I am writing this post in the interior of British Columbia, where it's minus twenty and there's several feet of snow on the ground. I planned to get home by the 7th but a storm is coming and Jack and I might just have to hunker down until the blizzard passes. I'd love to make it to my lecture that starts off the new semester but hey, ya gotta take what life hands out. Today I will be telling you all about my amazing trip to Israel (mostly in Tel Aviv and the northern part of the country). How did this all HAPPEN? A non-profit social start-up based in Tel Aviv called Kinetis emailed me several months ago, and inquired if I would be interesting taking a Vibe Israel health and wellness tour, along with a handful of other bloggers passionate about the same topics. Basically we'd be touring the country and connecting with all it has to offer for plant-based, sustainable and healthy living. DUH. Off I flew, along with Kate, Ben, Jessa and Lee. 

As you'll be reading in a moment, the trip was one of the greatest adventures of my life so far. I would just like to note that we should remember my experience was very specific. In any location, there are endless different realities and ways of experiencing that space. My experience was highly privileged. The other bloggers and I were exposed to only the best treatment, restaurants, people and places. Needless to say this was wonderful, but it is also just one story of the country. 

I will say right now that I am aware the political history of the region is complicated, sensitive and in many ways unfortunate. I have studied middle eastern history at university so I am not naive to what has happened and is happening in this part of the world. The people I had the honour of getting to know were genuine, kind, considerate and accepting. Much of the country is made up of creative, passionate, progressive thinking individuals who are changing the world in positive ways for everyone. It's irresponsible to assume all citizens of Israel are one and the same. Many states in the US still claim 'same-sex' marriage should be illegal. Does that mean everyone is the US is against 'same-sex' love? Of course not. So let's not be hasty with vast generalizations. I am saying this in order to minimize negative comments. I believe in understanding before judging. Now let's move on to the fun stuff! I'd like to focus on three different aspects of the trip that I enjoyed the most: the people, places and food (what else is there, really). 

THE PEOPLE:

I was almost overwhelmed with the charisma, kindness and creativity of the Israeli people. The innovations in technology, music, fashion, farming and more are often unsurpassed compared to the rest of the world. So many of the tools we now depend on were thought up in Israel: the USB flash drive, drip irrigation (a promising form that's vastly more energy efficient), solar windows, the Pill Cam (a microscopic camera able to enter the digestive tract) and much more. Suffice it to say, this country is a pioneer in global innovation. Another feature that impressed me was the eco-friendlyness of everyone. Since the birth of the Israeli state, the government has consistently focused on the most energy-efficient forms of living and farming. Low-flush toilets are the standard, you won't see any other kind. It's very normal to have solar panels on your roof. Turning off lights when not in use, and using as little water as possible (having short showers, etc.) is second-nature to everyone. The majority of people in transit are on a bicycle, and in fact throughout Tel Aviv there are bikes to borrow on many streets, similar to shopping carts in front of grocery stores; you put in a coin, get the bike, then return it later to get your coin back. The country had to be this way. To put it simply: Israel's international neighbours aren't keen to offer the state resources, so it is largely dependent on it's intranational resources to survive. Food is usually grown locally, and water and energy are precious. I adored how caring everyone was to us. They offered us delicious and healthy homemade food, stories about their lives and families, and what they believe is important. I was inspired more with each person we met. The citizens of Israel - and especially Tel Aviv - were open-minded, modern thinkers interested in evolving the world into a more peaceful, diverse, culturally-rich place. Some people who truly inspired me were Ori Shavit, Israeli vegan blogger and stunning beauty, and Omri Paz (baaaaabe alert), founder of Vegan-Friendly. I was so happy to meet them and talk about our values together. Oh! And it was a major treat to learn that the fantastic Sivan, founder of The Vegan Woman, lives in Tel Aviv! She was able to come to our farewell party and give me a big hug PLUS vegan booty shorts! Woo! Our guide, Rotem, was unendingly courteous and our trip photographer, Or, never ceased to make us all laugh. 

