A very early start today. Had to wake up, get ready, have breakfast and be on the bus by 8am! A beautiful drive south toward the Dead Sea.
First stop, the sign that reads "Sea Level". Not sure why this is a photo op, but we stopped, so I took pictures! Back on the bus, next stop The Ahava store! Not the same store that we were at last time we were here, and there was really nothing there for me to buy, so I zipped through the store, and walked out. The surrounding desert mountains are beautiful.
Back on the bus, next stop Ein Gedi. This was a treat. We hiked up to the top of this nature reserve. At times the path was a little scary for some of us. It was narrow and rocky, and given my history, I paid attention to where I was going. At the top was a natural spring, and since it was terribly hot, I took off my shoes and socks and dipped my toes. It felt fantastic!! Hike back down the same way we came up, and at one point there is a little bridge which you had to share with the people going in the opposite direction. There were two older women in native garb (not sure if Israeli or Arab Israeli) who were sitting on the bridge, dipping their toes! Didn't leave too much room for those who needed to go OVER the bridge to get to the other side, but that didn't seem to bother them too much!! A beautiful hike, we got back on the bus shvitzing soaking wet!!
Next stop Massada! Thankfully we took the cable car up and down, but with ease comes uncomfortableness, and they sure do pack a bunch of hot, sweating, "ripe" people into a confined car. At the top of Massada, Harrison took us on a guided tours of the ruins, showing us the baths, the storage areas, the mikvahs, and a synagogue or two! It was fabulous, always something new to learn. Spent about 45 minutes up there, then cabled back down.
Next stop, Had Hamidbar Spa (as Wendy said, it isn't the type of spa we are used to!). We walked through the lobby and had a buffet lunch, then down to the lockers (ugh) to change with the rest of the "naked". We walked to the beach, floated for about 20 minutes, then rinsed off and jumped into the pool to totally get the yucky salt off! Got dressed again and threw out my disposable bathing suit and cover up (it was intentional), and sat in the lobby to await the bus.
Back on the bus, we drive through the desert, up the mountain (switch backs galore, some women with phobias not too happy) and at the top, a spectacular view of the sea, the mountains, the desert. Breathtaking! We were visiting Kibbutz Metzoke Dragot, a kibbutz that earns its livelihood by hosting special events. We watched the sun set, broke out the Merlot, Shiraz and Cab, and toasted the day! As the sun was setting, we headed toward a lit tent for our buffet dinner (by the way, the food is fantastic!) and dined under the stars. Only after dinner we noticed there were no stars! A bonfire was lit, our tables were cleared away, and cushions were set up around the tent.
A good friend of Wendy's who was born in Israel, moved to Atlanta, and has since moved back to Israel with his wife and family, drove all the way from Tel Aviv to our group to entertain us with his guitar. He sang beautiful Israel desert songs, ballads, and even threw in some Neal Young and Cat Stevens so that we could sing along!!
We could have stayed there all night, but our entertainment was catching a flight tomorrow for America, and our bus driver was not allowed to work over a 12 hour day, so we got back on the bus for a 45 minute bus ride back to the Dan Panorama Jerusalem!!
I have never had a more welcome and needed shower as I did tonight! Early day tomorrow.
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