[dzibead]

Thanks for that input, Shauli.  It's good to get a first-hand report that's much balanced and sensible!

[priya]

Welcome and shalom, Shauli

Thanks for giving us your insight - a really interesting read. Now I'd like to hear about your other experiences during your seven month stay in India, if you'd like to share?

[kullukid]

dzibead, on May 27 2008, 05:08 AM, said:

Thanks for that input, Shauli.  It's good to get a first-hand report that's much balanced and sensible!

What ya saying Dzi?? Wasn't my report balanced & sensible????   

Welcome Shauli, like Dzi says it's good to hear it from the horses mouth, how long were you in India & where else did you travel to? Tell us more about your adventures??   KK

[crvlvr]

Welcome Shauli and thanks for first hand report.  I would like some clarification on a few things.

1. You stated that you had to work 2 years to save money for the India trip. Whereas some reports on the internet indicate that the Israeli military pays about $4,500 in discharge bonus which is what most Israeli travelers use to fund their trip.  

2. What happens when the back packers return home? Do most of them develop a drug habit that becomes difficult to support?

3. Typically to Israeli retunr as tourists to India? Or is the India trip a once in a lifetime thing?

[Shauli]

hey.. wasnt here for a long time.. so Ill answer your questions now

The 4,500$ as far as I know, cant be spent as traveling money.. it has 3 uses: Opening a buissnes, fund for studies and for buying an apartment.
We do get some discharge bonus for free use, but its not enough for a long tip to the far east.
Also, they raised the discharge bonus after I was discharged already.. so maybe someone can work less now..

When the backpackers come home, well, it differs.. I know people who keep taking drugs like in India, people who some a joint from time to time, and people who dont do any drugs..
But in my opinion, most of them do not develop any serious drug habit.

Every Israeli I know, including myself, wants to return to India as a tourist after being a backpacker there.. Too see things in a different way, or things we missed.. As you know, you cant "do" India in one go..
some of them even return as young parents with thier kids.. I meet a few families who took a year off and took thier 4-10 year old kids and went traveling in India.

As for my trip, It was a long one and included Nepal, Tibet, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.. maybe thats why I worked for 2 years..

[Hyderabadi]

I've never had any contact with 'real' Israelis but have been a fan.

That does not mean that I'm a Muslim hater, or anything nearly like that.. I'm currently reading Leon Uris's "Haj" (for the third or fourth time I think) and my teenage reading was "90 Minutes at Entebbe", "Exodus", "Delta Force" and more books like that.  

[jyotirmoy]

Thank you for your post.