Destination: Dead Sea and more

Shalom! Sorry for the delay - I've been busy and I've been too tired at night to stay up and blog. Anyway, here's the scoop on my latest travel adventures.

I think I mentioned in my last entry that I would be going to the Western Wall on Thursday night (January 3), but that actually didn't happen. Instead, I wound up going out to dinner at a place called Barood, which we sort of just stumbled upon by accident while walking along Ben Yehuda Street. Barood was great - excellent atmosphere, excellent food (I had a steak and an excellent dessert - halva parfait, which I had never had), and excellent company. After Barood, we went to a club, and while the atmosphere was cool, the music was way too loud. I know I'm getting old when I say things like that, but I honestly wanted to cover my ears at times. I don't really understand why they played the music that loud, since it wasn't a dance club, but oh well. The place was hopping, as Thursday night is basically a lot like Friday night in the States.

After the bar (and Cuban cigars for the guys), we headed back to the Maiersdorf, and I was out cold for the night. I find myself still feeling really tired - almost wanting to put my head down when we are out, etc. I don't think it's jet lag, and I do know I'm fighting off a cold (tons of people in the group have full fledged colds, including my roommate, Amber. I feel bad for them). Anyway, I took all the Airborne I brought with, but I'm still taking Zicam, so I'm hoping I can avoid full fledged sickness. Stay tuned for more on that.

On Friday, January 4, a group of us left Jerusalem and headed to the Dead Sea. I went with 6 others from the group: Amber, Kara, Ben, Vince, Joe, and Daniel. The first five are all from Hamline, and Daniel is from Australia. Joe did an excellent job finding transportation, and a van with a driver just for us came to pick us up at about 10:30 on Friday morning. The drive was pretty, and we got to see a different part of Israel - desert, mountains, and the Dead Sea. Our plan was to spend the night away from Jerusalem, so Amber had made a reservation for two rooms via the internet at a place called the Kibbutz Ein Gedi. For those of you don't know, a kibbutz is a self sustaining collective community, basically a commune, run by Jews. This particular kibbutz runs a spa and hotel for tourists, and that seems to be the main way they make money (though I'm not sure).

After about an hour and a half on the road, the driver pulled up at the kibbutz and we went to check in. Unfortunately, the kibbutz claimed to have no record of us in their system, meaning they didn't have rooms for us. They claimed they were completely booked. Amber then showed them her confirmation email, and they still said nothing was available. At the same time, we were trying to hold our driver so we wouldn't be stranded somewhere without a driver. The driver then started calling other hotels to see if we could find a room at a different place. Finally, the kibbutz manager came out, and she said that they did have two rooms available after all, but they didn't include food. She also emphasized that the rooms were not fancy. At that point, we didn't care at all, and we said we would take them. I think they thought Americans wouldn't want to stay in non-fancy rooms; otherwise, I'm not sure why they wouldn't give us those rooms. After we solved the housing crisis, we had to wait a bit to check in and hit the spa, so we went outside, ordered a few drinks (as usual, diet coke for me), the guys played table tennis, and we made friends with some of the kibbutz cats (it seems cats are everywhere in Israel; who knew).

At 2:00, we caught the shuttle to the spa, and the Dead Sea adventures began. For those of you that don't know, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth - I think it's 400 or so meters below sea level, which is about 1200 feet. Also, the Dead Sea is receding, basically disappearing (I don't know the science behind this, but I'm sure google or wikipedia would have answers if you care). As a result of the shrinking, we had to walk a long way from the spa to actually reach the sea. We actually passed a sign that said "Suitable bathing area" or something similar, and we were still a LONG way from the water - that's how much the water has receded. We eventually reached the beach, which was made of hard, dried salt. It was definitely not a beach on which you would sunbathe, and I had to wear flip flops to walk on it. I crossed the hard salt and entered the water to begin my floating adventure.

