Sunday, September 7, 2014

Camping Israeli Style

I have this theory that the length of a holiday depends on the size of the country. I base it on the fact that kids in America go to summer camp for up to two months, in the UK we used to go for 2 weeks, and in Israel people go on holiday for 2 or 3 days.

On the last Sunday before school went back I received an email from a friend saying we (four mothers with four children) were going camping for one night at Dor Beach - Tuesday to Wednesday. I immediately went into a panic. I hate the beach, I don't own a tent, it all seemed so much effort for one night. So I waited for one of the others to wimp out first so I wouldn't look so bad. It didn't happen.

Our leader talked me through it. We would leave on Tuesday at lunchtime, spend the afternoon on the beach, cook dinner, the next morning we'd make breakfast, spend a few hours on the beach, go to Zichron Ya'akov for lunch and then come home. Two of the four families are driving from Jerusalem, a 2-man tent costs about 25 pounds from Home Centre, and here is a list of the food you need to bring. How could I refuse, it all sounded so fait accompli, which of course it was.

I bought a tent, another thin foam roll-up thingy to sleep on (I already had one at home) and a folding deck chair. They picked us us at 2pm and we drove in convoy. I bought the ice-creams and drinks en route in lieu of driving. We arrived at the campsite at about 4pm. And this is where it became all Israeli.

Now I am an experienced camper. I grew up camping. I was once the head cook under canvass for 100 people for two weeks. I can pitch a tent single handed. I can wash all over (including my hair) out of a bucket, However, all this was 25 years ago and more. It was camping on clean grass in cool weather. It was when I was young and could sleep on the hard ground.


To be fair the campsite was right next to a sandy beach on the Mediterranean Sea. I am still amazed and grateful that I live less than an hour's drive from the Mediterranean. (This beach was a two hour drive as we had to choose a location out of rocket range from Gaza and, it turned out, out of missile range from Lebanon. Just south of Haifa fitted the bill perfectly.) It was beautiful.


However, there was no grass. The campsite was a sort of sandy mud. The beach was full of sand, obviously, and there were two clean toilets and four showers for women in the nearest shower block. It was clean but the floor was flooded from the showers and full of sand. So you didn't wear trousers to go to the loo or shower, you only wore flip flops and then you walked back to your tent through the sandy mud with wet feet. I'm sure there is a way of keeping clean but I didn't discover it.

The challets with grassy gardens, which we couldn't afford were just beyond the fence, in sight, so near and yet so far.

We pitched our four tents in a circle and laid a big ground sheet in the pow wow area in the middle. I say pitched but it's not like the tents I remember. The tents were a one piece dome with sewn in ground sheet and channels where you thread the frame through and just place the whole structure on the ground. No pegs and mallet, no guy ropes, no fly sheet to keep the rain off. Totally alien to me.

We spent a fantastic afternoon on the beach it has to be said. The water was just rolling enough to ride the swells and thrill the children. The sand was perfect for building forts and castles with moats and canals. And as the sun set we trudged back up to the campsite to shower and make dinner.

Our leader had brought spaghetti with tomato sauce and chicken breasts to cook. Unfortunately the gas cylinder didn't fit the gas ring so the campers nextflap put our chicken on their barbecue. Meanwhile we gave the children pitta and cheese as they were starving and couldn't wait. I cut up Israeli salad (toms/cucs/peppers), and we had tins of corn to go with it. We forgot about the spaghetti. Dinner was more cobbled together than planned but we all kept saying that this year was a trial run for next year, etc... etc...

The kids had an amazing time commandeering the torches and roaming the campsite looking for treasure. We sat and talked, no reading as the torches were off on an adventure. And then, with one last longing look towards the challets, eventually, to bed.

DD and I started out in the tent. It was like an oven in there so we moved our foam thingies outside onto the communal groundsheet, as did two of the other families. I'm so pleased I bought a whole tent to put our bag in - NOT. I would say I slept possibly for half an hour throughout the night but in three 10-minute sessions. I discovered that my days of sleeping on the floor are over. Next year I'm investing in a blow up mattress.

No lights on in the challets I noticed. Even though they had electricity they were all obviously sound and comfortably asleep in their proper beds. Sigh

We were up at 5.30 in the morning. One of our party begged some hot water for coffee off some other campers at about 7am, after 90 minutes of us sitting like de-caffinated zombies. The kids were happy with chocolate spread in pitta and off we went to the beach. A fun morning on the beach, I admit it.

And then home, stopping for lunch in Zichron Ya'akov on the way. It's taken me two weeks to get over the trauma of it all in order to write about it but I know we'll be camping again next year so why fight it?

*Thank you Sarit Doron for the photos. 

16 comments:

  1. You may not have grass to sleep on but you don't run the risk of arriving in the rain and having to pitch the tent while you are cold and wet. We love camping. disposable BBQs are good for an easy supper. Lots of love.Miriam

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    1. Ordering pizza from the local pizza parlour is an even easier supper. This crossed my mind several time while they were fiddling with the defunct gas cooker. What do you sleep on though?

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  2. Ah, another one of those things which sound great in theory! I would like to go camping, although Louka would have to be at least Leo's age! Not sure I'd get hubby to do it though, he's too much of a fan of narrow boats (similar but with proper beds he says!) to go for a tent, not that we have canals in Cyprus!

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  3. Wouldn't it be great to have canals and real rivers? Oh well we can't have everything I suppose. Beds are a must though, I agree with your hubby on this.

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  4. Oh my you are brave, for all my love of the outdoors I don't like camping and would have packed up and gone home at the sight of a muddy site! Sounds like staying was the right thing, the kids had a blast and you are even set to go back *respect* Thank you for sharing with me on Country Kids.

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    1. Believe me, if anyone has suggested leaving at any time during the night I would have been the first in the car. Luckily no one suggested it so I got to keep all my Brownie points.

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  5. Camping on sand does not sound like fun. I've done it years ago, when, like you, I was young and didn't care especially. Now, I doubt I'd be so keen!

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    1. I always think I'm young at heart. Then, every so often, I am confronted with a situation that reminds I'm not.

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  6. Sand is part and parcel of camping by the sea - I remember it as a child when we would camp for 2 weeks. You get used to it in the end and when the opportunity to go camping by the sea becomes less and less...you end up missing the sand lol! #countrykids

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    1. I'll let you know when I start missing it. Not yet.

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  7. Eeek! You're braver than me.I couldn't camp with that sand around, especially cooking food.I hope you'll be more prepared next time.

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    1. To be fair, there is no wind so the sand stays on the ground and we had a big picnic table for cooking and eating on. The sand didn't get into the food - it was more the sand in our clothes and hair that I hate.

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  8. Awww not bad really for your first camping! I am sure you will get better everytime =) #countrykids

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  9. I've never really fancied camping before but I'm starting to come around to the idea... Apart from the hard floor and gas problems it looks like you had a good time :) #countrykids

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    1. Reluctantly, I must admit that despite everything, we did have a good time. There, I've said it. :)

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