After much preparation we are finally entroute to our dig in Jerusalem. We fly to Newark then non-stop to Tel Aviv, arriving mid-morning Thursday, seven hours ahead of EST.

The direct flight to Tel Aviv is over ten hours long.  These time zone jumps always tax the body’s rhythms and I for one have difficulty sleeping on oversees flights. I will try Melatonin as a sleep aid which has worked in the past.  We’ll see…

The only glitch so far is that we got word initially that there was a Taxi strike at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel. But then we heard that wouldn’t affect our “Nesher” — a group taxi — similar to SuperShuttle here.

Some random bits from our preparations…

• Changed pin codes on ATM card to four digits as some longer codes have caused problems previously
• Put travel notifications on ATM and credit cards to avoid problems overseas
• Set up Google Voice to receive calls/texts forwarded from my and Marion’s phone; Google Voice works on WiFi and will allow us to retrieve voicemail and texts
• (Tech NERD warning!) Unlocked our iPhones so that we can purchase local SIM cards upon arrival; this will give us a local number to keep in touch with team members and provide internet access while out and about.  By the way, data is so much cheaper in Israel!
• Purchased health insurance in Israel which is available to travelers. For the two of us it was $11/per day which covers most all medical treatments, doctors, tests, etc. Our insurance will actual cover international expenses, but you have to pay up front and submit your expenses for coverage later. 

We will have almost two days to settle in, with our orientation meeting on Saturday evening. Work on the dig starts Sunday morning.

Thanks for following our blog. We look forward to sharing our experience with you.

Von & Marion