סושיBaba

Tu b’ Shvat Higiya - time to plant some pines

Sarit — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 23:34:03 +0000

Ahh, the holiday of trees - or ecological destruction….
Most of you who are reading this probably think I have fallen of the deep end, but Tu B’Shvat -the holiday of planting trees, has come to symbolize the destruction of natural ecosystems.
I am sure you remember at Sunday school or for any important Jewish event in the life of a Diaspora Jew, you would plant a tree in Israel, or one would be planted in your honor. And what an honor it was, to help the Land of Israel flourish - make it green, make it bloom. Little did we know that our money was going to planting pine tree forests all throughout the land. Where are there are some endemic species of pine in Israel, these forests did not grow in the desert. And why should they? The desert has it’s own unique beauty of openness, serenity, unique landscapes and formations, the ability to examine the historical geology of the area, cleanliness. It’s lack of plant and animal life is what makes it special. So what did the JNF do? They went and planted a thick pine forest in the middle of the desert. Not only does it not belong, not only does it destroy the natural ecosystem that existed prior, but they planted pine trees in perfectly spaced columns and rows - nothing natural looking about it.

And even though in recent years the JNF has made efforts to plant other types of trees as well, they still continue the practice of planting pines - whose needles cover the forest floor, suffocating the other plant life that grows beneath.

So think again when you are looking for a Bar-Mitzvah present. I recommend the New Israel Fund.

Sex and War

Sarit — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 23:10:42 +0000

Udi and I watched Michael Moore's "Farenheit 9/11" tonight. I realize it's been out for a while, and that the corruption and scandals it reveals are already well known, but still, it got me thinking. First of all, if it is true, most of it, you don't even need all of it to be true, [...]

צמחיית ישראל ברשת

Udi — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 12:16:39 +0000

שלום לכולם וחג שמח! אני שמח מאוד להודיע על פתיחת גרסת ההרצה של אתר צמחיית ישראל ברשת לציבור הגולשים. האתר מרכז בתוכו מאגר מידע עדכני של צמחי ישראל, הכולל את רשימת הצמחים, תמונות, ומבחר תכונות של כל מין. נכון לרגע זה האתר כולל מידע על 2856 מינים שונים (רובם מישראל ומיעוטם מירדן או סיני), מתוכם מעל [...]

ריספקט

Udi — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 19:15:16 +0000

מצחיק איך פועלת האבולוציה. בהתחלה הלכנו על ארבע, עם הזמן התפתחנו,התיישרנו, שחררנו את הידיים והפכנו להולכים על שתיים. כל זה רק בכדי להמציא דרך ללכת על ארבע שוב. היינו מוקסמים מהיעילות של ההליכה על ארבע. דניאל והילי היקרים מטיילים בניו זילנד. מילותיהם מחממות את לבבותינו המתגעגעים.

Hag Sameach!

Udi — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 23:39:22 +0000

Spoons Originally uploaded by Udi Oron. Happy hanuca! We are alive and kicking in Israel, for those who missed it. Here is a classic picture. Let's see who knows where is it from. Chau, Udi+Sarit

שימלה, הימצ’ל פרדש, הודו

Udi — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 17:00:55 +0000

לאלה שהתעניינו מה מעשי בהמשך הדרך: אני חזרתי להימלאיה, ברכבת קטנה ומדהימה המתפתלת גבוה מעל לצוקים ודרך מעל למאה מנהרות והרבה הרבה גשרים, שבסופו של דבר מגיעה לבירת הימצ'ל, שימלה. שימלה ידועה יותר כמשכן הקיץ של השלטון הבריטי בהודו. מדי שנה הממשלה וכל משרדיה היו מהגרים מהחום המזעזע של דלהי לכאן, ועד היום ההשפעה [...]

Delhi, India

Udi — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 16:30:44 +0000

The minute we left our plane in Indira Gandhi Airport we understood what we didn't miss anything outside North India: The heat wave, together with unexpected pre-monsoon moist was really unbearable. On the other hand, the shopping was much better.... The Main Bazaar street, one of the prototype of hangout places for backpackers is [...]

Farewell Himalaya!

