"Flame to dust, lovers to friends. Why do all good things, come to an end?"
Alright, I have been back in Taipei for almost a month now, so I guess I am now finally ready to post about my 18 day extraordinary romance with my gorgeous Israeli boy without tears or shouts of agony…haha!
I just got an email from him last night, and it made me feel really happy and really sad at the same time. I can't explain it...
So, as most of my friends who know me can concur, I am not an irrational person when it comes to the matters of the heart. I might be a bit on the crazy/goofy side in other matters, but when it comes to love I am very much matter of fact. I have ended previous relationships the second they became stressful or draining, without giving it a second thought! I think that it is better to just end something and not let it linger. When you know something is bad, why should you let it sit and simmer. You might as well turn off the burner and walk away quickly and not look back! In this way, I have always been a bit detached with love. Now, don’t get me wrong, when I am in a relationship I give it my all, but the second that I see warning signs I sign off and become quite detached.
Well, let me just say that this time it was all very different. This new love took a hold of me within minutes, and shook me to the core. I really didn’t think that this kind of love existed outside of movies, and sappy songs. They only other time that I have experienced something similar to this was with my first boyfriend. I remember having really intense feelings at the time, and I was very heart broken when that relationship ended. However, I have always regarded that love as a kind of young, puppy love. Then, I had a lovely two year relationship with my next boyfriend, and that was a very nice, mellow love. But this past union was a dream, a fantasy, a kind of surreal existence where nothing else mattered!
We met at Western Union (haha nice name). I was there with an Israeli couple, who I had just met the night before on an overnight bus from dirty Jaipur to breath-taking Jaisalmeer! We were trying to arrange a jeep to the desert for the final night of the desert festival! Amidst the usual bargaining, Nevo walked in through the door. He was dark, cool, and calm. His eyes immediately met with mine, and locked for a few seconds. He smiled and my heart dropped. The three of them started to chat, and I sat there quite mesmerized by him. Ooof, his Israeli accent is to die for! So, once in a while he would glance at me and smile and I would do the same! He ended up deciding to come to the festival with us…he later told me that I was the only reason he decided to join us.
I guess as solo travelers, we were both looking for the same thing...a partner to share the experience with. But, instead we found something way more amazing than just a friend on the road. That night, Nevo told me that he was going on a camel safari in the morning, and since I was bugging the uninterested Israeli couple to join me on one, I jumped at the opportunity. I really wanted to go on a safari, but it was not recommended for female travelers to go off into the desert with randoms and Indian guides. So, after asking Nevo a few questions about it, he invited me along! We had dinner back at the fort with Asaf and Gal, and we got me a spot on a camel the next day!
Now, let me tell you that from the moment that we started to talk, we really hit it off!! I found him incredibly attractive, but he was not at all egotistical or sly. He was actually kind of shy, and a bit on the quiet side….he exerted a composed confidence. He was really observant too, and what he said made sense to me. Looks, brains, and confidence…a rare combination, but everything that I want in a partner!
So, bright and early the next day, we met with a few other safari friends, and drove out into the desert to meet up with our guides and camels. Nevo chose the old, gross, slobbering camel, Tara, and I chose the adorable young camel that was tied to the stinky camel LuLu!!! On our first lunch break, after eating vegetables and chapatti (Indian bread) Nevo, and I lied on our backs holding hands…haha it sounds really cheesy right now, but it was so romantic. He let me listen to a few of his Israeli songs, and he translated them word by word. Lying down under the shade of a tree, amidst a caravan of camels, with the desert wind brushing through our hair, listening to his gorgeous voice explaining lyrics about life, love, and dreams…wow, I guess that’s when it really hit me!
That night, we reached the sand dunes. After sharing a gorgeous sunset with our fellow German, American, Swiss, and Swedish riders, we were finally alone on top of the sand dune, under a mesmerizing full moon! Of course, the first kiss took place right there and then, and it was just pure bliss. Nothing more, nothing less. We lit a joint, and looked up at the stars. We could have stayed there forever…but the Indian guides’ voices broke the silence and their echoing cries summoned us back to our camp base…back to reality, back to earth.
