We woke up in the still-dark desert, barely able to make out the shadow of the mountain above us. After a sleepy breakfast, we began to climb the winding Snake Path of Mount Masada. We reached the summit of Masada just in time to watch the sunrise over the Dead Sea, which was an absolutely unforgettable sight.
More photos from Bus 360's Experience in the Negev Desert at the Bedouin Tents!
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.
Shortly after learning about the history, we hiked down deep, dark stairs to a cave. We all circled up as a group and sang Hallelujah. It was a special moment that we will never forget.
The sky by night in this desert is as indescribable as the land by day. I saw more stars than I've ever seen in my life, and a meteor as well.
We went to the Jewish National Fund (JNF) Playground in Sderot. What made this playground unique was it was all indoors and individuals can get to a safety room in under 15 seconds, if need be. This playground had a wide variety of equipment for all ages and we had fun playing on the big kid equipment.
So for now I will just lay here and enjoy all that I am sure of, proud of, and grateful for: that I am alive, that I am healthy, that I am happy, and that I am blessed.
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!
We continued the day by going on a hike in his favorite place, the Negev. This hike was challenging yet rewarding, filled with beautiful scenery. It was a great morning filled with history and adventure. continued the day by going on a hike in his favorite place, the Negev. This hike was challenging yet rewarding, filled with beautiful scenery. It was a great morning filled with history and adventure.
Our hike was called Ein Ovdat and we were not the only group who had the same idea. At the waterfall we were lined up with a few other groups but we are pretty sure we got the best pictures of the day. We could've stayed there for hours trying to capture the beauty and by the time we got back, there were definitely a few of us Floridians who had fallen in love with hiking in general!