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By Louis the Scooterer

You can’t keep me away from MyPoP, coz I wont allow a beautiful place..on the beach, to just go away..even if some smokers spoils it.

Only in reality I havent been able to go for a couple of weeks as I had a tiny fall-off from my scooter and have been stuck indoors for quite a few days..the scooter is unscratched ..but I grazed my knee which is real painful, and I guess I will need to do little walking until that smaller than 2inch diameter scrape heals somewhat. I even cancelled my free birthday breakfast at MyPoP..will have to wait another year.

There are times when smokers are minimal and the wind in my favour as was the other day..a beaut of a day the beginning of summer type day..lots of people on the beach.. which is always kept clean and lots of people in the open air restaurant.. already quite a few bikini clad bodies looking for the sun..

and the service from pretty waitresses remains good so I was able to sit n stare at the Med Sea.. and think back a bit… about earlier days as well.. when I was a young fellow in Johannesburg..

A specific series of thoughts came into my mind about some of the buildings in the “downtown Jhb” where I had visited many entertainment venues as well as having done glass replacements and fitted mirrors in many of the buildings..and some of these places had discos and lounges and had parties every night for unattached people looking for company..and some of these places also in popular Hillbrow and Berea adjoining downtown Jhb on north side… were magic..great views from some of the balconies..

you saw down the main street at the traffic and everyone coming or going was in my vision… many great hours and many great meals and coffee and cake as well..Benny often played the piano in lounge of popular Cafe Zurich.

The spotlessly clean General Hospital was a few corners away in most beautifully kept gardens.

Recently I was sent pictures of what some of these building look like now..depressing the way things turned out and so many buildings turned into squatter camps ??

so I wont dwell on that, while surely is lovely to watch the waves and the sea in front of me.

I remembered having owned beautiful cars and some were convertibles,< flavia1xxjpg >< paris4667jpg > and in mid 1950′s and 1960′s I could park my convertible anyplace, as well as my scooter and I knew it would not be interfered with…even parked my convertible one evening outside the City Hall in Johannesburg, and went to watch a concert..and the traffic officer in charge said he would keep an eye on it.. turned out to be Gerhardt who was in the citizen-force with me (several years earlier)..and I never recognised him with his new full thick mustache and his smart uniform.

Unfortunately that easy going lifestyle changed over the years and currently I wouldn’t attempt to own any smart looking car..even the drab looking cars have a short life in Johburg.. as for the radio thieves..they are everywhere. Always plenty to write about those “olden days”..

The bus to town was one corner up from where I lived..and the tram to town was 2 corners down the road. After starting to work at an early age..”taken from school” by an uncle who gave me a good job in a timber yard / hardware store business, and after a short while I bought a bicycle and cycled to work..didnt matter if it was raining..my best route was on flat roads and was a pleasant 20 minute ride.
Never was a great deal of traffic and every ride was okay..until the day a guy in his Jeep station wagon, rode into me from the back..virtually destroying the bike..lucky I was not really hurt..he apologised and loaded the bike into his jeep and took it to the local bicycle shop close to where I worked, and he told the man to repair it..and he promptly vanished..

At the end of the second day the bike guy called me and said the frame is too badly damaged and not worth repairing and I should get a new bicycle ..but the guy with the jeep refused to pay…anything.

SO, a few days later, my father..a not big guy, and one of his poker playing friends ..a not small guy..paid the Jeep guy a quick visit.. and the jeep guy paid the full amount for the new bike which even had a few gears..but I knew that my “cycling to work” days were almost over..so back to the tram to go to work and back to the bus to come home…

until the day I walked past the used car dealer that recently opened a few blocks “up the road” and saw that re-built 2 seater car on an MG chassis, which after a short while became mine…and funny enough even a whole bunch of new girls became my passenger..suddenly I was a lot more popular than before ??..and memories came flooding back.. and all the waitresses of today, are exactly like the girls of those way back times…

so right now i sit and patiently wait for the scrape to heal.. so I can get-going again.

please email me louisdrinkingt@013.net

“Round and around the Sea of Galilee we go”!

Good morning all. Don’t leave anything behind. We ain’t comin’ back to Kare Deshe.

Route decided… lets go.. early start..have packed breakfast..lets go watch sunrise from Syrian plateau ?? On the way I will let you walk for a few minutes on the newly made pavement, passed the pink Greek Church

and I’ll pick you up at Capernaum gate

Gamla will not be open so early but from a high view we watch the sunrise in the east.. and in the west we see the colors sunrays on the cliffs inside . Gamla, and if we are lucky we may see some eagles flying..

We will make a quick visit to a special friend at his home on a moshav..I’ll tell you a little about that.

