Ya'lla Land Israel: Running for Peace Between Bethlehem and Jerusalem

Ya'lla Tours Israel

Things that happen in the Exotic Mediterranean are never done at a sprint's pace, it seems. So an interfaith marathon of Catholics, Jews and Muslims running between Bethlehem and Jerusalem to kick off the seventh annual Pope John Paull II Sporting Events seems fitting for the times.

For the first time since 2000, Israeli runners were allowed to enter Bethlehem in order to join the rest of the runners at the begging of the race.

Hope springs eternal in the land of eternal hope.

Read about the run.

Ya'lla People: He's Da Boss!

There are two type of agents when it comes to Ronen Paldi, President, Ya'lla Tours USA -- those who have met him and those who have not.

When you do meet him you won't forget him. I promise.

Ronen started Ya'lla Tours in 1993, in Portland, Oregon. A former tour guide in Israel, and now a US citizen, he saw first hand the good, bad and a lot of ugly about touring Israel back in the day.

Ronen likes to tell the story about how he came to rely on travel agents only. Seems he arrived in Portland and thought he was the salvation of all the churches and clergy planning a trip to Israel. He sent out a letter to all the local pastors. He got...no response. He decided to call them, and couldn't get past the church secretary. Finally, he got in the car and was going to knock on the doors, when he saw that there were local travel agents. He did a Uie and went back and sent a letter to the travel agents, instead of wearing out his knuckles on church doors.

Faster than you can say "Bingo", Ronen had his first booking.

The rest is Ya'lla History.

I'll put a link to where you can find the "Ya'lla Difference".

Briefly, there is no cutting of corners and a more inclusive tour than what your clients may normally experience. Ya'lla uses only the best of hotels and the extreme best of guides. You'll find more Ya'lla differences here, including the fact that our scheduled tours are guaranteed to go with two pax.

Ronen is "hands on" and will pick up the phone in Portland,800.644.1595, the same as everybody else.

Ronen lives in Portland and works with a personal trainer, and is on a special diet. He is also a former Israel Navy Seal, so I don't mess with him. The answer is usually "yes, sir". Just kidding, really. He is mostly very reasonable and will seriously listen to your opinion. Same with agent feedback.

When you do meet Ronen he will ask you if you have seen his picture in ads. If you have, then he will ask whether you think he is more handsome in person. (Remember, he is a former Navy Seal!)

He's the boss. He makes Ya'lla "go", which is essentially what "Ya'lla" means.

Israel's New (and Old) Color is Green!

Israel is highlighting it's long involvement with environmental concerns. Read below.

Ya'lla Tours great Israel FAM

New York - April 22, 2010: This Earth Day, the Israel Ministry of Tourism in North America is launching a 24-month promotion underscoring Israel's pivotal role in the worldwide environmental movement: ISRAEL: ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF GREEN.

For the next two years, the Israel Ministry of Tourism will make this a key message to potential travelers to Israel. A special ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF GREEN brochure will debut at New York's Earth Fair 2010 at Grand Central, and the new website and blog (travelgreenisrael.com) will feature regularly updated news on green innovations and travel tips.

For many destinations around the world, latching on to the "green" bandwagon is all the rage. In Israel, these practices and ideologies have long been implemented into every aspect of Israeli life. Starting in the first decade of the 20th century, a historic movement was born designed to restore Israel's forests and to transform a distressed landscape. The first kibbutz, Degania, was founded on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in 1910, giving a practical boost to the dream of making the desert bloom.

"A century ago, the land of Israel was an ecological disaster," says Arie Sommer, Israel Tourism Commission for North and South America, "four centuries of Ottoman rule had seen millions of trees cut down for one simple reason - property taxes were calculated by the number of trees owned by landowners.

A hundred years later, Israel remains a leader in the green movement. Better Place electric cars will launch in Israel this year; Tel Aviv's largest garbage dump has been transformed into an urban park; Tel Aviv's mayor has set a green standard for all hotels; and Israel leads the world in the number of trees planted per acre during the last century.

For more information please visit www.travelgreenisrael.com. For more information about travel to Israel, visit www.goisrael.com.


For more information, visit www.goisrael.com or contact Julie Cooper, Director of Public Relations at (312) 803-7077 or juliec@imot.org

Ya'lla Tours Israel

Cruising Eastern Turkey: Noah's Ark Found -- Again!

A group of Chinese and Turkish evangelical explorers claim to have found Noah's Ark, the ship of the Old Testament, where all animal species and Noah's family were saved from a horrendous flood caused by an angry God.

Mr. Ararat, the site of this current exploration, is long believed to be the place where Noah's Ark came to rest when the waters receded.

Thirty years ago or so, I read a book about other explorers who found what they claimed to be remnants of the Ark.

The article is in the Sun, a British tabloid well known for extreme stories.

There is a video, too, but it is in Chinese and not translated. In it they are walking through a cave like area and examining old wooden planks. It all looks a bit too well preserved, but you can judge for yourself. After all, it is a matter of faith.

Noah's Ark Found!

Egypt FAM

Walk and Talk like and Egyptian on Ya'lla Tours' Executive FAM Trip to Egypt, August 24-September 02, 2010.

Download the trip. See what you'll miss!

Days and Nights in Istanbul: ASTA IDE

It was work, but it was fun.

ASTA put on its big show, and, for once, there were a good number of agents from my territory attending. My territory --also called "fly over land"-- usually is kind of a stay at home territory when it comes to shows in foreign lands.

For me, it was a bit of a break, though.

The Boss was okay without me doing a bunch of off-hours schmoozing.

So I wandered around Taksim Square.

It had been ten long years since I visited Turkey. During that trip, which was a FAM, I saw a bunch of the country.

This time, I just chilled at some of the cafes and wandered the streets. It was an equally good way to observe Turkey as was wandering around ten years ago.

I was put up at the Istanbul Hilton, and the service was wonderful. I had a good view, too. You can see it above. That's the Bosphorus River you see, with the Ritz Carlton to the right. (Note to agents: please sell a few more tours so I can stay at the Ritz next time.)

One of the places I had some good kabob was a cafe that featured 1970's American music and images. Inside murals included Elvis (the skinny version) and Muhammad Ali, along with other famous and faded seventies icons.

There's nothing like soaking up Turkish culture while listening to "It Never Rains in California".

My walk back to the Hilton had me passing McDonald's, Pizza Hut and Starbucks.

But don't despair. There is plenty of the real Istanbul and Turkey just off the main drag.

Check out Ya'lla Tours and our Turkey "delights".