MARC BOIN'S ISRAEL DIARY

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Day 11 (Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2008)

The day in our tour book today was entitled Ben Gurion’s Dream.  David Ben Gurion had a dream that all of Israel would be cultivated, that people would turn the desert green, and that all people would want to live on a kibbutz.  In fact, once he left politics, he found a kibbutz (Sde Boker) while driving along the countryside, stopped, and asked to become a member.  The group reluctantly said yes, on condition that he become a normal working member of the group.  Ben Gurion gladly agreed, and finished out his days doing just that.  He eventually died there, and is now buried at that kibbutz in a very plain and unassuming grave.  This kibbutz was on our path today, although we did not stop there.

We checked out of Kibbutz Yahel in the morning, and began a relatively long bus ride back toward Tel Aviv.  Our first stop was at the center of the Ramon Crater.  The crater is actually a massive geologic formation of a huge valley, which eventually leads down toward the Red Sea.  Geologists go crazy here, studying the various rock formations and how they blend together in relatively atypical combinations.  We stopped at a mound called the Carpentry Shop, so named because the rocks emerge from the ground in vertical stacks of dark colored “bricks” resembling charred pieces of wood.  The entire mound was covered with these rocks, and there was a walking path encircling the circumference of the hill leading up to its apex.  I picked up a couple of the rocks, and was impressed by how light they were.  We then got in the bus and drove up the side of the crater to a small town overlooking the entire valley, called Makhtesh Ramon.  From a tourist overlook site, we were able to gaze down into the entire crater and get an appreciation for just how massive it is.

We left the Ramon area and continued northwest.  Of note, we passed a group of young Army troops going out for training alongside the road.  Despite their uniforms, they all looked incredibly young.  However, they seemed quite friendly and were impressed that several people on our tour bus took their pictures.

We continued to the city of Avdat, which was a fortress overlooking the ancient Nabatean spice route.  Any spices that were transported to or from the Red Sea had to pass by this area.  Invariably, all travelers were required to pay a tariff to use the road, which most commonly consisted of frankincense (hence, one of the gifts given to the baby Jesus).  Subsequent to the Nabateans, the area was inhabited by the Romans, and then it eventually took on a Christian overtone.  All of this was evidenced by the ruins that have been uncovered at the site, the shape of the buildings (including a cathedral and a baptismal pool), and the relics discovered there.  Unfortunately, the weather started to turn unpleasant while we were there, getting much colder and windier than we had previously experienced.  Needless to say, we were all happy to get back on the bus.

We continued driving out of the Negev, encircled Be’er Sheva, and eventually stopped at a place with a small convenience store and a restaurant similar to McDonald’s.  I got a “famous” Yotvata chocolate milk (which didn’t excite me) and a roast beef sandwich, and felt guilty about eating such a nonkosher combination.  I guess the country was starting to influence me.

We then visited the Ayalon Institute at Kibbutzim Hill, near Rehovot, which was the site of a secret munitions factory during the early 1940’s.  The underground Haganah hid six bullet manufacturing machines underneath the laundry and bakery on this kibbutz, and the kibbutz members were able to produce over six million bullets during the span of four years.  These bullets were used against the combined Arab armies once the War of Independence began.  It was impressive how these kids performed such a monotonous job for as long as many years as they did.  Despite a British presence very close by, the plant was never discovered.

After the Ayalon Institute, we drove the rest of the way to Tel Aviv, where we checked back in to the Dan Panorama.  Several of us took a taxi to the Dizengoff Mall, which was a modern American-style mall built on 4 levels and crossing over the main street at several locations.  Quite secular and quite popular, especially for a Wednesday night.  An hour-and-a-half later, we got back into a taxi and drove to the Maganda Restaurant in the Armenian sector of the Carmel Market.  Imagine a Fogo de Chao of Mediterranean food and you have this place.  There was an incredible amount of salads, side dishes, and skewers of meat that just kept coming and coming.  As if we hadn’t eaten enough during the previous 10 days, this place made certain that we were well-satiated.   The food was great and the amount was phenomenal.  This is a must-see for future trips.