This novel is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

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The sea dragon

Noam Sachal woke up, as he did every day, exactly at 6 o'clock in the morning. He washed himself, prepared his coffee, and then had a quick glance at the paper that arrived at his house each morning. At half past six, he descended to his car, a new Skoda, which he had just recently bought. He started the car and drove to his workplace at the Air Force Industry Plant in Beer-Sheva, where he had been working for the past four years as chief mechanic. He had gained his professional knowledge in Beer-Sheva's Technological College, and soon after he finished his studies there, he began to work in his profession. He progressed well in his work and his supervisors and fellow workers were very satisfied with him. He was a quiet, intelligent, polite and sociable fellow, but he was rather shy. He was tall, with satiny hair, and he had brown eyes, thick eyebrows and a sturdily built, well-muscled body. In short, he was a very handsome guy. Though he had already turned 26, he was still a bachelor. He kept his body in great condition and went each evening to exercise in a gym. He earned a good salary, but he was constantly short of money. He had just begun to put aside a thousand shekels a month in order to buy an apartment. It was not much, but it was all he could afford.

Though Noam lived alone in a rented flat, his mother, Sarita, did his laundry for him. Whenever he had something that needed to be ironed, or clothing to be mended, his mother did it willingly for him. He was the only son in the family. He had a married sister in Teberias and a younger sister who still lived with their parents. The people, who occasionally came to visit him, were either friends from work or his fellow students from the technical college. Breakfast and dinner he ate in the restaurant at work and the rest of his meals he prepared by himself. Sometimes he had meals with his family and occasionally he ate out. In fact, he was living the perfect life of a bachelor.

"Well, when will we see you dating girls?" "Don't you think the time has arrived for settling down?" "What are you waiting for?" "When will you start enjoying life?" he was frequently asked by his friends. "Perhaps you should go to a matchmaker?" suggested Samuel, one of his good friends. "I'm waiting for an opportunity to meet the perfect woman and fall in love with her at first sight," Noam stated, giving his point of view on the subject. "The French call it 'coup de foudre'." "Women like those are doubtlessly waiting in line for you …" jeered Samuel. "Perhaps you ought to ask Rabbi Lobovitz. He knows precisely when the Messiah will come… Dehilak, (Arabic) start dating someone already. Take her out to the movies, or dancing, and then take her to your bed if you want. Nobody will oblige you to marry her. The day will come when you find your true love," his friends advised him. But it was hard to convince him to change his behavior concerning women.

"I need romance to fall in love," he confessed one day to his best friend Micah, who was also a bachelor. "For God's sake, where would you expect to find romance in Beer-Sheva? Between district "Aleph" and district "Gimmel"? You've got to understand - you must get out of this constant routine of going to work, coming home and going to work again the next day. You are not enjoying life; it is just passing you by." Behind his back, his female colleagues at work began to whisper, "Maybe he's impotent, or God forbid, he's a homosexual. Who knows?"

One day Micah came to him with a new idea. "What do you think about going on an organized tour, maybe even overseas? A tour like that could bring you plenty of opportunities. You'd meet new people, and probably lots of beautiful girls and who knows, you may find your beauty queen among them? So tell me, where would you like to travel?" Noam sank into meditation for a while, and then he said "I'd like very much to go to Brazil to see the Great Carnival" "OK," said Micah, "at work there are advertisements for traveling abroad and there are big discounts for the employees. I imagine that it could also be paid for in monthly installments. So let's take this opportunity. What do you say?"

Noam's eyes flashed. "Hmm, you're right," he answered, caressing his chin thoughtfully and bowing his head. "But how can I do it? I haven't finished paying for my car yet and I've just opened a savings account for an apartment. My living expenses are high. Although I have a good salary, there's a limit to how much I can spend. You can't jump over your own pupik. I would guess that what you have in mind isn't a hiking trip, you know, sleeping in the open air under a tree, where the night would catch us?" "No way!" replied his friend. "You know what? I'll check this out and see what I can find – and if you don't mind, I think I would like to join you? What do you say?"

Noam stared at his friend open-mouthed for a minute, and then asked Micah, "Are you serious?" "Sure, why not? I hope we can get along well and not fighting over girls. I can promise you that if by chance we attracted to the same girl, you get first crack at her." Noam embraced his friend emotionally. "You're great, a true friend. I'll have figure out how I can afford this. Maybe we can rob a bank? or something of the sort." "Well, if you mean to encounter your dream girl in jail, instead of on the beaches of Copacabana, then go for it..." "No! Definitely not. But let me think about the matter. But first, find out if the whole thing is even feasible."

The idea of traveling abroad, maybe to Brazil, went round and round in Noam's head. He didn't sleep much that night. He had a collection of CDs with Brazilian songs and melodies. Some were cheerful, and others were sad and melancholy, like the blues. He put one of CD's on his stereo set and listened on his earphones. He was enthusiastic about the Brazilian songs; despite the fact that he couldn't understand a single word, he relished their tunes by themselves. In his fantasy he saw the tropical landscape of long beaches spreading before him. The exotic coconut palms with their shining leaves bending gracefully providing protection from the blazing rays of the sun. He saw, in his mind's eye the white sandy shores, the spumous waves caressing his feet, the fleecy clouds sailing slowly on the blue sky. The charming girls with their perfectly shaped bodies their dark, creole-brown skins passing by, winking at him, while the white sailed boats drifting on the horizon. Once he had seen a movie titled 'Orfeo Negro'. It was a hard and strange movie. He couldn't recall it precisely in his mind, because he had been a child when he saw it. Anyway, he remembered the songs, which were wonderful. 'Brazil is an immense land,' he thought, 'it can easily include ten times the territory of Israel. And their dances...are something blood stirring. They're mad about dancing. There are numerous dancing schools where girls and boys prepare themselves for the annual carnival. Even the most destitute save money to buy costumes for the carnival. Once he saw a piece on television about the carnival in Rio and he didn't know where to look. At the flamboyant costumes of the dancers, at their ornaments. At the masks, the moving stages, decorated profusely with characters from their world of fairytales and fantasies, or at the half naked and sometimes totally naked dancers shaking their behinds to the rhythm of samba, amidst mischievous smiles. Somebody once said that pornography is a matter of geography. He was certainly right. Here in Israel the Rabbis and their Yeshiva students would run away from those visions to save their souls…' Thoughts and images like those passed before his eyes, until he finally fell asleep with the earphones on his head.


Chapter two

Ayalah Shiziphy was a pretty young girl; some people even thought she was beautiful. She had a tall, well-shaped body. Her golden-blond hair fell down, wave upon wave, to her back. She had blue eyes, long eye-lashes, well-developed breasts and a dreamy look. She had a middle class education and a matriculation diploma. She usually wore sunglasses and dressed fashionably and when she passed by on the street she drew the admiring glances and whistles of men. Not long ago she had finished her military service of one and a half years in the engineering corps in the Army. But neither in the Army nor in her hometown Arad could she find a suitable partner. 'All those pompous blighters,' she mused 'what do they talk about all day? Basketball games, football games, women they scored with, politics. A man who has something else in mind, besides those subjects, is hard to find.' She wanted a man with good manners, a polite, generous, and educated one. Someone she could talk to about spiritual subjects, about books, movies and good shows, music and concerts. In short a serious and an intelligent person. Not like those empty balloons. 'Well,' she mused, 'maybe I can occasionally travel abroad; there I will hope to find the man of my dreams.'

Ayalah still lived with her parents. Many of her relatives and acquaintances hinted gently that she had arrived at a period in her life when she should be looking for a life companion. "Please," she said admonishingly, "don’t push me! I'm only 23 years old and nothing is urgent to me. In due time, I shall find a man to my liking." In the meantime, she found a job in a local optician's shop as a saleswoman with a modest, but steady salary. As an employee, she could choose among the many sunglasses for sale there, which she bought at cost price from the owner. She wore them all the time, in bright sunlight, or on a dark day. Apparently she thought they added to her good looks and sex appeal…

From her modest income, she managed to put aside 500 shekels each month for her journey abroad. Where to? She didn't know. She wanted to travel with an organized group in which, she assumed; there would be many opportunities to become acquainted with new people. In the meantime, until her savings grew to a sum which would be sufficient to cover all her expenses for the journey, she passed her free hours in reading books, watching movies on the television, and making lots of phone calls to her friends. She was waiting eagerly for a call from her travel agent with a new proposal concerning her journey.