Sarit — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 23:55:37 +0000

For more aerial fotos - click here The flight from Leh to Delhi took us over the endless Himalaya mountain range and I said my goodbyes (for now) to the mountains that have accompanied our travels for over three months.

Nubra Valley, Ladakh

Sarit — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 23:42:11 +0000

Can't get enough pictures? Then click here! Our last few days in Ladakh were spent in the Nubra Valley - the northern-most point in India foreign tourists are allowed to go. Since the buses were fully booked, we again had to hitch a ride - this time in style, as part of an Indian army supply [...]

Likkir-Rizong mini-trek, Ladakh

Sarit — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 23:01:44 +0000

For more fotos, click here please! Since our time in Ladakh was limited, we set out on a two day trek between villages in the Indus River Valley. Our first stop was the village of Likkir where we stayed at the Norbu guesthouse. We enjoyed sipping tea and looking at the views. The owner is also [...]

Leh, Ladakh

Sarit — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 22:35:34 +0000

For some more pics, click here After the long drive, we arrived in the main city of Ladakh - Leh. Being in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, Ladakh is a high altitude desert, and Leh lies at an altitude of 3,500 meters. The Ladakhi population consists mostly of Tibetan Buddhists, although there is also a [...]

Manali-Leh Road

Sarit — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 21:50:29 +0000

For more snowy landscape pictures, click here At 3 am on June 14th, we waited in the dark for our jeep from Manali to Leh. The drive was to take 20 hours, with only short stops for food. Once the jeep finally arrived, we headed up the ascent to the first pass (Rohtang La) where [...]

Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Sarit — Wed, 29 Jun 2005 20:47:19 +0000

It has been a while since we updated - so here go a string of updates of the places we have been in the last few weeks. After Dharamsala, we headed to Manali, the main town of the Kullu Valley. The Kullu Valley is a very green, beautiful place, with waterfalls and the usual backdrop [...]

Leh, Ladakh, India

Udi — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 16:36:08 +0000

We are in amazing Ladakh. stop. Having excellent time. stop. Internet time is expensive so the real updates will come later when we arrive in Delhi, tommorow!

Indrahar Pass Trek

Sarit — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 13:35:28 +0000

Click here for more photos! We've just returned from our third trek - From Dharmsala to the Chamba Valley. The trek took only 5 days this time and was different from our other treks in that we needed camping and climbing equipment - no guesthouses this time. So we had to hire a trekking company to [...]

More about Dharamsala

Udi — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 18:56:57 +0000

Let's get things organized... Mcleod Ganj is only one village of what is more widely known as Upper Dharamsala. This area became the home for the Tibetan Government-in-Exile and for many Tibetan refugees, who came here in 1959, following His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama who escaped the hostile Chinese occupation of Tibet. Many [...]

Stuck in Mcloed Ganj…

Udi — Mon, 30 May 2005 19:38:15 +0000

Ashtanga Yoga, Indian cooking (Udi), Buddhist Philosophy, some more Israeli influenced Yoga, Jewelery making (Sarit), good North Indian food, many many many Israelis, amazing snow-capped peaks, beautiful cedars, more Indian food, nice and clean hotel... ... so why should we go anywhere?

Rishikesh

Udi — Mon, 30 May 2005 19:22:16 +0000

Our next stop was much lower in altitude and much higher in celsius degrees: Rishikesh, the holy town by the Ganges riverside, was visited by The Beatles in the sixties, and by us alongside many many Israelis now. Starting from this stop we have changed alot the way we travel: apart [...]

Kausani, Uttaranchal, India

Sarit — Sat, 21 May 2005 17:41:13 +0000

and for a few more pics, click here After hiking an average of 20 km each day, we needed a rest! So we headed to the village of Kausani, with spectacular views of the same Himalayan mountains we had just trekked through. As written in the Lonely Planet (we refer to it as "the Bible"): Built [...]

Pindari and Kafni Glacier Trek

Sarit — Sat, 21 May 2005 16:26:53 +0000

For the complete trek photo album, click here Last week, we did an amazing 7-day trek to the Pindari and Kafni Glaciers. The trek began in the small village of Loharket. We arrived in there mid-day and spent the day and night there, where we were lucky to observe a traditional wedding - a [...]