Last night Linda asked me if I remembered the tour guide we had in Israel, she thought his name was Rudi, but I knew it was Udi, as I have several work colleagues and very good friends over there, one or two are called Udi.
She wanted his website for a friend at work who wants to go to Israel for a religious tour. That had me start thinking about tour guides. Since my divorce in 1999, I have taken three foreign holidays a year, and therefore have had the pleasures (sometimes dubious) of many a tour guide. Most are ok, some don't really give a shit, and to date, nobody has come close to the knowledge, friendliness and enthusiasm of Udi. His motto is 'To look is one thing, to see another. But to understand... Is an entirely different matter'
This is such a true statement, so often we only look at the surface and never see beyond that.
During this tour I was dressed in a totally girly outfit, tight shorts, and girly summer top with girls trainers, we had to cover up a little at some points as it was so hot at the top of Masada, so I covered up with an Indian style feminine top. I felt so at ease in our group.
Our itinerary for this tour was:
Pickup at the Egypt / Israeli border crossing which for me was a bit of a challenge, as I visit Israel pretty regularly, I know the drill, but this was one of the worst times I have had, also as I didn't look much like my passport picture, and wearing girly clothes...... They ask you have you been to Israel before. I said 'yes', they said 'not this passport', I said, 'I don't think so', they said, 'how about February', I said, 'Um, that's about right', but I had been asked not to get my passport stamped by my boss as it was a new passport and I was expecting to go on a trip to Saudi Arabia. That immediately raised alarm bells and both Linda and I were sent a different route to everybody else through the controls. We had been first in the queue, but where last to get to our tour bus. I wont detail what we had to endure, but if your a regular to Israel, you may have some good idea's.
Anyway, the rest of the tour was fine, except we had similar problems getting out of Israel back into Egypt. The rest of the tour consisted of:
1. Travel north along the Rift Valley till the Dead Sea, lowest point on the face of earth.
2. Lunch in a Kibbutz
2. Ascend Masada - Israel's foremost Archaeological Park, via cablecar.
3. A thorough visit gives insight to the rituals, politics and culture of the people who inhabited this desert fortress.
4. Descend to the shores of the Dead Sea for an afternoon of leisure.
5. Indulge yourselves in the mineral-rich black mud of the Dead Sea, float in its therapeutic waters or simply relax at the spa.
6. Return to Eilat at the end of the day
He takes pictures of everybody on his tours, and does not overdo the religious aspect, but does use the holy book as a point of reference for parts of the visits to help explain what was occurring at these places at particular points in time.
So if you want to see some of his recent tours, go to
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