Before you arrive… Drylands, Deserts & Desertification 2012 November 12-15, 2012 Sede Boqer Campus, Israel GENERAL INFORMATION Weather: It’s the end of autumn, beginning of winter in Israel in November. When you arrive in Tel Aviv, it may be anything from warm to cold and rainy. Wear clothing that you can use to layer. Sde Boqer is part of the Negev desert, and will be cool in the mornings, warm during the day and rather cold at night (0°C-5°C), so you will want to consider that when packing for the trip and dressing in the morning. Packing List: It is planned to have several outdoor activities during the conference (surprise…). Therefore, please be sure to pack a pair of decent walking shoes, a swimming suit, a hat and warm cloths. Bring, rent or buy a cell phone. Cell phones are very important in Israel, as landlines are by far less common. Cell phones will also make it easier to coordinate with the other people at the conference and to reach someone if anything changes or goes wrong in your plans. Weekend in Israel is: Fri-Sat….. If you arrive on Friday/ early Saturday, we suggest spending the night in Tel-Aviv or near the airport, joining the conference day trip to Jerusalem on Sunday, Nov. 11, which continues to the conference venues in the afternoon. If you need help finding a room, please contact the organizers well in advance. If you plan on spending the weekend in any of the conference venues, please make sure to order food in advance, as almost everything will be closed, and there will be no food to buy. Please further note that there is no public transportation during the weekend (except pre-arranged taxis). There are also no taxis available at any of the conference venues… Health issues and Medical Insurance: It is extremely important to have medical insurance, as health costs are very high for tourists. There are limited medical facilities around the conference venues, therefore if you need medications or special care, please arrange it well in advance. GENERAL TIMELINE Event Location Dates Pre-conference tour Jerusalem Nov. 11 Lecture Days Sede Boqer campus Nov. 12, 13, 15 Excursion Day Sede Boqer campus Nov. 14 Post–conference tour The Dead Sea and Jerusalem Nov. 16-19 TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION International Arrival: The nearest airport is Ben-Gurion Airport (near Tel-Aviv, and coded TLV) in Israel. The airport is situated about 2 hours drive north of the Sede Boqer campus. 1 There is only one international terminal (terminal 3). Our meeting point (for those arriving on Sunday, Nov. 11, see below) will be near the café on the right hand side of the exit (inside the terminal), adjacent to the Steimatsky Book store, where you will be met by a conference representative (having a “DDD 2012” or “SMILE” sign). Some general tips for international arrivals: . If you are flying El Al to Israel, be prepared for a great deal of additional security from the airline employees, and occasionally to have to submit to a search of your belongings. Be sure to arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare and a letter of invitation to the conference. Make sure you have all your paperwork lined up before you prepare to pass through customs. In contrast to its reputation, Israel is actually a safe country, but that’s because Israelis take national security very seriously; please answer all the officials’ questions honestly and concisely. Make sure that they are aware that you are traveling to meet a group and are participating in a conference at Ben Gurion University. If you encounter any trouble from Israeli immigration or security forces, please have them call one of the meeting coordinators (see numbers at the end of this document) VISA REQUIREMENTS Please remember that all visitors to Israel must hold a passport that is valid for at least six months from the date they enter the country. People with no nationality must hold a valid laissez passer, as well as a visa back to the country that issued it. Israel has agreements for the abolition of visa requirements with over 60 countries. For all other countries, a VISITOR'S VISA should be pre-arranged to enter Israel (it cannot be provided upon entry). All participants are responsible for making their own visa arrangements. The meeting organizers have provided an official letter confirming your attendance at the meeting to assist in the process of obtaining a Visa, provided that you have fully registered (including payment). If you have not