Eleanor Hawkins: British backpacker flying back to UK after being deported from Malaysia for stripping on sacred Mount Kinabalu

A British backpacker jailed for stripping on a sacred mountain in Malaysia is due to return to the UK today after being deported from the country.

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EuroMillions lottery winner: Ticket-holder yet to claim £93 million winnings

A single ticket bought in the UK has won £93 million in last night’s EuroMillions draw.

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Paris' Cinema Paradiso festival to go cross Atlantic: we speak to Elisha Karmitz of MK2 Agency

It’s the start of summer in Paris, which only means one thing: the festival season's kicking off. Be it music, fashion, art, food or design, there's an event for each – and celebrating the art of film, is the second edition of the much-awaited 11-day Cinema Paradiso cult film festival. [...]

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Fodor's Week in Travel: Summertime Fun

Though it's not technically summer yet, things are already heating up. From gorging on authentic Trinidadian meals to bathing in Iceland's geothermal Blue Lagoon, our weekly roundup makes sure your vacation days will be put to good use.

Trinidad's Must-Eat Street Foods

With delectable, spice-filled fried dough and crowd-pleasing corn soups, Trinidadian street fare has something for everyone. 

5 Reasons to Visit Victoria Now

Victoria is home to pioneering breweries, cult-favorite coffee houses, and a number of arts festivals. Throw in that beautiful waterfront and a cycling culture, and you have a perfect getaway.

Top 10 Places to Go For Summer 2015

From celebrating wine festivals in Guadalupe Valley to boating and fishing in Hudson Valley, our top ten summer destinations have your travels for the season covered.

5 Perfect Shoulder-Season Destinations in the U.S.

Looking for a more relaxed trip? For great savings and smaller crowds, check out these five spots in their off-seasons. 

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Israel Travel Recommendations – Sleep, Eat & Learn

Wandering Earl

During my trip to Israel last month, as is always the case when I travel, I came across some places, some activities and of course, some people, that I feel would help enhance anyone’s trip to this region. I’ve already stated, in my post “My First Trip to Israel”, that my time in this country was short and my experiences limited, however, that doesn’t change the fact that, every day, I found myself doing something that I thoroughly enjoyed and/or found truly interesting.

This post is to provide a small handful of Israel travel recommendations based on my own experiences:

Accommodation

Abraham Hostel (Jerusalem)

It’s a large hostel with 250 beds scattered among dorm rooms and private rooms, situated in a great location just minutes from the all-day-visit worthy Mahane Yehuda Market. The staff are excellent, the facilities impressive and the number of opportunities to meet other travelers and locals alike are infinite with their long list of daily activities and tours. There is always something going on here. The vision of this hostel is to support independent travelers throughout the Middle East by ensuring that you have a chance to experience the city, the country and the region in a variety of different ways.

Details: Abraham Hostel

Activities

RZR Israel ATV Adventure (Upper Galilee)

When I sat down inside the ATV, my first thought was, “At least this will be over in a couple of hours”. For some reason, the thought of another ATV trip just didn’t excite me as I used to go on ATV trips all the time when I worked as a Tour Manager on board cruise ships. Oh how silly was I. This ATV adventure was unreal. Perhaps it was the bold, yet serene, landscape or the extremely fun-to-drive vehicles (Polaris RZR) or maybe it was the guide, Osher, who seemed to thoroughly enjoy showing visitors around this area of the country. Or most likely, it was a combination of everything. All I know is that I had difficulty deciding whether to stop the vehicle every time there was another perfect photo opportunity or just step on the gas and fly through the beautiful surroundings. Tough position to be in. And that’s why I can’t think of a better way to experience the Upper Galilee.

Details: www.rzrbar.co.il (in Hebrew but contact details are there)
Email: osher8333@gmail.com

Alternative Tel Aviv – Street Art & Graffiti Tours

I already talked about this very cool experience in my first post about my trip to Israel and once again, if you’re in Tel Aviv, I highly recommend contacting these great people and joining one of their tours. This was a great find and I could have walked around the city with Yael, our guide and the founder of the company, for 10 hours listening to her talk about all of the street art and graffiti we came upon.

