Travelfood

It was easy to arrive in Israel, but the departure was difficult. The domestic flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat caused a 3-hour interrogation, the domestic flight from Eilat to Tel Aviv caused another 3-hour interrogation and arriving in Tel Aviv the transfer to the international flight caused another 3-hour interrogation. Every time it all started with simple questions which lead to the official asking from his superior a permission to interrogate more. I have no idea what triggered this process every single time, so I have to assume that it happens automatically every time they encounter a foreign man travelling alone. However interesting Israel might be, I feel that this treatment is always the first thing that jumps into my mind when remembering my trip to Israel.

Of course it is important to deal with security issues and everyone has the right to deal with it the way they consider it best. I still think that the Israeli way of handling security disencourage travelers like myself to go there and these processes need to be considered when you decide whether you want to go there or not. Jerusalem, which is a beautiful and special city with all its religious groups with own city parts, is also full of armed soldiers.

Eilat is situated by the Red Sea and is a travel destination bathing in sun, attracting divers and excursionists going to Petra on the Jordanian side. There are no cultural or historical sights in Eilat, though. I arrived on a Friday which is Sabbath for Jews, and nothing was open and nothing seemed to work. There is one interesting speciality in Eilat: the airport is situated in the middle of the surrounding city!

If you travel to Israel, you might also be interested in tasting Jewish kosher food. That was difficult to find, at least in Eilat, where it is much easier to find international or Arabic food, which you find in your home country as well. There was some tasting of schwarma-mutton in pita bread, falafel and hummus. It is easier to find kosher food in New York street kitchens than in Israel. Fortunately I was served something in the airplane that was labeled with a kosher sticker. It turned out to be chicken mash formed into a cutlet and breaded.

This trip of mine was in 2008 and it is possible that the travel processes have changed since then.

Asia, food, Israel, travel, travel experiences