Granted, we returned to our spot on the dune later on in the night, and it was incredibly passionate. Kissing him was just so amazing. You know when you just match perfectly…there is no awkwardness or over-analyzing. Your lips are actually dancing, instead of kissing and the touch is so incredible that it feels like you are on x. Well, it was like that, but 100 times better than how my words can describe it!
Haha, but don’t worry…it wasn’t all perfection from the beginning. We had our first fight very early in the trip! All that passion, without a reaction? It’s not possible! The camel guides on our safari were these sexist, bad-mannered, tricky bastards that had nothing better to do but to make rude remarks about our midnight escapade. Now, I understand that they are poor, and that they have no other excitement in their life than the lives of the foreigners who come on their trip, but for one, nothing happened for them to be excited about, and two, it wasn’t any of their freaking business!!
I warned Nevo about our guides being assholes, but Nevo maybe needed more proof because he still chatted with them. Who knows, I guess all boys are idiots in one way or another. On day 2, I was heading back to base after taking a few pictures, and sure enough there was Nevo disclosing information about how we met and where I am from to the camel guides. He wasn’t saying anything bad, just the truth, but the camel men were getting all gross and saying things like…”Oh, she very nice”…and winking and saying things to him in Hebrew and laughing. And, even though I didn’t understand what they were saying, I could just tell by their tone that it wasn’t exactly appropriate.
So, I just gave Nevo a dirty look and sat down and vented out my anger in my diary! I didn’t speak to the guides or Nevo all night. At dinner time, one of the annoying guides said, “oh, why you don’t talk?,” and I just looked him in the eye and said, “You watch what you say, and I’ll watch what I say,” in a really degrading voice. For the rest of the night, I was a complete bitch to them…ignoring everything they asked me. I just laughed and conversed with the other foreigners. The camel guys became really quiet, which is amazing for them, and they made no more comments. They were of course scared of word getting back to their boss, and I for one am not a girl to take crap like that when it’s not even justified.
I know they come from a different culture, and they have no respect for anyone let alone themselves, but in any case they should just mind their own business. I had a great night with the other travelers around the fire, but I could see that Nevo was really sad, and upset. He didn’t talk to the guides at all, and endured my silent treatment until the next day. At lunch, he wrote a really sweet message in my diary during group email exchange, and he told me that he was really sorry and that he hopped that it was not the end. I still didn’t talk to him, until the end of the trip. He ran after me and apologized again telling me that he didn’t mean anything by it, he was just telling them about me (in a good way) and that he was stupid to talk to them in the first place.
Of course, I eventually accepted his apolgy as I believe that he didn’t do it on purpose, but that it happened out of stupidity. So, for the rest of our time in Jaisalmeer, we had a fresh start and got to know each other more and more! On the second night, we even experienced our first Indian wedding, as it was wedding season in Rajastan. The Indian wedding was pretty much a parade. A small techno van, pumping out Indian beats, led the way. Immediately following the van, there were thirty or forty young boys high on opium dancing in a trance-like state. They were followed by the groom on horse back with a small girl. Finally a procession of women and the bride followed behind them. This was definitely an unforgettable sight. We actually considered going and dancing in the crowd because the music was so awesome!!
On day 3, we said good-bye to Jaisalmeer and our gorgeous, newly-renovated Siddhartha hotel, and set off for Bikner, the sight of the infamous Rat Temple. Nevo, never once let go of my hand, and was always really protective of me on the roads and alleys. I am usually really raw, raw, raw I am independent, I don’t need a man to watch out for me, but for once it really felt nice. A slight touch on my back as we were passing traffic, holding me close as millions of rickshaws passed by us, and squeezing my hand when we safely made it to the other side of a busy street filled with taxis, rickshaw bikes, tuk-tuks, dogs, cows, and people were all small actions that meant so much!
The rat temple was really fun! They were not so much rats, but small mice…quite cute actually. They were supposed to be reincarnated people from a royal lineage. People came from far and wide to spot the white rat, and eat the food that the rats slobbered on. A foreigner supposedly drank from the rat’s milk bowl…blahhh!! A rat nibbled on my toe and almost went over Nevo’s foot. On the way back the bus was filled with Indians, so we decided to climb to the top of the bus…that’s right we sat on top of a bus with around 10 Indian men….hahaha. It was such a fun experience. We held on tight and tried to ignore their stupid questions. We had decided earlier on that we would tell everyone that we were engaged and that we were both Israelis…haha. “Actually” boy was very helpful especially since the one guy tried to cheat us out of our ticket money. Oh India!
