I have roughed it. At least I thought I had…until last week.
Over the years, I have backpacked through Southeast Asia
and trekked the Himalayas. I have slept in yurts, barns, shacks, tents and
palapa huts, in dark forests, under sequoias and in steamy jungles.
and trekked the Himalayas. I have slept in yurts, barns, shacks, tents and
palapa huts, in dark forests, under sequoias and in steamy jungles.
I have slept at 16,000 feet in a tent buffeted by a snowstorm,
waking to see that the water in my bottle was frozen solid.
waking to see that the water in my bottle was frozen solid.
I have seen rats dancing on barn beams overhead, beady red
eyes dancing in a flashlight beam as I hid in my sleeping bag.
I have slept in a tent deep in bear country, hoping curious
nocturnal bears would not have a hankering for Sensodyne toothpaste and devour
me. I have slept on a wooden bench in a Sikh truckers’ tavern,
waiting to hitch a ride from a frozen outpost to civilization, surrounded by
bottles of alcohol labeled XXX.
.JPG)
eyes dancing in a flashlight beam as I hid in my sleeping bag.
I have slept in a tent deep in bear country, hoping curious
nocturnal bears would not have a hankering for Sensodyne toothpaste and devour
me. I have slept on a wooden bench in a Sikh truckers’ tavern,
waiting to hitch a ride from a frozen outpost to civilization, surrounded by
bottles of alcohol labeled XXX.
I have trekked into the wild, bathing in ice cold rivers, bereft
of toilets, beds and chocolate (yes, chocolate) for over three weeks.
And I have surprised a hairy tarantula spider, squashing it
unannounced on a toilet seat. (To this day, I do not know who was more in
shock: me or the squirming, freshly pancaked arachnid.)
unannounced on a toilet seat. (To this day, I do not know who was more in
shock: me or the squirming, freshly pancaked arachnid.)
Yet, last week on a trip to the Judean Desert, I was challenged like never before. The night before our hike, we all piled
into a Bedouin tent at Metzukei Dragot. We brought sleeping bags and were given a mattress each. Our
tent was windproof, waterproof and even had a small heater. The tent was huge
and our group of 22 had a canvas wall to separate us from another group. Beside
our neighboring campers was yet another partition. In total, about 70 people of
all ages were cozying up for the night in three sections.
into a Bedouin tent at Metzukei Dragot. We brought sleeping bags and were given a mattress each. Our
tent was windproof, waterproof and even had a small heater. The tent was huge
and our group of 22 had a canvas wall to separate us from another group. Beside
our neighboring campers was yet another partition. In total, about 70 people of
all ages were cozying up for the night in three sections.
The bathrooms and showers were conveniently located nearby.
Seemed like it had all the makings for satisfying, soft-style adventure. We
even brought along our dog who sat up, wildly alert, listening to all the new
sounds of the desert.
Seemed like it had all the makings for satisfying, soft-style adventure. We
even brought along our dog who sat up, wildly alert, listening to all the new
sounds of the desert.
These were the sounds of the desert:
-The clicking of shesh besh pieces moving around a board till
the wee hours of the night.
the wee hours of the night.
-A baby screaming. And stopping. Then screaming and stopping.
-The automatic dryer in the mens’ and womens’ bathrooms. How
many hands were there to dry? And why all night long?
many hands were there to dry? And why all night long?
-Crunching of feet on gravel so loud, I kept looking up,
thinking for sure someone was lost and about to step on me.
thinking for sure someone was lost and about to step on me.
-The shesh besh players who finished their game and went to bed but forgot to whisper.
Some 70 people were asleep (correction 68 as
neither my husband or I could get shut eye), yet one man kept asking his wife
where his things were “Yaeli, where is my pillow?” he screamed, flashing a beam
in every direction. “Yaeli, where is my toothbrush?” he roared, rustling through
bags and nearly catapulting the thin canvas between us and them.
neither my husband or I could get shut eye), yet one man kept asking his wife
where his things were “Yaeli, where is my pillow?” he screamed, flashing a beam
in every direction. “Yaeli, where is my toothbrush?” he roared, rustling through
bags and nearly catapulting the thin canvas between us and them.
