Uri Buri, Acre (Akko)

Acre is a city in Israel with a population of around 46 000. It existed before the nation of Israel invaded the land under Joshua. It has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

This is picture of the restaurant Uri Buri which is in Acre by the sea shore. Uri Buri is a seafood restaurant. On the right side of the picture, there is a gentleman with a beard sitting at a picnic table. He is the chef and owner.

I am not a big fan of seafood, but the food here was great. The chef offered to bring us different dishes that he would select. If we did not like something we could send it back and not pay for it. We sent nothing back. All the food was excellent.

El Al from Toronto to Tel Aviv

Normally when I am travelling to an International destination, I arrive at the airport about 110 minutes before departure. I knew the security for El Al could take longer, so for this flight I arrived about 170 minutes before departure. Now I know what I experienced is not typical, but this is what I had to go through to get on an El Al flight from Toronto to Tel Aviv.

Before checking in, there are several El Al security agents interviewing the passengers. The lady who interviewed me, asked the same basic questions that you usually get: Did you pack your bags yourself? Did anyone give you something to take without on the plane? Why are you travelling to Israel? And so on.

She also looked through my passport. My passport has a Visa for Pakistan as well as the entry and exit stamps from my last couple of trips there. I suspect that this is what caused her to get her supervisor. He came to talk to me and told me that I would need to undergo a few extra security measures. He said that after I checked in for the flight, they would take my carry on bag and return it to me at the gate. So after I checked in, I went back to the security supervisor. He told me I needed to take my bag and follow one of the security agents.

She took me to a small room crowded with equipment and shelves. She asked me to remove my jacket, sit down and remove my shoes. She took my shoes. From where the chair was, I could not see what she did with them. Eventually she returned and gave me my shoes, and told me that my coat and carryon would be returned to me at the gate.

It was strange going through the regular airport security with no coat and no carryon.

At the gate, just as the boarding started, I was asked to sit by the gate with two other gentlemen who were going through the same extra measures. The agent dealt with the other two first.
When it was my turn, an agent tested my shoes for explosive reside. Then he asked me to go with him to a corner of the waiting area that was screened off. When we got there, he asked me to empty my pockets and remove my belt. He then put on plastic gloves, and gave me a thorough pat down. He paid especial attention to the shirt collar, the upper part of my jeans, and the hem of my jeans. He was very professional.

After this we returned to the seating area, he asked me to remove my shoes, and ran his metal detector around my feet. Then he said I could board the plane. By this time, almost all the other passengers had already boarded.

As I write this I am still in Israel, I am sure I will go through the same hoops for my return flight. All this so the company I work for could save $500 on the cost of my trip.