Bolivia: Copacabana, Isla del Sol, Sorata, La Paz, Corroico, Salar de Ayuni
Between 30.09.07-22.10.07
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Bolivia: Copacabana, Isla del Sol, Sorata, La Paz, Corroico, Salar de Ayuni
Bolivia: Copacabana, Isla del Sol, Sorata, La Paz, Corroico, Salar de Ayuni
Between 30.09.07-22.10.07
Sunday, November 4, 2007
The Israeli question of WHY?
The Israeli question of WHY?
Since arriving to Peru in South America I received an enormous amount of questions about Israelis. I guess the fact that I do not travel with Israelis and do not stay at the same places as them makes me a bit different and more accessible to other travellers, who ask a whole range of different kinds of questions about my people and their culture and behaviour. I thought that it would be a good idea from now on to refer future questions to this post in order to save me time to talk about other interesting issues, or as my partner´s father often says when asked repeated questions: ´Please read my book... ´ I will say from now on ´Please read my Blog...´
´Why Israelis travel?´
The first and most common question is why so many Israelis travel? The answer to that is very simple. After finishing a service of 3/2 (males/females) years in the Israeli army many feel that they need to blow off some steam. Living in Israel is great and the country offers a lot of different experiences in a very concentrated area. But Israel can often be a very stressful place to live. When u have our Palestinians neighbours exploding in the streets now and then, when u have a war every five years or a special operation in the occupied territories every 4-6 months, what else can u do except travel? Getting out from the presure cooker, having new experiences, adventures, and having some time to relax and reflect is the main reason for Israelis´ travels.
´Why are Israelis rude?´
The political and security situation in Israel brings us to the next regularly asked question: ´Why are they rude? ´ I mean it seems to be a kind of contradiction to what they want to achive - ´relaxation´. But actually, its not a contradiction. We, Israelis, live in a constant war. We call it the war against terror. But it is actually a war against the Palestinians. When u r constantly in a war situation u do not have time for small talk. U need to be very very efficent in trying to get what u want. So conversations in Israel are often very direct. This has advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage from my perspective is that u can get into the most deep and interesting conversations that u ever imagined with people that u met five minutes ago, where they expose their feelings, thoughts and any other issue that is on their minds. But sometimes u really don´t have much time or u r not interested in listening to the whole history of someone that u barely know. While travelling Israelis use these same methods of direct comunication with most people that they meet. This often leads to misunderstandings, where Israelis are often seen as impatient or very demanding.
`Why do Israelis want to pay low prices?`
Israelis often appear to be demanding in connection with them trying to get a low price or the best deal. The answer to this question is divided into two. First, Israelis want to pay less because the Israeli currency is very low compared to the American dollar. As they often want to travel for long periods of time (6 to 24 months) they are trying as hard as they can to save their money and make it last as long as possible.
And why do they want to get the best deal? In the Israeli culture u can´t be the one that is losing, u can´t be what we call in Hebrew ´Frayer´ - sucker. U always have to try and find the best product/service at the best price. So when when Israelis travel they often try and save money while getting the best product. Obviously trying to get the best product at the cheapest pric is a contradiction, but it doesn´t mean u can´t try and get it, because, after all, u don´t want to be the Frayer.
´Why are all Israelis from Tel Aviv?´
And here we come to the question of questions, why are all Israelis are from Tel Aviv when they travel? This question is mine. While travelling I have noticed that Israelis have a weak point about Tel Aviv.
First, I could not understand what happened? Hadera, Netanya, Rechovot is not good enough. Is it so bad being from Israel that u need to compensate youself in some way?: `I am from Israel BUT I am from TA so its not so bad´. I am not sure if I know the answer to this question but I can try and guess.
When I was sitting at a Rosh Hashana (the new Jewish year) meal in Chabad house in Peru I could not stop myself from eavesdropping on a conversation between an Israeli girl and an American girl. After tallking the same talk about the army and the Israeli traveller (which I heard so many times during this trip, that I really feel like I know it by heart), the American girl asked:
`So where are u from in Israel?`
The Israli girl answered: `Tel Aviv`. Without a blink.
