A Day in the Desert
I woke up super early this morning and had an eclectic breakfast of matzah with jam, a mango pop, and chocolate soy milk. It was unique and wonderful.
We drove through the desert shortly after sunrise, and it is beautiful. It's clearly dry, but you can see the stamp of water in every bit of the landscape, from small erosion channels by the roadside to canyons between the hills. I guess it's so clear for the same reason the footprints on the moon are so clear--there's nothing else happening to obscure either one.
The bus stopped at Paula and David Ben Gurion's graves, which overlook the most beautiful vista of desert canyons. We learned about Ben Gurion's life while looking at the hills. He was very scholarly and intellectual, and started planning the government Israel would have before there was any certainty that the State of Israel would even exist. He had a vision of making the desert bloom, and after being Prime Minister of Israel, he moved to a cattle ranch and chose to be buried where he was because the view was so amazing. We got to take pictures of the view, to which no pictures can do justice.
The greatest experience of truth that one can have is called an epiphany. There is no corresponding word for the greatest possible experience of beauty, which means I cannot name the experience of looking at the hills and valleys of the Negev. It was that beautiful.
We hiked along a canyon in the desert. There were plants with salty leaves that tasted good, and the path was limestone with flint in it. The desert was full of life--vultures, doves, algae, dragonflies and their nymphs, the salty maluach shrubs and other plants, and the fossils that were no doubt crowding the limestone above and below us. The river that carved the canyon was small and slow in this season, but its credentials were literally all around us. We climbed a narrow path of stairs and ladders from the bottom of the canyon to the top, and I wish I could have seen it being blasted and carved by the natural water.
On our next bus ride, which passed by multiple army bases, we saw signs saying "beware of camels near the road", "oasis", and "cactus farm". We arrived at the said cactus farm for lunch and activities; it was also a fruit and vegetable farm called the Salad Trail. Israel (and especially the farmer here) is fulfilling the dream of David Ben Gurion and making the desert bloom. I had a passionfruit smoothie made from passionfruit grown not ten meters from where I bought it as part of a very tasty lunch. Then we took a tour of the mesh greenhouses, and the quantity of plants being grown in the desert sand was visually and technologically impressive. We learned that water and nutrients are injected from hoses into the sand at the base of individual plants. We had the opportunity to try several different types of tomatoes and carrots, as well as ghost peppers. I and several others partook of the ghost pepper, and it was everything I had expected and hoped for. So I ate another one. :)
There was an aviary full of pigeons on the farm, which turned out to be homing messenger pigeons. Israel actually used messenger pigeons in the War of Independence. We took a group picture with a handful of pigeons, or rather with several of us having hands full of pigeon, and then released them.
We stopped at a base on the way out of the vegetable farm, and two soldiers came on the bus and answered our questions. One of them had a more tricked-out and accurate weapon than normal, because he was an unusually good shot. Then the Israelis in our group told us about their military work.
Our next proper stop was at a mall, which had an opportunity to change money and a playground. I climbed rope structures, swung on swings, spun around on three different spinny things, and generally had a wonderful time. At this stop, we also made our choices of what workshops we would like to attend at the Bedouin camp tonight. I elected to take one of jewelry making, tracking, palm leaf weaving, and stone balancing, this last being the art of balancing stones on each other.
The first thing we did when we got to the Disneyland version of a Bedouin village we're staying in was ride camels. The camels were very comfortable and well behaved, and the scenery we rode them through was peaceful. Then we listened to a talk on Bedouin customs by the first Bedouin woman to go into the hospitality industry. Her children were Westernized doctors and teachers, but they still knew and took part in their Bedouin culture. Then we had a tasty dinner with the other Birthright groups present and split up into various artistic workshops. My workshop ended up being jewelry making, which I was very excited about. My excitement was totally justified: I learned to make macrame netting (so simple--once you have the trick of it), and made a pendant with a rock and a cluster of beads. Then we attended another concert, and there was much dancing with the assistance of flashy multicolored lightsaber things. The songs were in English, Hebrew, and Arabic, much like the road signs. Unlike the road signs, I continued to enjoy them until well after sunset.
Just before bed, my group split off from the others for stargazing. The sky by night in this desert is as indescribable as the land by day. I saw more stars than I've ever seen in my life, and a meteor as well.
Photo Credits: Header Image-@redweinandbergers, Image 1-@drrothschild, Image 2-@ronnncohen, Image 3-@highwaytobelle