received such a letter, please contact the organizers ASAP. INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS – TRAVEL OPTIONS Those arriving on or before Nov. 10: you can join any one of the conference buses going to the conference venue on Sunday, Nov. 11 (see details below). Please advise the conference organizers of your plans, and we will help you coordinate them with us. A certain number of rooms have been reserved at the Neve-Shalom hotel, near the airport (15 minutes drive) at 65$ per night for a double room. The pre-conference Jerusalem tour bus will stop there to take participants along. Those arriving in the early hours (2-4 am) on Sunday, Nov. 11 : please note that check-in time to your conference lodging rooms is 2 pm. Therefore, it is of no use to bring you over to your conference lodging areas before this time. Accordingly, you may want to consider one of the following options: o we have reserved some rooms for you at the Neve Shalom hotel, adjacent to the airport, en route to Jerusalem, if you want them. Rooms range at 50$ per 2 person in a 3/4-person room, 65$ per person in a double room, and 10$ for breakfast only. o Alternatively, you can also rest in the lobby, free of charge, Then you may want to join one of the conference buses: a) the pre-conference tour to Jerusalem, leaving the hotel at 9:30, picking up other participants at the airport, and then leaving the airport at 10:15 am on Sunday, eventually arriving at the conference venue in the evening, OR- b) a later conference bus leaving the hotel at 12:00 pm, picking people up from the airport at 12:30 pm and continuing straight to the conference venues. We need to know this in advance. At any case, a conference representative (having a “DDD 2012” or “SMILE” sign) will meet you by the exit (inside the terminal, see above) and direct you to a coach leaving the airport for the Neve Shalom hotel at 3:30 am. Those arriving by 10:00 am on Sunday, Nov. 11 (joining the pre-conference tour) – A conference representative (having a “DDD 2012” or “SMILE” sign) will meet you by the exit (inside the terminal, see above) and direct you to a coach leaving at 10:15 am. If you do not want to join the tour, you can wait at the airport for the next bus leaving at 12:30 pm. Those arriving between 10 am and 11:30 pm on Sunday, Nov. 11 – Conference rides* from the airport will be available, free of charge**, at the following times on Sunday, Nov. 11 : *either taxis, buses or minibuses; ** the Jerusalem day trip costs 50 US$ 3:30 am (to a nearby facility in Neve Shalom for some rest, joining the pre- conference tour to Jerusalem and arriving at Sde-Boqer in the evening OR the 12:00 pm bus leaving the airport at 12:30, see below) 10:15 am (this is the bus for the pre-conference tour to Jerusalem and arriving at Sde-Boqer in the evening). 12:30 pm (picking people at Neve Shalom at 12:00 pm, from airport at 12:30 and then directly to Sde-Boqer, arriving at about 2:30 pm) 2:30 pm (directly to Sde-Boqer, arriving at about 4:30 pm)- taxi 4:00 pm (directly to Sde-Boqer, arriving at about 6:00 pm)- taxi 6:00 pm (directly to Sde-Boqer, arriving at about 8:00 pm)- taxi 7:00 pm (directly to Sde-Boqer, arriving at about 9:00 pm)- taxi 8:45 pm (directly to Sde-Boqer, arriving at about 10:45 pm) taxi, and 11:40pm (directly to Sde-Boqer, arriving at about 01:40 am) taxi The conference coaches will drop you off at the different conference venues (those staying at the Ramon Inn may need to change buses in Sede Boqer, and possibly wait a while). Please reserve a seat in advance online at the following link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFpnV1VzX2h1REJFR0dIRE5UT DlxWVE6MQ If these times are not suitable to you, or if you intend to arrive independently, please also let the organizing team know well ahead of time. 3 Those arriving after 11:30 pm on Sunday, Nov. 11 – from the airport you can take a taxi direct to the Midreshet Ben Gurion Campus (2 hours, $150) or a train to Tel Aviv central station ($5, 10 minutes) and from there a bus or train to Beer Sheva (1.5-2 hours $10) and then bus number 60 to Midreshet Ben Gurion Campus (one hour, $5)- please see more detailed information further below, under “transportation”. Please let us know if you want assistance in ordering a taxi for you. See below regarding info on prices. CONFERENCES BUSES FROM TEL-AVIV From Tel-Aviv Merkaz at 9:30 am on Sunday, Nov. 11, to airport and Jerusalem day trip, arriving at Sde Boqer at about 7 pm.