The last few days
It's been a crazy last few days in Israel, starting with Friday morning. After spending Thursday night in the Bedouin tents in the Negev Desert, we woke up bright and early at 4 a.m. (with as much sleep as you would expect getting in one tent with 47 people), had some tea and cookies for breakfast and boarded the bus to climb the historic Mount Masada. Shiri, our guide, told us that her group record for the steep climb up was 13 minutes, so obviously we hauled ourselves up there in 11 to make it in time to both break the record and catch an outrageous sunrise. I don't think anyone had the minimal sleep they got in mind as the light came over the huge mountains in the distance. The whole scene was pretty epic, and definitely worth waking up in the dark. After touring Masada and hiking down in the desert heat for lunch, we headed to the spot I was personally looking forward to the most: the Dead Sea. You always hear about how crazy it is to not be able to sink into the water, but I don't think anyone can really understand how surreal it feels until they're actually on their back, floating like they're riding an invisible raft. I was surprised to find the salt burned a good deal too. At the Dead Sea it's pretty much a Birthright tradition to slather yourself head to toe in the nutrient-rich black mud, so a few of us bought some bags of it at the nearby shop and everyone got covered in it. What's often a luxury spa treatment in America cost around $7 for a bunch of people, and you definitely come out super-soft afterward!
After the Dead Sea we headed to our kibbutz at Sde Boker, which is actually where David Ben-Gurion is buried, and got ready for Shabbat. I hadn't been to temple for Shabbat in a few years, so I was really happy to be able to spend Shabbat with other Jews my age and get a chance to talk about what the prayers mean to us a little bit. Because it was Shabbat, our slightly exhausted group finally got a chance to relax a little bit on Saturday, and most of us spent the day laying by the kibbutz's pool in the sun.
With our Shabbat behind us on Sunday morning, we headed to the natural cliff formations at Ein Uvdat, my personal favorite hike of the week. The hike was about an hour and a half, and we got to climb straight up cliffs with stairs and ladders built into the sides, wander around caves that used to be homes for people like monks, and be wowed by the incredible views of the painted cliffs. It was a blast. After the hike, we got to get our hands a little dirty at an Israeli farm, where we picked carrots, radishes, and plenty of different kinds of tomatoes (ever heard of chocolate or zebra tomatoes? Me either.) When our guide told us to "eat as many tomatoes as you can," I felt like we were in Willy Wonka's vegetable factory. Now we're in Jerusalem, gearing up for the tail end of our trip. Our group is having a total blast and loving each other's company. I wish we could stay another 10 days!
