Sunday, 9 May 2021

The Wolfpack

Most of the Israeli backpacker would travel in their own small closed groups strictly talking in Hebrew. They would usually socialize only with their own people. My first encounter with Israelis happened in Kasol during my first visit to Himachal. Their first impression for me was quite intimidating. Many had told me to not mess with the Israelis. They would walk everywhere with confidence like they had owned the place. The assertive tone in their voice with a big smile and an attitude of celebrating life made them apart from the crowd. They wouldn't shy away from standing for their rights and raising their voice, even putting up a fight. Shyness and Israelis were antonyms. They had proved their metal to the whole world with their ferocious fighting spirit. With that said I found them extremely beautiful and charming. Both men and women appeared as they had stepped out of heaven. God had blessed them with angelic looks. Who wouldn't want to be friends with such amazing people? While I was struggling with approach anxiety in Kasol, life had already planned a whole new chapter for me with a lifelong friendship with many Israelis.

     

Now back to Salli. The group of women who came with Noa had left, and a new group of young Israeli backpackers had arrived in Salli. They were among those people with whom I had connected really well and had shared beautiful moments of my life. To introduce them: Simon was a doctor, German-born, settled in Israel. His experience and knowledge of spirituality were exceptional. He would talk about life in his exceptionally fluent European English accent that even birds would come to the balcony to listen to him. We all would call him Simon - The King. Ynon was a senior ranking officer in the Israeli Defence Forces. His cool attitude didn't exhibit any military discipline or strictness. I found him incredibly friendly and funny. He wouldn't let us pass even a minute without making us laugh. Eden, his childhood friend living next door, was also travelling with him. Eden was a charming guy, always carrying a big smile and a phone next to his ears wherever he would go. We would enjoy these two childhood friends picking on each other. They would leave us in stitches.

Like every group of backpackers would have at least one creative and artistic person, that group also had one. Her name was Ora. She was a multitalented girl who was a writer, singer and musician. Her guitar and ukulele playing skills were exceptional. As she was a night owl, she would get up in the afternoon looking completely lost with her frizzy hair. She would sit in the balcony with her black coffee while Ynon would be zoned in with his often rarely seen military discipline, rolling a joint. Elior was part of the pack. He was really a sweet guy, always helping us around with his amazing energy. Everyone would call him Hanuman for his appearance. When we heard that for the first time, I and Madhu laughed our heart out. His friends would tease him constantly by that name. Sometimes he would get irritated and warn them not to call him Hanuman. His angry red face would make him only look like one, further escalating the teasing. We were lucky that he had no tail. Else he would have burned down Salli. Lord Ram was kind to us.

May He Bless Them Wherever They Are. 


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