Tag: freetravel

Israel – The highs and lows

By Abhik Dutta

Israel has always been an enigma. While the pint-sized country has always been admired by Indians for reasons historical, scientific and political, traveling to Israel for purely leisure tourism purposes was never really on the cards for us. Trips were primarily undertaken by religious, agricultural and medical groups from India. For some reason, it wasn’t considered politically correct to flaunt a trip to Israel when previous Indian Governments were in power. Now, not only are government to government interactions at an all-time high but travel by groups other than those listed above are also seeing a sharp rise. Companies are not shy anymore to announce trips to Israel for “incentive” purposes. Individual travellers are showing a great deal of interest.

I am often asked about my travel experience to Israel by friends and clients, so here are a few of them that I thought of penning down.

Which places did you visit?

I travelled to Israel in the month of November and had the wonderful opportunity of visiting the vibrant ‘non-stop’ city of Tel Aviv (including Jaffa & Herziliya) on the shores of the Mediterranean, the ancient city of Jerusalem, the Dead Sea and the resort city of Eilat on the Red Sea. En route to the Dead and Eilat, we took detours into the Judean desert and the Negev desert.

What is the best time to travel here?

Being on the Southern coast of the Mediterranean, it enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate. While it does get cold in Jerusalem for a month in Dec/Jan (it could even snow there), one can still take a dip in the Red Sea resort of Eilat in end Jan. But I would recommend the months of March, April, May, June and Sep, Oct and November. July & August are hot months, specially around the Dead Sea and the desert area of Negev.

What is the best way to travel around the cities?

In Tel-Aviv, its easy to cab it to any of the main centres and then just walk around. In Jerusalem, you have to walk in the Old City and get lost in its labyrinthine lanes and by lanes of the Muslim, Christian and Jewish quarters. Eilat is chiefly a walking town and its great to just walk the promenade from one end to the other. It’s the most vibrant stretch in Eilat, filled with pubs, cafes, shops and restaurants.

What do you consider to be the 3 highlights of your trip? And why?

 

Walking through the old streets of Jerusalem.

Here time stands still. Wandering along the old cobble stoned walk ways of the city leading through the various quarters, past curio shops and galleries right up to the open view of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall is a delightful experience. To visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and laid to rest is one of my life’s most poignant moments.

Wine tasting in Tel Aviv:

There are many kinds of wine tasting that takes place around the world. But none as rewarding or humbling as that offered at the BlackOut, the pitch-black restaurant with its staff of blind waiters. This is part of the Nalaga’at Center at Jaffa, located near the wharf. The Center – the first of its kind in the world, seeks to promote interaction between deaf-blind, deaf, and blind individuals and people able to hear and see, regardless of cultural or social distinctions. At BlackOut, we were escorted by blind waiters to our seats in total darkness and over the next one hour taken through a session of wine tasting that left an indelible impression on my mind.

Floating on the Dead Sea:

We have all grown up reading books about floating on the Dead Sea. Floating here is made possible because of its high salinity (34%) which is almost 10 times more saline than Ocean water. It was an amazing experience to tread into the still waters of the Dead Sea at dawn in November, the water temperature mild even this early during the day, so late in the season. And for the next hour, I floated quietly on the ‘oily’ water chatting away with my other ‘floating’ friends, smearing my body with salt from the sea bed in what is one of my life’s most surreal experiences. Needless to say, this is perhaps the only Sea in the world where nobody even tries to swim!

What are the must do sightseeing when you travel to Israel?


If you have a week in hand, you must visit Tel-Aviv (and Yaffo), Jerusalem, Dead Sea and finally party away in Eilat. En route from Dead Sea to Eilat, you will pass the Negev Desert. You can experience a jeep safari in the Judean desert, visit the Timna Park in Eilat or snorkel in the famed reefs of the Red Sea. For those interested in the Holyland tours, a visit to Bethelhem, the Sea of Galilee etc are a must.

What are the best places to eat local cuisine? 

I can heartily recommend the following places where we tried our luck:

Tel-Aviv: At Vicky Cristina at the Old train station or sea food at White Pergola at the Port area. Or you can just walk through Carmel open market and pick up food from the local stalls. In Jaffa, you could try Dr. Shakskuka restaurant. Its been featured in a few travel channels as well and seems like a favourite with the locals.
Jerusalem: Try the seafood at Adom restaurant in the Old train station area (yes, Jerusalem too has one!). The food is delicious and the atmosphere of the area is electric!

