As soon as we knew it, we were at the top of the desert mountain, where every thing stood still. A breeze ran past our group as we looked over the edge and took in all the beauty. It was truly something.
As soon as we knew it, we were at the top of the desert mountain, where every thing stood still. A breeze ran past our group as we looked over the edge and took in all the beauty. It was truly something.
Starting on a trek through a canyon in Israel's southern district, we hiked from the bottom of the formation to the very tippy top. We were met with ancient lava marking from millions of years ago coupled with small caverns - one of which a monk lived - as well as a small river, pond, and steep stone stairs.
After an upbeat welcome ceremony with live music, we split off into multiple activities - scorpion hunting, belly dancing, creative movements, drawing, herb and oil tasting, star gazing, capoeira, and more! Israelli and American music filled the cool, desert night as we watched a drum circle ensue with fire dancers, belly dancers, and a capoeira demonstration.
The 1-mile walk from Rabin Square to the Sarona Market gave us a good feel of the exciting and bustling city of Tel Aviv.
Holding the pigeons was my favorite part of the day so far because it was something I have never done and was also very meaningful. As our guide, Owen, taught us about these birds and their homing capabilities, it was quite the experience to be able to release them with our whole group. After we released them, the sprinklers turned on and sprayed us all as we laughed and ran out of them. It was a blast!
Day seven of trip started with an excursion into the Negev near Ben Gurions memorial site to which the whole group spent nearly two hours enjoying a challenging and scenic hike.
Ein Ovdat was the name of the hiking trail to which the group enjoyed stories of the rain fall in the region as well as a hike up valleys and canyons; streams and peaks.
Quote of the day: "Every tomato I've had here is the best tomato I've ever had."
The views were unbelievable. It was as if each stop just kept outdoing the last. To finish off an amazing day, we got to experience what life was like as the Bedouin's, complete with sleeping in tents and getting to ride camels. It was a truly special way to welcome in 2016.
After this was the moment a lot of us were waiting for, camel riding!! It was a good thing we had all found out camel buddies beforehand, because we quickly met up with them and ran to our desired camel. This was so much fun and made for an awesome picture taking time (so many selfies with camels)!
The hike was incredible. A few minutes after starting we reached a small oasis at the bottom of the valley. I felt so small looking up above at the walls of the valley and wondering how far up this hike would take us if at all.