And down in the Western Negev (particularly around Kibbutzes Ruhama, Beeri and Shukeda) you can’t fail to spot them. Delicate and graceful, in contrast to the blue and purple kalaniot that grow in the north of Israel, these desert flowers are a vivid red and turn the ordinarily green landscape into a blanket of scarlet...
The roots of the holiday can be traced back several centuries…indeed, academics argue that the original Tu BiSh’vat was an agricultural festival, celebrated to welcome spring. However, by the beginning of the 20th Century, it took on a practical meaning whenthe Jewish National Fund began putting aside a day each year where people were encouraged to plant eucalyptus trees...
This little silk pouch packs up pretty small, is lightweight and will keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. This is great if you’re stuck in accommodation that’s a bit cheap or dirty...you can also put it inside a rented sleeping bag or under a dusty blanket and mine is silky soft to the touch, which lets you drift comfortably off to sleep...
At 2am the following morning, we stumbled, bleary-eyed from our beds, dressed warmly then drank scalding hot tea to fortify ourselves. Soon we’d been dropped off at the path and the nine of us began walking, in silence, surgical masks over our faces to avoid swallowing ash. It was freezing and as we trekked on, I could feel myself making considerably more effort to breathe. No surprise of course - Mount Bromo stood at 2,292 metres...
I'm the kind of traveller who likes explore. Don't get me wrong, I like beach time as much as the next girl but I'm also happy to spend weeks on the road in capital cities, pounding the sidewalk, walking kilometres each day – it's the best way to see a metropolis. I also like to be active – exploring trails, taking boats out to sea, and climbing up high places to enjoy a view. So the sandals I wear have got to be both comfortable and tough...
Having travelled in some of the poorest countries in the world has made me incredibly grateful for what I have. I may not be a wealthy woman by western standards (I don't own a car, a home or earn a hefty salary) but compared to women my age in Africa, South America and Asia I'm doing well. And since I believe that we all have a responsibility in life to "give back" I was immediately drawn to the charity "Lend With Care..."
I’m not sure exactly what made me do it - perhaps it felt like a unique opportunity to jump over such extraordinary landscape, or maybe the other recent activities and experiences gave me the courage, or it could have been the support and encouragement from Phil. In the seconds before jumping, I was truly afraid, with sweating skin and pounding heart, and once out of the plane, I was calmer but had trouble breathing due to the thin air racing past me so quickly. ..
I’ve been carrying one of these since I was 21 and set off for Latin America, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve delved into it over the years - not just for myself but for others! Especially in rural area of developing countries, you have to carry certain essentials - included in mine is aspirin, broad-spectrum antibiotics, anti-diarrhoea meds, antiseptic wipes and hypodermic needles (sealed). A real must-take...
When you're planning on taking a trip, finding a flight is going to be one of your major expenses, so it pays to do a bit of research before you book something. Flying super cheap as a courier (I used to fly from London to NY, delivering documents, back in the 90's, for as little as $150 round trip) is over. But don't despair, there are still ways to make sure your flight ticket doesn't break the bank. Here are some of my tips...
Looking around the CityKids Nursery School, it's clear that "hover" is not the word of the day. "We're not big fans of helicopter parenting here, either. We believe that today's child often ends up over-stimulated, a victim of the iPad-iPhone-cable TV culture. We take the view that kids should be transported back to a simpler time, and be allowed to be bored...”
Boaz Kramer has a strong handshake and, as I soon discover, a strong personality. As a CEO, that's perhaps that's a good thing, though the organization he's in charge of is hardly your run-of-the-mill corporation. Kramer is Director of the Israel Sports Centre for the Disabled (Spivak), established over 50 years ago, and offering over 20 different disciplines to both adults and children...
Mention the word "cowboy" and American prairies, rolling plains and Big Sky country usually come to mind. But think again, because there's actually a landscape thousands of miles from the rugged American West, with dramatic views, cool air and unspoiled countryside. This landscape, three hours north of Tel Aviv, is where Israel's oldest cowboy ranch sits; it too has those wide open spaces, clear night skies and – as the locals boast – some of the best steaks in the country...
For many people, the term "fashion house" conjures images of stuffy Parisian socialites and a parade of underweight models donning outfits that would hang better on a shower curtain rod than on a real, live human being. But Galit Reismann, founder of TLVstyle, wants to change that. Her business connects individuals and groups to Tel Aviv's fashion scene, with an opportunity for fashion enthusiasts to meet young, up-and-coming designers in their own studios, workshops and apartments...
We’d arrived at the airport of a small town named Tromso, in the far north of Norway. And because we were north of the Arctic Circle, the sun was above the horizon even in the middle of the night. But we couldn’t see the sun, because of the thick fog surrounding us. We were taken by coach to the base of a cable-car, which took us up to the top of a mountain. At the summit the sun was shining brightly, because the fog at the bottom had actually been a layer of low cloud - which we could now see covering all of the land below us...
I spend the next two days meandering aimlessly with Rohit and Atul. I’ve no real desire to go into town…I’ve seen many of the tourist sites on previous trips and the thought of being driven round the Red Fort in a rickshaw in 45 degree heat makes me shudder. Instead, we do ridiculously fun things – eat dosas at his local restaurant and grab homemade icecreams from a stall a few streets away...we sit under trees in the park, discussing religion, philosophy and the joys of travel...
Afterwards, we go for a stroll in the neighborhood, which is far away both from Delhi’s brightlights and endless tourists. I feel much more comfortable out, as opposed to in the touristy centre, even though I’m somewhat more conspicuous, as a white-skinned European. I realise, yet again, how staying in a hotel really can isolate you from the locals, however hard you try not to let it happen. Rohit introduces me to different friends we meet along the way…at a cool 25 degrees, a post-dinner stroll is de rigeur it seems...
It is a terrible, terrible, night. We screech down roads, and hurtle round bends in the pitch black for hours on end. Moanings and groanings are audible throughout the vehicle. I hear someone screaming, hysterically, “For god’s sake, be careful, that’s a hairpin bend we’re going round.” The Tibetan monk, next to me, has opened the window and is vomiting, copiously, out of it. As for me, I know without looking in a mirror that I’m deathly pale and I thank god I ate nothing before climbing on board. I put my head between my legs, because I feel so faint, and tell myself that this will pass. But the truth is I am bloody terrified because this driver is a mad man, and 52 people are entirely at his mercy...
I weigh up my options. Whilst visiting Amritsar is truly tempting, the logistics are a nightmare. There’s only one bus a day, which leaves at 5 am, and takes 8 hours. Even worse, it’s local (translate, wooden benches, no assigned seating, and livestock/wailing children in abundance). The clincher, though, is that it’s currently a cool 44 degrees in the Punjab, which means that any power cut in the Golden Temple, will leave me roasting like a chicken in a tandoori oven…
It’s been a long few weeks. I don’t need any more aggravation. Option B it is!
Suddenly, without warning, I crash into something. It's a solid mass and although I can't see it, I sense it's way bigger than me and it's the kind of thing I wouldn't want to mess with in a dark alley (or a dark Indian potholed street!) Ayelet is just behind me and suddenly yells out: "It's ok, I've got an idea...we can guide ourselves back by the light of my cellphone." BRILLIANT! She switches it on and suddenly the road is illuminated. And there, right in front of us, is an enormous beast...the sacred beast of India, roaming freely in the rain-lashed streets of McLeod Ganj, crashing into everything in its path (including us) without so much a care in the world...
