Guess what that is????
You got it! The Dead Sea!!! But that's just a teaser because before we visit the Dead Sea, we have another stop to make first.
Masada.
This is the most famous tourist stop in Israel according to Dr. Tabor. Masada is the location where Herod built one of his incredible palaces and where the Jews fled when Jerusalem was destroyed. Now every time we told people in Jerusalem that we were going to Masada, the first thing they said was Masada is hot. I always thought, yeah yeah it's hot here all the time. Boy did I underestimate them. It is HOT AS HELL out there. I don't know what I expected considering we were in the middle of the desert but it was so hot!!!
This is basically what remains of the ancient palace. Considering how old this place is and the fact that it's in the middle of the desert, it was very impressive. There were bath houses with steam rooms and a synagogue. When the Jews fled here, the Romans were coming to kill them and trapped them in Masada so their only option was to be taken by the Romans or commit suicide to avoid that horrible death. They cast lots and chose 10 men who killed all 950 people who lived there and then killed each other. Very depressing but Masada carries a heavy energy and that would be why.
The view from the top was incredible but you had to take this super creepy cable car to the top because it was so high up. Masada is actually at sea level so you can see how far down the valley and Dead Sea are.
Walking around with Dr. Tabor is like being with a local celebrity because people are always stopping him to introduce themselves. It's really an honor to be with him and see how people react.
Cable car ride...ahhhhh!!!
I actually had a man come up to me today at Masada and read the Hebrew on my shirt and asked me if I was a Levine Scholar. Made my day! It makes me believe that my shirt actually says what I asked for it to say!
After spending about an hour and a half or so at Masada, we were all hot and really ready to go to the Dead Sea. The best thing in the world right then was the idea of going swimming. Little did we know it wasn't going to be as refreshing as we thought it was...
The beach was really cool and very much like our beaches but their water source was the Dead Sea. So when people here want to spend the day at the beach it's actually the Dead Sea which I thought was awesome. There were public changing areas which were kind of awkward but when in rome... The sand was probably 3000 degrees so I was thrilled to have shoes on. As I approached the water, I saw everyone just floating like they were sitting on inner tubes. It was the strangest site.
Floating in the Dead Sea was unreal. You literally cannot sink even if you try to go underwater. You start walking into the water and all of a sudden your feet come out from under you and you're floating. There is no effort involved. Some of us swam out farther to where you can't touch the bottom but you can put your feet down so you feel like you're just levitating in the water. Also, the high concentration of salt and minerals makes your skin feel incredible. At first, it's like shaving your legs and getting in the ocean because it stings but eventually you get used to it and your skin is instantly exfoliated. It's so hard to describe but should definitely be on everyone's bucket list.
Now remember when I said the water wasn't exactly refreshing? It was hot. Kind of like taking a hot bath in the middle of the desert hot. So you're sweating from the hike at Masada and think that the water would really help cool you off but it's hotter than bath water. Definitely weird...
Then there's the whole mud thing...
Yes, I covered my body in "healing mud" at the Dead Sea. This is part of the tradition of coming here. You slather up and rinse off in the sea and apparently it's healing. I don't know about the whole healing thing but I'm going to choose to believe and see what happens. Also, it's not really as ridiculous as it looks because most people on the beach are also covered in mud. It was so much fun!
After the Dead Sea and lunch, we headed to En Gedi, a natural spring in the desert where David hid from Saul in the caves when Saul was trying to kill him. The waterfalls were gorgeous and although we were exhausted, the caves at the top were incredible. Apparently if you come in the fall or spring, animals like the ibex come up and you can pet them. We didn't see any but they were smart because again it was HOT AS HELL!
Waterfall #1
Waterfall #2
Dr. Z breaking the rules and upsetting children...
Something I love very much about Dr. Tabor, the man leading our trip, is that when we get to places of biblical significance, he stops to read passages out of the Bible to the group. It really helps bring the stories into context and helps me better understand what the Bible is saying. Here he is reading
I Samuel 24 about David hiding from Saul in En Gedi. It really makes the experience so much more real for me.
The last stop of the day was at Qumran, the location that most of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. By this point we were all pretty beat but it was still a cool place. The people who inhabited the caves where the scrolls were found were Essenes, apocalyptic Jews who lived radical lifestyles according to the rules laid out in the Torah. It was really neat to see the place where such historical items were found.
A holy rainbow at Qumran maybe???
The caves of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran
Once again I am totally exhausted and the dig starts back up tomorrow but I wouldn't trade my experiences today for anything. The Dead Sea blew my mind and I learned so much. I definitely think everyone should swim in the Dead Sea at least once in their lifetime. I wish we could do more cool things like this tomorrow but it's back to reality! Diggin up them holes...
Shukulan: arabic for chocolate, which I bought at the store on the way home tonight for Cait and me!
No comments:
Post a Comment