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Hello Stranger
On the road, people provide the most memorable moments
We were driving in the sandstone desert near the Dead Sea in a weathered four-wheel-drive jeep, along a rough road fashioned by frequent use. The guy at the wheel and our guide, a long-haired Israeli hippie named Gil, was blasting Bob Marley's greatest hits, and navigating in fading light. As the sun set, turning the sky and sand lavender, tangerine, and fuchsia, I realized I was having a pure, happy moment. One of those unexpected moments on the road where you end up someplace and with someone you never imagined.
We stopped the jeep and parked on a crest. In every direction, I saw desert flats. I had no idea where we were or how to get back to civilization, but Gil had brewed us a sweet herbal tea and, in that moment, I needed nothing else.
It wasn't until later, when Gil removed his Ray Ban-style sunglasses to tell us about his years living in Tokyo and selling ceramic Michael Jackson figurines from a street stall, that I noticed he only had one good eye. Didn't matter though; he knew this desert, now his home, like the back of his hand.
Whenever I reflect on the places I've been, I see the beautiful landscapes in my mind's eye, like photographs. But the color of a place, the stuff in 3-D, comes from the people I meet along the way. Sounds like a bad Hallmark sentiment, I know, but people are any country's finest asset.
And Israel is full of unforgettable characters, like:
Shamai Mittleman III, a 60-something accountant and self-proclaimed "Royal Prince of Ra'anana" (the name of his suburb outside of Tel Aviv). He invited us into his home for lunch and lectured us on how to partake in "the good life." He explained that if you were planning to go out to dinner and spend $30 on a meal at a so-so restaurant, you might as well go out and spend $50 on a better meal at a great restaurant. His rationale was that if you were planning to spend $30 anyway, the difference is just $20 to partake in "the good life" and feel like a king. And everyone can come up with an extra $20 in their budget, right?
We stopped the jeep and parked on a crest. In every direction, I saw desert flats. I had no idea where we were or how to get back to civilization, but Gil had brewed us a sweet herbal tea and, in that moment, I needed nothing else.
It wasn't until later, when Gil removed his Ray Ban-style sunglasses to tell us about his years living in Tokyo and selling ceramic Michael Jackson figurines from a street stall, that I noticed he only had one good eye. Didn't matter though; he knew this desert, now his home, like the back of his hand.
Whenever I reflect on the places I've been, I see the beautiful landscapes in my mind's eye, like photographs. But the color of a place, the stuff in 3-D, comes from the people I meet along the way. Sounds like a bad Hallmark sentiment, I know, but people are any country's finest asset.
And Israel is full of unforgettable characters, like:
Shamai Mittleman III, a 60-something accountant and self-proclaimed "Royal Prince of Ra'anana" (the name of his suburb outside of Tel Aviv). He invited us into his home for lunch and lectured us on how to partake in "the good life." He explained that if you were planning to go out to dinner and spend $30 on a meal at a so-so restaurant, you might as well go out and spend $50 on a better meal at a great restaurant. His rationale was that if you were planning to spend $30 anyway, the difference is just $20 to partake in "the good life" and feel like a king. And everyone can come up with an extra $20 in their budget, right?
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11:58 EST, 16.Jan.08