The Dead Sea supposedly has great healing powers, and is supposed to heal your skin, etc. All I know is that it was the saltiest, thickest water I've ever been in. You literally DO float on top of the water (this has to do with salt and mineral content I think), and once I was floating, I found it difficult to stand back up. I got a tiny bit of water in my mouth, and it tasted horrible! I can't imagine getting it in your eyes - I think it would seriously destroy your contacts upon touch. Also, any cuts or sores on your skin resulted in some burning, but nothing terrible. Despite the stinging and the taste, the whole experience was awesome. I can't explain the feeling of floating on water, but it was just really cool-probably one of the coolest things I've ever done. So far though, my knee isn't healed, and neither is my skin. I bought some lotions from the resort, so maybe if I use them long enough, I will be 100% healed. ;)

Also, the weather was quite nice - partly sunnier and quite a bit warmer than Jerusalem, which made floating in water pleasant. The water itself was cold, but not cold like Lake Superior. It was just fine when the sun was out, and I wasn't shivering or anything like that.

After floating on the sea, we walked back toward the spa and stopped off at the mud bins. We covered ourselves completely in mud, which felt amazing. I was surprised by how good it felt, honestly. I've never done any spa treatments at home, but I think I will look into doing this in the States. After letting the mud dry a bit, we rinsed off in the hot, sulfur smelling showers (I'm guessing the water came from the sea or a natural spring) they provided (smelled and tasted terrible again, but it felt good). We then went back to the spa, showered, and caught the shuttle back to the hotel portion of the kibbutz. The spa had hot baths (some of you might remember how much I loved the baths in Budapest), but the baths smelled so strongly of sulfur that I couldn't bring myself to go in them. Sort of a bummer, but it was okay too.

Let me tell you a bit about our rooms at the kibbutz...they reminded me of the rooms I think American summer camps probably have. In the girls' room, we had two twin beds and one bed on the floor that was basically one of those couch cushion chairs that flip out into a bed (popular in college dorm rooms). The guys had two twin beds and two of the couch cushion beds. The bathroom was tiny, and the shower included a squeegee, which seemed a bit odd to me but in the morning I figured out why it was necessary - water flooded all over the bathroom while showering. Also, our room had no hot water and only two towels, meaning that Kara had to use a sheet to dry off. Despite these issues, the rooms were cheap and clean, and they were just fine for one night.

Back to the kibbutz adventures...Joe signed us up for the 6:00 dinner seating, so we headed back down to the bar for more drinks around 5:30. At about 5:55, we headed over to dinner, thinking that we would be eating at a restaurant of sorts. In reality, it was basically an Israeli Old Country Buffet. Nicer, but really the same concept. Also, all the spa guests lined up outside waiting to get in, just like they raced to catch the shuttle at the spa. I found that quite hysterical - the place was like a retirement home and people had routines they had to follow: spa at 2, dinner at 6, mini golf at 10, etc. Anyway, the food was decent, but no one here understands the concept of a line, and at one point, I had to push myself back up to the food. Also, despite having 3 Jews in our group, we completely stuck out at the kibbutz - I think we might have been the only Americans in the whole joint. At one point, Daniel pulled out his kippa and put it on in an attempt to make us seem more legitimate, but I don't think it mattered even one bit. Everyone stared at us as we ate, but we still had a good time.

After dinner, we headed back to the lobby area for the nightly entertainment promised by our guidebooks. The guidebooks listed belly dancing among some of the possibilities for entertainment, so we had no idea what to expect. Guess what Friday night's entertainment was: karaoke. Mostly Hebrew karaoke I might add. I think we had about 7 songs in English from which to choose. This makes sense obviously, but it made for a LONG karaoke experience. Some folks sang English songs, and eventually, Joe got up to sing a new version of Hotel California - Hotel Ein Gedi Kibbutz. His rendition actually won him a prize, which I found quite hysterical. The kibbutz also served cotton candy throughout the event, and we were surrounded by mostly senior citizens and children. Quite surreal really.

