(No Tour Guides Were harmed in the writing of this story)
By Aaron Pomerantz
Last Updated 3/29/2019 at 11:30 PM
Ein Gedi, Israel: Israel’s tourism industry took a disturbing turn this week when word spread that a local tour guide does not wear a completely ridiculous hat. You see, tour guide school lasts longer than some marriages…. so being a licensed guide here is kind of big deal. Consequently, when the tour guide community discovered that Israeli guide Danny C. was leading tours without either a fake Indiana Jones hat, a crocodile Dundee cowboy hat, a pith helmet, a hat that he stole from an ANZAC cavalry officer, nor one of those French Legionnaire hats with the dork flaps on the sides…..well, the reaction was not pretty. The Daily Freier talked with numerous irate tour guides to get their opinions.
“Wait, no stupid hat?” wondered Jerusalem guide Hillel K. as he led a procession of Filipino Christians through the Old City while wearing a Soviet fur cap. “How do they even know he’s a guide? I mean, does he even walk around in some sort of complex shawl/poncho?”
“So this guy thinks he can just wander around Eretz Yisrael without a ridiculous hat?” griped a guide named Yossi as he washed his socks behind a gas station near Hadera. “I bet he also owns pants that don’t have cargo pockets.” Yossi continued to criticize Danny’s lack of a hat for about five minutes before abruptly walking away. “Please Excuse me. I need to go tell that total stranger over there that he looks dehydrated and needs to keep drinking water until his pee is clear.“
The Daily Freier then stopped by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism to find out just what they plan to do about this rogue employee. A woman named Smadar talked to us on her cigarette break. “When the Ministry found out that Danny was not wearing a ridiculous hat, we levied a 5,000 Shekel fine against him and placed him on probation.” Smadar took another drag off her cigarette and continued. “The only reason he hasn’t been decertified is that he still complies with our rule that all guides own more scarves than Stevie Nicks.”
EPILOGUE: As the story went to print, Danny was seen purchasing the most worthless piece of headgear ever invented: the beret.