So, today is June 2nd, 2025 — my last day in Israel.
It was supposed to be a simple day with just a bit of sightseeing before heading to the airport, but unexpected troubles kept coming one after another, turning it into a really tough day.
Cannot go to the airport!!
When I woke up and went out into the city in the morning, I noticed something wrong.
It was unusually quiet.
All the shops were closed.
There were only a few cars on the streets, and no buses were running.
…
……Oh no!
I totally forgot — today is Shavuot!
Shavuot — one of the three major Jewish holidays.
It celebrates the day Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.
Because of this, devout Jews strictly observe religious laws and are not allowed to work at all during the day.
Which means, in other words:
All public transportation comes to a complete halt.
(It might sound unbelievable, but yes — literally everything stops. That’s Israel for you.)
This means I have no way of getting to Tel Aviv Airport — 50 km away — before nightfall.
…
Well, I still have plenty of time until tonight, so I’m sure it’ll work out somehow.
For now, time to do some sightseeing.
(old city again)
It’s my fourth time in the Old City now — I’m starting to feel quite familiar with it.
(Synagogue)
In front of this synagogue, I tried to ask a Jewish mother and her child for directions, but she waved me off with a “shoo-shoo” gesture, as if I were an insect.
I’ve gotten used to this kind of reaction from some Jewish people by now.
(Orthodox Jews)
They are the ultra-conservative Orthodox Jews.
I dare not to talk to them.
Savior Found !!
Now it was getting close to noon, and I was still wondering how on earth I was going to get to the airport…
Then suddenly, an idea struck me.
Right — why not go ask for help at that friendly Arab-owned restaurant where I had maklubeh yesterday?
(All the Jewish-owned shops were closed, but a few Arab restaurants were open as usual since they follow Islam, not Judaism.)
So, I made my way back to ABU KAMEL Restaurant once again.
And yes — the kind owner from yesterday was there‼️
“Oh! What’s wrong, my friend? Can’t get to the airport? Don’t worry! One of my friends is a taxi driver — I’ll get him to take you for cheap!”
He even went out of his way to call an Arab taxi driver and negotiate the fare on my behalf.
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Thanks to his help, he convinced the driver to accept my price — $85, which is a real bargain for a 50 km ride on an Israeli holiday.
When one door closes, another opens.
Relieved that I now had a way to the airport, the tension finally melted away — and that’s when I realized how hungry I was.
So while waiting for the taxi, I stayed at the restaurant and had lunch:
Shakshuka, one of Israel’s specialties.
It’s a dish made of tomatoes and eggs cooked together, seasoned with cumin and other spices.
It goes perfectly with bread — and it’s delicious!
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At 2 PM, the taxi arrived to pick me up.
To be honest, there was still plenty of time before my night flight —
but in Israel, you never know what might happen.
Better to head to the airport early.
Treated Like a Suspicious Person at the Airport
I arrived safely at Ben Gurion Airport
— but now I had hours to kill until my night flight.
With nothing else to do, I stood around aimlessly…
That’s when an airport staff member came up to me and started questioning me:
“What are you doing here?”
“Your flight’s at night? Then why are you at the airport now?”
Seriously?
Just standing in the airport and I’m already treated like a threat.
Everything is suspicious to them.
I love the city itself, but honestly — I just can’t deal with the people (with a few exceptions).
I don’t think I’ll be coming back to this country again.
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I passed the time in the airport.
(McDonald’s inside the terminal)
It cost me USD20 the most expensive McDonald’s meal I’ve ever had in my life.
And to make matters worse… it was almost completely flavorless. Honestly, pretty bad.
That said, it doesn’t really show in the photo, but the burger itself was massive — I was totally full afterward.
Still got 6 hours until departure, so I’m just killing time on the internet.
Terror Attack!? Evacuation Inside the Airport
Around 7:30 PM, a loud siren suddenly echoed throughout the airport.
At the same time, staff began directing crowds of people to move in the same direction.
I was just sitting on a bench nearby when someone in the crowd motioned to me — “Come on.”
So I joined the flow of people.
Eventually, we were all made to wait in one of the airport’s emergency stairwells.
Wondering what was going on, I asked someone nearby.
His response: “We are being attacked”
I wasn’t entirely sure what kind of attack, but most likely a missile alert or something similar.
That said, Israel’s missile defense systems and anti-terror measures are among the best in the world.
They even have the Iron Dome, which is famous globally — so I figured we were probably safe.
(As you can see in the photo above, everyone stayed calm and just kept using their phones like nothing was happening.)
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Sure enough, after about 15 minutes, the airport reopened and everything went back to normal — as if nothing had happened.
The Nightmare of Israeli Security Checks
After all that, I finally checked in for my flight.
Now all that remained was Israel’s infamous final boss:
the world’s most intense security screening.
And let me tell you — it absolutely lived up to the reputation.
There are actually two rounds of baggage checks: one before check-in, and one after.
It’s the second one, post check-in, that’s truly a nightmare.
They literally take everything out of your bag and lay it out on a table, then run it through a handheld scanner that looks like a mini metal detector.
But that’s not even the worst part — because then a separate officer, clearly trained in interrogation techniques, shows up and starts questioning you in an intimidating manner:
- What’s this?
- What’s inside this souvenir box?
- Why did you buy it?
- Who did you buy it from?
- Which neighborhood did you buy it in?
- What’s the name of the shop?
(…I dunno…)
This kind of questioning went on the entire time.
To make matters worse, the person handling the scanner for my bag was clearly a trainee, and their supervisor had to guide them step-by-step — which made the whole thing take even longer.
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In the end, a bag inspection that would take 30 seconds in most countries dragged out for over 20 minutes.
I was completely exhausted.
Still… let’s call it what it is — a valuable experience in its own way.
Fair enough
Finally a Moment to Breathe — Time to Head Home
At last, I cleared immigration. All that’s left now is to wait.
I wandered around the airport a bit —
Ben Gurion Airport is massive and impressively modern.
(Spotted a pretty cool-looking clock, too.)
I wasn’t hungry, having already eaten that giant McDonald’s burger earlier,
but since I had time to kill, I headed to the lounge that accepts my Priority Pass.
A glass of wine, some hummus (chickpea paste), green olives, and beets.
Finally, a moment to relax.
It was only a four-day trip, but in both good and bad ways, it left a deep impression.
Bye-bye , Israel🇮🇱