Overall, Kibbutz Ein Gedi was a good experience, but it was also one of the strangest places I've ever stayed. I don't know how many of you have seen dirty dancing, but the kibbutz reminded me of the lodge at which that movie takes place - Kellerman's Lodge. So, we named ourselves the Kellermans and decided we were all on a family vacation together. Quite amusing, and it made the experience quite enjoyable. I'm not sure too many Americans would dig the kibbutz, but I'm glad we stayed there. At on point, Kara pointed to the giant radio tower on one of the buildings and said that it was probably used to send a signal to the mother ship, if that helps explain anything for you. :)

The next day, Saturday, January 5, we were off to Masada (our driver returned to the kibbutz), which is basically a really old Jewish fortress/castle (it was built by King Herod) on top of a mountain in the middle of the desert. As the Romans tried to conquer the Jews at Masada, the Jews chose death rather than slavery, and they killed each other and their families (Jews can't commit suicide if they want to be buried in a Jewish cemetery). Masada is now a symbol of Jewish strength and resistance, and it is a national park. Because it is on top of a mountain, we had to ride a cable car to reach the actual fort (we could have hiked, but I don't think any of us were prepared for that type of an adventure). Masada was quite interesting, and I was able to get some beautiful pictures of both the fortress and the Dead Sea (amazing all around views from being that high). If you want to learn more about Masada, there is an old American movie about it, but I'm sure google or wikipedia would also do the trick. ;)

After Masada, we decided to head back to Jerusalem, as everyone was tired and we weren't sure where the driver would be willing to bring us. On the way back, we stopped off at a market along the road because they had a camel sitting outside as advertisement. We took pictures of the camel, but really, seeing it there (along with the others along the way) made me really sad because I couldn't help but think its life is probably awful. It's tied to a little rope, separated from other camels, and just has to stand all day long on the side of the road. Plus, it's knee was bloody and it seemed to be favoring that leg. The whole thing made me really sad.

When we got back to Maiersdorf, Amber did laundry, and she was kind enough to wash a few things for me, including the five day pants. It was nice to have them clean, as they are good for walking around. Basically, we lounged around all afternoon, and it felt like we were in college. Quite fun! Also, I took advantage of technology and made a video call to Sarah. It was nice to hear a voice from home, as I'm feeling a bit homesick for some reason. I haven't even been gone that long, but a big part of me is ready to go home already. It's always hard to live out of a suitcase, rely on cabs to take you everywhere, not know when your next meal will be or how much it will cost, and not really have tons of control over your life. Also, unlike other places I've traveled, I don't really feel like I can just jet out for a walk or do touristy things by myself. Not only would I be ridiculously lost, but I'm not sure that's a safe thing to do here. Anyway, I'm sure I will be fine. Homesickness tends to come in waves, and I'm sure this one will subside soon.

On Saturday night, a group of us went out to a restaurant called Pasha, where I had the best meal I've had the entire time in Israel. They served us tons and tons of different salads and warm pita to start, and then I ordered the mixed grill kabob dinner. The entire meal was fabulous, and it was completely reasonable in price as well. If I could find a place to buy all those different salad and warm pita in the states, I would probably live there. Delicious.

Okay, that's enough for this post. I will write another one describing Sunday's adventures.

Pictures:
1) Sign for Barood
2) Me and Vince in Barood (playing around with special effects on the camera)
3) Vince, Me, and Ben at Hebrew Karaoke night at the Kibbutz Ein Gedi
4) Sunset at the Kibbutz Ein Gedi spa
5) View of the Dead Sea from Kibbutz Ein Gedi
6) Me with cotton candy at Hebrew karaoke night
7) View from the Kibbutz Ein Gedi
8) The Dead Sea
9) Me floating in the Dead Sea
10) Some of the Kellerman's floating in the Dead Sea
11) Ben, Joe, Kara, Me, and Daniel in the mud at the Dead Sea
12) View of the kibbutz from our room
13) Vince and Ben playing table tennis at the kibbutz
14) 6 out of the 7 Kellermans: Ben, Amber, me, Daniel, Kara and Joe
15) Ben and Kara at the kibbutz
16) Vince, Joe, and Ben rocking the Hebrew karaoke
17) Another view from the kibbutz
18) Masada
19) Masada
20) Masada
21) Me in a tunnel at Masada - clearly the people were short back then
22) Me and the roadside camel
23) The poor roadside camel
24) Sunset from our room in Maiersdorf - Saturday, January 5, 2008

Love to all!