Monday! | Shorashim - Israel with Israelis

Monday!

By Keira Mezei
 
I dont know if you could call the night before our big hike a real night of sleep, the only preparation we had for climbing Mount Masada was a nice nap. We went to sleep a little before midnight to make sure we sat and really soaked in the cleanest air of the Ein Gedi and of course star gazed at the timeless night sky.
 
Our alarms woke us up three hours later, so we packed our bags for a busy day activities and hopped on the bus to see the sunrise over the mountain tops. When we arrived at the mountain, everyone collectively felt the freshness of the air from thr minute we started our one hour hike up Mount Masada. Shortly after we reached the top, we all stood cameras at the ready to capture the undescribable sun rise. It was truly breathtaking. We toured the mountain and learned more about the old, magical kingdom which not even stories could describe its capabilities. The hike down was just as pleasing to me because the view never ceased to take my breath away.
 
When we reached the ground we hopped right back onto thr bus for our second adventure- the Dead Sea! When we reached the sea we could smell the salt from 100 meters away and it was awesome. My friends and I got some mud to lather on ourselves to get the traditional experience of the Dead Sea and was blown away when our skin turned baby soft. I was struck with amazement in how we could just float with no effort at all, my first reaction was hysterical laughter and then all smiles. It is so I'mething I am always going to remember loving. After a long morning we got some lunch, shwarma per usual, and carried on to see more historical sites and landscapes of southern Israel, such as David Ben Gurion's grave.
 
Afterwards, we went to the Bedouin Tents to sleep for the night, which had great hospitality, fantastic dinner served to us, a bonfire where our Israeli soldiers tried their first s'mores americana style! It was a jam-packed day and I am so glad I got to experience sleeping in the dessert with 46 other people I can all call my friends. Now a good night's rest in the sand never hurt anyone!