Treatment at the Dead Sea
For a long time I dreamed of coming to Israel for treatment, I saved money for a very long time and finally this long-awaited moment came, I flew to this wonderful country. FLIGHT. Flying to Israel was great. Aeroflot. I was given a seat in business class. Wide armchair, all conveniences, very tasty food.
The flight duration to Uvda airport was 4 hours. From Uvda Airport to Ein Bokek, where I was going for treatment, it takes about 3 hours.
Flew back very badly. Only on the evening of March 8 did I come to my senses after this trip. It's just awful! At the Uvda airport, a customs officer who introduced himself as a security officer dumped all my belongings from a suitcase and two bags. Then I had to re-lay everything on the floor in the middle of the airport. But it's still okay. Humiliating, but tolerable.
The customs officer interrogated me for an hour, looked at the camera, cell phones, checks from the clinic where I was treated, from cosmetics stores, asked who I met in the clinic, looked at all the business cards. They took the charger from the camera. But these are all flowers ....but the berries began when he asked me to move away from things and not touch them, while not allowing me to take even documents and a wallet. I walked away, they were looking at something else, and after that, a considerable amount of money for me in dollars disappeared from my wallet. These are the dollars that I left for the overweight of luggage and for duty free for the child to buy him sweets. They stole everything, I was left without a penny of money. I was crying, I was hysterical, my hands were trembling. And they called an interpreter, and said that it was I who lost them myself. And that no one took the money. And that they want to help me. And so that I step aside and not interfere with other passengers and customs officers who are inspecting them.
They told me to put everything out of the suitcase again and look for my money in it, that supposedly I myself don’t remember where I put it. And all the time they said that they really want to help me. And then they all suddenly disappeared somewhere. And the customs officer who interrogated me, and his boss, who helped him interrogate me, and those employees who said they wanted to help me. As a result, with tearful eyes in the middle of the airport, I rummaged through all the bags again, but did not find any money. The last time I saw this money in my wallet was when I arrived by bus from the hotel. The bag was always with me under my arm. They couldn’t steal in the hotel, because I kept the money in a safe. It was also impossible on the bus, the bag was always next to me, and there were no more than 8 people on the bus, we sat spaciously. There are no more options.
After everyone dispersed, I could not contact the police, as there were about 2 hours left before departure and I still had to check in for the flight. When I began to check in my suitcase as luggage, I said through an interpreter that I simply had nothing to pay for the excess baggage, since they cleaned me to the skin. The girl understood everything and immediately translated to me that they would not take a cent from me. Well, at least thanks for that. Having crossed the border of Israel, I was no longer up to duty free, although I received a small amount in dollars in taxis. The state was shock. I waited only when I get on the plane and find myself in my homeland. The plane of the Aeroflot airline, a regular flight, was late with a departure for an hour, due to the delay of a citizen whom the Israelis did not want to let go. Upon arrival at Sheremetyevo late at night, I felt bad, I was suffocating, I did not have enough air. The doctor could not be found in the middle of the night.
She barely got out into the air, where she had to catch a taxi, since the last air express had already left.
I soldered myself with valerian for three days at home after this incident. It was only on the evening of March 8 that she slowly began to recover, and now, as a result, all treatment is in vain. My illness, which I treated at the Dead Sea, aggravated. And I had to turn to a psychologist.
I want to say that basically only singles or two girlfriends were harassed in this way, and two girlfriends were separated on different sides and individually asked which of you was the first to come up with the idea of flying to Israel? . They also checked those who were brought to the airport before everyone else, as it was empty at the airport and the customs officers had nothing to do.
Later, from other tourists flying out of Ben Gurion, I learned that one guy, the customs even took away the dry rations that he was given at the hotel!
MY HOTEL & SPA The hotel is very good. Price-quality ratio.
The staff mainly speaks English and Hebrew. Only two or three people from the staff speak Russian. This is a security guard from Kabardino-Balkaria, a restaurant worker and a lobby bar worker.