Less than two months had passed since Ayalah had first asked the agent to find her an organized tour when he called her to come to his office to discuss something she might be interested in. Ayalah came to him the next day. The agent asked her if she knew where she wanted to go. She shrugged her shoulders and said with a big smile, "If I had enough money, I'd take a trip around the world." "Okay, well, but let's be more practical. I must ask you how much you can afford to pay for this trip." "As of now I have some 5000 shekels saved, but I expect a trip can be paid for in installments?" "Listen, I can offer you a number of propositions, but today traveling to Thailand is very popular. Many young people from all over the world and also from Israel are going there. You will find there everything you could want; wonderful beaches, breath-taking landscapes, exotic sites, exclusive hotels, cheap hotels, youth camps, beautiful excursions to various places in the vicinity, such as tropical inlands, lagoons, etc. Riding on horses, camels, elephants and even on dragons with 7 heads…etc., etc. The Thais are wonderful people and welcome tourists. All this at very attractive prices, compared to other countries." "Well, I still don't know how much this pleasure jaunt would cost me," stated Ayalah. "How long a holiday do you want to spend there?" "Let's say two weeks, maybe more. It depends on the price." "The least expensive package I can offer you is a vacation site near the island of Phuket in a 4-star hotel called 'Sayonara' which has 300 rooms. There's a large swimming pool, and various sports activities. There are cinema shows, and theater performances with a Hebrew announcer, a gorgeous place. The price for 3 nights (4 days) is $100 a person in a room with double occupancy. This includes transport to and from Bangkok and an excursion to the coral island."

"Why 3 days? I said two weeks," wondered Ayalah. The agent replied, "Now wait a minute. Every additional day at the hotel will cost you only $26. Let's do a quick estimate; 14 days minus the first three is 11 days x $26, so that's $286 + $100, which sums up to $386." "And what about the meals?" she asked. The agent said, "The price includes breakfast only. Of course you can have additional meals in the hotel, but it's not worthwhile. There are many good, cheap restaurants in the vicinity." "I can already see, I shall have tourist's tummy…," sighed Ayalah. "No, there's no danger of that, though of course you should be careful," said the agent. "And how much will the flights cost me?" "About $ 650-700. So, when we put all together, it adds up to $1,086. Let's figure out how much it is in Israeli currency: $1,086 x 4.35 shekels to the dollar = 4,724 shekels. You say you have 5,000 shekels saved. It'll fairly cover your expenses and you'll have a hell of a good vacation. Of course you'll have to look for a roommate to share the room expense, because the price is based on double occupancy," said the agent. "Before your trip, it is advisable to be vaccinated against the various kinds of illnesses you could catch there. In your health organization they'll tell you which vaccinations you need to get. You should also buy travel insurance."

"When is the best time to travel there?" asked Ayalah. The agent thought a minute and said, "Look, Thailand is a tropical land and the best season for touring is from the end of November till February. I suggest you go in December. It is already cold here, but there the weather is fine. You can go swimming in the sea; take excursions, in fact, do whatever you want." "Well," she said, "I thank you very much for the information. I must consider things carefully. After all, it is a lot of money to spend." "It's been a pleasure to serve you," said the agent, bowing his head. "Have you a roommate in mind, or shall we look for one? of course with your full permission." "I don't know yet," she said. She left the office, but after a short while she returned and said to the agent, "Yes, sir. I've forgotten something; would I get a reduction off the price if I gave up riding the dragon?" The surprised agent considered what his reply should be. Finally he said, laughing, "Definitely, if you'll be satisfied riding on a crocodile's back instead…"

*

Two weeks after Noam and Micah talked about traveling abroad, they met at the dining room of the Air Force Industry and Micah told his friend he already had the information and all the particulars about traveling. "Well," said Noam "drop in to my place tonight and we'll talk." That evening, Micah told him at length about the different options they had to choose from; also, he brought with him a lot of colorful brochures and catalogues from the travel agency describing tours all over the world. "Look," Micah said, "the journey to Brazil is a very costly adventure that we can't afford, so don't ask me how much it would cost us. But here we have a very alluring offer of traveling to Thailand. They have beautiful landscapes and shores like in Brazil, with good hotels and attractive prices." He gave his friend the same particulars which the agent in Arad had given Ayalah. "I was told the ideal season to go there is in December. Now the agent offered us a beautiful site called "Phuket" on the sea shore, which is about 700 km from the capital, Bangkok. There is a hotel there called "Sayonara" with 300 rooms, including all services. I don't intend to go into all the details, but a two-week vacation in Thailand would cost each of us $1,400. We can pay for it in monthly installments of 10 payments. It's advisable to take with us an additional $300 to $500. We could do that. What do you say?"

Noam listened intently to his friend and it was clear from the expression on his face that he was deeply frustrated about the fact that the journey to Brazil was not possible. But finally he said "Well, I suppose that going to Thailand will be a satisfactory substitute for Brazil." "I think so too," replied Micah. "Now, according to what is written here in the brochure, some six million visitors come annually to Thailand. So this year there will be six million and two…" "Okay," said Noam, smiling, "you have a deal." "All right," replied Micah, "then let's go to the travel agent to arrange everything." "But before we do that, we should coordinate our vacation time with the Industry's management." "I don't think there will be any problems. They can spare us for two weeks. Just one more thing I forgot to mention to you; we will have to share a room, but don't worry. If you find a likely girl there and you want to bring her to the room, I shall find another place to sleep." "What can I say?" said Noam, "I couldn't find a better friend. Just know that this arrangement goes both ways." "Of course, of course," said Noam. "By the way, I wanted to ask you, is your passport all right?" "Yes, I renewed it last year." "Well then, bring it with you tomorrow to the agent."


Next day, Micah and Noam went to the travel agency in Beer-Sheva and fixed the dates for their trip. The agent checked their passports. The date of their flight was for Thursday, 16/12/05 with a return to Israel on Wednesday, 29/12/05. They made some additional clarifications with the agent concerning their travel, arranged their payments with their credit cards, and received their tickets for El Al and their receipt to the hotel in Phuket. "Two more important things I wanted to tell you," said the agent; "It's very advisable to you have an insurance policy, and be vaccinated before your journey. Details on that you'll get at your health service facility." The two shook hands warmly with the agent. "Well," he said "now that everything has been settled, I advise you to brush up on your English; I am sure you'll need it when you're in Thailand." "We shall certainly do so," said the two and returned home contented.

*

Ayalah also visited her travel agent in Arad to see what was progressing with her voyage. The agent asked her whether she had already found a roommate to share the cost of the room. When she replied that she had not, the agent told her there was a young girl from Beer-Sheva who also wanted to travel to Thailand and she had, for the time being, nobody to share her room with. "Her name is Miriam Epstein, she's a hairdresser, and maybe you know her." "Yes," said Ayalah, "If I remember correctly, I had her do my hair a year ago." "Then would you agree to take her as your roommate?" "How old is she now?" "I didn't ask her about her age. She could be about 25 years old. I suggest that you two meet and talk things over. If everything is all right, then both of you come back here and we'll settle affairs. Here's her phone number." Ayalah got the particulars of her prospective roommate and then she asked about the date of their trip. "Look, we've a flight to Thailand on the 16th of December and you'd come back on the 29th of December. You have more than two months to prepare." "I thank you very much. I shall call her this evening and arrange to meet her. I hope there'll be no problems." That same evening, Ayalah called Miriam and learned that Miriam would be delighted to share a room with her during their vacation in Thailand. Ayalah invited her to visit her in Arad and gave her address. She asked Miriam if all the travel particulars were clear to her. "No, not yet, but we shall talk about them when I come to you." The meeting was fixed for Thursday afternoon.

*

Noam perused the colorful traveling advertisements which Micah brought him. Of Thailand he read the following description:
'An enchanted land of tourist attraction in South East Asia. Thailand is an amazing mosaic of shrines - pagodas with golden domes, where you can see Buddhist monks wrapped in their orange colored cloaks. There are rain forests, wild rivers, sweet-water rivulets, golden shores, and the azure-blue waters of the Sea of Andaman. Everywhere, you will find shopping at bargain prices. Every year, some 6 million tourists come to visit here from all over the world, to enjoy the wide variations of the landscape, to take advantage of the favorable prices, and the many and varied attractions suitable for all ages. The infrastructure of tourism in Thailand is highly developed and everyone can find a perfect way to spend his holiday. There are amusement parks for the young people, wonderful shores for sporting activities, trails designed for adventurous hiking, romantic places, quiet, remote hideouts, and the best spas and health treatments in the world.'

There were many more colorful advertisements in the magazine, enticing people to visit those places, but one had to be very rich to do so. 'Well, I wanted to travel to Brazil,' Noam mused in his heart, 'but I shall put that dream away for next time. Thailand looks like a beautiful place too.' He put the magazine aside and placed a disk on his stereo set, then listened pleasurably to the sublime music of his favorite composer Mozart.

