Bring on the camels, Dead Sea & Massada!

After a few days away from the Internet, we are back live!!! The past few days have been fantastic with so much going on. We will also be posting some entries from students on their experiences with the trip so far. On Saturday evening after a day of relaxing, time at the pool and a wonderful Havdalah ceremony, we headed down to Eilat to check out the Promenade and get some delicious food (pic below). We did some more activities on Kibbutz Qetura before heading north toward the Dead Sea. Everyone had the chance to get into the Dead Sea and some even put some of the incredible mineral-filled mud on one another. After letting everything bake in and rinsing off the salty water, we veentured further toward the Bedouin Tent at K'Far Hanokdim. Everyone enjoyed Bedouin hospitality, a festive meal, a night stargazing hike and especially riding camels & donkeys. At the wee hour of 4:00am, we took the short bus ride to Massada where we joined hundreds of others in hiking up the Roman Ramp to see the sunrise over this fortress. After spending time up top, we walked down the Snake Pathand enjoyed a much needed breakfast and time at the Ahava Store. We then took a short hike to Nahal David in Ein Gedi where people enjoyed the cool, refreshing water after being in the heat for so long. From here, we would head up north near Afula where we will be staying the next few nights...stay tuned for more updates!!