The rooms are cleaned very well, every day a new bed, towels, everything is clean, fresh, shower caps, tea, coffee, sugar, salt, a kettle, two mugs, spoons, a hairdryer, a refrigerator, a TV set (9 Russian-speaking channel, and so about 20 channels), air conditioning, free safe, balcony, but not in all rooms (I have a balcony on the 3rd floor, you could go straight to the roof from it, from where you could see a beautiful view of the Dead Sea, two beds (I didn’t see singles) , the door is opened with a card, they also give two, even if you arrived alone, there are still two, with this card you can open the doors to the spa (there is a separate entrance to the spa from the beach and to the beach), there is also a huge closet, a table, a mirror, two bedside tables, two bedside lamps, carpeting, there is liquid soap in the bathroom, even two dispensers. The beach is across the road from the mountain 50 m. it's not stressful. It's a little uphill. But it's okay, it's even very useful to walk. On 4 floor you can iron things.
There is a prayer room on each floor.
The restaurant buffet (I had breakfast dinner). In the morning, cheese in various forms, cottage cheese in various forms, herbs and sprouted sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes and salads of various types, but not meat, as the food is kosher. Various fish, pancakes, canned pineapples, various types of muesli, cereal, porridge every morning except Sunday (this is the first day after Shabbat when the Israelis go home) and breakfast for some reason without porridge, eggs in different forms, grapefruits, oranges, various cakes and desserts, different breads, muffins, tea, coffee, juice, water, milk without restrictions, teapots are placed directly on the table. For dinner there was a different cuisine, but still kosher. Meat in different types (fish, chicken, beef, etc. )
), potatoes in different forms, not always pasta, rice, couscous, vegetable and meat salads (such as Olivier), salted fish (such as herring), a lot of different greens, including sprouted sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh peppers , pickled peppers, stuffed peppers, different types of eggplants, boiled corn, beets, pickled cucumbers, cabbage in different types, fruit salad, oranges, grapefruits, desserts and pastries, different breads, muffins, tea, coffee without restrictions, water without restrictions on the table in a carafe, juices, wine for a fee, but on Shabbat the wine was displayed directly on the tables (red sweet).
In the evenings live music, though under the soundtrack.
Spa is chic even in four stars.
Free of charge two pools with heated water from the Dead Sea, two Jacuzzis with heated fresh water, sauna, showers, an open-air fresh water pool, a nearby bar for a fee, a gym for free, drinking water is everywhere in coolers, towels are provided free of charge, bathrobes for fee (5 shekels per day). There is even a doctor who conducts the reception. There are different procedures. Various massages, physiotherapy, facial treatments, wraps, hydrogen sulfide baths, manicure, pedicure, no hairdresser. Of the Russian speakers, there is only one physiotherapist, a very pleasant man, he is from Ukraine. Always prompt and helpful. Personally, I did two procedures, one for the face (cleansing, peeling and masks), a young girl did this procedure for me, she did everything very well, in addition to the above, she also massaged the head, neck and face, the procedure lasted 50 minutes, and after cleaning the next day there was no trace of redness or irritation.
I paid about $70 for this procedure. I also took a hydrogen sulfide bath. Well, here, of course, for an amateur. In general, hydrogen sulfide baths are good for the skin and joints. But here the main thing is not to miscalculate with the temperature of the water. If the water is very warm, then the heart begins to beat furiously. So think about whether you need it? I didn't really like this process. But I filled a bottle of water to wash my face. It is very useful for acne. This procedure costs 60 shekels (about $20). Also in the spa you can buy Dead Sea cosmetics, creams, mud for the body, for the face, and all at attractive prices with big discounts, for example, two for the price of one. Cosmetics in the spa company sea of spa.
THE CONTINGENT These are mostly Germans, a few Englishmen, Israelis themselves (on weekends they rest from Friday evening to Saturday evening), Russians, a few Ukrainians, Belarusians, Koreans, etc.
GOOD HOTELS IN EIN BOKEK according to the reviews of tourists who rested there
LOT 4*, ISROTEL GARDENS 5*, HOD 4*, TSEL HARIM 4* (small hotel), ROYAL 5* (soon to be merged into a hotel chain)
Medium value for money GARDENS 4* (but will be renamed soon)
bad LEONARDO INN 3 * (inconveniently located relative to the sea, poorly cleaned, dirty linen, bedbugs)
RESTAURANTS Diverse cuisine, but very expensive. I even saw borscht in one. There is a McDonald's in Ein Bokek, but I didn't eat there. And I ate at a restaurant like McDonald's on the beach, called Burger Lunch, I took a hot dog and orange juice, paid 7 dollars.