To be continued....
I just got an email from him last night, and it made me feel really happy and really sad at the same time. I can't explain it...
So, as most of my friends who know me can concur, I am not an irrational person when it comes to the matters of the heart. I might be a bit on the crazy/goofy side in other matters, but when it comes to love I am very much matter of fact. I have ended previous relationships the second they became stressful or draining, without giving it a second thought! I think that it is better to just end something and not let it linger. When you know something is bad, why should you let it sit and simmer. You might as well turn off the burner and walk away quickly and not look back! In this way, I have always been a bit detached with love. Now, don’t get me wrong, when I am in a relationship I give it my all, but the second that I see warning signs I sign off and become quite detached.
Well, let me just say that this time it was all very different. This new love took a hold of me within minutes, and shook me to the core. I really didn’t think that this kind of love existed outside of movies, and sappy songs. They only other time that I have experienced something similar to this was with my first boyfriend. I remember having really intense feelings at the time, and I was very heart broken when that relationship ended. However, I have always regarded that love as a kind of young, puppy love. Then, I had a lovely two year relationship with my next boyfriend, and that was a very nice, mellow love. But this past union was a dream, a fantasy, a kind of surreal existence where nothing else mattered!
We met at Western Union (haha nice name). I was there with an Israeli couple, who I had just met the night before on an overnight bus from dirty Jaipur to breath-taking Jaisalmeer! We were trying to arrange a jeep to the desert for the final night of the desert festival! Amidst the usual bargaining, Nevo walked in through the door. He was dark, cool, and calm. His eyes immediately met with mine, and locked for a few seconds. He smiled and my heart dropped. The three of them started to chat, and I sat there quite mesmerized by him. Ooof, his Israeli accent is to die for! So, once in a while he would glance at me and smile and I would do the same! He ended up deciding to come to the festival with us…he later told me that I was the only reason he decided to join us.
I guess as solo travelers, we were both looking for the same thing...a partner to share the experience with. But, instead we found something way more amazing than just a friend on the road. That night, Nevo told me that he was going on a camel safari in the morning, and since I was bugging the uninterested Israeli couple to join me on one, I jumped at the opportunity. I really wanted to go on a safari, but it was not recommended for female travelers to go off into the desert with randoms and Indian guides. So, after asking Nevo a few questions about it, he invited me along! We had dinner back at the fort with Asaf and Gal, and we got me a spot on a camel the next day!
Now, let me tell you that from the moment that we started to talk, we really hit it off!! I found him incredibly attractive, but he was not at all egotistical or sly. He was actually kind of shy, and a bit on the quiet side….he exerted a composed confidence. He was really observant too, and what he said made sense to me. Looks, brains, and confidence…a rare combination, but everything that I want in a partner!
So, bright and early the next day, we met with a few other safari friends, and drove out into the desert to meet up with our guides and camels. Nevo chose the old, gross, slobbering camel, Tara, and I chose the adorable young camel that was tied to the stinky camel LuLu!!! On our first lunch break, after eating vegetables and chapatti (Indian bread) Nevo, and I lied on our backs holding hands…haha it sounds really cheesy right now, but it was so romantic. He let me listen to a few of his Israeli songs, and he translated them word by word. Lying down under the shade of a tree, amidst a caravan of camels, with the desert wind brushing through our hair, listening to his gorgeous voice explaining lyrics about life, love, and dreams…wow, I guess that’s when it really hit me!
That night, we reached the sand dunes. After sharing a gorgeous sunset with our fellow German, American, Swiss, and Swedish riders, we were finally alone on top of the sand dune, under a mesmerizing full moon! Of course, the first kiss took place right there and then, and it was just pure bliss. Nothing more, nothing less. We lit a joint, and looked up at the stars. We could have stayed there forever…but the Indian guides’ voices broke the silence and their echoing cries summoned us back to our camp base…back to reality, back to earth.
Granted, we returned to our spot on the dune later on in the night, and it was incredibly passionate. Kissing him was just so amazing. You know when you just match perfectly…there is no awkwardness or over-analyzing. Your lips are actually dancing, instead of kissing and the touch is so incredible that it feels like you are on x. Well, it was like that, but 100 times better than how my words can describe it!
