Once a month, all the members of the Ulpan go on a day long outing. For our first one, we went down south. We started off the day by hiking to Nachal David (David Stream) which is right by Ein Gedi. I was really happy to do it since I didn't get to with Taglit or when Dad came to visit. It was so beautiful. It doesn't seem like something you would find in the middle of the desert. There are many swimming holes and waterfalls. People have been visiting and making use of this natural resource for thousands of years. It is mentioned several times in the Bible. There are also amazing views of Yam Hamelach (the Dead Sea, literally Sea of Salt) and the surrounding area.
From there, we drove the 2 minutes to Yam Hamelach for a dip. My skin is going to be in fabulous condition by the time I leave Israel. After that we headed to Masada. We took the cable car up and the Roman Ramp down. Even though it was my third time in 2 1/2 months, I loved it. It's fun to go with people who have never been there to see their reactions. I'm almost ready to start leading guided tours.
Next we headed to a Bedouin community. We listened to one of the men in the community give a little talk and watched him make traditional bread and coffee. We got to sample both. My favorite thing about the Bedouins is the food. We got to eat dinner there in their tents. You sit on the floor around a huge tray of food and eat with your hands. It is so delicious. I'm hoping for a Bedouin restaurant to open up in the greater Seattle area.
Pictures:
1st: View of Yam Hamelach from the hike
2nd: One of the waterfalls and swimming holes at Nachal David
3rd: Bedouin man making coffee
4rd: Mmm. Rice and chicken, bread, cucumber/tomato salad (probably the thing I've eaten the most of in Israel), pickled vegetables, cabbage salad, tehina.
5th: Ilana (Brazil), Natasha (Belarus), Chloe (France), Me (USA)
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