Eilat: If you want to try Asian fusion cuisine, try Ginger Asian Bar and Kitchen. I heartily recommend whatever the chef throws at you. The Bar beach restaurant cooks up great sea food menus.
But no matter, where you are, you MUST try Israeli wine. Its great stuff. I heartily recommend the Galil Mountain red wine made from Syrah grapes.

Can you name a few flea/famous markets where one can pick up souvenirs?


Don’t miss the great atmosphere of the Carmel market in Tel Aviv, an open air market selling everything from food to locally made (innovative) window cleaning equipment, curios and flowers. On Tuesdays and Fridays, you are in for a treat as the next door Nahlat Binyamin Pedestrian street comes alive with local craftsmen lining the street with their exceptional crafts that range from miniature rice paintings to stone paintings, sculpture etc. It’s a feast for the eyes.

Can you recommend a few ‘watering holes’ to be at post 7 pm?

Tel-Aviv is known as a Non-Stop city! With a reputation to live upto, its no wonder that the city is full of bars and pubs that stay open well past the break of dawn. Unlike other large cities in the world, the cities pubs are small but allow for a great pub hopping experience. Its best to see a few and then return to the one you like best. I would recommend that you head for Lilienblum Street and then take it on from there! In Eilat, my favourite was the “Three Monkeys Pub”.

Can your company organise incentive tours for groups? 

Yes of Course. The Wanderers can offer unique programmes for corporates in Israel. Including visits to companies to understand the innovation culture in Israel, or to a local farm to get an insight into latest “innovations” in agriculture or to a state of the art medical centre to share latest medical advancements.

 

-by Abhik Dutta, Director & Co-Founder of  The Wanderers

 

Antarctica: A journey to the worlds end Day 5 – Day 7

                                                                      By Alifiya Calcuttawala

Day 5 : Sunday, March 12th2017

PETERMANN ISLAND

LAT. 65°11’S LONG. 64°10’W

WIND (AM): 4kn variable – TEMP. (AM): 3ºC (partially cloudy)

VERNADSKY STATION (UKRAINE)/WORDIE HOUSE, ARGENTINE ISLANDS

LAT. 65°15’S LONG.64°16’W

LEMAIRE CHANNEL

WIND (PM): 1kn variable – TEMP. (PM): 3ºC (partially cloudy)

Once again it was, fortunately, a calm day with a beautiful morning. The ship was already positioned in the Penola Strait ready to allow us for a visit to Petermann Island. Though some icebergs might difficult our attempt to reach the island, we could step on the rounded rocks near the Argentine hut, named “Refugio Naval Groussac”, and proceed with the quest for Adelie penguins.

Some Fur Seals were already waiting ashore and, of course, lots of Gentoos too. Walking on icy snow and somewhat slippery rocks the staff showed us the way to see the penguins with the blackheads and the white ocular ring. Cormorants are nesting in the area as well. The visibility was very good and it was easy to reach the lookout point that has been offered on the southwestern end of the island. Skuas were always around the chicks that were being fed by the adult penguins. A gentle walk and time to admire the views of the peninsula across the Penola Strait consumed our morning and we had enough time to visit the island named after the German geographer August Petermann.

Once on board we enjoyed lunch and got prepared for a visit to a scientific Antarctic station from Ukraine called Vernadsky. Since the group had to be divided in two, we could also inspect a historic house, Wordie House, which in fact was the initial Base, precursor for the future UK Faraday station that operated until the early ‘90s. When the British government was looking forward to discontinue their activities there and dismantle the facilities in the Argentine Islands, they came across a request by the Ukarine authorities concerning their needs to develop Antarctic research and had an agreement to transfer the station from the UK to the Ukarine for just 1£ under the condition that the east European researchers would continue with the collection of data and research programs that the British scientists commenced several decades before.

The visit to the scientific station was a guided tour inside their working areas, offered by the different members of the Ukrainian staff, the meteorologist, the biologist, and the medical doctor, among others. Surprisingly it ended in the southernmost bar they have in the upper level of their main building, where they have a common area to rest. The base commander and his colleagues offered us some “homemade Vodka”, opened their Post Office for sending our post-cards, and sold some of their traditional items in the gift shop, while we were all having nice conversations with them. Our passports got a stamp too, which is a perfect reminder of our visit to the southernmost point of the trip.

At the end of the day, it looked possible to go so we would attempt to pass through this narrow and scenic opening limited by steep cliffs of rocky mountains and hanging glaciers.

This was a wonderful end of the day with the Lemaire Channel navigation and another spectacular sunset on the open ocean to the West. While having dinner the ship moved further North along the Gerlache strait for a new location of Antarctic explorations.

