Masada, the dead sea, and camels, oh my!

We were all grateful to be able to sleep in a little later on Saturday. We spent the majority of the day at the kibbutz pool relaxing in true Shabbat fashion. As an end of Shabbat ritual, we all gathered together for a beautiful Havdallah ceremony. Once Shabbat ended, we were able to drive to our next location.

We were so happy that we had taken the day to relax, because we were only asleep for a few hours before the alarms rang at 3:30a.m. We awoke and drove to Masada, a dauntingly tall mountain that we hiked up just in time to see the sunrise. We all agreed that the steep trails and early wake up were nothing compared to the stunning view at the mountain’s peak.

Once the sun had risen, we learned about Masada’s history as we explored the 2000 year old castle remains. When we all felt like it was noon, but it was actually 7:30a.m., we hiked back down the mountain to eat a boxed breakfast and get back on the bus.

After a short drive, we arrived at the Dead Sea. Although we all knew that we would float in the Dead Sea, the actual experience of it was still shocking and exhilarating. When we had our fill of floating in the salty water, we got out and rubbed our bodies down with the Dead Sea mud we purchased on our way in. We rinsed off in the sea, and all enjoyed feeling how smooth our skin felt after the exfoliating mud and water.

When we left the Dead Sea, we drove to lunch at a nearby food court before heading to Ben Gurion’s gravesite. Our tour guide, Lior, taught us all about Israel’s first prime minister.

From here, we made our way to the Bedouin tents in the Negev desert. The Bedouin people are known for taking in travelers with open arms, and we were lucky to have the opportunity to spend a night with them and even ride on their camels.

Dinner was DELICIOUS and was served family style on a platter that we sat around on the floor.

After dinner, one of the Bedouins gave a fascinating presentation on his culture and his people. Then we enjoyed introducing our Israelis to s’mores around a bonfire and marveling at how beautiful the stars look in the middle of the desert. After our incredibly long day, we all slept in one giant communal tent on mattresses and sleeping bags. I think we are all in agreement that this was one of the most incredible days of our lives…and that as college students, we had never accomplished more before noon.