Hiking in the Jila-what??
First of all, sorry to our loved ones who’ve waited with bated breath for our updates. We are still alive and thinking of you in the brief moments when we’re not sleeping and riding on a bus.
You would think after our first real night’s sleep, we’d be rested and rearing to go - which would have been true if we’d actually slept. I know I thought a kibbutz was a cabin-type structure in the middle of nature. I was surprised to find out that our accommodations had a full bathroom, refrigerator, sink, and shower. Better yet, the kibbutz had a store and a bar. We awoke to our first real Israeli breakfast of vegetables, bread and chocolate, and watered down juice. Kira, Lior, and David told us to get on our hats, shoes, swimwear and sandals and hop on the bus. We knew we were going on a hike in the Jilaboon and that our reward was a natural waterfall. We didn’t so much know how we would get there. We hiked down into the rocky depths of the Jilaboon, doing our best not to fall along the way. Not all of us were successful, but our war wounds are a testament to our trek down a treacherous hill. We finally made it all the way down after several hours of falling and climbing to see a beautiful sight. A large pool with a waterfall greeted us with it’s warm, inviting waters. Yet again, we were surprised to learn that warm weather does not make for warm water. The freezing pool was full of slippery rocks that some eased their way onto and others jumped onto with reckless abandon. I have to say, nothing is more exciting than doing a cannon ball off of a rocky waterfall. The excitement soon died as we learned we’d have to go back up the way we came down. In case no one told you, Israel is hot. And hiking up a giant mountain without stretching first may not be the best introduction to a new country.
After communing with nature, we boarded the bus to a true Israeli treasure: a strip mall. Once we loaded up on as much Shwarma and Fallafel, as our bodies could hold, we headed to our next destination, the Ben Tal mountain. Reading the itinerary, we wondered aloud what was meant by “ascending’ the mountain. On foot? On a tow rope? Better yet., in personal limousines filled with drinking water and chocolate? We settled for the 50 person bus, as long as it meant we didn’t have to hike anymore. We looked out over the Syrian, Lebanese, and Israeli borders, left to wonder how a land so beautiful was the target of so much hatred and conflict. The fight for the Golan may not have lasted very long, a little over a day and a half, but this area is still contested. We contemplated this over a cup of coffee before heading back to the Kibbutz for one final night. Aaron celebrated his birthday with gusto, but he doesn’t remember much of it, so it will not be recorded here.
