gaza and was injured in the blast.  I spoke with him about his injury and new-found sport of cycling.  He is also training in triathalons.  We shouldn't complain about our aches and pains.

The ride started late (of course) and it was very hot and sunny.  We all started together and then broke into our groups.  Nimi rode with the tourist group, doing 60 kms but also a very hilly route and she did really well.  I rode with the Challenge group and stayed with one of my cycling friends from Toronto where we ride with the Dornellas club.  Rick is a very strong rider and although he was taking it easy, not having done this before, I had to work to stay with him.  Through the afternoon the heat started to get to me.  Even though I was drinking all the time, I was really dry.  Our last climb was relentless - over 10 kms at 8-10% grade, it went on forever.  My legs started cramping midway through the climb but I managed to fight it off and kept going.  Many riders had similar difficulties but had to stop riding.

There was an evening trip back to Jerusalem to tour the Old City but Nimi and I decided to stay put in the hotel and get to bed early.  Her rash is improving slightly and one of our friends, a doctor, got her some prednisone tablets to help reduce the inflammation. She bought some workout pants the other night in Jerusalem to cover her legs and that seemed to help.  We believe the skin issue is due to sun exposure so she must keep covered as much as possible.

Last day in Jerusalem

Another good day. Our apartmen on Hananya St was quite comfortable and quiet. We both slept well.  Being Shabbat, there was no activity on the street.  We dressed nicely and went to a Shul close by.  I picked it off the Internet because it claimed to cater to "English". It was a very small room upstairs in a Learning Centre on Emek Rafiem.  As it is Orthodox, I sat with the men while Nimi was on the women's side where they could not see anything on our side.  The dovening was fast, but the men beside him helped me keep my place in the Seder.  We met with many of the congregants at Kiddush - most speaking English -most transplants from "America".

We had a casual afternoon sitting on a bench in the walking path/park, reading and watching the little kids play on their bikes or kicking a soccer ball with a parent. Very cute...many parents pushing strollers with their kids, often 4 or 5 children.

We went back to the Colony restaurant, one of the only ones open on Shabbat, for a good dinner and then had a real treat when we walked back - there was a concert in the train station mall where a Japanese band were performing to a packed audience. They were fantastic!  Great group with fabulous music!

Back at the apartment we organized our stuff in the suitcases to get ready to leave the next morning to start our ride.

A really good day

Beginning phase 2 of our journey:   we have to move out of the DVI apartment and into one I had prearranged in Toronto through Colony Suites, a company we had used before.  Very close to the DVI apartment, for $120.00 a night, we get a compact suite with kitchen/sitting area, bedroom and bath right in the heart of the German Colony.  Beats using a hotel at $300.00 a night for just a room!

Packed and ready to roll

A little juggling was needed - we had to be out by 9:30 am so the cleaning lady could do her job and we couldn't get into our new apartment until 11 am for the same reason. We could leave our bags at the DVI apartment but the cleaning lady wanted our bikes out. In any case   we had to meet the apartment manager at 10:30 to get the keys and pay for the new place, so we walked our bikes over and got that done but there was no place to leave the bikes safely.  We walked the bikes back and I hid them in the basement under the stairway at the old apartment.  We collected up our food supplies and walked that back to the new place and got the stuff that needed to be in the fridge put away and then returned to the DVI apartment.  It's actually a 5 minute walk back and forth but it was a beautiful day and there was a lot of activity on the street that was nice to see.  Back at the old place, the cleaning lady had left and we saw the apartment so nice and clean, with fresh bedding nicely made and thought, if only it looked like that when we had arrived!

We called a taxi to take us and our bags to the new place and even arranged with the driver to take us to Beit Halochem on Sunday morning for the start of our ride.

The Colony Suites apartment is really nice. Looks newly renovated with all the conveniences, including Internet, TV, and washing machine which will come in handy.

