Barbara from Eilat

Today I met Barbara from Eilat at the 'neto. She is a retired interior decorator with the Isratel Hotel chain. She lives in Eilat and was traveling north to explore the spring scenery in the northern part of the country. She is German, has been in Israel for 20 years and speaks at least German, Hebrew, and English fluently and mostly without an accent. She said she had seen me at the 'neto before. (I do spend alot of time there.)

We agreed that given what the current work environment looks like, it's better to be happily retired than unhappily employed. We both said we worried what our childrens' work lives and careers would be like, since we didn't envy people just entering the work force. This not simply because of the Great Recession, but because the modern work place has become such a pinched, selfish, mean spirited, hyper-competitive, and political place to be. Well, those are my thoughts on the matter in a very small nutshell.

Barbara of Eilat

  

Baboo and Chewbaca's Trail Adventures

I will recount some of the amazing hiking stories Baboo and Chewbaca shared with us. We spent time at the CafeNeto having drinks and lunch and invited them to dinner with us on their second night in Mitzpe Ramon. In the course of our visit they related this story.

About half-way between Eilat, where the Israel National Trail begins, and Mitzpe Ramon, there is the steep and narrow Barak Canyon. In the course of traversing the cayon there are deep pits that must be crossed. Because the canyon is so steep and narrow at these points there is no way around these pits. One must climb down into them, cross, and ascend the other side. Because the walls of these pits are sheer, the trail developers have placed steel ladders along the pit walls to aid in ascending and descending.

Barak Canyon

Because of the torrential desert rain storms this year, these pits are now filled with water, too deep to wade. So, Baboo and Chewbaca had to devise a way across. They decided to swim across and rig a line to pull their packs after them. This they did, but Baboo said it was tremendously difficult to climb out of the pits wringing wet. They shed their clothes to make it easier to cross the other water-filled pits, in the course of which they encountered an orthodox Jewish couple also trying to forge the pits. The couple was flummoxed at the sight of the naked hikers, but didn't refuse their help, since without it they would have been stranded.

One hiker they encountered  in the canyon, knowing the pits were filled with water, came prepared with a small inflatable raft to float his pack across!

"X" marks the approximate location of Barak Canyon

Another great adventure occurred when Baboo and Chewey were hiking toward the end of the day in a complete barren wilderness. Chewey, who had the lead, stopped suddenly and said to Baboo, "I see a mirage."   Ahead was a wet bar set out in the middle of the desert, completely stocked with ice, glasses, bottles of wine and other beverages. Surrounding it were fully set tables with white linens and silverware. However, it was no mirage. As it happened, a large group of Canadian tourists had paid to have this fancy catered meal and bar in the middle of the desert wilderness. Baboo and Chewey were a bit miffed that they weren't at least offered drinks.

Israel National Trail Guide Book

Baboo and Chewbaca on the Israel National Trail

We met two extraordinary individuals at the 'neto this week: Baboo and Chewbaca (their trail names) who were hiking the Israel National Trail. Baboo, who was given the Swahili name Baboo Simba (Grandfather Lion) by his native porters while on safari in Kenya, has been hiking the world for the past five years. He began when his wife died tragically of cancer, and he has since hiked throughout the world. In his past life he lived on Guam, Hawaii, and in Los Angeles, where he was a commercial kitchen designer. Little vestige of his past life remains when you talk to him. He is through and through a hiker of the world.

Baboo Simba, hiker of the world, aka Jerry Hill

When not hiking the world, Baboo spends much of his time hiking the Appalachian Trail where he met Chewbaca. Chewbaca got his trail name because, well, he looks like Chewbaca: strong, tough, direct and hirsute, with Jewish dreadlocks covering his top. Chewbaca made Aliyah to Israel from the US, served in the IDF, and then began his own hiking journey, as many Israelis do, through India, Tibet, Southeast Asia and the United States, where he met Baboo on the Appalachian Trail. They agreed to meet up in Israel to hike the Israel National Trail, a relatively little known trail that snakes 600 miles through the length of the country from Eilat in the south to Kiryat Shimona in the north.

Chewbaca, aka Danny ben Dovid

The desert part of the trail is brutal, requiring 6-9 liters of water to be carried per day, together with all the rest of one's camping gear. I could barely lift Chewbaca's pack, never mind haul it on my back the 10-15 kilometers they travel per day.

The trail passes through Mitzpe Ramon, where they took a couple of rest days, which is how, through Divine Providence, we came to meet and become good friends. While they were here Chewbaca's girlfirend and soon to be fiance (I think) came down to meet them from Tel Aviv. She is not a hiker so only has her regular name, Elisheva. She, too, made Aliyah relatively recently. I don't remember how she and Chewey met.

Baboo, Elisheva, and Chewbaca outside the CafeNeto in Mitzpe Ramon

Today Baboo and Chewbaca resumed their hike. It was not the best of conditions. A Chamsin was blowing, a hot southerly wind from the desert, that was strong and kicked up alot of dust. It was humid and the sky was an overcast, ugly brown. It will be a quartering wind as the trail heads northeast out of Mitzpe Ramon.

 Path of the Israel National Trail

I have agreed to  be their "trail angel", bringing them water and supplies at predetermined points along the trail that are car accessible to lighten their load. Baboo calls such fortuitous events "hiking magic". Wonderful and amazing things that befall hikers along the way. It was certainly magic for us to meet them, and I am sure this is the start of a beautiful relationship.

Israel National Trail Guide Book

Gas Girls of Israel - Nicole from Canada

Gasoline stations in Israel are mostly full-service, although one does encounter the occassional self-service station. In some of the stations I was surprised to see women as gas attendants. Then, as I began to see more and more of them, we were stopped in Ashdod and came across a station that was "manned", if you will, by an almost completely female staff, inside and out. Our service attendant was Nicole from Canada, who had made Aliyah 30 years previously, although she didn't look 30 years old to me. She spoke fluent English, but with an Israeli accent. And she was very helpful. Thank you, Nicole!

Israeli Gas Girl - Nicole from Canada