Day 1: hiking and rafting | Shorashim - Israel with Israelis

Day 1: hiking and rafting

Mike

Waking up just a tad jetlagged at the late hour of 7 am, we began the day busing over to our hike in the Golan Heights near the Syrian border called Jillaboon.

Some ruins of old Syrian homes were seen throughout the area as we were briefed on some of the history of the area.

Hiking through brush and streams, while trying not to touch the fossilized gum on Gum Rock, we enjoyed the view of several water falls.

The sights were exquisite. We began to learn more about each other as the sunlight and fresh air recharged us from our long journey the previous two days.

At the bottom of the hike, we heard laughter and running water. We scrambled over rocks and branches. In the clearing, the falls emptied into a rocky pool. We dropped our bags and jumped in, some of us quick to discover the rocks didn't play nice with our bare feet.

The cool water refreshed us for the remainder of the hike and we stopped for lunch in a small plaza. Most of us made the great decision of choosing shawarma and topping it with tahini, amba (mango sauce), and a spicy sauce whose name esacpes me.

After lunch, we relaxed for a few minutes in the square socializing before heading to our next adventure - rafting!

In rafts of 5-6 people, we drifted down the Jordan river, partaking in friendly competition, meeting hilarious Israeli children playing on the banks, and eventually going over the falls.

Back at Kibbutz Afik, the boys jumped in the pool before turning in for dinner. The night (and adventure filled day) was capped off by an evening social with Bus 542 as well as several other Taglit groups sharing the grounds with us.

Thanks

Photo credit: @ofri_einy_ (header), @sethdav1s