Haha, but don’t worry…it wasn’t all perfection from the beginning. We had our first fight very early in the trip! All that passion, without a reaction? It’s not possible! The camel guides on our safari were these sexist, bad-mannered, tricky bastards that had nothing better to do but to make rude remarks about our midnight escapade. Now, I understand that they are poor, and that they have no other excitement in their life than the lives of the foreigners who come on their trip, but for one, nothing happened for them to be excited about, and two, it wasn’t any of their freaking business!!
I warned Nevo about our guides being assholes, but Nevo maybe needed more proof because he still chatted with them. Who knows, I guess all boys are idiots in one way or another. On day 2, I was heading back to base after taking a few pictures, and sure enough there was Nevo disclosing information about how we met and where I am from to the camel guides. He wasn’t saying anything bad, just the truth, but the camel men were getting all gross and saying things like…”Oh, she very nice”…and winking and saying things to him in Hebrew and laughing. And, even though I didn’t understand what they were saying, I could just tell by their tone that it wasn’t exactly appropriate.
So, I just gave Nevo a dirty look and sat down and vented out my anger in my diary! I didn’t speak to the guides or Nevo all night. At dinner time, one of the annoying guides said, “oh, why you don’t talk?,” and I just looked him in the eye and said, “You watch what you say, and I’ll watch what I say,” in a really degrading voice. For the rest of the night, I was a complete bitch to them…ignoring everything they asked me. I just laughed and conversed with the other foreigners. The camel guys became really quiet, which is amazing for them, and they made no more comments. They were of course scared of word getting back to their boss, and I for one am not a girl to take crap like that when it’s not even justified.
I know they come from a different culture, and they have no respect for anyone let alone themselves, but in any case they should just mind their own business. I had a great night with the other travelers around the fire, but I could see that Nevo was really sad, and upset. He didn’t talk to the guides at all, and endured my silent treatment until the next day. At lunch, he wrote a really sweet message in my diary during group email exchange, and he told me that he was really sorry and that he hopped that it was not the end. I still didn’t talk to him, until the end of the trip. He ran after me and apologized again telling me that he didn’t mean anything by it, he was just telling them about me (in a good way) and that he was stupid to talk to them in the first place.
Of course, I eventually accepted his apolgy as I believe that he didn’t do it on purpose, but that it happened out of stupidity. So, for the rest of our time in Jaisalmeer, we had a fresh start and got to know each other more and more! On the second night, we even experienced our first Indian wedding, as it was wedding season in Rajastan. The Indian wedding was pretty much a parade. A small techno van, pumping out Indian beats, led the way. Immediately following the van, there were thirty or forty young boys high on opium dancing in a trance-like state. They were followed by the groom on horse back with a small girl. Finally a procession of women and the bride followed behind them. This was definitely an unforgettable sight. We actually considered going and dancing in the crowd because the music was so awesome!!
On day 3, we said good-bye to Jaisalmeer and our gorgeous, newly-renovated Siddhartha hotel, and set off for Bikner, the sight of the infamous Rat Temple. Nevo, never once let go of my hand, and was always really protective of me on the roads and alleys. I am usually really raw, raw, raw I am independent, I don’t need a man to watch out for me, but for once it really felt nice. A slight touch on my back as we were passing traffic, holding me close as millions of rickshaws passed by us, and squeezing my hand when we safely made it to the other side of a busy street filled with taxis, rickshaw bikes, tuk-tuks, dogs, cows, and people were all small actions that meant so much!
The rat temple was really fun! They were not so much rats, but small mice…quite cute actually. They were supposed to be reincarnated people from a royal lineage. People came from far and wide to spot the white rat, and eat the food that the rats slobbered on. A foreigner supposedly drank from the rat’s milk bowl…blahhh!! A rat nibbled on my toe and almost went over Nevo’s foot. On the way back the bus was filled with Indians, so we decided to climb to the top of the bus…that’s right we sat on top of a bus with around 10 Indian men….hahaha. It was such a fun experience. We held on tight and tried to ignore their stupid questions. We had decided earlier on that we would tell everyone that we were engaged and that we were both Israelis…haha. “Actually” boy was very helpful especially since the one guy tried to cheat us out of our ticket money. Oh India!
To be continued....