I thought - that´s excellent to have someone from my city sitting next to me. So later I asked the Israeli girl:
`So where r u from in Tel Aviv?`
Israeli girl: `I was living the last three months in Nachalat Itschak (north west part of TA)`
Me: `So where r u from?`
Israeli girl: `I`m from Petach Tikva`
I was shocked...
Me: `So why did u say TA?`
Israeli girl: `U know how it is... they don´t know Israel so well... so I say TA.`
I was shocked again.
So let´s say that she is right and `They` don´t know where it is, it won´t make Israel more familiar for them if all that they know about is Tel Aviv. Israel has a lot to offer other than TA. I mean its one of the only countries that I know of that offers such an incredible variety in culture and scenery in such a small landscape, so its really short-selling the country to limit it to one city.
When I was thinking about the different experinces that I had while travelling suddently it all became clear. Often when I was asked by an Israeli where I was from and I answered TA, they did not believe me. Now I started to understand why: because so many others are claiming to be Tel Avivis when they are actually from every place other than TA. So often I was suspected as a pretender and I had to go through harsh questioning. I actually noticed this phenomenon while I was still in Israel. At the age of 15 my friends and I went to the Hebrew songs festival in Arad and when asked by some girls where r we from, we responded with the usual answer. They were amazed: `Tel Aviv...?!`
`Are you really?`
Yes I thought TA, we r not talking about Paris or New York, it´s only a city. But I was wrong. For many people in Israel TA is like Paris. Compared to their village TA has all the things that u want in a big city. A great open diverse culture. Amazing restaurants, excellent live music, theatre shows, ballet, an amazing beach, true 24 hour entertainment options and much more. All these I thought exist in every big city. I was wrong. In Melbourne everyone goes to bed at six in the afternoon. In Tokyo there is only karaoke. In Paris the streets are empty after 10 pm and in Delhi the only people that are awake after midnight are the beggars.
So yes, Tel Aviv is amazing. But other places in Israel offer even more. I now understand the enormous tourist potential that this country has to offer (For example, Jersusalem is the centre for three big religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Its a city with more then 3000 years of history, and unlike many other other historical sites around the world, this place is actually alive; when u enter inside its walls u can feel the vibe, it is pure magic) and I think we need to make the most of it before peace will come and we won´t have any room to move because of all the tourists...
If I can give one piece of advice to my Israeli friends, its to be proud of wherever in Israel we come from, as I am sure it is an interesting place and worth telling your co-travellers and friends about.
Love all, Eran.
Since arriving to Peru in South America I received an enormous amount of questions about Israelis. I guess the fact that I do not travel with Israelis and do not stay at the same places as them makes me a bit different and more accessible to other travellers, who ask a whole range of different kinds of questions about my people and their culture and behaviour. I thought that it would be a good idea from now on to refer future questions to this post in order to save me time to talk about other interesting issues, or as my partner´s father often says when asked repeated questions: ´Please read my book... ´ I will say from now on ´Please read my Blog...´
´Why Israelis travel?´
The first and most common question is why so many Israelis travel? The answer to that is very simple. After finishing a service of 3/2 (males/females) years in the Israeli army many feel that they need to blow off some steam. Living in Israel is great and the country offers a lot of different experiences in a very concentrated area. But Israel can often be a very stressful place to live. When u have our Palestinians neighbours exploding in the streets now and then, when u have a war every five years or a special operation in the occupied territories every 4-6 months, what else can u do except travel? Getting out from the presure cooker, having new experiences, adventures, and having some time to relax and reflect is the main reason for Israelis´ travels.
´Why are Israelis rude?´
The political and security situation in Israel brings us to the next regularly asked question: ´Why are they rude? ´ I mean it seems to be a kind of contradiction to what they want to achive - ´relaxation´. But actually, its not a contradiction. We, Israelis, live in a constant war. We call it the war against terror. But it is actually a war against the Palestinians. When u r constantly in a war situation u do not have time for small talk. U need to be very very efficent in trying to get what u want. So conversations in Israel are often very direct. This has advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage from my perspective is that u can get into the most deep and interesting conversations that u ever imagined with people that u met five minutes ago, where they expose their feelings, thoughts and any other issue that is on their minds. But sometimes u really don´t have much time or u r not interested in listening to the whole history of someone that u barely know. While travelling Israelis use these same methods of direct comunication with most people that they meet. This often leads to misunderstandings, where Israelis are often seen as impatient or very demanding.