*


As was agreed between them, Miriam Epstein came to Ayalah's home in Arad on Thursday afternoon. She held a big bouquet of flowers in her hand. "This is a token of friendship between us," she said as she gave the flowers to Ayalah and the two new friends kissed each other. "I am very glad to welcome you to my family's house. Come, be our guest. We have prepared cakes and coffee for you." "Thanks," said Miriam and sat down opposite to Ayalah, crossing her well-shaped legs. She was a beautiful, smiling girl; she had long, smooth light-blonde hair and was clad in short, sportive attire. Every man would say of her that she was a good-looking doll. "I guess you're still single," said Ayalah. "Why makes you think so?" "Because if you were married you'd go abroad with your husband." "Yes, I'm single and you?" "I'm in the same situation as you," replied Ayalah, "going to see the world. Maybe I shall meet somebody in Thailand - I have had no luck meeting anyone here yet." "In this matter we're like Siamese twins. I hope we shall not fall in love with the same guy, at the same time. But if it should happen, I will give you priority, because it is you who initiated the whole matter." "I thank you," said Ayalah, "and hope that both of us find our sweethearts without dispute. Have you ever been abroad?" "I went with my parents to Hungary and Czechoslovakia five years ago," replied Miriam. "Well, Thailand lies in a quite a different part of the world than Europe. It is like that musical that says; 'A beautiful tropical land.' They tell of wonders there, but who knows what kind of adventure is waiting for us? In the meantime, the future is an unwritten page for me. You know, everything in life is a matter of luck." "What is described in the magazines sounds very interesting," said Miriam. "We Israelis are longing for virgin landscapes, shores with white sands, clean, pellucid sea, where one can see fish swarming through the water. This must be the reason why multitudes of Israelis go to the shores of Sinai, even though it could be very dangerous there." The two girls continued talking about their jobs, how they spent their leisure hours and of course about the men they hoped to meet during their vacation.

"So, are we going to ride on the back of a dragon with seven heads?" asked Ayalah. Miriam replied, "I don't know what you're talking about. What kind of dragon?" "Well, my travel agent told me that in Thailand there are many excursions and sporting activities; we could ride on horses, camels, elephants, tigers, and even on dragons." Miriam laughed wholeheartedly. "Look, he was surely talking about celebrations and folk dances. You know, during holidays in many Asian countries, people like to put on fancy dress and disguise themselves as all kinds of funny animals and characters; giant snakes and lizards, frightening witches and even dragons. This is a very oriental custom and people find it quite exciting, flamboyant and colorful. You can't see those things here in Israel." "Anyway," said Ayalah, "I promised my agent to forego riding a dragon if he would agree to give me a reduction in the price. And you know what he replied? That riding on a crocodile would cost me less…" The two girls laughed heartily. Then Ayalah looked at her watch and said, "OK, so let's go now to arrange everything at the travel agency before they close the office."

Third chapter

On the 16th of December 2005, in the early morning, all the passengers waiting for El Al flight No. 752 to Bangkok gathered in the departure hall of the new Ben Gurion Airport. Most of them were young people and they waited impatiently to board the plane. All of them had already passed the security checks and those who had the money, bought all kinds of items in the duty free shop. But their very presence in the new, super-modern air terminal gave them the feeling of being already abroad. Half an hour later, the boarding gate opened and the passengers filed through the corridor leading to the plane. The seats of the huge Boeing plane were slowly filled, until all 450 passengers found their places. Noam and Micah prepared their behinds for a very long flight, which would last for at least 10 hours until their arrival at Bangkok. Four rows in front of them sat the girls Miriam and Ayalah, but of course at that time there had as yet been no connection between them and the boys. In a short while, they heard the roar of the mighty plane's jet engines starting to work. Soon after, the chief pilot's pleasant, soothing voice was heard, wishing the passengers good luck and a pleasant flight. Next the stewardesses explained the various security procedures and what to do in case of an emergency. Some minutes later, the plane taxied out to the runway and revved its engines to the highest velocity. After speeding down the runway, it became airborne, and then, soaring upward, it disappeared among the clouds.

During the flight the passengers saw movies, read books or newspapers, listened to music in the earphones and conversed about the exciting experiences they were sure to enjoy in Thailand. Some of them fell asleep to regain hours lost in the course of the night. Anyway, since the plane flew eastward, the sun rose earlier. For sure most of them would be confused because of the time difference between Tel Aviv and Bangkok. Soon a tasty breakfast was served and the 'Chevreh' consumed it with a hearty appetite.

*

After many hours of flight, when they finally landed in Bangkok's airport, the passengers happily descended from the plane, but they were very tired. The moment the plane opened its doors, they immediately felt the hot breath of the tropics. Again they had to undergo security checks and have their passports examined by the local authorities. After a couple of hours of delay at the airport, the passengers to Phuket boarded a domestic airplane. This time the flight lasted "only" an hour and 15 minutes. From the windows of the plane, which flew low along the seashores of the long Malaysian peninsula, they could see the wild, tropical landscape of Thailand, containing endless rainforests, lakes, waterfalls, fields of rice, thick vegetation, settlements built of bamboo, fishing villages, plantations of citrus fruits and banana groves. Sometimes public buildings and golden-capped pagodas came into view. Everywhere there was plenty, plenty of water. Finally this flight too ended and the plane landed in the small airport of Phuket. From there the passengers were transported by buses, each one to his/her hotel.

After much shifting and moving around, the two boys, exhausted by the long trip, arrived at the eight-story high Sayonara Hotel. They got their room key from the reception clerk, went up to their room and immediately settled down to sleep. So did the girls. After some four hours of deep slumber, they got up and went to the dining room to have dinner.

After dinner, the two young men became acquainted with Miss Melanie, the daughter of the hotel owner. She came to their table and was accompanied by her friend, a high-ranking, good-looking American officer, who served in Thailand as a military attaché. "My parents are away on a grand tour of Europe," she said. "In their absence I am in charge of running the hotel." Miss Melanie had an exotic, oriental beauty. "I call her Madame Butterfly," said the officer smiling "because she has a face like a Japanese doll…" "If you have any special request about your accommodation in our hotel," Melanie said in sing-song English, "don't hesitate to let me know. I'd be glad to help you." Micah and Noam looked at each other, surprised. Then Noam said to her, "Thank you very much. We don't know yet. We've just arrived." Every time they saw Miss Melanie after that, she never failed to extend the hospitality and willingness to help that she had at their first meeting.

*

On the evening of the third day of their stay in the hotel, the two boys walked around and became familiar with the surroundings. Micah said to his friend, "Perhaps we should go down to the hotel bar to see what's happening there." It was half past 9 local time, (only 2 p. m. Israeli time). They were not yet used to the different time zone, which caused them a certain amount of inconvenience. The bar was lit with subdued electric lights, which hung down in a colorful cascade from the ceiling. The walls were decorated with oriental-style drawings by local painters. A saxophonist accompanied by a pianist played melancholy Jazz tunes. There were many couples the boys they didn't know. Some of them were dancing on the round glass floor lit from underneath. Clad in elegant evening suits, fresh, white shirts, and red neckties, the two friends took their places at one of the many tables and looked around. Sitting alone near the bar, perched upon a high stool, was a tall, pretty blonde, clad in a sparkling blue evening dress. Her neck was ornamented with a thin gold chain. From her ears dangled a pair of long blue earrings which becomingly matched the color of her dress. She wore on her delicate hand a beautiful blue sapphire ring and her arms were adorned with filigreed silver bracelets. She presented the perfect appearance of a high-society lady. But it was only Ayalah - who wanted, by her extravagant finery, to attract the attention of potential wooers. She sipped her cocktail from a tall cool glass while she glanced around the room.

Micah gave a strong push with his elbow to Noam's rib and whispered in his ear, "Get over there and start talking to her." Noam gave his friend a puzzled look. "How on earth do you think I can go over there and start talking to a strange woman? I don't know her." "With your diffident behavior you'll never get to know any girls. So go to her and start talking to her, she won't bite your nose off…." Noam took a deep breath, braced himself, fixed his tie, and then, girding up his loins, he rose and approached the beautiful woman at the bar. He turned to her and said in English:

"Can I join you for a drink?" he asked her hesitantly. "Yes. Why not?" answered Ayalah with a broad smile. "You're welcome to join me." "A martini, please," he said to the barman. "Shall I order for you as well?" Noam asked her. "No, thanks, I'm good." "Are you alone?" he asked her after a while. "Right now I am, but my girlfriend should be coming down soon. And you?" "I am here with my friend." "Where is he?" "He must be around here somewhere. He'll probably show up here in a little bit." Noam, having succeeded somehow in overcoming his fright, asked her if she was a long-time guest in the hotel. "No, I've just arrived recently." "May I ask where you come from?" "I'm from Arad, in Israel. Do you know about Israel?" Noam, in his utter surprise, spilled his drink on himself and almost fell off his chair. But then he decided to continue playing with her. "Israel? Israel?" he repeated, "Isn't that somewhere in the Middle East?" "You're right, it's in the Middle East and you are from…?" "Well, - I've come from very far away, really very far away. Have you heard of a town called Beer Sheva?" She was stunned. "Are you also Israeli???" she asked him in Hebrew, and then she broke into a wild and rolling laugh. "Oy, Oy, Oy, how did I let you fool me?" She took off her sunglasses, put her hand on her forehead and went on laughing loudly for a long time. Then she smacked her forehead. "How could I not have seen at once that you were Israeli? Ah how stupid of me!" "Did I disappoint you, that I'm Israeli, too?" asked Noam embarrassed. Ayalah shook her head "On the contrary! I'm very pleased to meet a fellow Israeli here, especially when you seem to be such a nice guy. But your English is so perfect that I was simply unable to place you. She extended her hand to Noam and said smilingly "Ayalah Shizipy." He caught her hand and said warmly, "Noam Sachal."