Way back on one of my first trips staying at KD I heard about a “mountain-bike event”, and tried to get some info.. I didn’t manage to get any start-times, routes, finish line and places the bikes would be at. By chance the next morning, on my very early morning scoot, looking for sunrise I saw a small bright green cardboard sign on a pole with a sketch of a bicycle ..that sign slightly reopened my interest in the event.

I learned the event begins and ends at a venue ON one of many beaches on west side at Kinerret..so I followed the sign and soon found a man with a van with a trailer-full of mountain bikes that he rents on the beaches…he was not connected to any event, but did point me to where he thought the cyclists would be.

After some time n scootin’ around and asking several people I still could not get proper information, so I decided I will simply ride around and maybe by fluke I would get to see some of the bikes.

WHAT a weird coincidence ..as I scooted slowly, on the main road, I noticed on my right, several bikes heading down the track and close to me at the side of the road ..behind a fence, they were waiting permission to “cross the road”…

and I noticed a man had stopped the traffic to let the cyclists get to the other side. Not a busy road at that time, so I pulled up next to this fellow and asked him “is this the mountainbike event”? ..he looked at me on my scooter, and his reply was “I know you” !…

what ! you know me ? huh !

We spoke a while and he told me where the event ends with a ride on the water edge

to a beach..some kms. down the road..there was no problem, and I was allowed to follow the cycles, exept there were some big water pipes and concrete drains that I could not cross..easy for the cyclists

..they simply lifted their bike and walked across the pipe. My scooter couldnt get across these pipes so I began the ride back to the road (about 15 minutes) then back to find the end of the event ??..but there are several beaches, and at each beach there were some mountain-bike happenings with barbeques and picnics, and many people, and I could not find him.

A relative of Albert’s, (known to me) had told him casually some years earlier that “one day” Lou will relocate to Israel..and who knows..maybe we will meet.

Another mutual friend visited Albert once and I would say everyone forgot about ..until he stopped me to allow the cycles to cross the road. A couple of his teenage sons were riding bikes and Albert’s job was to see they cross the road safely.

Albert had also seen a picture of me on my scooter in an insert magazine (more than a year earlier).. that is in every Friday Jerusalem Post..and he kept the article which included my fone number.

Eventually we connected and I visited at his home on Givat Yoav..a lovely moshav dealing mainly in dairy, and also has entertainment for visitors

and his taking me around to every interesting spot on the moshav with full explanations.. and nearby places as well.

I have visited several times with scooter, and in rain season in rented car..and when Albert has reason to be in Netanya..we meet..and always talk about that incredible meeting.

So now we have to leave after our quickvisit and head on beautiful scenic road towards the Kinerret, where many places on the beach entice us. Some are simple beaches with trees and benches and tables where people will always be picnicking..and also luxury Kibbutz Hotels that draw visitors from everywhere in the world.

We will take a short walk along the waters edge a while at

and take a cold drink from the kiosk. We will also drink a coffee in luxury, at HA’ON Kibbuts and walk about in the gardens..maybe we will be able to see their ostrich farm.

Then make a quick visit to the date factory/shop at Kinerret kibbuts..to buy dates and honey and other delicacies..(you remember we visited the baptism site the other day?)..this factory shop is just up the road.)

We will take a ride into Tiberias and see some ancient sites at the waterfront and see the movie about “Galilee Experience”, and take a bite at one of the restaurants  in the center of Tiberias.

Then another quick visit, this time to Dona Gracia Hotel but only a quick walk-about coz you aleady know all about that place…(earlier chapter). We will drive past Mayouhas Youth Hostel where I have stayed a few times…no easy parking so we wont visit.

I”ll show you 3 hotel buildings that were abandoned

and other sites as well.. and stop a while at ADI viewpoint to take pics

We then head to Tiberias Illit (upper Tiberias) and find our way into to Switzerland Forest,

a beautiful drive with breathtaking views

and many lovely spots to sit around and picnic..

( no kiosks or stalls here).. and then at south end of this drive, we will find our hostel at Poriya…for a one night stay.

Please feel free to email me louisdrinkingt@013.net

By Louis the Scooterer

Oh well.. I love being a quitter (like when I quit smoking !) but I hate being a “loser” as I am NOW with smokers all around.. and them winning, and by choice I need to leave a place.

Today.. this beautiful beginning-of-summer-morning..first cup of coffee at the square where the smokers were in the millions..even though there was a pleasant breeze.. I left when it became unbearable. I then scooted to coffee at Mypop which I now call POSSS (place of smelly stinking smokers)..as the other millions of smokers come there.

I get the impression that the owners / partners supply free cigarettes ? coz the place has become very popular, and remains a beautiful place. but, when many people are there, they have lost ME.. (who cares..no one gives a damn?)

