Masada & the Dead Sea | Shorashim - Israel with Israelis

Masada & the Dead Sea

Josh Usem

Bus 217 rang in 2016 with a dance party at the Masada guest house, complete with Zumba dancing, Bieber jams and some of our favorite local tunes. After a few short hours of shuteye, we woke up to cake and coffee and made our way to the foot of Masada. One by one we hiked up the snake path in the pouring rain to see the start of the year from the top. We were taught about the history of Masada from the best your guide around (Omer) who was dressed up on full costume despite the unfortunate weather. As a reward for our treacherous journey up the snake path, we took the cable car back to the bottom.

Following a quick classic Israeli breakfast consisting of bowls of various cheeses and salads, we cleaned ourselves up and began to head to the Dead Sea. A flooded road due to the uncommon rain in the area interrupted our journey, so our plans began to change.

Thanks to Bus driver Avi, we found a private Dead Sea beach area to enjoy. We covered ourselves in mud and began to float around enjoying every minute.

Despite some stings in unforeseen places, the experience was an overwhelming success. After a quick stop for lunch at Aroma and Pizza Hut (we miss American food) we are headed to a kibbutz outside of Jerusalem to enjoy our final Shabbat together.