Israel: Unique, Captivating and Diverse

by Kayla Carstens (South Africa)

A leap into the unknown Israel

As someone who had never traveled overseas, who has never even seen the world famous city of Cape Town despite living in South Africa, I feel that I was extremely lucky to experience travel to an international destination such as Israel with the chance to explore and meet new people. I spent 6 months in Jerusalem and traveled around the beautiful country. A completely different and unique culture, I found Israeli’s to be the most friendly, welcoming and outgoing people. The locals welcomed me in with open arms even though I spoke only 3 words in Hebrew and probably seemed a bit naive. As someone who went to Israel with no experience with travelling solo whatsoever, I can say that the people made everything so easy and comfortable with well thought out transportation systems and many willing to lend helping hand. I spent most of my time in Jerusalem, staying in the Heritage House Hostel within the old city itself! A quick walk down the stairs to the Wailing Wall, or the Ha-Kotel to locals and a tram trip away from the world famous shuk. Jerusalem is an active and vibrant city where with an amazing public transport system, as with all of Israel, which allows the population to basically avoid using cars all together. Entice your palate with exotic foods like falafel, rugalach, shawarma, laffa and everything you can imagine. A hotbed of cultures, the Old City is a mix of people from all walks of life, each having their own section of the Old City. You can experience 4 quarters of the Old City, all within walking distance of each other, the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Arab Quarter and the Christian Quarter. Within My first few months in Israel, I travelled to a place very close to my heart, Eilat. The desert city of Eilat was where my mother and uncle had worked on a kibbutz when they were my age, called Yotvata. A kibbutz is a communal settlement in Israel, created in the early 1900’s where young people can come from all over the world to work in exchange for food, housing, water and a chance to see Israel. I went there with the intent of seeing the amazing sea life. As lover of diving, I found that Eilat is one of the most beautiful and untouched diving sites. Diving in the Eilat Coral Beach Nature Reserve was a highlight of my trip, the waters were clear and the fish had no fear or hesitation to swim right by you whilst going in and out of the walls of coral. Don’t be fooled though, Eilat whilst having beautiful beaches and luxury hotels, lives up to being a city in the middle of the desert. Eilat offers multiple hiking trails and canyons where one can get lost in the majesty sheer cliffs and gold red sand. If you are not so much a nature person and are more interested in the man-made attractions, then the lively and world famous city of Tel Aviv is for you. Though small, Tel Aviv offers something interesting for every type of tourist, with world class restaurants, beautiful beaches, exciting dance clubs and flea markets to spare. I visited the suburb of Jaffa, a diverse and interesting city with an energetic nightlife and a laid back daytime persona, it was the ideal destination for relaxing whilst having a bit of fun when you’re bored. Enjoy countless beachfront restaurants, the calm surf, perfect weather and flea markets during the day whilst sightseeing. An important thing for tourists to know when shopping at flea markets or shuks in Israel is that haggling is a primary part of any purchase, sellers expect consumers to haggle the price down or they will try their luck and overcharge you, the chutzpah of Israelis. I experienced more in Israel than I ever could put on paper. I met friends that I will remember and keep for life, I made memories that I will always hold close to my heart and I grew not only into a responsible adult but into a more adventurous and happier person. A leap into the unknown, Israel now owns a special place in my heart.