Day Three
By Phil Silverman
The vibrant sun began its ascent at 6:45am, just as the Bus 514 "soldiers" awoke. Today's uniform called for hiking gear, a bathing suit, minimum of 3L of water, strapped sandals and...a hat. The group thoughtfully gathered their belongings and embarked on day three of their journey.
37 hard boiled eggs, 16 oranges, and 52 pieces of overly burnt toast later, they boarded the bus headed to Har Arbel, adjacent to Tiberius. Ali O grabbed her usual shots of espresso and we started our hike up the 600 ft treacherous terrain of boulders and sheen rock. About midway through, we stopped for a water break and a brief history lesson from Shira. She touched on the historical significance of Har Arbel and the great King Herrod's reign during the early years AD. A mere two hours later, with legs shaking and sweat dripping down their faces and chest, the group successfully conquered the hike, re-boarded the bus and headed toward Tzfat to explore an authentic Israeli market.
Tzfat, the "birthplace" of Kabbalat Shabbat has vast religious significance because of both history and the beliefs of those who reside there. As such, "modest" attire is required. As the girls covered there shoulders and quickly changed out of their short shorts, Alyssa Z made a fast dash to the bathroom (she just couldn't hold it). The group arrived at Tzfat, to the sound of a trumpet just in time to celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of a young Israeli boy. We briskly entered the market, noticing the thousands of Hamsa's and Judaica being sold there. Many bought gifts for their friends and loved ones and Liore, again, had schwarma for lunch. Before our departure from Tzfat we toured a very old synagogue and had a discussion on the amazing history of Tzfat and the correlation between the elements and the four holy cities. From Tzfat, it was time for "battle"...
In likely the most anticipated activity of the day, the group arrived at the Jordan River for a nearly two hour lazy river rafting trip. Groups of six or less strapped on their life jackets, grabbed there oars, and hopped into the rafts. An activity which might usually be considered calm, became a war between boats. Attaching boats together and working as a group, one of our IDF Soldiers, Gal, showed his military acumen, as we attacked passing boats with splashing water. As the "fighting" subsided, we had the opportunity to just relax with one another and continue to grow the strong bond amongst us that has formed in the mere three days together. We floated down the river and then re-boarded the bus back to the kibbutz.
After a very long day, we had dinner and shared some reflections about the start of our trip. The primary mutual feelings were the amazing strength of the relationships we've already formed and the appreciation for our absolutely incredible group leaders, Bekkah, Liore, and Shira. Mallory and Kali led an evening scavenger hunt-type activity ending in Jarrid P in a women's bathing suit...a sight we all hope to never see again. As the night crept over, we were exhausted but the thought and excitement of tomorrow's trip to the great city of Tel Aviv, kept us invigorated. We can't wait to see what tomorrow holds...another crazy adventure is inevitable.
Until tomorrow...