"I assume," she continued in Hebrew, "that you arrived on the same flight El Al 752 that I flew in on the day before yesterday?" "That's correct," replied Noam "it's strange that we didn't meet." "Well, it is difficult to identify people in a large crowd of 450 passengers; after all we haven't met before." "May I ask, Ayalah, why you wear sunglasses at night? Are you afraid to get moonstruck…?" She laughed and then said, "It's a kind of a habit of mine." "You know," said Noam, "it is quite becoming to you, let me see." She turned to Noam full face and asked "Do you think so?" "Definitely, but I wonder what you do in full sunshine?" "I have another, darker pair." "Oh. So tell me, Ayalah, who is your friend?" "If you're from Beer Sheva, maybe you know her; her name is Miriam Epstein, she's a hairdresser." "Beer Sheva has become a big town," said Noam. "I've many friends there that I haven't seen in years. But perhaps I do know her, when is she coming?" Ayalah looked at her watch. "She should be here already. Maybe she's still resting. You know the 7-hour time difference is a bit confusing. You need more time to get used to that." "By the time we get used to it, it will be time to go back home." "Are you also here for two weeks?" "Unfortunately, yes. This is such a short period that if we say 'Jack Robinson' the two weeks will be over. You know time is relative. When one feels good, time goes by quickly, when he feels bad, it crawls like a turtle."

Noam looked over to the table where his friend sat and saw him rubbing his hands with satisfaction, seeing that Noam had succeeded in engaging in a long conservation with the woman. At a distance of 15 meters, he couldn't hear what they were talking about, but her loud laugh aroused curiosity in him. Just then, Miriam entered the bar, wearing an evening dress with colorful flower patterns and red shoes with high heels. Her long blonde hair fell smoothly to her shoulders. When she saw Ayalah in the company of a strange man, she approached them hesitantly. "Come here, Miriam, said Ayalah, "let me introduce to you a nice guy from Beer Sheva. He and his friend arrived on the same flight as we did. His name is Noam." Miriam extended her hand to Noam. "It's a pleasure to meet you," said Noam. Miriam responded, "I'm from Beer Sheva but I don't know you." "I suppose we'll soon know each other well," said Ayalah. "Anyway Noam managed to fool me. We were speaking in English and I hadn't had the slightest idea he was Israeli." "Our travel agent suggested brushing up our English before we went to Thailand," said Noam. "Now I know he was absolutely right." All of them laughed. "So, where's your friend," asked Ayalah "has he not arrived yet?" "In fact he has, there he is sitting at that table." "Then call him over. What are you waiting for? Call him over," urged Miriam.

Noam rose and went to ask his friend to join the girls. Micah tapped him on his shoulder. "Tonight you're great. If you go on like this, you'll return home with a bride." "It could be the case with you as well. Look at the beautiful babes we found." The two went to the girls and Noam introduced his friend. "This is Micah. We both work at the Air Force Industry Plant in Beer Sheva." "What a strange world it is," said Micah "we had to travel 10,000 km to meet two beauties who live so close to us in Israel." "Do you know that song," Ayalah asked, "'We shall meet, even when great distances separate us?' Behold, we've met." Noam answered, "Now we must use every minute, with the kind help of these two lovely ladies, to search out every beautiful site, every romantic hideout and every hidden corner so we can make the most of our vacation. What do you say, Micah?" "It's now, or never!" his friend replied. "But before that maybe we should ask them to dance?" "A great idea," said Noam. He bowed deeply before Ayalah. "Madam, may I have the honor of this dance?" "Why, with pleasure," she said smiling. The same gesture was repeated by Micah to Miriam and the two couples danced to the rhythm of the slow music. "So where are you staying?" asked the girls when they finished dancing and returned to the table where Micah had been sitting. "On the fifth floor, room number 205 and you?" "We are on the second floor, room 23," answered the girls. "This is a special place here. What do you say?" Micah asked the girls. "A lovely place," replied Miriam "they say there are some breathtaking sites in the vicinity." "And it will be our mission to discover them, with your kind assistance," said Noam. The two couples went on to talk about their experiences and people from home and on the efforts they made to get to Thailand. Then they danced again, this time to more lively dances. At midnight, the boys escorted the girls to their rooms taking leave of them with a warm handshake. The young men wished them a good night and pleasant dreams, and returned to their rooms.

*

"Well, would you have believed that we'd meet two gorgeous girls like those so quickly?" asked Micah when they retired for sleep that night. "I must admit I wouldn't have," replied Noam. Micah laughed "A chicken-hearted poltroon like you. I did well to push you to go over to Ayalah. Otherwise who knows, maybe we would have had to find a couple of pretty Thai girls, who'd teach us their language, and then we'd find ourselves wearing orange cloaks and converting to Buddhism." "Your imagination is working overtime," said Noam "but I really am thankful that you encouraged me to pick her up. You know I'm a little shy and I don't like to push myself on other people." "Once, because of your shyness, your little pin could dry out…" Micah said teasingly and he went on, "You should not be pushy, or brash, but, for God's sake a little boldness wouldn't harm you. The world is on the side of those who dare." The two friends were still exchanging points of view on the subject till they fell asleep.

*

The girls on the second floor were also very pleased with the opportunity they had to meet two handsome lads from Beer Sheva. "This Noam is very cute," Ayala informed her friend "and what good English he speaks." "That's how he managed to get you to fall into his trap," teased Miriam. "If, for example, he had said to you that he was a Spanish diplomat, or a representative of the Red Cross from Geneva, would you have believed him?" Ayala shrugged "Maybe, but I'm not sure. In the long run, he would have let the cat out of the bag. He couldn't have deceived me for long. I'm not that stupid." "And what about Micah?" asked Miriam "An achla (Arabic) young guy," replied Ayalah. "It seems to me he's more independent, more savvy and self-assured than Noam, but for the time being I've no way of proving that. In any case, both of them are cute and we shall have good company while we're here on vacation. Who knows, maybe it will continue after we go back home." "Inshalla," (In Arabic it means: With God's help) replied Miriam.

For some time there was silence between the girls, and then Miriam asked her friend, "Ayalah, do you believe in God?" "Why are you suddenly asking this?" "Because I wonder what was the reason we met those guys? Was it the hand of God, or hand of the Destiny? Or what?" "If I was a religious, God-fearing person," said Ayalah, pondering, "I would surely say it was the hand of God. But since I'm not like that, I would say it was Destiny." "We can analyze lots of things in life this way" replied Miriam. "What's important is that one has to be at peace with his conscience, right?" "Quite right, but maybe we should continue this theological discussion tomorrow. I'm very tired now." The girls said good night to one another and sleep overtook them. Who knows, maybe they dreamt about their new beaus.

*

Next morning, when the girls went down to breakfast in the dining room, they saw the boys already eating. Seeing the girls approach, Micah and Noam signaled them. "Come on over here, we reserved seats for you." "Thank you very much," the girls responded. "We'll go and get some food from the buffet and be right there. When they finished choosing their breakfast, they took their places next to the boys. "Did you sleep well?" asked Noam. "No, I did not," said Miriam "I dreamed all sorts of weird dreams." "What for example?" asked Micah, after hastily swallowing a mouthful of his sandwich stuffed with salmon. "I dreamed that I did not have enough money to pay for the flight, so I decided to come here on foot…" "On foot???" wondered Micah. "Well, it would take you quite some time, two or three months at least, maybe more. Part of the way you would have to travel by boat, or on a raft, because there are no land routes to here." "It doesn't matter. Micah would wait for you as long as it takes," joked Noam. "And in the meantime, since he would not have enough money to pay the hotel fees for such a long time, he would go to be a monk in a Buddhist temple." "Why, do the monks get any salary?" asked Micah. "Sure, they get $1 a month. The rest of their income goes to charity and to buy a golden bust to put on the tomb of Buddha."

"Is it every morning you're so witty and bright, or it is only for our benefit…?" asked Ayalah teasingly. "Micah has a store of tales," answered Noam, "funny stories and jokes, which sometimes are very good." "Then when shall we hear them?" asked Miriam, who started energetically popping food into her mouth from her plate full of delicacies. "Soon, very soon," answered Micah. "Listen," said Noam "we read on the notice board at the entrance that there are theatrical programs, movies and all kinds of other shows each evening in the theater hall of the hotel, sometimes with a Hebrew announcer as well. Even tonight there's something. We should keep an eye on this. Also, in a little while, at 10 o'clock, there will be an organized sailing tour for the guests of the hotel to the lagoons in the vicinity. The tour costs $15 per person. It might be interesting. Among the places they go to, they visit the 'Phi-Phi' islands where they filmed the James Bond movie 'The Man with the Golden Gun.' I think we ought to go on this trip. What do you say?" "What kind of a question is that?" asked Ayalah "we should definitely go. Where do we register for it?" "In the port, right at the boat's entrance." After finishing breakfast, all of them went to sign themselves up for the cruise.

