If your travel plans include a stay in Israel, the country's only other transportation alternative to a car is not a camel. Although a land with more than two millenia of history, Israel is a modern country where trains are rapidly also becoming a way to go. More than 9 million people traveled Israel's rails in 1999, a record statistic in a country of 6 million.
Israeli trains are sleek, modern, air-conditioned, swift and convenient, with reasonable fares.
Seat-window views are superb. Further south, the rails skirt Negev Desert sand dunes that melt into lush farmland. A new line is in progress, scheduled for completion in 2001, and will provide high-speed transportation between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.