Details: http://ift.tt/1F8banh / Alternative Tel Aviv Facebook Page

Flea Market (Jaffa)

This flea market, sprawled out over several blocks in the Jaffa section of Tel Aviv-Yafo, consists of endless small shops offering all kinds of stuff, pretty much anything you could imagine. There are shops selling antiques, furniture, clothes, home products, fruit juice, books, art and more. You can easily spend a day here wandering around, taking a break at one of the many cafes with outdoor seating and then continuing to explore, and I highly doubt you would get bored. I spent 20 minutes in one shop that was the size of a large closet and sold a crazy collection of some of the strangest antique items I have ever seen – bizarre cameras, helmets, forks, record players, chairs, used electrical wires and much, much more.

Guides

Dvir Hollander (Jerusalem and beyond)

His name is Dvir Hollander and while he might not be the kind of guide that yells out with tons of energy about every site we visited, he’s the kind of passionate guide that will make sure your day in Jerusalem is the educational highlight that you want it to be. Laid-back, super kind, extremely respectful and full of knowledge from his own experiences growing up in this city, Dvir seemed to know people in every corner of every quarter of the Old City, all of whom greeted him with a huge smile. I personally could not have wanted a better guide and would recommend Dvir without a doubt to anyone interesting in learning more about this city than you could possibly learn by just wandering around on your own. He’s also a guide for other parts of the country as well.

Details: hollander2000@gmail.com

Anon (at Abraham Hostel)

This guy is a little different and he was the driver/guide for my trip over to Masada and the Dead Sea. Anon was an Orthodox Jew until a couple of years ago when he decided to give it up and now, he doesn’t hide the fact that he’s struggling to figure out his place in the world during this transition. He’s quirky yet incredibly sincere and always willing to share his personal experiences, opinions, inner conflicts and more as related to Israel and the region. At the end of the day, he’s a guy who simply wants peace for everyone and spending some time with him as your driver/guide for a day outside of Jerusalem will surely enhance your overall trip.

Details: Anon can be reached through the Abraham Hostel. Just contact them and they’ll put you in touch.

(Here’s a quick side note…I have no doubt that if you hop on couchsurfing or any other social media platform and connect with a few locals right now, you would find yourself with a bunch of friends before you even arrive in Israel. And when you do meet them in person, it will seem as if you’ve known each other for years. That’s just how it works in this country.)

Food

Port Sa’id

If you’re in Tel Aviv, go here. Please spend an evening at this popular bar/restaurant, eating whatever is on the menu – it changes often – and drinking whatever it is you prefer to drink. The food was amazing, with endless small tapas-like dishes to share. Talk to those sitting at the tables next to you, enjoy the lively outdoor atmosphere and the music selection and you will have one of the most memorable nights of your stay in this country. (The photo at the top of the post is from my evening at Port Sa’id.)

Details: Port Sa’id Facebook Page

Han Manuli

When you’re at the Jaffa Flea Market and you need some food, this little restaurant serving up Arab-Israeli cuisine is an excellent option. The chef, Felix, prepares his dishes based on what’s available at the market, with a frequently changing menu as a result. We had a wonderful meal here and there wasn’t a single thing on the table that I wouldn’t happily eat again…right this very moment in fact. Their kunefe – a thick and creamy cheese pastry covered in sweet syrup – might be at the top of the list.

Details: Han Manuli Facebook page

Abu Ahmad Falafel & Hummus (Via Dolorosa, East Jerusalem)

When you’re wandering around the Old City in Jerusalem, find this simple eatery in the Muslim quarter and take a seat. The sign is in Arabic and Hebrew only but just ask anyone and they’ll lead you here. Order the falafel, the hummus, the labneh, the ful, the tabouleh and whatever else catches your attention…the friendly owner and his son make it all fresh and you’ll be treated to a mouth-watering meal at a place you might ordinarily never think about entering.

