We left gloomy London and flew to New Delhi, India, with the Russian airline Aeroflot. Back then, there were no formal relations between Russia and Israel, nor between India and Israel; a certain uneasiness was a sure thing. The overnight stop in Tashkent, nowadays Uzbekistan’s capital city, was surreal. A security guard was sitting outside our hotel room.

Upon landing at New Delhi Airport, I was pale and confused. I remember wearing a white shirt; my hair was long. I looked around, trying to figure the lay of the ground, and I guess my dazed state of mind was visible…

Vagabond Travel Notes -1982–1983

We spent six months roaming the Indian subcontinent, busy ourselves with the activities that vagabond travelers do. Only years later, after immersing myself in studying, reading, and introspection, that I realized how a few Pearls of Wisdom weaved themselves into my consciousness during that first visit to India. These pearls of wisdom are still growing, expanding, and sometimes bloom in me. I don’t ever expect to understand them fully. I do accept that life’s journey is about making progress and not about reaching perfection.

Maintain personal space boundaries

There are about a billion residents in this country, and sometimes it…

Sørvær on Sørøya Island in the Arctic Sea

I spent six months in Norway during the summers of 1982 and 1983, living and working in Sørvær, a small village on Sørøya Island. There, you can see that phenomenon in which the sun barely sets. It grazes the horizon and then rises again. It made a deep impression on me, the way the sun first appears to set but then doesn’t.

Sørøya Island is in the Arctic Sea, in the middle of one of the world’s richest fishing grounds. The Island’s rocky mountains are open and practically free of any trees. It has a beautiful landscape to hike in…

Yucca Brevifolia, commonly known as Joshua tree, is a large, slow-growing tree belonging to the Yucca genus. It grows only in the Mojave Desert of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The Joshua tree, which grows in fiercely adverse conditions, was seen by U2 as a symbol of faith and hope amid the dry and barren desert. The tree was named, by early Mormon settlers, after the Old Testament prophet Joshua, as its branches reminded them of Joshua raising his arms to pray.

The song With or Without You from U2’s album The Joshua Tree brings forth spiritual longing…

1. NO ONE IS COMPLETELY SURE ABOUT THE AGE OF THE GRAND CANYON

It was long believed that the Colorado River started carving out the canyon six million years ago. Recent mineral studies within the canyon have shown this process may have begun 70 million years ago.

What makes answering a seemingly simple question so difficult? The Grand Canyon may not have been carved in one fell swoop by the Colorado River. …

The Grand Canyon is a place that no picture can ever fully capture its size. Even while you’re standing at the top staring down, you can’t discern how far away the bottom is. You can view the canyon from the south or north rims; both are breathtaking. The north rim’s elevation is 1000 ft (300 m) higher, but the south rim is the more popular side. When viewing the canyon from the south, the sun will be at your back, making it favorable for photography. Four trails lead down to the river from the south rim and one from the…

Imagine, it’s 1895, Peter Berry is riding a dark brown mule up a trail. The curvy and narrow path connects a mine by Horseshoe Mesa, at the bottom of the canyon, and Grandview, where Pete built a house and an operational center on the south rim. He named it Grandview, a fitting name for the big vistas and panoramic views. Sun rays shine through the clouds to light up the Grand Canyon’s north rim, far on the opposite side. It’s a thick sunny day, and the silence is endless. Pete’s eyes are gazing at the scenery’s beauty; he is never…

1. THE OLDEST HUMAN ARTIFACTS FOUND IN THE GRAND CANYON ARE 12,000 YEARS OLD

The oldest man-made objects found in the Grand Canyon are nearly 12,000 years old and date to the Paleo-Indian period. Hundreds of split-twig figurines have been discovered in the canyon walls, shaped like deer and bighorn sheep. Anthropologists believe that prehistoric hunters used these in religious rituals.

2. THE HOPI TRIBE CONSIDERS THE GRAND CANYON A GATEWAY TO THE AFTERLIFE

Referred to as Öngtupqa in the Hopi language, the Grand Canyon carries great spiritual significance for the Native American tribe that has long inhabited the region…