We had arranged to take our bikes over to Beit Halochem that afternoon and get them out of the way, so we ate quickly, changed into our bike kit, stuffed our walking shoes and a change of clothes for Nimi in my backpack and took off on our bikes for Beit Halochem. It is an easy 5 km ride but we wanted to get there before people left for the day (on Friday, everything shuts down early to prepare for Shabbat).  Fairly close to our destination, I got a flat!  Usually, it takes me no more that 5-6 minutes to change the tube, but the valve came out of the tube after I pumped it up, so I had to change that with a different tube!  A little frustrating, but that had happened to me before so I dealt with it.

We got the bikes taken care of at Beit Halochem no problem, put on our walking shoes -I cleaned the grease off my hands as I had to work the chain onto the chain ring with my fingers and we took off for a leisurely walk back to our apartment.  It is a beautiful walk along the new bike/running path almost the entire way back.  The border of East Jerusalem is right beside the path for a fair ways and we could hear the musical chanting of the Call to Prayer from a mosque close by. It was actually quite nice and I felt we were walking to the rhythmn of the chant for the 5 minutes or so that it lasted.

That was a good workout....should have us in great shape for our 5 days of riding...maybe.

The best part of the day was to come.  We were invited for Shabbat dinner by Channa, one of the DVI people in charge of scheduling and attending to the DVI volunteers.  She and her wonderful family live in a beautiful large townhome in a neighbourhood close to Beit Halochem. Channa picked us up at our apartment at 6:30 and we had a chance to talk to her, her mother and her 2 sons and daughter before dinner. I should say that Nimi talked to the family, because they are more comfortable in Hebrew.  I think that Nimi really shined - her Hebrew is pretty good and she converses quite comfortably. I am always amazed and impressed with how well she does, because Israel is the only place she has the opportunity to use her Hebrew.

I could feel that Channa and Nimi really bonded.  Here is the interesting thing and this is how things often work (only in Israel).  Only because the DVI apartment was such a mess, did Nimi meet Channa. Channa was embarrassed by the apartment not being cleaned  for us and wanted to apologize to Nimi personally. She visited Nimi at the apartment and in their conversation in Hebrew, Channa invited us to dinner.  Had the issue with the apartment not happened, Nimi would not have met Channa .

Channa and her mom made an amazing meal and we had a wonderful evening with the family. After dinner, Channa's husband wanted to talk about a Biblical parallel to Noah and a famous Israel poet. Channa's sons (about 10 years younger than Daniel and Michael) and daughter (who is 18 and now in the IDF) helped interpret for me.  We discussed the political issues of the day.  Channa's husband was impressed with our commitment to Israel and with Harper's support in Canada  to Israel.  The boys told us of their travels to India, Australia and many different countries.  The Israeli kids love to travel all over.

We left their place feeling we now have a new family in Israel!

Completed last day at DVI clinic

As Nimi has said, this had been a bumpy ride in Israel so far. She had a free pass to the Imbal Hotel spa and gym the other day and although had a good workout, she coincidentally  developed a puzzling rash on her lower legs and arms a short while later.  They are not itchy or painful, but look awful . She is using Benadryl to try and calm the redness and although it is not going away yet, she is sleeping really well.  Maybe something at the spa, the soap, the workout mat????

In the meantime, when we came back from dinner and a long walk last night, I experienced a weird flashing in my left eye.  While reading in bed, I noticed a large spider web-like floater in the left eye and then later, going to the bathroom, a strobing arcing flashing in the eye.  Sort of panicky, I thought this is another tear in the retina.  This is my good eye!.  Last year, the other eye was repaired.

At 2 in the morning, I googled the Hadassa Hospital for information on their eye clinic and also local eye doctors for contact information.  I also emailed a friend in Toronto, a pediatric opthamologist, if he had contacts in Israel. I tried to stay calm and figured, in the morning, I would go to the DVI clinic and see if someone could recommend someone I could "see" (this is a pun).

I decided at the clinic that I might as well work and later that morning,  Aliza got me an appointment with a doctor not far away for 1pm.The long and short of it -no tear but some of the vitreous fluid had leaked and caused the floater and flashing.  He examined the eye thoroughly and assured me that the eye had not retinal tear and was ok and the other eye that had been repaired looked good.

That is a relief - we are packing our bags this evening and getting ready to move to another
apartment close by for two nights before starting our bike ride.