Details: Abu Ahmad Facebook Page

EatWith

Having a chance to spend an evening with local hosts who will prepare you a home-cooked meal is the reason EatWith is becoming so popular. We used EatWith in Tel Aviv and before we knew it, we were sitting at a large table on a beautiful backyard terrace with six other guests, enjoying great conversation, good wine and an absolutely delicious meal prepared by our talented hosts, Loran and Aviya. It was my first EatWith experience but, as they say, it won’t be my last. Any concept that helps connects travelers with locals is a good one to me and one that involves a high-quality meal is even better. If you’re in Tel Aviv, definitely something to try!

Details: EatWith – Loran & Aviya

There’s my handful of recommendations. And if you do travel to Israel and end up checking out any of the above, please let us all know how it went in the comments below.

If you’ve been to Israel already and want to share any other recommendations, we certainly welcome those in the comments as well!

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[Photos by Or Kaplan]

*I was invited to visit Israel by the nonprofit organization, Vibe Israel, which brings international online opinion leaders to the country for weeklong personalized experiences. Nothing at all was required of me in terms of promotion or content and everything I’ve written is, as always, 100% my own thoughts, interpretations and experiences.

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Dave’s on Hogtown Talks Toronto Podcast

While I’ve spent the last 5+ years sharing the deepest, darkest and brightest moments of my life not many of you know much about Dave, or as much of the world knows him – Chef Rouge.

Sure I wrote The Year I Walked Toward Love, Moving from Me to We, and Our Loka Life and certainly my adventures are now our adventures but we’ve never really talked about Dave as a chef – what makes him tick, his philosophy toward food and how he feels about Canadian cuisine.

Toronto podcast Hogtown Talks recently interviewed Dave, who thought Barry’s questions were the most thought provoking he’s ever had. Not once did Barry ask Dave’s favourite dish to make (chefs hate that) but he did ask really great questions about the Toronto dining scene and what we were doing with Loka Snacks.

And when I listened I thought it encapsulated Dave as a chef but also as a person – hardworking, thoughtful, enthusiastic and passionate. If you want to know a bit more about Chef Dave Mottershall, listen to this Toronto podcast. You’ll understand why I’m so proud to be with him.

On a side note he shares the two places he wants to travel next but thinks I’ll veto him with a different destination.

Click the link below to listen

Dave’s on Hogtown Talks Toronto Podcast is a post from: Bacon is Magic

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My First Trip To Israel

Wandering Earl

How quickly everything changes in this land. From city to desert, from one religion to another, from intense culture to untouched nature…this is a land of extremes all packed into a very small space.

And in order to experience this country, you need to be prepared to process every one of those extremes, and to then rest and recover before you move on to the next. I learned this quickly during my recent trip to Israel, a trip that was far too short to get a full understanding of what a traveler can experience here, but that offered an eye-opening glimpse nonetheless.

Just imagine…

You enter Jerusalem and head over to the walled Old City. In just one small area, .35 square miles / .9 square kilometers to be exact, you will wander around four very different quarters – Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Armenian.

The main focal point is the Temple Mount, or Noble Sanctuary as it is known to Muslims, and it is home to some of the holiest sites in Judaism, Islam and Christianity. The Dome of the Rock, a shrine built upon the Foundation Stone, is the location where Muslims believe Muhammed ascended to heaven. The al-Aqsa Mosque is where Muhammed was transported to, from Mecca, during what is referred to as the Night Journey.

The Foundation Stone, which is the stone from which Jews believe the world was created, is also the location of the First Temple where the Ark of the Covenant was placed. As a result, this spot has extreme significance as the crossroads between Heaven and Earth.

The Temple Mount also played an important role in the life of Jesus as the place where he challenged the Temple authorities and prophesized the destruction of Herod’s Temple.

As is quite clear, this one area is where important events from all three religions have taken place, and it’s all right up here, where, despite a few restrictions, an Israeli armed security presence and the occasional rioting, visitors can wander around in an attempt to grab a peek at the core of religious history.

Surrounding the Temple Mount is a wall, much of which was built as a retaining wall when the Second Temple was constructed some 2000 years ago. In the Jewish tradition, a section of this wall, known as the Western Wall, is now considered the holiest site for prayer given its proximity to the ‘gates of heaven’ and the original temple. Men and women pray in separate sections, visitors are welcome to approach the wall, pray or just walk around and it’s open 24 hours per day, every day.