DOLLAR RATE In Ein Bokek, 1 shekel is low - 3.5 dollars, and in restaurants 3.3, in some shops 3.4. Favorable rate only in the neighboring city of Arad. But you have to go there for 40 minutes and pay 50 shekels round trip fare.
99 firms exist only on the Dead Sea. Cosmetics are produced in Arad, not far from 40 min. Drive from Ein Bokek.
The most popular brands: Ahava (this is a well-known brand, but the quality is not very good, prices are average, there is a store from the factory, they are brought there when you go on an excursion to Jerusalem, they willingly give different samples), Premier (a very advertised company, average quality, price also average), Sea of Life (average price, there are many lines), Sea of spa (a little more expensive) (price-quality ratio), Black pearl (but this is not our black pearl, namely, based on Dead Sea minerals (expensive) and is aimed mainly at skin rejuvenation, Anna Lotan (medical cosmetics, used by Israelis in salons, is expensive), bio peptix (perhaps the most expensive cosmetics, as it is made mainly on hyaluronic acid, lactic acids, one small bottle is about $ 200) , Kedem Cosmetics of the Judean Desert, on herbs and minerals of the Dead Sea (perhaps the most popular cosmetics among vacationers and locals, average prices, high quality, there are very good oils, ointments, even cleansing tea and spray for the throat is also herbal), the consultant smeared me with an ointment for allergies, but now everything went away for me, just a miracle
. They also send these cosmetics by mail. In general, consultants talk very well about all the creams and let you try all the products on yourself. So before you buy, be sure to try if this cosmetics suits you! Ask consultants for samples! In general, there are many more different cosmetics. But these are the main ones.
EXCURSIONS I highly recommend Jerusalem + Bethlehem (you need to take your passport with you), the price of the tour is 100 dollars. If it’s cheaper, then don’t understand through whom, and without a guarantee that everything will be fine. Also an interesting excursion is Tel a Viv Jaffa (provided by many travel agencies for free, you can sign up for it at the Royal Hotel), this excursion with a visit to the diamond exchange, another good and not distant excursion is Nazareth, Eilat, a city on the Red Sea, Metsada Fortress and the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. Everything else is very far and tedious: Jordan (Petra), etc.
EXCURSION TO JERUSALEM I got on an excursion on Shabbat (Friday). We left the hotel at 8:30. First, we were brought to the ANAVA factory, where we were shown a film about the Dead Sea and its healing properties, then they offered to buy cosmetics. I really liked the lotion for skin problems with zinc, as well as the dead sea salt cream for joint pain. They also gave samples for my purchase. Those who bought more than $ 100 issued a taxi, then to return the interest at the airport.
Then we passed the Massada fortress, the Ein Gedi nature reserve, then we were brought to the Mount of Olives, from where a beautiful view of Jerusalem (panoramic platform) opened, then we were transferred to another bus and taken to Bethlehem, where there was lunch in a restaurant at 12 noon, which included in the price of the tour, after that we were taken to a souvenir shop (where they supposedly had discounts for us, but everything was very expensive, icons for 15 and 30 dollars, regular crosses for 3 dollars, small silver ones for 15 dollars, magnets for 10 dollars, the only thing that was cheap was sets from the holy land (water, earth, cross) three sets for 10 dollars). The fact is that the store and the travel agency conclude an agreement that tourists will be brought to this particular store, since the guides have a percentage of this. They don’t give time for any other shops, although all souvenirs are much cheaper there.
After the store, we went to the Church of the Nativity of Christ, where, near the Star of Bethlehem, we consecrated icons and crosses, saw the manger where Jesus was born, also lit candles for health and repose, wrote notes through the priests, the cost is uncertain, who can give how much. Then we were taken to Jerusalem to the Church of all Nations, Golgotha, the Stone of Anointing, Golgotha, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. There we again consecrated all things. And in the place where Christ was taken down from the cross, you could rub a cloth, and then, if you put it on a sore spot, it relieves various pains. To the Church of the Holy Sepulcher we stood for 1.5 hours. Since there was a passage of various denominations. I really liked how the Catholics sang. Under the organ, very beautiful. There we burned all our candles. And they lit candles for health and peace. Then we were led to the Wailing Wall. Before we passed the control, like at the airport. Our bags were searched and we went through the frame.