Anyway this morn I even saw the owners smoking inside the restaurant !!.. thats bad news (for me), and my decision is to reduce my visits at mypop and go ONLY when they open in the morning, and when I can be the first one there.

Surely I will miss seeing the bikini beauties, and other people that I previously exchanged chats with.. but as I watched 3 newcomers sit at the next table 1 meter from me..all 3 began smoking.. then 2 others arrived and sat at another table 3 meters from me and both began smoking.. (and I refuse to take pics of smokers, any more.).. that means that the 5 newcomers were all smoking.. that means 100% newcomers were smoking ?? and while I breathed-in and swollowed their stinky smelly smells..I wondered at which place will I be happy.

I thought about my visit to such a place ..BANIAS.. and I relate here about that visit to that most beautiful place…

There are 2 main roads to the only Ski Site in Israel way up north, on top of Mount Hermon. The more popular route, takes you past the foot of Mt. Hermon where the source of Hermon Stream flows, at a mysterious place called BANIAS. I had visited Banias several times by scooter and in a rented car, and because I knew I couldn’t walk much, I usually stood at the entrance gate to this awesome place, received brochures and maps with walking routes.. and stared in wonderment what was directly in front of me.

The gigantic arched entrances into the mountain caves, waterfalls, running water, ancient workings and remnants of buildings, and knowing that much walking is required. But my old knee wouldnt allow..so I sat on the saddle or in the rentcar for a few minutes, took a picture or two, and then moved along to elsewhere. Well..this is my story about a proper visit, a couple of years later, after receiving a TKR (Total Knee Replacement). Now at this time, I am able to walk some distances, painfree (perhaps with some stiffness), and started doing what I hadn’t done for so many years.

I climbed up steps and walked on broken rocks and on beautiful grass lawns and next to the flowing waters in many areas in this incredible place, walking along the fast flowing very narrow streams and up and down rock steps and on muddy sand over little bridges through narrow tunnels. This was a new experience for a more than 70 year old scooterer..this trip was on my scooter. One of the excellent sites on internet is http://www.jafi.org.il/education/noar/sites/banias.htm. It was marvellous seeing many groups of children visiting this place, as well as many tour buses arriving with tourists from all around the world. There are also places with many tables and benches under trees for picnicking, or taking a rest.

There are several different routes to follow, and I chose what looked like the “easiest and shortest” (purple route). (Not to kid myself)..this was a long and most interesting winding route which comes upon a longtime-disused hydro-electric plant, and cellars and ancient flour mills and other buildings that need time to explore, and I walked crossed a Roman Bridge… and need to know where to make the left-turn at the correct spot…(to follow the purple arrows). I even came across a tiny kiosk run by an old Druze man, and I jumped back in time at least 100 years seeing this spot..and “chatting” with this “picturesque chap”.. and eating what he makes..a thin bread filled with goat cheese, with a cool drink, or his special blend of tea.

The streams flow non stop, and in wonderment I stand at many spots and take my hat off to those who designed these places for hikers and children and even older ones like me. I passed through underground tunnels to archaeological diggings, found plaques with English translations about what stands at a particular spot…and always found a place to sit in the shade.

Later I met with tourists from USA and another group from Nigeria. Many groups of Christians travel in buses with their church leaders and guides..and my take on that is, unfortunately the time they spent at this magic place, is far too short to really explore. I casually joined one of these groups and listened to a well informed guide telling about some of the spots where they stop..take pics..listen to a quick story..and move along.

After taking a coffee at the kiosk, and being very satisfied with my (new knee) achievement..and pleasantly tired..I chatted with tourists and staff, and listened to their stories. I then scooted along a couple of kms..down the road.. to the BANIAS FALLS.. and stood at the viewsite, and with my binoculars I could see many hikers of all ages, climbing up the pathways to eventually arrive at the Roman Bridge (where I was earlier).

I learned that at the spot where I was standing, there are 100 steps to the bottom to see the falls… and my decision was “those 100 steps down and up again” ??.will be for another time…and I waved goodbye to the couple who began the climb down.

Did I mention not to forget camera and wear comfortable walking shoes.. SO..dear reader spend a few minutes (google to Banias) and start planning your visit. Feel free to email me louisdrinkingt@013.net

By Louis the Scooterer

Okay early up, sunrise seen, breakfast eaten.. lets go find some bridges that River Jordan flows under…in this area.

Remember we stopped at Arik bridge which is on the main road, where the Jordan flows into the north end of Kinerret (Sea of Galilee).. where many people stop and walk across to the other side..often seeing kayaks and canoes on the water? Now we go the same place and a couple of hundred meters from that Arik bridge is another old wooden bridge across the Jordan.. I have never seen people here altho’ its a beautiful spot..and definitely warrants a few minutes drive on the back road to get there.

