I was anxious about how my journey across the border from Egypt to Israel would go. I was expecting a lengthy process with additional questions regarding having family born in Pakistan, but I wasn’t expecting a journey as surreal as it turned out to be.

I entered the border from Taba in Egypt with a few travellers I met in Egypt, they all showed their passports and walked through but when the guard saw mine he phoned a colleague and I was taken to one side. After going through an additional metal detector, my passport was handed to various people before I went inside and introduced to a security officer who wanted to ask further questions.

Initially she asked me about my travelling over the last 12 months (which regular readers of this blog will know is quite extensive) quizzing me on exact dates and places I stayed.  She then wanted details about where I’d gone in Egypt, why I had gone there and exactly what my motivation for traveling to Israel was.

It turns out ‘tourism’ is not enough of a reason so I had to explain exactly why I was fascinated by the history and culture of the Middle East. She regularly asked the same question in different ways, I think to ensure I was being consistent with my answers.

When she asked me what my motivations were for traveling in Egypt, I think she was expecting a brief response about the pyramids, as opposed to the passionate lecture I proceeded to give on the virtues of the country and my fascination with Ancient Egypt. I think after about 10 minutes, she finally got a word in!

It sounds an intimidating experience, but it was actually strangely funny. Every question was interrupted with a throwaway comment about which of my hair colours she liked best or a chat about my Pokemon t-shirt, and it was really nothing like the cold-hearted security grilling you would expect.

However, after she let me go I realised that this was just the preliminary screening and once I got to immigration there were further complications. I was asked about my parents history and I didn’t have details of my father’s name. I tried to explain that my parents were divorced and I had always lived with my mum but this seemed to be an issue. I attempted to phone my Mum to find out more information but she was at work so didn’t answer.

I was asked to take a seat and after a 50 minute wait, I was ushered into a different room where another security officer asked me almost identical questions to the previous one. This time she explained they have the right to do additional passport checks and they wanted to verify information that they would check with security including my address and telephone number.

Again there was a lot of chat with this woman that I can only describe as banter. In between serious questions, we had a chat about being a 3^rd generation immigrant and the balance between integrating and keeping your heritage and of course a discussion about the artistic merits of the new Arctic Monkeys album!

She asked to see my photos, which I believe were to show I really was a tourist in Egypt rather than being there for any unruly reasons. This quickly turned into a conversation about my colourful wardrobe and her favourite travel photo of mine!

At this point she went to verify my information and whilst doing this I was able to get in contact with my Mum, who was able to provide the additional info that was earlier asked for. At this point I felt that they had moved on from this but I told them anyway, and the security officer wanted to ensure my mother wasn’t too worried!

She then told me to make sure I was using the WiFi, and showed me where the charging points were and asked if I wanted a drink; I started to question if this was border security or a hotel reception. Shortly afterwards she came out with a visa for me and I was on my way.

This was an anxious and stressful 3 hours and it’s not pleasant to be singled out because of your ethnicity, yet I think it’s important to note how pleasant everyone was.

I was always treated with warmth and compassion rather than just a number on a passport. This may have been a tactic to ensure I opened up. but I genuinely got the impression that there was an authentic connection made and I’m sure it made things easier.

It was the polar opposite to the stereotype of Israeli security officers and I have to say, that despite everything, my first impression of Israelis was incredibly positive.