Travel Memories - Israel

I was fortunate to visit more than 10 countries in 5 continents. The lucky aspect was that no two countries were the similar in terms of economy, culture and development. With this variety, I thought I should write the experience and interactions I had during my stay in these diverse countries.

Let me start with the first foreign country I visited in my life, Israel. I was working for Amdocs, an company with headquarters in Israel. As soon as I joined a project, I was asked to visit Israel development center for a duration of a week. I was totally on top of the moon when I heard the news. This travel would have led me to many "firsts" in my life. First time visitng a foreign country, first time visiting an airport, first time boarding a plane, first time interaction with the world !! So, I was on cloud number 9 and was as excited as I can be. :)

So, the day arrived when I boarded my flight. Luckily I was accompanied by a colleague who was an experienced traveler. With his presence, the journey was smooth. The fact that the transit was in Ababa in Ethiopia would have concerned many travelers, but not me. :) By the time we reached Tel Aviv (Capital of Israel) airport, I had already clicked 400 snaps.

I was in Israel for 4 days and spent most of the time in the main city of Tel Aviv. The things which I remember from my short stay were:
The Tel Aviv city - overall the city is very safe. During the day it is crowded with lots of traffic and during night i is awake as pubs, bars open till 4 in the morning. The roads are pretty smooth and people follow traffic rules meticulously, even after midnight.
The beach - Beach was at a walking distance from my hotel and with a few friends we went to the beach at midnight. The weather during my stay was excellent and there was a nice and cool breeze across the beach.
The beauty - In Israel, this one thing is present in abundance. The women are beautiful and they know how to stay beautiful. Exercise is a very important part of their day and the results are evident. :) Traffic lights are used as an opportunity by many women to do some make-up. Israel is one of very few countries where men to women ratio is less than 1, which means that there are more women in the country than men. The effect is that there is perfect equality in the job. There is no job only meant for men. Be it petrol pump or grocery store or cab driving, women are up for it.
Hebrew - I picked up few words like 'Shalom' and started using them liberally. I am not sure if I was correct in their usage as there were a few eyebrows raised when I attempted Hebrew !!
Falafel - A typical food item from the region. It is similar to Indian food item called 'pakoda' or ' bhaji'. Although the preparation is similar the actual taste is very different. It is served with pita bread and few sauces. Excellent evening snack or light dinner !!


Before I realized it, my stay was over and I was coming back to India. I had amassed nearly 1000 snaps in 4 days (Guinness???) and still had return leg to capture in the lens.

This was not the only time I visited Israel. I had an opportunity to visit the country once again after six months. But the memories for that visit are saved for the next blog !!

Alonso in Ferrari - Who am I, an astrologer?

Although I plan to write blog frequently, I seldom manage to do it. But, right now, I am feeling happy that I wrote a blog on Fernando Alonso back in October 2008. I closed that post with a thought of Alonso in Ferrari and guess what.... The thought has come true. Alonso is indeed moving to Ferrari by end of this season and has signed a three year deal with option to get extension of one more year. So, my fluke turned into the truth and I am ready to call myself an astrologer !! :)

After Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso is the only complete driver. When compared to any other driver on the grid, Alonso stands out as the best. With a very mediocre car, he is able to generate some stunning results in qualifying as well as in race.

Ferrari has stopped all investments into the current F60 car and are concentrating solely on the next year's car. Considering their intentions for next year, it is safe to assume that the car which they will produce for the next year will be at par with any other team in F1. If a driver like Alonso gets into this car then results can tumble and we can see emergence of a true champion !!

In all this good going, I can't help but feel sad for Kimi. Kimi is another outstanding driver and at one time was knocking on the doors of the greatest driver. But, for some unknown reasons and contrary to his denials, he seemed to have lost the passion and it started reflecting in his race results. This lack in his drive was further dented by substandard car this year. Although during last few races, we could see the original aggressive Kimi, the damage was already done. The result: Kimi is out of Ferrari and his next seat in F1 is not assured. He indicated that he will only continue in Ferrari if he gets into a team that can compete for championship. This indication leaves us to wonder if he is going back to McLaren where he can replace lackluster country-mate Hekki. Speculations all over !!

But, forget about Kimi and Heikki, this moment belongs to Alonso and Ferrari and I can't wait to see their magic next season. But what if Fernando does not get along with Ferrari team management as happened during his tenure in McLaren?

Am I making another prediction????