My trip to Tel Aviv was done by Aegean Airways from Athens, with a brief stopover on Mykonos. The “brief” stopover turned into a 3 hour delay. Have to give full marks to Agean though, as they provided meal vouchers to all passengers, and at checkout we were handed a formal letter offering a free ticket to any destination in the Aegean network.

Arriving in Tel Aviv in the evening I took the train from Ben Gurion Airport to the center of the city, where I had booked a bed at Abraham Hostels Tel Aviv, in a 4 room male dorm. My first hostel experience in about 40 years. I had to walk about 2 km to the hostel through central Tel Aviv. Bars, restaurants, and coffee shops full of people enjoying themselves, spilling into the pavement  - the contrast to Athens couldn’t have been greater! 

The Abraham Hostels Group has become a bit of an institution in Israel, with branches also in Nazareth and Jerusalem, and they also arrange tours from the 3 hostels to all sorts of places in Israel. Well organized hostels, everything neat and tidy, run like a well oiled machine - often by visitors who donate their labour for a week or two, in exchange for free board and lodging - the kibbutz principle in a way. You meet all age groups at the hostels these days. At the dorm I was allocated the top bunk bed. Made my bed with the fresh sheets I had been handed at the reception, and somehow managed to climb to the top without wrecking myself, or the bed. The guy in the bed below was 21 years old and from Adelaide, Australia. I wanted a shower and a good sleep, but when he heard that I had travelled by motorcycle from Denmark and was heading for Africa, the chat went on for an hour. Steve was studying industrial engineering at the university in Sydney. Great place, he said, but I will never leave Adelaide - it’s such a great place! He had been a week in the Philippines and a week in Thailand where he had rented small motorcycles in both places to take him to interesting places. He flicked out his iPad to show me a small laser cutting machine he had installed in his room at home, and some of the work he had done on the machine, to generate some income for himself. From Israel he was going to Holland to attend a design course for 4 weeks, before returning to Oz. The diversity of work people are doing these days, and the way they do it, never seize to amaze me. So great to meet a polite young man like this, full of enthusiasm for the future. Go Steve!

I am working on a theory at the moment, along these lines: the cheaper the place you stay, the more interesting the people! A theory with modifications, no doubt. Camping is my first option, provided toilet and shower facilities are acceptable. The connection is instant if there are other bikers in the camp, and generally people are curious when you arrive on a fully loaded bike. People want to know more, and the connection is made.

I wanted to be in Haifa early Thursday morning 23/8 when the Alexo arrived from Greece, so Wednesday I took the train from Tel Aviv to Haifa, a pleasant 50 minute commute. I had booked at a place called Agam Hahoresh Guest House right by the port of Haifa, and 5 mins walk to Rosenfeld Shipping, who handled the paperwork on the Israeli side. They say looks can be deceiving. Definitely the case with the guest house - looked like a dump from the outside. Enter the front door, and you were in another world - airconditioned entrance, soft music playing, rustic walls and old wooden beams, old artifacts, all original stuff restored and kept.

Haifa is Israel’s 3rd biggest city. I certainly preferred the “vibe” in Tel Aviv. For me Haifa was only a question of getting reunited with my X-Country and travel south as soon as possible. I have to admit to being a bit concerned about the whole clearing and customs procedure. There are all sorts of stories about lengthy searches of you and your vehicle, questioning about your itinerary, and so on. Having arrived in Tel Aviv airport the day before, I was impressed with the efficiency of all procedures, and I was literally out of the airport in 15 minutes! At the passport control I asked them not to stamp my passport as it could jeopardize my trip onwards. “You mean, you don’t want a big beautiful Israeli stamp, in your passport”, he said, smiling. “At this place, we don’t stamp passports. You just get this”, and he handed me a businesscard sized piece of paper with all my details on it and my picture. “Welcome to Israel. Enjoy your stay here, and it sounds like a very interesting trip on your motorcycle”.

I decided to arrive early morning at Rosenfeld Shipping, and was met by a very helpful lady, Galina. She quickly sorted out the paperwork, and I paid her all the fees involved. Now the real fun starts, she said, as she explained how to get to the customs office in the harbour. 3 hours and around 6 km walking between the various offices in the harbour in the scorching heat, and I was done. Could have been done in 2 hours, if I hadn’t been sent to the wrong office at some point. Apologies for the mishap, and I was handed the keys to my bike and told where to exit the harbour. Easier said than done, but after some searching I was on my way northeast, towards Nazareth.