*

At 10 o'clock the four friends, together with about a hundred other tourists who spoke a variety of languages, boarded the large sailing boat. The boat was equipped with an audio system for giving explanations in different languages, one of which was Hebrew. Soon the boat started its engines and went out to sea. The passengers listened to translations of the captain's explanations about the sights through their earphones. The views of the lagoon were amazing. From the sea waters, whose hues varied from azure blue to turquoise green, high columns of cliffs protruded, their walls steep and jagged, covered with thick, wild tropical vegetation. The vistas were stunning; they looked just like paintings by Chinese artists. They passed isles with mysterious caves, isles with golden shores and white sands. Hundreds of holiday-makers were enjoying themselves playing ball or sunbathing, while tall coconut trees and other kinds of tropical plants formed a green background. Parrots with beaks and wings in every color of the rainbow flew with hundreds of other birds among the trees. Monkeys jumped and swayed between the tree branches. Now and then their vessel passed white sail-boats, canoes, and Thai fishing boats passed by with smiling young men who waved cheerfully at the tourists. Some of the isles seemed like virgin paradises, unchanged from the time when they had been created by nature millions of years ago, places where no human foot had trod and where civilization had not yet penetrated.

Micah and Miriam sat in the first row of the boat and Ayalah and Noam sat right behind them. Suddenly Noam saw Micah put his arm around Miriam and hold her tightly. Noam drew Ayalah's attention to it. "Well, is somebody preventing you from doing likewise…?" she asked him. "Absolutely not," said Noam and he too put his arm around Ayalah. "It is so beautiful by day," said Noam, "I can only imagine how much more beautiful it looks by moonlight." "I hope we will take a stroll by night and find out," replied Ayalah. "Tell me, how you can stand this awful humidity?" asked Noam, changing the subject. "It's really hard for me. It is even more humid than Tel Aviv in the middle of the summer, but I guess the indigenous people must be used to it." "Now it is winter," said Noam, "but in summer it must be like a sauna here. For you, who came from Arad with its dry climate, it must be almost unbearable." "You are right. Although we live in town, the desert all around prevails and everything is dry. Now, coming to this tropical place, with its abundance of vegetation and humidity, it's an extreme change." "I told you, before we get used to that, we'll be back again to dryness." "I can tell you," remarked Ayala "that even in Tel Aviv I don't feel well. Sometimes I have be there, and the whole time, I long to get back to Arad." "In any case, when you return to Arad you'll be cold." "That's for sure," replied Ayalah smiling.

*

Towards 3 o'clock the boat returned to its wharf in Phuket and the passengers disembarked. The "Chevreh" (company of friends in Hebrew) went back to the hotel to rest for a couple of hours and at 5, they went to look for a restaurant near the hotel, where the food served would be in accordance with their taste and budget. Later in the evening, they went to the hotel theater to see a local magician, who enchanted the audience with his conjuring tricks; he swallowed live snakes, swords, and ropes. He 'ate' nails, spat out flames, walked on glowing embers, threw tennis balls into the air and juggled them. He caused some of the spectators' wallets to disappear, though of course he returned them later on. He borrowed a $100 bill from one of the spectators, tore it to pieces, and put the pieces into a handkerchief. Then he pulled it out again, whole and undamaged and returned it to its owner. He executed many other amazing tricks. Finally, like most magicians; he pulled a rabbit out of his hat. The magician deserved the loud, long applause that he received from the audience.

After the magician's show, a group of Chinese acrobats performed breath-taking maneuvers. They jumped, balanced on tightropes, executed somersaults in the air and looked like they didn't give a damn about gravity. Noam whispered to Ayalah, "Believe me; I envy these people, who are in complete control of their bodies, more than I envy those who are rich." "You're right," she said. "There's nothing better than good health and physical fitness." "I go every day to exercise in the gym at work. I think I need some more practice in order to reach the level of those Chinese." "Definitely," replied Ayala mockingly "just a little bit…"

*

When the show ended, it was 11 o'clock, but their bodies were telling them that it was only 6 in the afternoon, so they didn't feel tired at all. "What do you say about taking a nice walk along the seashore, to breathe some fresh air?" proposed Micah. "Sounds good to me," answered Miriam, turning to the others. "What about you?" "OK by us," replied Ayalah and Noam." Both couples left, arm in arm, to walk along the seashore. The night was dark, lit only by the faint light of the half moon. It was very quiet, with nothing but the monotonous susurration of the sea waves murmuring on the sands. Balmy breezes were blowing from the sea. After half an hour's pleasant stroll on the seashore they found some empty beach chairs. "Come sit here for a while, I got tired," Ayalah asked Noam. "Certainly, if you like," he said and the two sat down on the chairs. Micah and Miriam also found a couple of chairs not far away from them.

"It is so, peacefully lovely here and romantic, a real paradise," remarked Ayalah as she gazed at her surroundings, "as if God created this place especially for sweethearts." "And for us," added Noam. "And what are we?" asked Ayalah. "We're only beginners." "Then, please begin it." He embraced her tightly and kissed her lips a long time. "Is that a good start?" he asked her. "I think I can honestly say that it's quite a satisfactory one," she replied, smiling, "but you still have a ways to go to improve on it…" "That's what I do all the time in my work; I make improvements and do things better." "Yes," said Ayalah "you have not told me exactly what you do at work. You just told me that you're a chief mechanic in an industrial plant of the Air-Force in Beer Sheva." "Yes, I have been working there for four years, but that's not what I want to be in life." "Then what do you really want to be?" "I want to be a mechanical engineer." "Then what has prevented you from being one?" asked Ayalah. "A simple, prosaic thing; money. My parents didn't have the means to finance four years of study at university." "Maybe you could start to achieve your ambitions by taking some courses?" "Maybe, but for that I also need money." "A lot?" "Quite a lot, but some day I shall definitely do it. Not long ago I bought a car, and I've started saving for an apartment. Also this vacation cost a lot of money, but since I met you here, I don't have the slightest regret about that." "Did you decide by yourself to come here, or what?" "The truth is Micah encouraged me to do this. He said I must get out of that vicious cycle I was in of going to work, coming home and going back to work again the next day. He said I should go abroad for a vacation, meet people, and see the world. And what about you?" "Precisely like you. I didn't have a lot of opportunity to meet the kind of people I like. You know everybody has his or her ideals. I wanted to meet a well-mannered man, someone polite and cultured one like you and I just couldn't find anyone neither in Arad, nor in the Army." "Well, it's nice to know that I am to your taste. I hope I shall not cause you disappointment." "It remains to be seen, but meanwhile I don't think you will," said Ayalah, shaking her head. Noam added, "I also told Micah, I've got to fall in love at first sight." "And have you succeeded?" asked Ayalah almost demandingly. "I must confess I have," admitted Noam and kissed Ayalah. "You haven't told me much about your work, either." "It's nothing special," she answered. "I work in an optician's shop in Arad as an assistant. I sell people eyeglasses. I do vision tests, too, but the men look at me more than at the letters on the board on the wall." "They're right. If I had known about you before, I'd have traveled to Arad and ordered eyeglasses, too, despite the fact that I don't need them..."

They sat there for quite some time embracing, and then they kissed again. "There's a song which says, 'Kisses Sweeter than Wine'," said Noam. "Don't you think so, too?" "I surely do," she said. Then Noam started to croon the popular Hebrew song, "Please look at the moon, perhaps it will please you. Everyone knows I've not a prutah (cent) in my pocket," and she continued; "Hey the prutah and the moon, we need shoes and stockings La, la, la, la, I can't remember how it goes on." "There's another song about the moon," said Noam "'Hey moon, hey moon, what have you've done? You confused a girl and a boy. Hey moon, you shameless old matchmaker.'" Then she went on, "'If we could write your story, the paper would blush with shame. We have enough troubles without you. Hey moon, please stop that.'"

"These are very cute songs, aren't they?" asked Noam. "That's right," replied Ayalah. "simple and cute. Today they don't write songs like these." "Do you want to hear an interesting story?" asked Noam. "Sure, why not?" "Our next-door neighbors have a sweet little 5 year old girl. One evening she pointed her finger to the half moon and cried "Look mother, the moon is spoilt…" Ayalah laughed wholeheartedly, and then she asked him "Do you like children?" "I adore them and you?" "I love them too, but I can easily lose my patience when they start to be impudent." "What kind of a child were you at home, a good one?" "My parents told me I was a good girl, but as for me I can't remember much of my childhood. I know that for most people that period of life is blurred in the memory." They continued for a while with that small talk, and then they looked over at their friends who also were not exactly sitting idle; they too were hugging and kissing with abandon. "Now I see," remarked Noam "that old, shameless matchmaker does his job perfectly." "Yes, indeed," laughed Ayalah "everything is his fault."

