The Lovely Desert Landscape

It was hazy all day today apparently from dust originating in Saudi Arabia.  The haze didn't stop us, though, it only prevented us from seeing any distance.  

Daniela

a Baobab tree like the one from the Little Prince

Our day started early with a garden tour of the Kibbutz we are staying on, Kibbutz Ein Gedi.  It is beautiful here, and according to our tour guide/part owner of the Kibbutz, the best growing environment, in spite of the fact that we are in the middle of a desert landscape.  Because of the low altitude (lowest on earth, remember 1400 ft below sea level), the air is just right for plants that grow quickly and beautifully with the watering system developed here and then now used all over the world.  Our guide walked us around the Kibbutz and told us all about the committed community that worked together to build the dream of a lifetime and to be a part of their homeland.  She grew up in Beverly Hills, and as she told us, came here to escape a life of excess and provide her children with a more meaningful existence.  It sounds like she and her husband and their EIGHT kids dug in and did all they could to make the Kibbutz prosper.  They had never farmed and yet, today you see the fruit of their labor.  Her husband managed the date tree farm over the fence from the Kibbutz (it is surrounded by a fence to keep away the wild animals, Yikes!) and she was the nurse who was responsible for all the children in the children's houses.  The Kibbutz is covered in beautiful vegetation and she lovingly showed us much of it.  Plants from literally every part of the world bloom and grow lushly here, and it is so picturesque.  But, truly, the most wonderful part of our tour this morning was Daniela herself when she said goodbye to us all.  She thanked us for coming, not for the tourism dollars we were spending here in Israel, but because she loved it here, too, and wanted us to love her homeland.

We all then hopped on our home away from home on wheels and drove a few miles to Ein Gedi, where David spared King Saul's life, but tailored his cloak in I Samuel 24 (a good story!).  We made a quick pass through this place and a few of us jogged a way from the group for a minute because we spied a pretty waterfall.  After only being here for two days, it is obvious why water is such a treasure in the desert.  We feel it's lack in our own throats and on our skin, too, that's why our bus driver's little side business of selling us water bottles is booming!

It is not known, of course, which cave David hid in, but there are many to choose from.

We spent the lion's share of our day at Masada (I highly recommend you read about the history of Masada ...google it) where we got an eyeful of an unbelievable high mountain fortress that is truly indescribable in beauty, but impossible to photograph well because of the haze.  Masada was the busiest tourist spot we've been to since we got here, mostly full of school field trips but also so many others from around the world. The fortress was destroyed in the 4th century AD, but was built in the 1st.  It is a true testament to the resilience of the people who lived there high high atop this desert mountain, it is truly a wonder.  We took a gondola ride up to the top (and it was high and it was a little scary for a few of us) and then everyone but me took the gondola ride down...I decided to hoof it.

The best part of Masada was not only seeing the vast area of structures, but also hearing Gershon tell us passionately the story of the people who ingeniously flourished on this high mountain range, defying all odds, they created 1 million gallon cisterns to hold precious water to sustain them, a system of maintaining and storing food for the community, plus several palaces...all and everything about Masada was meticulously catalogued by Josephus Flavius and verified to the detail in the discovery of Masada in the 1840's up to the complete excavation of the 1960's.  It is remarkable and also beloved of the Israeli people today as a symbol of resilience.

The group sits at Masada while Gershon tells us the amazing story of this place.

Doorway into a home in the wall of Masada

our new friends

Of course, we needed to end the day with another bonding experience!  It wouldn't be right to end it any other way and finally, we got to meet our camel friends and their Bedouin owners.  We were whisked by bus about an hour away to a bedoin tent area reserved for tourists just like us who want to be able to say that they have accomplished their long desired goal of riding a camel.  Well, I can proudly say, I am now a part of that population who can claim that distinction, even if it was only a ride up a small hill and back (and that was enough!), the goal has been met!  No one was spit upon and no one fell off, thank goodness, and the Bedouin guides put up nicely with our silliness.  It was lots of fun.  After our ride, we were taken to a tent and served a dinner similar to all the other meals we have eaten so far, but pretty good, just the same.  Our Bedouin friend, Mohammed, had a good sense of humor and kept telling us that he had three wives and was currently on the lookout for wife #4.  No one from our group jumped at the offer, probably because the coffee wasn't so good.  Not sure.

Rice, lamb, veggies and chickpeas for dinner

Tomorrow we head to Jerusalem where we will stay until it is time to head out.  Off to bed for now.