When we entered there, the Shabbat holiday had already begun there. There were a lot of rabbis in fur hats with long sidelocks, in black hats with beards, just in kippahs, these are different directions of one religion. With songs and dances near the wailing wall, Jews celebrated this holiday - the beginning of the weekend. The girls stood in a circle with bibles and sang songs. They brought a lot of soldiers, both girls and boys. The guide gave us only 15 minutes to stand at the Wailing Wall. And I and other tourists just rushed to the wall like a bullet. With cries of Aim sorry, I asked the Jewish women and girls to part and let us through to the wall. They let us through, realizing that we were tourists and had little time. I stood near the wall for about 5 minutes. A girl from our group tried to shove about 20 notes from all relatives into the wall. The guide told us that if you go by yourself, you don't have to write a note. I don’t know if that girl managed to shove these notes to the end.
But mine stayed in the wall for a long time. They say that a minute is enough for her to stay there. In general, there are a lot of people, everyone is crying, even if you are in a good mood, then tears still flow near the wall. This is an incredibly miraculous place. After visiting the wailing wall, you begin to look at the world in a completely different way. And the soul becomes somehow calmer. After the wailing wall, we set off on our way back, although we almost lost our bus, but fortunately I was not alone, several of us got lost. We were brought to the hotel for dinner at 20.00. And those who rested in Eilat, on the Red Sea went further, they still had to go and go ....Fortunately they were given dry rations. Well, I came to dinner at the hotel in our restaurant just in the midst of the Shabbat holiday, the Jews sang and danced right in the restaurant. At dinner they gave sweet red wine without restrictions.
* The tour is not described all, but only those places that are especially memorable.
ENTERTAINMENT There are none in Ein Bokek. In the evening, these are only shops with cosmetics and souvenirs, or only in hotels, singers sing to the soundtrack. Everyone goes to bed early. The resort is very quiet.
PHARMACIES There are no Super Pharmacies (pharmacies) in Ein Bokek. If you need to buy any medicine, then you need to ask in supermarkets. They have the most necessary locally produced medicines in stock. Stomach pain $10, allergy $17. The nearest Pharma is in Arad.
THE BEACH Hotels do not have their own private beaches. Basically, these are city paid beaches. Sun lounger 15 shekels (3 dollars, 2 euros) for the whole day, and a chair 10 shekels for the whole day. There are awnings, free of charge. There are no mud for the body on the beach. They need to be bought at the Mall or at any store near the beach. The price is approximately 15 shekels.
WEATHER From the end of February to the beginning of March, the weather was excellent during my stay.
The air temperature in Ein Bokek reached 26 degrees during the day. At 16.00 the sun sets abruptly behind the mountain and becomes cooler, the air immediately cools down quickly. At night about 13-17 degrees. The water temperature in the Dead Sea is about 21-23 degrees, I can’t say for sure. But warm.
In Jerusalem, around 21 degrees during the day. A t-shirt and a light jacket were enough. But in the evening it gets very cold.
SHOPPING From February to March, there are sales of clothes, shoes, and cosmetics at the Dead Sea. There are shares 1 + 1.2 for the price of one, or even 4 for the price of one. So seize the moment! Taxfree is given in almost all stores when buying more than $ 100, it turns out to be somewhere around 16 percent of the order value. Don't forget your passport.
NEAREST CITIES Dead Sea cosmetics are produced there, and there is also a factory where towels and terry bathrobes are made (the price is about 100 shekels and more). From Ein Bokek you can take buses 384 and 385, the price there and back is 50 shekels.
Souvenirs, clothes and cosmetics are cheaper there.
Another thing that struck me on the beach was when local soldiers were released for the weekend and they walked around the resort in shorts with machine guns. That's what they do in the army.
Local joke: “Lucky for a Jew, he learned to make money out of dirt! »
Local TV ad for cell phones (adjusted proverb): “A penny saves a shekel! ".
Well, in general, rest and treatment at the Dead Sea is EXCELLENT!! ! Except for the flight back. You can fly to Israel without any problems, but it is very difficult to return from it in a good mood! So rest in ISRAEL, gentlemen, if you have iron nerves! Well, my advice is better in pairs! Singles in Israel do not like!