.JPG)
My restless, indoor dog who sleeps on silk carpets looked at us pleadingly as if to say, ‘you expect me to actually sleep here?’
Then silence. Ahhh. I repositioned myself, ready to finally
sleep, aware that I needed to be well rested for the next day’s hike. The alarm
was set for 5:20 a.m., which was probably four hours away.
sleep, aware that I needed to be well rested for the next day’s hike. The alarm
was set for 5:20 a.m., which was probably four hours away.
If I thought the night sounds of the desert were wild and
varied, I was in for a surprise. Within minutes, Yaeli’s husband started to
snore, dreaming of shesh besh pieces coated in gingerbread and dancing sugar
plum Yaelis pirouetting with his lost shoes and socks.
varied, I was in for a surprise. Within minutes, Yaeli’s husband started to
snore, dreaming of shesh besh pieces coated in gingerbread and dancing sugar
plum Yaelis pirouetting with his lost shoes and socks.
His snores were so thunderous, the poles in the tent shook.
It was a new kind of desert storm; unpredictable, I would hear a snore and with
no new exhalation, I would fall into a light sleep, only to be hit with an
onslaught. His snoring was also contagious, with a second trombonist from the deep
dark recesses of the tent joining the cacophony.
It was a new kind of desert storm; unpredictable, I would hear a snore and with
no new exhalation, I would fall into a light sleep, only to be hit with an
onslaught. His snoring was also contagious, with a second trombonist from the deep
dark recesses of the tent joining the cacophony.
My husband elbowed me and asked if I could sleep. My dog
pawed me, looking at me pleadingly as if to say, ‘You actually expect me to
curl up at your feet here?’
pawed me, looking at me pleadingly as if to say, ‘You actually expect me to
curl up at your feet here?’
Whispering, we grabbed our sleeping bags and the dog. Where
was my left shoe? Why was Yaeli asleep? She could find it for me. Yet how could
Yaeli ever sleep a single wink with such a champion snorer by her side?
was my left shoe? Why was Yaeli asleep? She could find it for me. Yet how could
Yaeli ever sleep a single wink with such a champion snorer by her side?
We opened the tent flap and fled to the safety of the car,
pulling down the seats in the Mazda 5 to make a flat surface. The dog took the
driver’s seat (of course) and curled up in a little ball as we pulled shut the back
door.
pulling down the seats in the Mazda 5 to make a flat surface. The dog took the
driver’s seat (of course) and curled up in a little ball as we pulled shut the back
door.
Silence. No snoring and no hand dryers. No crunching gravel.
And no sleep. The surface was so hard,
every position I tried ached. I even gave myself a black eye trying to pull up
my sleeping bag and missing. Now it was TJ the dog’s turn to snore.
And no sleep. The surface was so hard,
every position I tried ached. I even gave myself a black eye trying to pull up
my sleeping bag and missing. Now it was TJ the dog’s turn to snore.
As for myself and Amir, we basically lay in pain all night
in the absolute silence of the desert. No need for an alarm as we
did not sleep a wink.
Not wanting to look like complainers or poor sports, we slunk back into
the tent in the morning as everyone woke. They all looked alert, well rested and ready for
adventure. I had a swollen eye, an aching hip, a sore back and a swollen ear
drum. My dog looked a bit like a wreck, although he was wagging his
tail.
in the absolute silence of the desert. No need for an alarm as we
did not sleep a wink.
Not wanting to look like complainers or poor sports, we slunk back into
the tent in the morning as everyone woke. They all looked alert, well rested and ready for
adventure. I had a swollen eye, an aching hip, a sore back and a swollen ear
drum. My dog looked a bit like a wreck, although he was wagging his
tail.
0
0
1
752
4292
Amnic
35
10
5034
14.0
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
JA
X-NONE
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
I bet Yaeli and the snorer were about to start and new round of backgammon as we set foot on the trail. And as for the day’s adventure, you can read about the desert hike here.
.JPG)
Discover more from Life in Israel
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Life in Israel 
I enjoyed reading your article. Please make more interesting topics like this on.I'll come back for more :)From Japs a researcher from Beddingstock gel memory foam mattress
LikeLike