THE PLACES:

The landscapes were breath-taking (seriously, I was sighing with love after every hill and valley we passed). The fruit trees were abundant: figs, dates, pomegranates, olives, lemons, limes and oranges. I picked fresh lemons off trees in the city several times, but unfortunately didn't get a chance to forage for food elsewhere (since our daily schedule was always quite full), and fig season has just ended... *sobs*. Nevertheless, olive season was in full bloom and every olive farm we passed - and there were too many to count - we saw families picking the little black jewels off the grey, knotty trees with their thin silvery light green leaves. This land is deeply biblical, and the food talked about in the Bible, Qur'an, and Bhagavad Gita appears on trees and bushes everywhere. Even though I am not religious, I tend to romanticize everything so I really enjoyed seeing pomegranates ripening in the golden sun of valleys as I likened the image to something equally revered centuries ago. The country is made up of desert and rolling hills scattered with planted conifers and bushes. Much of Israel is lush green farmland, which initially took me by surprise as my plane landed (I was expecting a lot of sand). Getting more specific, I really connected with the actual architecture and interior design of the places we visited. Our first hotel, The Diaghilev, was very minimalist and artsy. The walls were adorned with abstract paintings and collages by local artists, and the furniture was modern and simple. This is my fave kind of interior design: minimalism but with style. Our other hotel in the north, where we stayed for a weekend, was ethereal. A stone building surrounded by a huge organic garden developed in the 1920's by a vegetarian who had a vision of creating a healing, peaceful retreat; it has stood the test of time and now looks like it's straight out of a fairy tale. It's called the Mizpe Hayamim Hotel and Spa. Finally, a spot that really struck me was a home that was 100% hand-built out of organic materials: literally the mud, hay and wool found up to just a few miles away. The man behind the house was a philosophy professor who decided living off his land just made sense. Everything he ate, he grew. He offered us bread made from the grains in his garden, as well as crackers, vegetables and creamy colourful spreads. I still daydream about his eggplant (and his face 'cause it was pretty cute). We had the unforgettable experience of floating around in the Dead Sea (the high salt/mineral content is great for your skin) and visiting several different organic farms as well as a couple spas. Ah, being healthy is so fun!

THE FOOD:

Probably what you want to hear the most about, the food was - of course - amazing. Infinite bowls of tahini. A very exciting aspect for me personally on this trip was learning that Israel is in the midst of a vegan revolution. I was told that around 12% of Tel Aviv residents are plant-based eaters (compare to the Canadian 2%)! When we weren't eating at a vegan or vegetarian restaurant (I was the only vegan on the trip), the menus still had several vegan options clearly and proudly labelled. This is largely thanks to Omri Paz of Vegan-Friendly, a Tel Aviv-based non-profit vegan organization that has exploded the vegan scene during the past few years in the city by encouraging restaurants to add vegan menu items. You can easily find vegan ice cream cafes, vegan pizza eateries, and traditional middle eastern cuisine with a vegan flare. We dined at only the finest restaurants that focused on sourcing local, organic, wholesome ingredients and transforming them into magnificent, mouth-watering morsels on your plate. Mezze, Village Green and Nanucka (a place that went vegan over night) were my fave joints - and they are all 100% vegan. We had the honour of meeting all the chefs who delighted in telling us about their passion for organic, healthy, compassionate living. It was moving. Besides the vegan spots, it is simply part of the Israeli culture to eat mostly plants. Sabich, a famous street food (eggplant with hummus and pita) is easily found and very popular. There are juiceries EVERYWHERE. It was not hard at all to find fresh juice on any street. There were also massive, gooey dates and other dried fruit everywhere. We went to the market one day and I saw the biggest mangoes. Ever. And it goes without saying that hummus is the lifeblood of the nation. People eat it all day, every day. My mouth is watering just thinking of all the fragrant, sweet, savoury, creamy and crunchy treasures we had the privilege of devouring. In fact, I stuffed myself every time we sat down. I figured I better fit as much experience into my belly as I could... while I could! Salads, bread, hummus, grains, lemons, herbs, rice and vegetables... I didn't want it to end. 

In summary: Israel is a vegan mecca and stunning little section of the globe. If you want to travel to the middle east, I'd recommend stopping by and stuffing your face with healthy, plant-based goodness. It's almost hard NOT to eat veggie here. Grab a bike, cycle along the beach, get some juice at the market, and forage for figs and pomegranates. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I know I will be back.