There's no Wifi in the Desert, but there are Camels!
Shalom!
On Tuesday, we spent most of the day in Tel Aviv. The group woke up early after our night out and took a short walk to the beach. We swam, relaxed in the sun, and did yoga as planes flew overhead to land in the city. There wasn’t much time for leisure because of the busy and exciting day we had planned, but it was still nice to experience the beach in Tel Aviv.
By 10:30 A.M., we were on the bus to Rabin Square, the site where Yitzhak Rabin was murdered. We paired off and asked passing Israelis about the event, how they remember it, and what effect it has on today’s society. As a group, we discussed the answers we received and noted how the responses changed with varying age groups. The 1-mile walk from Rabin Square to the Sarona Market gave us a good feel of the exciting and bustling city. There we ate lunch and rested. Most of us slept during the ride South to the site of David Ben Gurion’s grave in Sde Boker.
That night, we stayed in a Bedouin encampment and got a taste of their way of life. We ate dinner on the floor from large platters made for 4-5 people. It was delicious. After dinner, we were offered tea, coffee, and cookies. If a Bedouin offers a half-cup of coffee to their guest, they can stay the night. If they offer a full cup, the guest can stay indefinitely. We ended the night around a campfire and piled into a large tent to sleep. It was so fun!
Today we started off the day by riding camels in a loop around the desert. The trip was short and our camel train was led by tether, but it was neat to imagine crossing the desert on their bulky, bumpy backs and the actual activity was really fun!
We left the encampment to go for a hike in Ein Ovdat. At first, the path took us through a valley with high, white walls and pools of spring water. Then we climbed a series of steep slopes, steps, and ladders. Once we were nice and sweaty, we piled into the bus and drove to Sderot. I’m sure our driver was thrilled to be sealed in a bus with 50 of us after riding camels and baking in the midday sun. :) In Sderot, residents have 15 seconds to stop whatever they’re doing and take cover once the sirens sound. This is just their way of life, and it was very cool to meet these people and see their lifestyle.
One of our stops in Sderot was to a fortified indoor playground. Kids and their parents could feel secure as sirens wailed outside and still play basketball, soccer, and table games. That was very cool to see and experience. The last stop of the day was to a greenhouse in Nativ Ha’asara. Our guide showed us their irrigation system, which was amazing to see. Every farmer in the town has a similar system. We ended the tour by picking and eating sweet peppers from one of the greenhouses. Tonight, we’re staying at a Kibbutz next to the Dead Sea. We will wake up early to hike Masada tomorrow, which the whole group is very excited to do!
Photo Credit: @weichifield
