MARC BOIN'S ISRAEL DIARY

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Day 9 (Monday, Feb. 11, 2008)

We got up early today in order to head south.  We left Jerusalem and initially headed south to a desert oasis called Ein Gedi.  Aside from being a gorgeous spot in the middle of the desert, this is the place where David (who eventually became King David) hid out from King Saul (the first King of Israel) when Saul was hunting him down for treason.  Interesting story and a beautiful location.  It was surprising to discover this beautiful oasis with broad acacia trees and a huge waterfall cascading into a small pond way out in the middle of the desert.

After that, we went to Masada.  The fortress originated as the eastern palace for Herod the Great.  About 100 years later, the zealots who had resisted the Romans in Jerusalem (in the year 70 CE) fled to Masada to escape.  The Romans pursued them, but after laying siege to the mountaintop, realized that the Jews had massive stores of food and water.  So the Romans built an enormous ramp to the top of the mountain and, in the year 73 CE, eventually broke through the wall.  Before the zealots could be captured, they committed mass suicide, thereby preventing the Romans from any form of moral victory.  The ruins are in immaculate condition, because #1, they are in the southern Negev where there is no humidity to "age" the structures, and #2, they are way up on the top of an enormous mountain where no one wanted to make the effort to climb up to steal them.  We saw original tile flooring, plastered walls on the mikvah, an intact sauna, the remains of the synagogue, and some fascinating remains of the original Roman encampments.  Quite an interesting site.  At this point, we have seen so many fascinating ruins that they are beginning to lose their "Wow" factor.  Still, that's a very good thing to have seen so much that they are no longer novel.  It means that we are not only learning a lot on this trip, but it also means that we have done an incredible amount of touring in a short amount of time.

We had a quick lunch at the Masada tourist center, and then we went to the gift shop.  Since the mountain is a 1/2 mile from the Dead Sea, they sell a ton of Ahava products, almost as if they were an outlet.  Anyway, despite the fact that I thought I was done with my shopping, the shopping bug called me back.  You'll see when I get home.  Might as well take advantage of things while I'm here!

After that, we drove down to the southern region of the Dead Sea and went to the Crowne Plaza Resort.  There are about ten resort hotels there, and the Crowne Plaza is one of the nicer ones.  A bunch of us changed clothes and took a little "dip" in the Dead Sea.  I say dip, because it's impossible to submerge your body in the sea.  It is so salty that a person immediately floats, and it's difficult even to stand upright without your legs coming up.  We had a lot of fun being silly.  However, the water temperature was about 50 degrees, so it took a little while to get used to it.  Either that or we were so numb that we couldn't tell the difference.  They had an indoor hot tub with regular water, and an indoor heated pool with Dead Sea water, so between the two, we were all feeling very relaxed.

Once everyone was together, we got on the bus and drove south for about two hours to arrive at Kibbutz Yahel.  This is the Reform kibbutz that grows pomelos - the big sweet citrus fruits, and from where the director, Ron Bernstein, has come to Temple Sinai for several visits.  Most every place that we have stayed so far has been a 3 or a 4 star hotel.  This place is more of a 2-star place, since we are now on a real kibbutz.   Each of us has a little cabin with a small kitchenette, a bedroom, and a bathroom.  (This is actually what I thought our accommodations would be for the majority of our trip!)  It's perfectly fine for me, but it is a huge step down from the Dan Panorama.  Ya know, it is what it is.   Everyone has been very accommodating so far, and all of our needs are being met.  So I am definitely not complaining.  We had a nice cafeteria style dinner and relaxed for the rest of the evening.