Cross Israel Oct. 2014
From Mt. Hermon to Eilat
Across Israel by mountain bike (…קטן עליי)
Usually when people go to Israel, they visit Jerusalem, spend time with family and friends and go to the beach. I planned a rather different holiday in Israel this year!
Cycling is my hobby and I have always wanted to ride my bike in Israel that is to say to explore Israel by bike. And for that reason, my guide Ohad and I travelled 720 km from Golan to Eilat by bike. We managed 2.000 meters in height difference and that was not just cycling downhill! We spent the night in Gadot, Bu'eine Nujeidat, Kfar Glickson, Tarum, Gal‘on, Beer Sheva, Hatzeva, Elifas and Eilat.
The plan was to divide the journey into three sections with either a one or a two day break between sections. That meant that we covered about 60 to 65 km every day. We had booked our accommodation in Kibuzim or Moschavim beforehand to avoid having to search for a place to sleep in the evenings. We cycled mostly over country lanes and gravel roads and only rarely on asphalt roads. I was able to see places which do not belong to the usual tourist program and which many Israelis have not seen yet. Far from industry and traffic, I could experience the great abundance of nature which exists in Israel. Ohad knows
Story and fotos by Ute Mühleib
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a great deal about Israel’s flora and fauna, about history and archeology and listening to him is both entertaining and instructive. Amongst other things, we cycled down from Golan Heights and bathed in Yarden and Kinneret, we made short breaks and Ohad brewed fragrant delicious coffee with cardamom on a camping stove and to top up our energy reserves, we ate the dates which he had brought along with him.
We also spent the night in an Arab village. The news that tourists had arrived spread like wildfire. Youths on mopeds and in cars drove past us again and again in order to show us proudly how well they could speak English. “Hello, how are you?” “Where are you from?”
During our journey people often spoke to us, invited us for cups of coffee or interviewed us. One man took a photo of us as ‘proof’ for his wife. For years it had been her dream to do a cross Israel bike tour. We experienced numerous exciting and humorous meetings. In the ‘101 km’, which has itself an interesting background, someone in a Jesus t-shirt from a group of German tourists asked if we had come ‘from over there’. Having noticed my confused expression, he added “From Jordan? By bike?” “No not from the East, we have come from the North.”
Flat tires and broken chains caused us some delays but Ohad not only had a complete set of replacement parts with him but was also well equipped with all sorts of surprises, even culinary ones.
Of course we also cycled across the Negev. Anyone who has been there knows how amazing and increasingly stunning the night sky is in the Negev. We were able to observe showers of meteors above our heads. We cycled about 14 km between the cliffs and over the plateaux and sometimes steep slopes through the beautiful Timna Park. Further south, we used the recently leveled take-off and landing runways of the new airport at Timna and the construction workers were not bothered. After twelve days we reached Eilat just after sunset.
For both Ohad and also for me this was a trial run. From next year this trip will become an integral part of his program. I am really pleased and honored that we managed this maiden voyage together so successfully.
It was a first-class tour with incredibly many impressions, encounters and experiences which go beyond anything offered to the normal tourist. These were unforgettable and unique moments, really special days which I will always remember.
… גם בשנה הבאה בישראל
Ute Mühleib
TOURS