Back to work at clinic

Much improved conditions after our first day.  We have had the opportunity to do another   bike ride, long walk to the Israel Museum, the Shuk and other interesting areas and test out our navigational skills in getting around the city. The weather has been pretty decent until today - now a little bit of rain which is much needed here.  The sprinkles are light and intermittent and don't stop us from walking.

Nimi is happy with her bike riding - the long steep hills are not that bad with the new gearing she has on her bike.

As well as doing Yad Kennedy again, we did the 2 km climb up from Ein Kerem where parts are more than 10% grade.  Of course, getting to these areas means doing some rather long climbs as well because we go from one valley to another.  The views are spectacular.

Today, I started work at DVI and immediately had many challenging restorative cases to do. The kids I saw were mostly over 16 years old and quite cooperative so at least that aspect was good, but the amount of decay was not good.  One of the boys, I had seen in 2007 and now I could see recurring decay under many fillings.  Oral hygiene is not a priority, both for girls and boys.

It's nice to be back at the clinic.  The staff were happy to see me again. I'm working with my usual assistant Michal who is still terrific . Today, we had some student assistants observing and assisting and I have no patience to work with them, particularly with the complex treatment I had to do. Michal could sense that and ended up taking over.

There are some high tech improvements at the clinic - chairside computers and digital xrays.  What a pleasure to see xrays on the monitor rather than looking at tiny xray films.  The staff really like the computer program and although they still enter the treatment on paper, all treatments are entered in detail on computer.  I think they will soon abandon the paper entries.

First Day in Jerusalem - an experience!

Not an easy start to our holiday. Because we departed Toronto at 1 pm, neither Nimi or I slept on the plane. We arrived at midnight Toronto time/ 7 am Israel time, so it was just the start of the day. We were frustrated waiting for our bike boxes that were stuck on the oversize luggage belt that just wasn't moving. I needed to get someone to call down to the loaders to start it up. Yossi, our prearranged ride, met us at the terminal and drove us first to Beit Halochem in Jerusalem to leave our bike boxes - we would take our bikes with us so we could use them this week. Yossi was not willing to put our bikes in his new $200,000.00 Range Rover as they would dirty his leather upholstery. I convinced him they wouldn't as they were disassembled and wrapped.

 A little surprise when we got to our apartment. It was filthy. The previous dental volunteer and his family left it in a disgusting mess and the cleaner was AWOL! We needed to get our essential groceries before all the stores closed for Simchat Torah that afternoon and then we could tackle the mess ourselves. We contacted the clinic secretary and arranged for fresh linens and towels but with no one to clean the apartment, we washed floors, dishes, bathroom and kitchen. Not a nice way to start our stay and we were wiped. With our sleeping schedule messed up, I was up at 4am, Nimi at 5 - we had some breakfast and then sacked out until about 11am.

Feeling better, we did a bike ride along the new Jerusalem bike trail and then did the climb up Yad Kennedy, an impressive memorial site honouring JFK at the top of a high lookout overlooking an awesome valley.

Back at the apartment, now in great shape,  we were too tired to go out for dinner, and Nimi thought she would make eggs but wouldn't you know that the clicker on the gas stove was broken and there were no matches to light the element. She improvised using the microwave - and it actually worked out well. That night, being the conclusion of the festive holiday, everyone in the neighbourhood and their kids were up to all hours of the night celebrating with lots of singing and dancing which is nice, but not right outside our place. Kids were yelling , riding noisy toys on the stone walkway right under the bedroom window. We finally fell asleep around 3 am.

Pretrip organizing.

Getting organized for our trip to Israel on Tuesday.

Lots to do this weekend - bikes to disassemble and  pack (weather rather miserable right now to ride and I refuse to train indoors until I get to Israel) - suitcases to pack, etc, etc.


Nimi has arranged for Shekels, phones, US dollars and for Josie Altman in Israel to pick us up, take us to our apartment in Jerusalem and hopefully drop our bike boxes at Beit Halochem.  We want to have the bikes with us to be able to ride while  in Jerusalem.