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Travel> Louis the
Scooterer 2
Scooterer Stories
By Louis the Scooterer
Published January 2005
Everywhere, everyplace,
many hundreds of times, I've approached a stranger
with the opening words "Do you speak English?"
"Most times the answer
is ''A leetle ".The most times when I tell
them that I speak Hebrew ''A leetle" comes
this great smile! And then I ask my questions.
And always I get welcome replies with some suggestions
and info.
These short chats are of
great value to me.
Eilat, on the Red Sea with
a fantastic climate is a draw card for holidaymakers
from all over the world. There are many beaches,
some camping sites with all types of sea water
activities and facilities, and eating places and
coffee places with some modern smart hotels, and
"shady places" as well. There are also
shady places to sit on promenades and during holiday
times the buses from the North bring holidaymakers,
and the airplanes land at the airport which is
in the centre of Eilat and is next to the main
road.
Like any Port city, there
are characters of all descriptions; long haired
weirdoes, bald head ordinaries, lots of bikini
clad mermaids, and some mothers and children as
well, and there are open markets and many benches
to sit on.
I suppose some must-sees
would be the Oceanarium -Yellow Submarine, the
Dolphin Beach & Diving site, the Eilat Lagoon
and marinas, and new Lagoon Park. Also the shopping
malls, the parks, maybe the floating casinos,
and bird sanctuary, and when you have a map, available
from most hotels, you can pick and choose the
places of your desires. If you feel like a camel
ride or a jeep tour, those are also available.
Also, I suggest a drive
around the city to see the old neighborhoods,
and the new smart high-rise apartment buildings,
and again the fancy hotels, and everything and
anything.
Let Google find Eilat, and see for yourself!
So for whatever length of
time you choose to stay in Eilat, we can start
right now on our tour !
Let us first take some time,
perhaps, one hour, to ride on Route 12, maybe
as far as Red Canyon for a look and a little walk,
then back to Route 90 and north, and a short look-in
at Kibbutz Elot on the left to look at the little
zoo which the kids will love.
One very beautiful morning
(early) I was riding in the mountains on route
12 just outside Eilat, and I stopped to look at
sea view through binoculars, and I noticed 2 men
at the "bottom of the road" with telescopes
and other equipment. I rode down to them and after
the usual "Do you speak English" opening,
I asked if they were involved in "road-building"
They politely told me "No" and that
they were counting birds, and pointed up and "Sshhh"
Then when I looked up I
saw these hundreds of birds flying in the thermal
and coming in close to the cliff and they continued
to come into view (hundreds of these magnificent
birds)!
Then as soon as the shops
opened I went to buy a "bird-book" and
I went straight to the bird sanctuary to discover
other amazing "things" And I now have
some new "interest" in birds, thanks
to the 2 bird counters, who gave me a few seconds
of their time to give me a quick explanation and
tell me the birds are Honeybuzzards.
Later I met them again at
the bird sanctuary and again they were busy, but
gave me coffee from their flasks. So, just another
small, great, happening at the right moment in
time.
At the entrance to Eilat
on Route 90 is the Arava Border Crossing into
Jordan, which I rode past a couple of times always
wondering "what?" So I rode to the kiosk
which had an opening facing the car-park, and
bought a cool-drink and had a tiny chat through
the opening with the occupant. He invited me into
his kiosk and I received a special visitors card
allowing me to go through the gates to get to
the kiosk door.
He invited me to join him
for breakfast that he was preparing for himself,
and he told me many stories and happenings in
his life, and about his family. Because of a drop
in tourism, almost no people were coming to cross
into Jordan, so his plans for expansion and renovation
were ended.
While chatting, I told him
that day was my birthday, so he went to a shelf
and opened a bottle of wine to celebrate my birthday,
and our meeting. Then he told me about a few places
I should visit in and around Eilat.
Regrettably, on my following
visit, the kiosk was closed. Right place at the
right time?
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Louis
the Scooterer is 69 years old and
it sounds like he's just getting started.
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Scooterer 2
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