"So," asked Ayalah. "What have you got in this bag you carry it with you?" Noam opened the bag and pulled out a 'Discman' gadget for playing CDs. "What kind of music do you listen to?" "All kinds, but I mainly I like classical music and Brazilian songs. Listen." He put the earphones on Ayalah's head and pushed the 'Play' button. "Wow, it's really beautiful," she said swaying to the rhythm of the music. "I like Brazilian music, too. It takes you right to the exotic atmosphere that the very name of Brazil conjures up. Its tropics beguile you with their enchantment, with caressing guitars, and the sounds of bongos and drums pounding in a pulsing rhythm." "Yes, that was my dream. I so much wanted to go to Brazil, but the price scared me. I know I'll get there someday, though." Then immediately he corrected himself. "Perhaps we will go there together." "And why not?" asked Ayalah. "In a famous movie called "South Pacific" which I saw long ago, there's a song that says "If you have no dreams, you can't expect your dreams will come true', right?" "Yes, indeed," said Noam and kissed her again. "Well," he said, "let's call it a day and go to sleep." Ayalah: "We'd better wait for Micah and Miriam, till they finish…" "You're right; they can't stop in the middle… We'll wait for a few minutes." In a little while they called upon their friends to return to the hotel.

*

Before they retired, Ayalah asked Miriam, "How was your man – was he a champion at kissing…?" "Hey, were you peeping?" asked Miriam. "We did not have to make a special effort," replied Ayalah. Miriam commented "And what about him? I'm referring to Noam, of course." "Well, he's a bit slow, a bit shy; he's going at his own pace." "Then shake him up a little, maybe turn him on…" "Don't worry, we're getting along well. I definitely don't like swaggering types who try to put their hands all over me. Noam is a great guy, serious, cultured and well-mannered, exactly the type for which I have been looking for a long time." "Well," said Miriam, "so we're progressing." "Definitely," answered Ayalah. "What do we have on the program for tomorrow?" asked Miriam "I don't know." Ayalah said. "We'll talk about it with the guys. Good night."

*

The next day the boys asked the girls if they would be interested in cruising to the coral islands." "Absolutely, when does the boat leave?" Miriam and Ayalah asked almost simultaneously. "At 10 o'clock, as usual." "Well then, we must hurry and eat breakfast if we are going to make it there on time." "We'll have to rent diving equipment," said Noam "snorkels, masks, and rubber fins for our feet. Bathing suits I imagine everybody has." "Of course," replied the girls. When they finished breakfast and changed into their bathing suits, they went to the pier and rented diving equipment from a local merchant. They waited along with many other tourists for the boat to arrive. Soon the boat appeared and everyone got on. After an hour of pleasant sailing, the boat anchored at a small port on the island. The tourists were received by a group of graceful female Thai dancers, who put wreaths on their necks which were made of fragrant white flowers. Later the local guide led the guests to the site of the corals reefs and warned them not to get too close to the coral, because some of it had needle-sharp protrusions. Soon our four young friends put on their diving equipment and entered the shallow water.

An enchanted world was revealed to their eyes, a world they had never seen before, neither in Eilat, nor in Sinai, or nor anywhere else. Coral and other sea plants in thousand of shapes and variations. There were shells, oysters, slugs, and snails. They saw fish-eating creatures that looked like flowers, which opened and closed their saw-toothed "petals", resting there in the crystal-clear water. Fish and small fry in all shapes and colors, which could be conjured up only in fantasies, crisscrossed among them. A world of silence, magic and wonder enveloped them. Now and then the "Chevreh" had to rise to the surface in order to fill their lungs with fresh air, and then they dove down again. They were so spellbound that they didn't want to leave the site, even after many hours. But finally, towards 3 o'clock in the afternoon, they had to take their leave of the island and return to Phuket. On the way, Noam told them a story about pearl hunters who could stay underwater in the deep sea for a quarter of an hour, or sometimes even more, to search for oysters which bore pearls inside them. "They cultivate this skill from an early age and develop strong lungs. It is a dangerous work in every aspect," said Noam. "Once I read a song of their hazardous life, which in free translation sounds like this:


The pearl hunters

The pearl, the precious pearl, lies down in the bottom of the sea
There dive the pearl hunters
They never know if they will surface again
They endanger their lives when they're not careful enough
Their livelihood depends on finding pearls, and if they die
There will be no grave to visit in the depths of the sea
Only grief and mourning for their families
************** The sea has taken them forever ************

"What a sad, moving song it is," remarked Ayalah. "Many people don't know where pearls come from, I mean genuine pearls." "You know, genuine pearls are so precious," said Miriam. "One must be well aware of imitations, because they look almost the same." "Therefore, Noam," said Micah, "you must take that into consideration when you buy a pearl necklace for Ayalah…" "And you, Micah," countered Noam, "must take into account, when you buy a diamond ring for Miriam, the fact that there are imitation diamonds as well." As they neared the port of Phuket, Ayalah said teasingly, "Well, after you've bought us real pearls and diamonds, come, shall we go eat some genuine Thai food…?" "We have no problem with that!" replied the boys. They went to their favorite restaurant to enjoy a leisurely meal. "Tell me, Ayalah, don't you miss your mother's cooking?" asked Noam. "Yes I do, but we won't die of starvation here." "No, we won't; on the contrary, I think it's more likely that we will gain a lot of weight," commented Micah.

In the evening they had a pleasant surprise; a group of actors and singers arrived in Phuket and performed a full international program in the hotel's theater hall. Of course the Chevreh came to attend the performance. The program was announced in several languages; English, French, German, Swedish and, to their utter surprise, even in Hebrew. The Hebrew announcer said, "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Ehud Shamiri. I come here every year, because I simply fell in love with this place - the landscape, the ambience and the wonderful people of Thailand. So, in order to keep busy, I started doing various things for this hotel. One of my jobs is to serve as an announcer in Hebrew for our kind visitors from Israel. This evening we shall see many types of dancing, and we shall listen to famous singers displaying their international repertoires. We shall see an impressive show of Thai artists, who'll present various aspects of their folklore, and enjoy the performance of the 'Blues Brothers' who seemingly have no bones in their body. Finally, a pair of performers will appear who, for some reason, call themselves 'Romeo and Juliet'. They'll perform a rather provocative striptease scene. I'm more than confident that, after seeing them, no one will need to take 'Viagra' … I wish you enormous enjoyment and hope to see you again in Israel." When the show ended, the Chevreh came out the theater happy and sexually stimulated. Then they headed to their rooms.

*

When the girls got to their room, it was already half past midnight. Combing her hair in front of the mirror, Miriam said, "I'm going to visit Micah; I don't know when I'll be back." "Hmmm, it seems that those strippers have influenced you a lot" said Ayalah. "Perhaps," Miriam shrugged. "Anyway, don't worry about me." "And what about Noam?" Ayalah asked. "Where is he going to sleep?" "Oh, I'm sure that something can be arranged," her friend replied, turning away from the mirror. "Maybe you could come up with a solution…?" "Okay, then go, and have a good time." "Thank you," said Miriam. She took some clothes with her in a bag and left the room.

Ayalah got ready for bed and she was almost asleep when, a quarter of an hour later there was a knock on the door. "Who's that?" she asked. "It is me," she heard Noam's voice. She got up and opened the door. Noam was standing outside with a bag in his hand. "What happened, Noam?" "Nothing special, except that I got an evacuation order from my roommate. He had an urgent request to absorb an Israeli refugee." "This refugee wouldn't happen to be named Miriam, by any chance…?" "Could be," he shrugged with an innocent face, "it's a strong possibility. But now I myself have become a refugee." "Oy, poor man," she said, caressing his face, "Don't you fret, I'll give you political asylum, warm relations and all your rights will be safeguarded. But first you must take that pitiful expression off your face." He entered the room and Ayalah helped him take off his coat. "Make yourself comfortable," she said. "I hope I'm not bothering you too much," said Noam as he settled himself opposite her in a bamboo armchair.
"For heaven's sake, of course not,' she said "Just tell me where you want to sleep? In Miriam's bed, or incidentally, strictly incidentally, there's a place near me…" Noam did eeny, meeny, miney, mo on his fingers and said "Look, it fell incidentally, strictly incidentally, on the place near you…" Both of them burst into laughter, which rang through the room. Then Ayalah hugged him and passionately kissed him. "Come, my poor refugee, we shall do just fine in my bed," she said, and, giving him another kiss, pulled him down to her.

