The beginning of the end

We started our first days in the Negev with a hike in Ein Ovdat. It was SO beautiful. We climbed up a mountain in the desert and saw an incredible running stream and waterfall. Some of the people in our group found themselves completely reconnected to nature and the environments around them. We looked on the mountains for ibex but didn't see any...yet. There were some ladders going up the mountain that were pretty scary, but we all helped each other out and made it up ok. It was incredible the way the temperature seemed to change from minute to minute. One second we were shedding layers as fast as possible only to put them on the next. The water was so beautiful we wanted to swim in it. What a great start to our day!

After the hike we headed to David Ben Gurion's grave near Kibbutz Sde Boker. We learned a lot about him and his life. How secular he was, how influential he was as a leader, and some facts about his life. We were all blown away by the fact that he spoke 8 languages! I mean, who speaks EIGHT languages?!? It meant a lot to us that the country was founded by secular Jews since a lot of us are secular as well. It showed us that there is more to Israel than just religion and we really do have a home here. Also at Ben Gurion's grave we found our first ibex! They were so cool!

On the way to stop for the night we stopped at one of Israel's craters to see some unique colored sands. The sands are colored by different minerals but the real special treat is the craters themselves. They are the only craters of their kind in the world, formed naturally by some process of erosion we don't really understand but sounds really cool. It was good to learn that the desert doesn't have to be just wasteland, there can be life and beauty there as well.

We spent the night in Bedouin tents but before they showed us some hospitality and let us ride camels. It was scary at first but once we got going it was an incredible experience. It was another one of those "only is Israel" moments for us. We also got the chance to ride some donkeys, another one of things we have never done before and probably won't get to do again. We learned a lot about Bedouin culture, and enjoyed the most incredible tea and coffee we have ever had and some delicious food for dinner as well. It was like a blast from the past and made us think of our ancestors who were shepherds in this same land. It was an incredible day, for some of us our favorite and one not any of us will soon forget.

We woke up incredibly early (4:30) to climb the mountain in time for sunrise. The sunrise over the mountains was totally beautiful and made waking up completely worth it. We thought a lot about the controversy over happened there. We couldn't decide whether or not the Jews on the mountain were heroes, but even without deciding we can all appreciate the history and wonder of what happened there. It was incredible to see the history and a lot of artifacts we use today. This was a great time to celebrate our history.

After Masada we headed down to the Dead Sea. Most of us bought mud and soaked in the sea, and when we came out our skin was so soft it was incredible. It is such a funny sensation to not be able to sink! The only way we can describe it is to say it's like sitting in a lounge chair in the middle of the sea, but really that won't do justice to it. You have to come see for yourself. We felt some cuts we didn't know we had, but for the most part it was an awesome sensation.

It was tough to come back to Jerusalem for some of us, but we were also excited to head back to the hotel and shower. Before getting to the hotel we stopped at Machane Yehuda, the shuk and open market in Jerusalem for lunch. Going through the different landscapes and geography was incredible to see as the view out the window was constantly changing. The shuk was incredible! There was so much fresh fruit and beautiful shops and everything. It was yet another great experience on our trip.

We headed back to the hotel to get some rest and clean up. At night we enjoyed three people coming to speak to us. One was from MASA, an organization that gives money to people to come back for extended programs in Israel. We were all curious and hopefully some of us can take advantage of this in the future. We also heard a brief Israel update and enjoyed comedian Benji Lovitt. It was great to be back in the hotel and spend some time together as a group.

We woke up in the morning and headed to a very special place: the cemetery on Mount Herzl. It was a very intense experience. We heard different stories from different participants on the group. Some were from our Israeli participants who knew people in the military cemetery, and one that touched us especially was a story of one of our participants who is named after his uncle. He has his uncle's name, and this was the first time he was able to visit the grave of his namesake. It was a very moving experience for all of us. It was different to be in the Israeli military cemetery as well. It felt different to be in a cemetery where the death of these soldiers is really FOR the creation and continued in the existence. It had a very different meaning for us than being at a cemetery in America. We also saw the graves of some of the great leaders in Israeli history, and it was great to learn so much history in one place. We really admire a lot of the great leaders of Israel's past, and it was special to be able to learn about them in a place where they are all together. Finally we visited the grave of Theodore Herzl, one of the founders of Zionism and the State of Israel itself. Overall it was just great to see so much history and meaning packed into one place.

We headed out to lunch and for some final shopping time, and now we are back at the hotel and ready to close out our experience. It has been an incredible 10 days that we wish didn't have to end. Thanks for following us. We can't wait to be back!