Thread: Eilat Festival 2010?

I know its kinda early but is anyone going to Orit's festival next year? I couldn't make it this year and I REALLY want to go next January.

I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to go. I've only been to Haifa, Isreal and I would love to see Eilat too. Now is the time to start saving. Do you have the dates? I haven't looked at the site.

Random but...Wasn't Orit expecting a baby? Just wondering if this would have an effect on whether she has the festival in 2010 or not.

Originally Posted by akashablue

Random but...Wasn't Orit expecting a baby? Just wondering if this would have an effect on whether she has the festival in 2010 or not.

I was wondering the samething too and I found that it was listed online here. I don't know if this was posted super early and they haven't taken it down or if it's new.
The international bellydance festival in Eilat | Eilat | Israel | CarniFest Online - What's on Worldwide
If anyone is going, do you plan to fly into Tel Aviv and catch the plane to Eilat or will you fly into Aqaba, Jordan and cross through the border since it is only 6km? Curious.

Hi ladies,

She's definetly having the festival next year. When I took her workshops last year she told us that she will continue the festival even after the baby :)

As far as the dates, on the website it says January 21-23rd. I asked my friend, who visits Isreal often, what she thought about flying to Tel Aviv or Eilat and taking the bus. She said it would be best and safer to fly into Eilat.

I'm soooo excited. I've already started to save $$$$

I'm an Eilat Festival veteran ..g.: (4 out of 5) and there is a good chance I'll go next year. However I usually postpone my decision until after Yael & Orit announce the line up, usually late September after the Jewish New Year. Last year was a blast, they brought Aziza to the Holy Land! And there were a couple of fellow bhuzzers on board *waves to Artemisia & Khalida* and Khalida & I shared third place in the competition!

i'm considering it!!! i really really want to take more workshops with Orit and since she's not traveling at the moment going there is the only way to make that happen right now!!

i loved everything about it last year, the workshops, the jaccuzi, the food, the shows, the weather, the company (waves at khalida)... apart from the traveling, that was a nightmare.

so,if i can at all, i'll be there!! depends on some other issues the next months (family stuff, job stuff, money stuff, wedding plans etc ;-))

but meeting up with you there would be an extra bonus!!!!

xx
Artemisia

Originally Posted by ahava

I know its kinda early but is anyone going to Orit's festival next year? I couldn't make it this year and I REALLY want to go next January.

Orit had a baby boy on march 19th!!

the dates for next year are 21-23 in january 2010

Artemisia, I would love to hear about your experience during the festival. What's this about the traveling nightmare? ,f::

They confiscated my curling iron! Got it back per mail 2 weeks later, with the 'heat-dot' scratched off :-/ Flying to Israel is ok, you will be triple checked in security but going back is worse, long interrogations about why you came to Israel and what you did, you will have your complete suitcase searched and they will even check your pictures if you bring a camera. My curling iron made their explosives-check thingie beep while they searched my suitcase so I got sent to a small room for an hour and was questioned and searched *again* before I was allowed to go on the plain . They took my mobile phone and camera from my purse and checked them in. Not much fun at 3am, so be mentally prepared!

Originally Posted by Khalida

They confiscated my curling iron! Got it back per mail 2 weeks later, with the 'heat-dot' scratched off :-/ Flying to Israel is ok, you will be triple checked in security but going back is worse, long interrogations about why you came to Israel and what you did, you will have your complete suitcase searched and they will even check your pictures if you bring a camera. My curling iron made their explosives-check thingie beep while they searched my suitcase so I got sent to a small room for an hour and was questioned and searched *again* before I was allowed to go on the plain . They took my mobile phone and camera from my purse and checked them in. Not much fun at 3am, so be mentally prepared!

Yes, passing airport security here could be a nightmare. I try to accompany my family and guests from abroad to the airport and be present at the initial questioning, this usually cuts the long story short.

Originally Posted by sophie

Yes, passing airport security here could be a nightmare. I try to accompany my family and guests from abroad to the airport and be present at the initial questioning, this usually cuts the long story short.

orit did that for us too. and yael was even some the same flight and talked to them too... but didnt help that much ;-)

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

orit did that for us too. didnt help that much ;-)

it's the curling iron! that's why! :)))))

Originally Posted by sophie

it's the curling iron! that's why! :)))))

that was kahlida, on a later flight

no, my bags just made the explosive_checking thingie go off. i have NO idea why, but well, the whole thing needed to be checled afterwards

and then later in tel aviv, they didnt believe my "story", of what i had come to do there AND of course my egypt stamps...

but it was all fine in the end, just when you are really tired and it's on the going home, it's just not very pleasant. and getting your belongings back in a couple of boxes with the message you can now repack, wasnt fun either.

only positive: you can carry as many bottles of water as you want, not like the stupidity about that anywhere in europe.