What happened between the lovers after that can be trusted to the imagination of the readers. When they woke up the next morning, they were late for breakfast. "Don't worry," said Ayalah, "We shall have a better appetite for dinner breakfast. Let's stay in bed and you can tell me all about what you plan to do once you get back home." "That's a million-dollar question. I think the first thing I'll do to inform my folks that I have found a wonderful girl from Arad. I will tell them I had to chase after her to the other end of the world." "Yes," said Ayalah, "and what will you do next?" "The second thing will be to ask for her hand in marriage. If she accepts, I'll make her my wife. And what will you do when you get home?" "The truth is," answered Ayalah "I don't know yet. But I think if you ask for my hand, I'll say yes." "Oh, my love," he murmured as he embraced her and kissed her deeply, "I had to fly thousand miles to find you and to think that I ever hesitated whether or not to travel." Ayalah answered, "Well, you said you wanted romance, now you have it in abundance. What I really want to do is return home right away and stand with you under the chupa. How many days of the vacation do we still have left?" "What day is today?" asked Noam and looked at his watch. "Today is the 23rd of December. We only arrived a week ago, but it seems a lot longer. In any case, we have still another week before we can have our honeymoon." "That's right," said Ayalah "we're almost like a married couple." "What about Micah and Miriam?" asked Noam. "I don't exactly know what is happening between them, I guess they're happy together as well, maybe we shall have a double marriage." "Inshallah," (Arabic) replied Noam, "two for the price of one." The loving pigeons stayed in bed for a while longer, weaving future plans. Towards noon they got up, washed themselves, got dressed and went down to meet their friends.

They met Miriam and Micah at the entrance to the dining room. "I guess you two have not had your breakfast either," said Miriam, "so let's go get something to eat. I am simply starving." "Why, wasn't Micah tasty enough for you…?" Noam asked innocently. Miriam grinned appreciatively. "He was as tasty for me as was Ayalah for you…" "Then perhaps we don't need to eat dinner?" continued Noam. "Don't worry" responded Micah "There's always room for more." The two couples went to have dinner again in their favorite restaurant. They sat down at the table and looked at one another with sidelong glances, as if to say, "Well, how did you enjoy your night?" But there was no need for any spoken words, because they knew in their hearts what happens between lovers in bed…

*

The next day, Micah came up with the idea to go to Bangkok. "Let's take this opportunity to go there, who knows when we'll have another chance? We can get a reduced price for the flight to and from Bangkok and of course we will have to pay the expenses, but it is worthwhile to consider." "It's a great idea," they all agreed. Miriam said decisively, "Let's do it. You're right - who knows when we shall visit Thailand again?" "Then it's settled," said Micah. "I shall see if there're still places for tomorrow's flight to Bangkok." On the following day they flew to Bangkok on the same plane that had ferried a new group of tourists to the hotel. The Chevreh were excited about the new adventures that they were sure would unfold.
When they landed at the crowded airport of Bangkok, they instantly felt the heavy, stuffy air of the humid Thai capital. As they had decided previously, they went directly to the centre of the city where the tourist buses were stationed. From there, they took a bus for a sightseeing trip which went all through the capital. As usual, they received a detailed explanation in English of the sites they saw. Bangkok was bedlam on wheels. The bus 'fought' its way through a multitude of cars, motorcycles, three-wheel taxis, which had replaced human-drawn rickshaws. Their ears were deafened by the noise and the constant honking of many automobiles. The Thai capital was a meeting point between the old and the new: the ancient, traditional shrines, pagodas, and Buddhist temples that were thousands of years old and the modern, western-styled civilization. Contemporary skyscrapers and sophisticated shopping centers could be found in close proximity to ancient monuments of Thai culture. The population of Bangkok, they heard on the bus's communication system, exceeded 9 million inhabitants. So, they mused, Tel Aviv is a very small town in comparision with Bangkok...
Finishing their tour around the huge city, they repaired to one of the many restaurants in Bangkok's Chinatown. There they ate a very delicious meal, which was, for them, full of extraordinary new tastes. "I've already developed an international stomach," declared Noam. "Upon returning home I shall buy a large bottle of hot chili peppers and plenty of hot sauce." "For all that, I do like Chinese food," said Miriam, "they sell it in Beer Sheva too." They looked around at the neighboring tables, seeing people eating shrimp, oysters, crabs and other seafood. "You know I heard rumors," said Micah "that Thai people eat snails, snakes and even dogs and cats." "Will you stop it!" protested Ayalah. "Don't spoil the little appetite I still have left." "What do you say about staying here for the night," offered Noam. "There're many beautiful attractions at night: sailing on the river, with supper included in the cruise, visiting the floating flower market and the like." "We can even visit a night club…" added Micah innocently. "And where shall we sleep?" asked Ayalah. "In a hotel somewhere…" replied Noam "I heard the prices are very low." "You're going to return to Israel on your last penny, you know that?" remarked Miriam. "We only live once," said Micah, "who knows when we'll come to Thailand again." "Before we came, Noam had planned to rob a bank to cover his journey to Brazil," Micah told the amused Chevreh, "but I dissuaded him from doing so, reasoning he couldn't find his heart's desire inside prison walls." "Never in my dreams would I imagine he could be capable of doing something like that," noted Ayalah.
Finally, the Chevreh decided to stay in Bangkok for the night. They bought tickets for the cruise along the Bangkok River at night, where they would see golden-roofed shrines, palaces and pagodas along the riverbank, lit by powerful projectors. They would also visit the floating food and flower market. Since it was so late when they returned from the sailing excursion, they gave up on the idea of visiting a night club. They spent the night at a medium-rate hotel which was frequently patronized by Israelis. The next day, they returned to Phuket.

*

In the following days, our couples engaged in sporting activities, like riding horses, camels, and elephants, swimming in the sea, playing tennis on the beach and hiking around. They also visited the local market of Phuket, where they enjoyed the plentiful display of merchandise at especially cheap prices, such as oriental works of art, and colorful clothing, much of which was made of pure silk. Noam and Micah bought the girls beautiful silk dresses, fans decorated with artistic drawings, cosmetics and a special face cream. On the jar's label was written, 'This ointment will keep your face looking young forever'. They let the boys smell the cream; it had a really pleasant fragrance. Among the other things which were displayed there were all kinds of local "fast-foods", but the Chevreh didn't touch them.

In the evenings, they saw movies in the hotel's theater, or watched the local T.V. programs or the B.B.C. They learned what was going on in Israel during their absence. "It's not the end of the world if, for a couple of days, we don't watch all the mess that happens at home;" said Noam. "Somebody resigned from his post, another one has been sacked, still another one has gotten divorced; Arab terrorists fired rockets on Sderot again. And there were cases of embezzlement, frauds, intrigues, sex scandals, acts of villainy, rapes, pedophiles which were caught, etc. etc. in short, business as usual. When we return, we shall continue where we left off." At night, the two couples continued practicing the sport of love…


Chapter four

On Sunday morning, the 26th of December, Ayalah woke up to queer, sinister noises coming from outside. Suddenly she saw water seeping into the room from under the balcony door. She looked at Noam who was sleeping deeply beside her, and then she rose from the bed, put on her robe and slid open the glass door of the balcony. A surrealistic scene of turbid sea waters, raging and fuming, revealed itself before her frightened eyes. The level of the water almost reached the veranda, which was on the second floor. Suddenly she heard cries; Help! Help! They came from a little girl being dragged along by the current. The girl extended her hand to Ayalah and she bent down to catch it, but at that very moment a giant wave took the child and flung her away from Ayalah, deeper into the stormy waters. Another furious wave tore Ayala herself down from the balcony and flung her into the raging torrent.

A moment later, Noam woke up and looked around him in terror. He didn't know whether he was awake or just having a dreadful nightmare. The room had already been inundated with half a meter of water from the open glass door. He leaped out of bed, looking for Ayalah. He waded from room to room shouting her name, but he couldn't see her anywhere. He splashed out to the veranda and saw the sea before him raging in enormous waves. He saw a drainpipe next to the balcony's rail and began climbing up it to the upper floors. On the floor above, he met shocked and panic-stricken people who watched what was going on below; the waves carried wooden logs, planks, boards, parts of furniture, tree branches, cars, and numerous carcasses of humans and animals, which floated on the water.

The water level rose constantly and all the inhabitants of the hotel in the lower rooms had to climb up to the higher floors. Noam reached his room on the fifth floor still looking for the others. He entered the room in his wet pajamas, panting heavily of fear. Miriam and Micah received him with hugs and kisses. The first question they asked was, "Where's Ayalah?" "I don't know! I don't know!" he cried frantically. "I have been looking for her everywhere. She has simply disappeared. Maybe she fell into the flood." "Oh, Almighty God," cried out Miriam as if she'd gone insane. She tore her hair and broke into hysterics. "Go and find her! Ah, the poor girl, where is she? Where is she?"

All of them went to the window and saw with horror that the water level had already reached the third floor. All around the hotel, the rising waves were surging with threatening new power. Not one of them knew what had happened. Why had gates of hell broken open on them with such intensity? Downstairs reigned an utter chaos. Everything was being carried away into the furious waves. In the hotel itself, the electricity and the telephones were cut off. Suddenly the entire building shook and swung. "I think we'll have to get out of here before the building collapses on us," warned Micah.

*


At the same moment that Noam, Micah and Miriam were tossed about by the shaking hotel building, Ayalah found herself struggling for her life with all her strength in the mighty waves, which threatened to swallow her and push her down to the depths. She clung desperately to every object she could grab hold of, every log, tree branch or piece of jetsam floating by her in the water, but the current was so strong that she couldn't prevent herself from being swept a long distance away, maybe miles, from the hotel. Finally as she was being carried past a small island, she fought to drag herself up onto its shore. She was bruised all over her body and her clothes were torn to pieces. She looked around in hopes of finding a living soul, but she saw nothing aside from floating debris and human corpses; there was nobody to help her. Making a last effort, she climbed on a tree protruding from the water. Even from the top of the tree she couldn't see anybody who might come to help her. She spent that day and night clinging to the branches of the tree, shaking from cold and terror. Her heart was filled with despair. She thought about her friends and wondered what fate had decreed for them.