`Why do Israelis want to pay low prices?`
Israelis often appear to be demanding in connection with them trying to get a low price or the best deal. The answer to this question is divided into two. First, Israelis want to pay less because the Israeli currency is very low compared to the American dollar. As they often want to travel for long periods of time (6 to 24 months) they are trying as hard as they can to save their money and make it last as long as possible.
And why do they want to get the best deal? In the Israeli culture u can´t be the one that is losing, u can´t be what we call in Hebrew ´Frayer´ - sucker. U always have to try and find the best product/service at the best price. So when when Israelis travel they often try and save money while getting the best product. Obviously trying to get the best product at the cheapest pric is a contradiction, but it doesn´t mean u can´t try and get it, because, after all, u don´t want to be the Frayer.
´Why are all Israelis from Tel Aviv?´
And here we come to the question of questions, why are all Israelis are from Tel Aviv when they travel? This question is mine. While travelling I have noticed that Israelis have a weak point about Tel Aviv.
First, I could not understand what happened? Hadera, Netanya, Rechovot is not good enough. Is it so bad being from Israel that u need to compensate youself in some way?: `I am from Israel BUT I am from TA so its not so bad´. I am not sure if I know the answer to this question but I can try and guess.
When I was sitting at a Rosh Hashana (the new Jewish year) meal in Chabad house in Peru I could not stop myself from eavesdropping on a conversation between an Israeli girl and an American girl. After tallking the same talk about the army and the Israeli traveller (which I heard so many times during this trip, that I really feel like I know it by heart), the American girl asked:
`So where are u from in Israel?`
The Israli girl answered: `Tel Aviv`. Without a blink.
I thought - that´s excellent to have someone from my city sitting next to me. So later I asked the Israeli girl:
`So where r u from in Tel Aviv?`
Israeli girl: `I was living the last three months in Nachalat Itschak (north west part of TA)`
Me: `So where r u from?`
Israeli girl: `I`m from Petach Tikva`
I was shocked...
Me: `So why did u say TA?`
Israeli girl: `U know how it is... they don´t know Israel so well... so I say TA.`
I was shocked again.
So let´s say that she is right and `They` don´t know where it is, it won´t make Israel more familiar for them if all that they know about is Tel Aviv. Israel has a lot to offer other than TA. I mean its one of the only countries that I know of that offers such an incredible variety in culture and scenery in such a small landscape, so its really short-selling the country to limit it to one city.
When I was thinking about the different experinces that I had while travelling suddently it all became clear. Often when I was asked by an Israeli where I was from and I answered TA, they did not believe me. Now I started to understand why: because so many others are claiming to be Tel Avivis when they are actually from every place other than TA. So often I was suspected as a pretender and I had to go through harsh questioning. I actually noticed this phenomenon while I was still in Israel. At the age of 15 my friends and I went to the Hebrew songs festival in Arad and when asked by some girls where r we from, we responded with the usual answer. They were amazed: `Tel Aviv...?!`
`Are you really?`
Yes I thought TA, we r not talking about Paris or New York, it´s only a city. But I was wrong. For many people in Israel TA is like Paris. Compared to their village TA has all the things that u want in a big city. A great open diverse culture. Amazing restaurants, excellent live music, theatre shows, ballet, an amazing beach, true 24 hour entertainment options and much more. All these I thought exist in every big city. I was wrong. In Melbourne everyone goes to bed at six in the afternoon. In Tokyo there is only karaoke. In Paris the streets are empty after 10 pm and in Delhi the only people that are awake after midnight are the beggars.
So yes, Tel Aviv is amazing. But other places in Israel offer even more. I now understand the enormous tourist potential that this country has to offer (For example, Jersusalem is the centre for three big religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Its a city with more then 3000 years of history, and unlike many other other historical sites around the world, this place is actually alive; when u enter inside its walls u can feel the vibe, it is pure magic) and I think we need to make the most of it before peace will come and we won´t have any room to move because of all the tourists...
If I can give one piece of advice to my Israeli friends, its to be proud of wherever in Israel we come from, as I am sure it is an interesting place and worth telling your co-travellers and friends about.
Love all, Eran.
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