We get into Jordan Park http://www.weekend.co.il/maslulim/ramatg/p_yarden/indexE.htm where many bridges cross the Jordan and also many walkers bridges have been built.

In the summertime this is a hive ..thousands of campers and holidaymakers and the place is packed, and hot and muggy and everyone just love what they are doing.

I was lucky to drive there on a cold wintry day and the places were deserted, and I met a man in charge of kyak rentals camping complex, who invited me to sit and drink coffee with him, and chat, as he is alone for many days. He took me around and explained a few things about the place, and led me to a notice board which showed the height of the Jordan River when in flood a few years earlier.

Many small “walkers bridges” have been built and in some places the Jordan River has been diverted into narrow streams and is less than 15 inches wide..yes 15″…nevertheless it IS the River Jordan and the Ole-Man river..just goes flowing along.

I’ve previously told about the bridges at Naharayiim and the story about Aunties bridge. Now we will take a short drive to the ruined Aunties bridge, but there is really nothing to see other than broken concrete.

Anyway its worth a short climb over the the rocks to see the Jordan flowing peacefully like a little stream.
Note..the Aunties Bridge may have looked similar to the one in the picture below when seen from high up as it was a simple concrete bridge through the water.

A few of the other bridges are very imposing and well built as is the Green Bridge,

and the twin (one-way) wooden bridges seen below

which are known as Jacobs Daughters Bridges..one of which had been (recently) totally rebuilt for two-way traffic, and now looks like any regular bridge.. with metal handrails and a very narrow sidewalk..
and the other has been closed,

and will remain as a tourist sightseeing attraction.

While on my “finding Jordan river bridges” mission..

there was always “another one” to find and cross..and the last one I found and crossed is an ordinary concrete bridge..leading to a moshav Khulata.

On one trip with scooter I arrived at a point from where I could see a long straight gravelroad with the river on left, and I wondered if that will take me to a “Jordan River bridge” as it was not marked on my maps..then I had a flat tyre and luckily had a tin of foam that inflated the tyre to allow riding for several kilometers to a pump.

I took the long gravel road and found the final bridge, a simple concrete bridge without any name or descriptions… which I crossed and have since returned several times. That first time, I then crossed a very small bridge at a gate and carried on riding on another straight road on the other side of the river… and to my surprise I took a turning that took me via the back road.. and I scootered into the Khula Nature Reserve.
On that occasion I was made welcome by the security and other people who worked at the visitors center…many making a fuss about the scooterman coming in the wrong route.

On another occasion in a rentcar I took the same roads and on entering the reserve I was followed by security who told me I should not be on that road, as the small gate should have been locked..?? and I was escorted to the main entrance gate, to leave the car in the main car-park.

There are no entrance fees into the Khula Reserve but no private vehicles are allowed inside the reserve, as many visitors hire tricycles and walk on all the tar roads as well as all the side roads to the bird fields.

So I believe I found every bridge that crosses the river… and with exception to the 3 border crossings, I have crossed and walked over every bridge..even all the walking bridges inside the Jordan Park.

Unfortunately, not everyone respects the ole’ man River Jordan, and some places are full of garbage..even a supermarket trolley, and very often there are build-ups of branches and small bushes that are washed away in storms or big winds.

One of these bridges is so nondescript.. a simple sort of concrete wall fence..covered with overgrown shrubbery,

and I actually couldnt recognise it as a bridge..I was lucky to see a tiny sign about 12 inches square nailed to a tree, faded word reading…”Shalma” (name of that bridge).

Okay, lets break away from bridges and take a drive to HULA RESERVE. Lots to see and do, and after watching a movie about the place, we will not hurry. http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?CNumber=422020

There are many activities and pedalcars and golfcarts can be hired to ride only on paved roads, and I suggest we go on tractor ride into the bird areas..tractor pulls a closed trailer with seats and gets us close to almost touch the various birds.

Dont forget your binoculars and cameras.

By the way..there are also several unimpressive bridges that cross the man made canals, when the Jordan River was diverted..to become the nature reserve that we see today.

During certain seasons there are hundreds of thousands of birds on the ground..everyone pecking at something on the earth..and surely every bird has enough to eat. Occasionally a few thousand will take off and fly around in a big circle above us..then land and carry on pecking.

I have also spent time in a birdwatching “building” where expert birdwatching guides and rangers will answer questions about what can be seen through the openings. Saturday is always busy and I was “clever” to return another day when I was given VIP treatment without large crowds..and every facility will be open and available. I was the only passenger on the bus that takes you around the complex and the driver answered all my questions and gave much advice, and suggestions.

After a tiring but very satisfying few hours we have a snack n coffee at cafetaria, and head back in the dark to spend our final night at Kare Deshe.
Please leave a comment, or email louisdrinkingt@013.net