Bus 140 -- Jerusalem and the Desert!
Saturday 5/28: A Shabbat Stroll Through Jerusalem
(Liz Posner and Sarah Johnson)
We are fortunate enough to have a tour guide who lived with his wife as a young student in Nachlaot, so our tour began at his orange tree shaded home. Walking through the religious neighborhood on Shabbat was a unique experience in contrast to the hustle-bustle we witnessed in urban Tel Aviv and the Old City of Jerusalem before Shabbat. The streets were peaceful aside from occasional pedestrians en route to the local syanagogue and the sparkling laughter of Orthodox children playing in the streets. You could sense the strong feelings of community as we passed by homes with families relaxing outside together in the cool afternoon sharing drinks and conversation.
Sunday 5/29: The Bedouin Experience
(Liz Posner and Sarah Johnson)
On Sunday we arrived at the Bedouin camp of Khan Shayarot and were treated to an authentic cultural experience. We learned from a Bedouin native during an entertaining and educational talk at the camp that the Bedouin culture is oriented around hospitality and the people regularly entertain guests as part of their tradition. Our first experience of this hospitatlity was the dinner we were served family-style as we sat with our friends in a gigantic tent. After relaxing around the campfire accompanied by guitar and (our slightly off-key) group sing-a-long, we spent the night in a communal tent under desert stars.
Monday 5/30/11
(Leah Breen)
This morning, after a bouncy camel trek, we left the Bedouin community. Our morning activity was a 2 hour hike in the desert. When we stepped off of the bus we were in the heart of the desert. We wandered through narrow valleys surrounded by high plateaus that casted long shadows around us. The brown earth crumbled beneath our feet and the sun's rays beat against our shoulders.
The next stop was Shvil HaSalat, an organic farm, and a surprise to see in the desert. We were met by Peter, a South African man who moved to Israel twenty-nine years ago. After speaking about his work and farming in Israel, he led on us on a tour through his greenhouses. We walked through rows of cucumbers, tomatoes, hot peppers, thyme, arugula, carrots, mint, rosemary, celery, and even strawberries, free to pick whatever we chose. We reached into the vines and beneath the leaves, gorging ourselves on the delicious vegetables and fruits. We left the last greenhouse with dirt on our fingers and sprinkler mist in our hair. After we thought we couldn't fit anything else in our stomachs, Peter gave us pita dough to bake on a traditional oven before spreading fresh pesto onto it. We drove out of the Negev as recipients of wonderful hospitality from the both the Bedouins and Peter.