Over in the Christian quarter sits the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where you can join the throngs of people from all over the world who have made a pilgrimage to witness the location where Jesus was crucified and thought to be buried. It’s also where Jesus is believed to have been resurrected. Inside you’ll find sections for various branches of Christianity – Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox and more – each of which has certain responsibilities pertaining to the function of the church. Step inside, follow the flow of traffic to each important point and spend as much time as you’d like taking it all in.

It goes without saying that apart from those main sites above, there are plenty of other places to visit in the Old City, such as the markets in each quarter, the rooftop of the Austrian Hospice, with its great views, and my personal favorite, Elia Photo Service, an interesting 3rd generation family-run photography shop in the Christian quarter with some amazing photos that depict life in Israel over the last 90 years.

Again, that’s all in one tiny, tiny area. It’s intense and mind-blowing and fascinating all wrapped together. When you consider the long history of this city (Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities on the planet after all), the importance of this location for Muslims, Jews and Christians, and the fact that this city has been the scene of such conflict over the centuries, you’ll want to stop every few minutes in order to take a moment to breathe, to contemplate, to comprehend it all, or at least attempt to.

Beyond Jerusalem

Of course, as incredible of a destination as this city is, there’s more to Israel than Jerusalem.

Once you venture out into the rest of the country, for example, you may find yourself standing at ancient, fortified Masada, built by Herod the Great high above the Judean desert, situated on a rock mountain. This is where 1000 Jewish rebels committed suicide, along with their families, instead of facing defeat at the hands of the Romans at the end of the First Jewish-Roman War in 73 AD.

An hour later, you could be as low as you can possibly go on this planet, floating in the Dead Sea, just bobbing around without any effort, giddy as can be, covering your entire body with its salty, therapeutic mud, and enjoying the view of the mountains in the distance, on the Jordanian side of the sea.

You could then be in the stunning Upper Galilee in the north of the country, riding ATVs through the countryside, completely surrounded by the inspiring nature and colors of the Hula Valley.

But a short time later, after a drive south, you could also be laying down among the crowds of sunbathers on the beaches of Tel-Aviv or participating in an intriguing alternative walking tour that focuses on the local graffiti and street art scene.

One meal you’ll eat such mouth-watering falafel, hummus, ful and labneh at a hole-in-the-wall eatery in the heart of the Muslim quarter in Jerusalem, the kind of local place I could eat at every single day, and for your next meal you may be dining on Middle Eastern fusion cuisine at a trendy cafe in front of a synagogue on the other side of the country, washing it all down with a dark Israeli beer.

There is much to see here. Much to do. Much to take in.

For such a small country, there is a never-ending list of experiences to be had, and again, my trip was unfortunately a short one. Just imagine what you can do with a longer stay.

A Complex Travel Destination

Yes, without a doubt, Israel is a complex place. It’s so complex actually that many people I met, and who call this country home, are just as unsure and conflicted about the situation here as any outsider might be.

A good way to sum it up is a message that an Israeli reader of mine wrote to me shortly after I arrived:

“Enjoy this beautiful, conflicted, encouraging, bleeding, amazing country. Peace and love.”

Israel is indeed all of that.

And I think that’s part of the reason why, when it came time for my trip to Israel to end, I found myself wanting to stay longer, much longer. I simply was not finished with my experience.

Perhaps, and I believe this also to be true, it’s the kind of country where one’s experience can never be complete. There are simply too many of those beautiful, conflicted, encouraging, bleeding and amazing layers of this land to learn about and to try to process as best you can.

And as every traveler I met in this country seemed to agree, regardless of religious or political views, it is this presence of such extremes in every single aspect of life here that makes Israel a truly fascinating destination to visit.

(There will be more posts to come about the people I met, the food I ate and some of the more specific and interesting activities I participated in while here.)

[Photo of Tel-Aviv beach by Or Kaplan]

Have you been to Israel? How was your experience? If not, have you ever thought about visiting?

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