With only a few days left, we are all reflecting on the time spent and the last ones we have. People have changed, grown, and made friends for life! I can say now that this has been an experience of a life time and will never forget.
With only a few days left, we are all reflecting on the time spent and the last ones we have. People have changed, grown, and made friends for life! I can say now that this has been an experience of a life time and will never forget.
We went to the Dead Sea and we put on some mud, laid on the beach, and floated in the salty waters. We took many fun pictures and had a great time just floating around. Luckily, no one sank and we are able to continue on this amazing trip together!
The view of the sunrise over the mountains and Dead Sea was gorgeous, and it was incredible knowing that we were seeing practically the same view that Jews on Masada had seen thousands of years ago.
Bus 217 rang in 2016 with a dance party at the Masada guest house, complete with Zumba dancing, Bieber jams and some of our favorite local tunes. After a few short hours of shuteye, we woke up to cake and coffee and made our way to the foot of Masada. One by one we hiked up the snake path in the pouring rain to see the start of the year from the top. We were taught about the history of Masada from the best your guide around (Omer) who was dressed up on full costume despite the unfortunate weather.
Finally, the we saw the curvaceous image of the Dead Sea appear from behind an edge of the mountain, far below in the valley. Driving down into the area of the Dead Sea you can see marked lines on the side of the mountain walls to your right that indicate the points of -100, -200, -300 meters below sea level. The color begins to define the sea as you get closer, turning from sun-drenched silver to an aquamarine that glows bright blue as you get closer.
Today we ventured to the lowest point on earth: The Dead Sea. I dipped my toes in the water and then snuck away to enjoy the peace and quiet of open water and sun, but the rest of the group did it justice -- floating in the salty sea with bodies caked in mud.
The year is coming to an end, celebrating in a kibbutz in the Negev after a riveting and intense discussion about the Arab-Israeli relation. Happy and healthy new year to all. And for us on Bus 48, we can truly say that we will spend next year (2016) in Jerusalem.
We all know the familiar sound of an alarm buzzing awaking us from a few precious hours of sleep. We mumble a few things under our breath, usually profanities. We roll out of bed and force ourselves to throw on whatever we've set out to wear the night before or the first thing we see, whether it's dirty or not, no one will notice. We look ourselves in the mirror—we may or may not regret that. These every-morning rituals are things that everyone is familiar with, but what you may not know is that all of us on Shorashim sometimes does this at the tippity-top of the crack of dawn.
Today was an incredible trifecta of exhilarating Israeli activities! A day lined up with Masada, Camels and the Dead Sea... What could be better?!
Today has been the longest and most fulfilling day of the trip! While we're sad it's almost over, we also appreciate all of the amazing experiences, sights, conversations, and moments we have spent together over these last nine days. Here's to making day ten one of the best!