In the hotel, more and more people climbed up to the upper floors. Then they heard, for the first time, from a local Thai worker the word 'Tsunami'. One of the guests had at his disposal a portable radio that miraculously had not been soaked with water and still functioned. The man told them he had heard a broadcast from a Bangkok radio station that there has been an immense earthquake in the Andaman Sea, some 300 miles west of Phuket and all the region had been flooded by huge waves which destroyed everything in their path. Whole areas along the sea shore were completely destroyed by the earthquake and the subsequent floods. Everyone feared that the hotel's building might collapse and wanted to abandon it, but when they saw the waves pounding outside, they came to the conclusion there was nowhere to which they could escape. But nothing scared our young people, Micah, Miriam and Noam, more than the disappearance of Ayalah. They ascended to the top of the building and looked all around the horizon, but saw no sign of her. The view from the roof was terrible; nothing remained. The waves inundated the area and the muddy waters dragged along everything in their path.

Only after three days, when the waves had somewhat subsided, did the people who were gathered on the top floor of the hotel hear the roar of engines in the distance. A little later, they saw big helicopters of the Thai Army hovering over them. One of the copters prepared to land on the roof. The hotel's guests greeted them with great happiness. One after another, the helicopters landed and took the survivors to safety and flew them far away, deep into Thailand's inland. As they flew, the soldiers gave them food and warm blankets. A team of professional medics tended to their wounds and alleviated their discomforts. From the windows of the copter they could see vast areas flooded by the tsunami waves. They came to realize the futility of man in his fight against the immense power of nature. Two hours later the helicopters landed in a camp near Bangkok, and the survivors were put into makeshift tent units. There they received further first aid and their first hot meal in many days.

*


Ayalah remained on the top of the tree, surrounded by the mighty waves for three days and three nights. Hunger tormented her and she trembled from the cold at night. She watched the sea and the sky, searching for any sign of life. "Why on earth? Why did I have to come to this cursed land?" she cried bitterly, and hoped in her heart that at least her friends were alive. "You're a strong young girl," she encouraged herself, "you must hold on and survive. Help will come sooner or later and all will be good." She tried not to lose her sanity.

*

In the survivors' camp the Chevreh slowly recovered from shock caused by the disaster. They received clothes from the Red Cross, ate and drank, and also succeeded in sleeping a bit. Every time they woke up their first thought was about Ayalah. They went to the Red Cross workers and offered to help search for her. They expressed their willingness to join a helicopter crew on a search and rescue operation. The workers promised to contact the military commander in charge of the SAR unit and talk with him about it. Noam, Micah and Miriam even spoke directly with the commander in English and begged him to let them join the rescue operations. The commander rejected their request gently but firmly: "I am sorry, but no unauthorized civilian personnel can board a military vehicle. However, we shall do everything humanly possible to find her."


The Chevreh gave the helicopter search team a detailed description of Ayalah, emphasizing that she must be in the vicinity of the hotel. Shortly after they spoke with the team, the copter's unit made a comprehensive survey flight, searching for survivors in the area. Two hours later, Ayalah saw a helicopter flying in the area around the island. She waved her arms desperately until the co-pilot detected her. The copter flew low above the small island and approached the tree that Ayalah was clinging to. A crew member descended to her on a rope ladder. He fastened her to his harness, and then signaled the pilot to lift them up to the copter. The wash from the rotors was very strong, and made the ladder swing wildly in a wide arc but in a short while they were pulled to safety onto the copter's deck. "Oy, I'm alive!" she cried "I'm alive!" The copter's team gave her a warm blanket and medical attention.

It is hard to describe how enthusiastically she was greeted with hugs and kisses by her friends. Noam and Ayalah fell into each other's arms. "Oy, my love," he said "how we hoped, how we prayed for your well being, for your safe return. You're the gift of my life." "We shall send a telegram to our families," said Micah, "telling them we're safe and sound and they should not be worried about us." Ayalah was totally fatigued and almost fainted from weakness. She was bruised and bleeding from wounds she received from objects she had collided with while fighting the violent waves. At the camp, she received new clothing and her wounds treated, but she was pale and very weak for a couple of days. She could hardly speak, only making gestures with her hand.

On the large notice board at the entrance to the refugee camp, the number of rescued survivors was constantly rising from hour to hour. The names of the camp's inhabitants appeared, as well as those who were still missing. The true scale of the tsunami disaster began slowly, slowly to reach their ears, at the same time as the rest of the whole world. But nobody had any idea until now how many people were dead and how many injured, or simply disappeared. The number of victims rose from time to time. At the beginning they talked of thousands, then about tens of thousands and then about hundreds of thousands. The calamity was so big they compared it to a natural holocaust.

A couple of days later, an Israeli medical team arrived with advanced medical equipment, food supplies and clothes. They gave medical assistance and distributed the supplies, but mainly they rendered encouragement and consolation to the Israeli nationals there. The delegation members made a list of the Israeli survivors in the camp and cared personally for each one. The Chevreh of course didn't fly back to Israel on the date they had originally been scheduled to, but El Al agreed to fly back all the Israeli survivors without regard to their flight date. The true scale of the tsunami disaster the Chevreh only saw on television when they got back home. Only then did they realize how lucky they were to have survived.

*

Upon returning home to Israel, at Ben Gurion airport, the four young people were received with an outpouring of warm feelings, blessings, kisses and hugs by their families. Their relatives had heard and seen through the media the appalling news and the shocking descriptions of the disaster. They were panic-stricken about the fate of their children, till they received the happy news of their well being and imminent homecoming. It took three weeks till Ayalah was fully recovered. She told her parents and friends who gathered at their home the following story:

"When my travel agent in Arad told me I could ride on a Dragon's back in Thailand, I regarded it as a joke. I thought it was meant to describe the way the local people celebrate their holidays. But I rode on a much more dangerous and frightening Dragon; the Dragon of the Sea. He wanted to overpower me, to draw me to the bottom of the sea. But I fought him with all my might and I overcame and defeated him. What I went through I shall never forget. When I was there on the tiny island near Phuket, clinging to a tree between the sea and the sky, I didn't know what had happened. Why suddenly, out of the blue, had all hell had broken loose on us? I was sure the end of the world was near. Now that I'm with you again, I hope I shall overcome this trauma. What will heal me is to marry my heart's desire, Noam. He's a wonderful man, loving and devoted, with whom I fell in love at first sight." Noam almost broke into tears when he heard Ayalah's emotional words. "Yes, my love. We'll marry and have the most beautiful wedding in town." He drew her into his arms her and kissed her deeply.

All the belongings of the two girls had been lost in the Tsunami, including their passports, identification papers, money, etc. "Do you know what I miss the most?" complained Ayalah "the beautiful fan and silk dress which Noam bought me at the Fair in Phuket." "What are you saying, to hell with your life, what's important is the fan and the dress…?" joked Micah. "Sometimes small things make one's life worthwhile," philosophized Ayalah. "Well, Noam will buy you a more beautiful dress and a fancier fan when you go on your honeymoon to Brazil. When are you going there, Noam?" Micah provoked him. "I wish it could be tomorrow morning, but it'll take a good while till we recover from the vicissitudes of the tsunami. But I shall not give up the idea of visiting Brazil." "And the Brazilian girls…" added Micah. "Just leave them," said Noam. "Ayalah is ten times as beautiful as they are," he said and gave his future wife a smacking kiss. "But I hope he will not take me near the sea again, because now I'm scared," protested Ayalah. "Then I suggest," said Micah "that you take her to the 'Iguaçu' falls. More water falls there in a second than in the Jordan River in the course of a year." "Well, after the tsunami, that will be more than enough water for me!" she responded.

"Chevreh, Chevreh," sighed Ayalah "it's so good to laugh about these things now. On that lonely island, when I was hanging between the sea and the sky, I was in no mood for laughter. Then I thought my life was surely going to end. Before that I had a theological debate with Miriam about God's hand and the hand of Destiny intervening in a person's fate. Why does God let so many people die? Is there any reason? Why? What are they guilty of? What crimes have they committed? I don't know, I'm confused. I've lost faith in everything." Everyone went to console her and her mother hugged her. "You don't have any reason to despair. We all love you. You'll see, everything will be all right."

Indeed, a month later Ayalah and Noam married in a beautiful marriage ceremony. Micah and Miriam were married at the same time. Their happiness was doubled. Aside from the families of the brides and the bridegrooms, all their friends from work as well as the management of the Air Force Industry in Beer Sheva took part in the party. "Baruch Hashem, (With God's blessing) it ended so happily, because it could have been an awful tragedy.


The end

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