SH-23-234's blog

Yesterday we woke up at 4:30am, exhausted yet determined. We began our hike up Masada while it was still dark out, and made it to the top just in time for sunrise. We sat as a group facing east and waited until the sun had risen to take a tour around the ruins at the top. After we finished at Masada, we had an amazing experience at the Dead sea. Almost 45 mud-covered travelers floated and exfoliated in the amazing natural wonder.

Today was Wed January 5th the sixth day of our trip. It was probably the best day yet and that is saying a lot since the whole trip is so amazing. We started off the day waking up in the Bedouin camp ready to ride some camels. This was one of the experiences I was looking forward to most and it did not disappoint! My camel was named Johnny and he was an exceptional camel giving us a smooth ride while we got to view the beautiful desert in the early morning. Then we ate breakfast where a woman was making fresh pita and I tried an Israeli candy made from sesame oil.

This morning we were all very tired from our night out in Tel Aviv last night. We packed up and dragged ourselves onto the bus and headed to the Israeli Independence Museum. We watched a video about the history of Tel Aviv and then heard a presentation about the ceremony where David Ben Gurion declared independence for the state of Israel.

Next we headed to Rabin square, the place where Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995. We learned about his life and then interviewed locals about how his assassination effected them and the country. We had lunch there in the square.

Our first day included an early wake up to go hiking on the Gila Boone. This beautiful trail led us through the creek over and between the Bental mountain. Traveling through the trail was innovative way to learn about the Israel’s battle to have some sort of land to call home and ways to stay safe. The ruins from Syria’s army showed us what it took to have this beautiful landscape to belong to Israel, including my favorite part the cascading waterfall.