Mom got up early to explore the hotel's beach and take pictures of the sun rising over the Jordanian hills. I slept a bit later and when I woke up we both got into our swimsuits and headed down to the sea. The beach was much nicer than the one I had been to last year and we had a great time getting in the water (which was a very comfortable temperature) and doing the famous Dead Sea float. It felt wonderful! I didn't want to get out, but it is recommended that one not stay in for more than 15 minutes at a time.
We checked out of the hotel and drove to Jerusalem, making a few wrong turns in our attempt to find our hotel. We did eventually find it and dropped off our bags, had a huge feast of mezzes at the restaurant, and then headed into the Old City, which was a 5-minute walk away.
This was my first time staying in east Jerusalem -- the Arab part of the city. It was definitely a different experience and very interesting to me. Generally, I find the Arabs to be very friendly and helpful, though their shopkeepers are just as quick to try to make a tourist buck as any of the others.
For example: We were on our way back to our through the Arab market in the Old City. I was extremely thirsty and I saw a shop selling juices. All of them were listed as costing Three shekels (about 75 cents). Sounded good to me. So, I ordered a carrot juice. The shopkeeper made it and served it to me in a GINORMOUS glass. It was bigger than a Biggee Coke or whatever obscenely large drinks they have in the typical US fast food joints. I was thinking, wow, all this for 3 shekels?! Then, some other customers came in and they spoke Arabic. Then it became apparent to me that there were about 4 different sizes and clearly I was given the size large enough to satisfy a small army. Was I ever given options? Nope.
So, at this point, I know that I've been taken advantage of and that my drink is going to cost about $5. And that's exactly what it cost. The shopkeeper seemed almost every-so-slightly apologetic when he told me the cost. But, any guilt he might have felt clearly didn't stop him from taking advantage.
For example: We were on our way back to our through the Arab market in the Old City. I was extremely thirsty and I saw a shop selling juices. All of them were listed as costing Three shekels (about 75 cents). Sounded good to me. So, I ordered a carrot juice. The shopkeeper made it and served it to me in a GINORMOUS glass. It was bigger than a Biggee Coke or whatever obscenely large drinks they have in the typical US fast food joints. I was thinking, wow, all this for 3 shekels?! Then, some other customers came in and they spoke Arabic. Then it became apparent to me that there were about 4 different sizes and clearly I was given the size large enough to satisfy a small army. Was I ever given options? Nope.
So, at this point, I know that I've been taken advantage of and that my drink is going to cost about $5. And that's exactly what it cost. The shopkeeper seemed almost every-so-slightly apologetic when he told me the cost. But, any guilt he might have felt clearly didn't stop him from taking advantage.
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