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

orit did that for us too. and yael was even some the same flight and talked to them too... but didnt help that much ;-)

by the way, i might be generalizing here big time but in our experience the selectors in the eilat airport and the border with egypt & jordan were less friendly than the ones in the international airport. They are normally very strict everywhere, but at the international airport we find them to be more courteous and pleasant.

yeah, the worse was the eilat airport AND the local airport (dove) in tel aviv. the israeli inspectors in zurich and in telaviv international airport were quite nice about it, and they seemed to understand that the tourists didnt understand what all the pallaver was about. they explained what they were doing/asking and why... and were generally more friendly about it.

what is the most difficult from a tourist point of view, in most of europe airport security is airport security. and the WANT you to get your flight, they will hurry, or take people first, if they are going to miss a connection.... in israel the security doesnt seem to be part of the whole airport thing, and didnt seem to care you could miss your connection...

some of our friends ended up spending the night in tel aviv airport, cause the flight from eilat was slightly delayed, and even though they were in the airport like wayyyy in advance (really, anywhere in europe they would have gotten their flight), they didnt. because their bags that had been completely checked in eilat, had to be completely checked again.

i was there two hours in advance and spend most of that in securiry and only JUST made my check in.

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

that was kahlida, on a later flight

no, my bags just made the explosive_checking thingie go off. i have NO idea why, but well, the whole thing needed to be checled afterwards

and then later in tel aviv, they didnt believe my "story", of what i had come to do there AND of course my egypt stamps...

I could see how not passing the explosives test lights a red bulb for them... And yes, sometimes they would really doubt your story, they once detained my sister when she came here, they suspected she was a "working girl"!!!!! Anyway, I agree it's an annoyance, but I guess we are really used to this. I mean we voluntarily open our bags for security in the mall entrances and such. This is our reality :(

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

what is the most difficult from a tourist point of view, in most of europe airport security is airport security. and the WANT you to get your flight, they will hurry, or take people first, if they are going to miss a connection.... in israel the security doesnt seem to be part of the whole airport thing, and didnt seem to care you could miss your connection...

Yes, our security is like ... er...really secure :)) Seriously, many Israelis prefer to fly El-Al, despite their high prices, because they don't trust non-Israeli security, they just don't feel safe... You have no idea what precautions El-Al takes for their international flights. And even non El-Al flights to Israel get "special attention".

Originally Posted by sophie

Yes, our security is like ... er...really secure :)) Seriously, many Israelis prefer to fly El-Al, despite their high prices, because they don't trust non-Israeli security, they just don't feel safe... You have no idea what precautions El-Al takes for their international flights. And even non El-Al flights to Israel get "special attention".

i WAS on an el-al flight. they have like their own SECOND check in in zurich. i got singled out, was taken into a room, questioned, bags searched, and dint get them back till boarding etc...

and i was wondering before WHY there was soo much time sheduled in between my flights and WHY you had to be AT THE GATE like two hours before the announced departure time.

Wow, that's quite an experience.

but dont let it deter you ahava, other than this it really is a fantastic festival. i had heaps of fun, and will try to go back! just, well, next time i'll budget a day of sleep when getting home.

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

but dont let it deter you ahava, other than this it really is a fantastic festival. i had heaps of fun, and will try to go back! just, well, next time i'll budget a day of sleep when getting home.

Sleep is good, and don't miss out on the rest of the country, I'd be happy to show you around Jerusalem & we could go out to Tel Aviv.

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

i WAS on an el-al flight. they have like their own SECOND check in in zurich. i got singled out, was taken into a room, questioned, bags searched, and dint get them back till boarding etc...

and i was wondering before WHY there was soo much time sheduled in between my flights and WHY you had to be AT THE GATE like two hours before the announced departure time.

He-he, yeah, El-Al style. I guess if you wish to fly directly from Belgium you are stuck with them, otherwise with connection we have Air France, British Airways, Lufthanza, Iberia etc flying here. And Ahava, you can go Delta/Continental/AA/United, would be also cheaper.

Originally Posted by sophie

He-he, yeah, El-Al style. I guess if you wish to fly directly from Belgium you are stuck with them, otherwise with connection we have Air France, British Airways, Lufthanza, Iberia etc flying here. And Ahava, you can go Delta/Continental/AA/United, would be also cheaper.

el al was the only flight i could get that provided a decent connection with the eilat flight, arrving in tel aviv early evening, allowing me to get a connection. everything else arrived sooo late at night/early in the morning, that i would have had to spend a good deal of night time hours, like between 2 and 7 am in tel aviv airport. i didnt think that would be a gooood start of the festival, hence...

Originally Posted by artemisia_danst

that was kahlida, on a later flight

no, my bags just made the explosive_checking thingie go off. i have NO idea why, but well, the whole thing needed to be checled afterwards

Maybe my curling iron rubbed off on your clothes at the hotel ..l;,
Sorry 'bout that ..l;, Found a safer alternative for next year (if I make it)

actually i'm pretty sure it was your hairspray

ouch, i just realized i was so excited so i opened another thread for nothing. should i just repost everything here and kill the new one?
http://www.bhuz.com/forum/travel-lan...tml#post469054

whaa, i really hope i can make it

I wish I could go.

So was it that security didn't believe you guys were there for a BD conference? Should you just them them you came just to visit as a tourist?

Then again I guess when they look thru my luggage they'll have some questions about all the BD paraphrenalia.

orit told us it was BETTER to tell them all about the festival! and that did seem to help 'oh, another one, yes, you are not the first today for this festival, what is it"

it's more that in general young women on their own are suspect per se as they might have arab boyfriends who lie to them and the package for the family might not be what the girl thinks it is, or something like that... so young girl on her own as "tourist" is worse then "dancer attending festival"...