Day 6: Monday, March 13th2017

BROWN STATION, PARADISE BAY

640 54.7’S, 0620 52.3’ W

WIND (AM): 2kn SE– TEMP. (AM): 1ºC (cloudy)

FOYN HARBOUR

640 32.4’S, 0610 59.9’ W

LEMAIRE CHANNEL

WIND (PM): 30kn SE– TEMP. (PM): 2ºC (partially cloudy)

After a wonderful breakfast, we got prepared for our first continental landing! It was at the Argentinian base “Brown”, named after the Father of the Argentinian Navy, the Irish Admiral Guillermo Brown. Half of the group went on Zodiac cruising and the other half landed, taking turns afterwards. The scenic view, for that on land, delivered to some of us a couple of glacier breakings, while the others spent some time sledging on improvised tracks. Sarah received us on the top of a little cliff, showing us, for the first time, a Deschampsia Antarctica, one of the two native flowered plant species. She found also some larvae from a “wingless fly”, Belgica Antarctica, very tiny, under the rocks. During the zodiacs cruises around the Paradise Bay. We make use of all the information we had from the previous geology lecture and H-ice-story recap from the night before.

Slowly, the cloudy sky opened, letting wonderful warm sun rays to reach our faces. And during this so nice feeling, a new smell, that came revealed a surprise, an “asado” (barbequed meat) was being prepared: the ship has its own “parrilla” (where it was prepared).

As we sailed to Foyn Harbour, in between clouds and rain, we get to spot many Humpback whales, in different groups, showing us most of their physical displays, almost everywhere. The ship sailed in circles to let us keep on this observation activity. Zodiac sailing was possible, so we took turns for it.

More humpback whales, fur seals and icebergs. The staff showed us a 1915 shipwreck: the Governoren whaler’s ship. The stern was submerged, what it was still possible to see the wooden deck, some barrels and the exploding harpoons. It was incredibly preserved. Between the snow and more whales, we returned to the ship to have a hot chocolate. After we regained some energy, we had a short recap of tomorrow’s experience and the necessary briefing for the expected sailing. After dinner, some remained in the bar, and the exhausted went early to bed.

Day 7: Sunday, March 14th2017

TELEFON BAY – WHALERS BAY, DECEPTION ISLAND, SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS

LAT. 62°59’S LONG. 060°43’W

WIND (AM): 8kn N – TEMP. (AM): 0ºC (partially cloudy)

WIND (PM): 20kn NE– TEMP. (PM): 2ºC (partially cloudy)

Last day in Antarctica, almost last landing. Deception Island received us with a glorious entrance at sunrise. Through the Neptune’s Bellows, we sailed through up to Telefon Bay, near Foster Harbour. Deception Island is an active volcano, which erupted several times (1800, 1812, 1842, 1871, 1912, 1956, 1967, 1969 and 1970). This is the largest of three recent volcanic centres in the archipelago. Deception´s rim has an average elevation of 984 feet (300 meters), with its highest points at Mt. Pond to the east and Mt. Kirkwood to the southwest. Above 328 feet (100 meters) Deception´s cinder motif yields to glaciers and ash-covered ice, which reach the sea at many places along the coastline.

The landscape is full of volcanic rocks and sands, blacks and whites paint the scenery. We went hiking to one little hill, from which we spotted a hidden little lagoon and a couple of streams, which were born from a very dark glacier. It was strange, one felt a little desolated, with no animals nor plants to look at. Back at the ship, and after lunch, we could get prepared for a fantastic ‘momento’: the Antarctic Plunge at Whaler’s Bay, near the Bellow’s. Many of us wore a swimsuit for underwear, just in case. In the land long area, there used to be some buildings, which were initially used for whale’s oil extraction (and many other deeds with the rest of the whale’s body). It eventually becomes a British scientific station, and it was destroyed after the eruption between 1969 and 1970. The beach, station and its sorroundings were full of southern fur seals, which were pretty amazing. These animals seem to be peaceful and joyful, but if feeling at risk or get intimidated, they can sprint like a dog. And bite like one, too. Walking along the abandoned buildings and keeping safe distance, we returned to the landing point. Fumes all over the beach, due to the volcanic remanents underground, that heated the sand and water on hiding tides. When the tides begin to lower, steam arrises between the volcanic sand. And the expected materialized. The Plunge wasn’t for everyone, but those who dared will keep an unforgettable experience. The day ended with a windy and very cold evening. At night we sailed back towards the Drake Passage.