Sunday Hump Day

After a well rested Shabbat at the Kibbutz on Saturday, everyone prepared for 36 hours away from their suitcases. We all asked ourselves...how do we pack enough stuff for a day and a half in one backpack? Answer.. it is VERY difficult!

Our first stop was the Ben Gurion Memorial in Sde Boker where we all participated in a "trust walk", took amazing pictures of the view and saw ibex. We then traveled to a museum dedicated to the first Israeli Astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who passed away with others from the Columbia mission in 2003. We stopped to eat shawarma in a small town and drove through the city of Arad (where one of our new Israeli friends, Or ,grew up). Back on the bus again, we took a short ride to a local farm. We tasted tomatoes, cucumbers, a variety of herbs, made fresh pita, and released carrier pigeons!

Our final destination of the day was the Bedouin Tents. This is where we got to ride CAMELS! Our group leaders got to ride donkeys). We took "once-in-a-lifetime" pictures riding on the camels and each group gave their camel a name. We gathered for a Bedouin style dinner and cooked s'mores at the camp fire. Some of us even saw shooting stars! So...as we lay down to rest all together in a tent...we prepare for another adventure tomorrow at the Dead Sea.

Photo credit: @elizabeth_edens_ (header), @ersussman_