We started the day by waking up in the Bedouin tents and going to a breakfast in another tent. It was nothing fancy but it was good. My favorite part was a soft cheese that was sweet yet tart and the tea.
After a quick meal, we headed over to ride camels. This was one of the wildest things I've done and it was a lot of fun. The camels start by laying down and you get on the saddle. The camel then stands up back legs first and then front legs. I was terrified at first but was ok once we started moving; I was a bit scared again when we went downhill. Matt and I rode together and named out Camel דג or dag, which means fish. Our friends Emily and Sarra behind us named their camel Sandy. Sandy kept trying to walk next to me which was a bit scary as I thought he'd knock me down. At one point there was a camel traffic jam as the camels tried to pass each other and therefore banged into us but it was all ok. All in all it was a really cool experience and a cool way to better appreciate the surrounding area.
After saying goodbye to our camels we boarded the bus and headed to Masada. We hiked up the Roman ramp of Masada which is the shorter path but steep side. This path was created over a few years by the Romans who were trying to get to the top of Masada to kill the Jews living there.
Mount Masada
Then once to the top we were taken on a tour of the different parts of the remains. This included an ancient synagogue which actually had an old sitting in it writing torahs. There was also the different sections of the main castle on the mountain. We saw the bathhouse and some other rooms. But the by far coolest part of the top of Masada was part of nature. Matan took us to this overlook where we yelled a "WE ARE... PENN STATE" cheer and it echoed back at us as though the mountains were cheering back. The echo made it sound like we were cheering in the stadium and showed the powerfulness of nature.
While at the top of Masada we learned the story of the site where the Jews chose to kill themselves when the Romans were about to win rather than being taken as hostages. They saw this as being the most honorable thing to do. The most interesting thing about the mass murder/suicide, as they did kill each other, is that they burnt everything down except their food and water to prove to the Romans they did not die of famine but instead chose to kill themselves rather than belong to the Romans. I thought this was interesting and a strange way to show again the resistance and loyalty of the Jewish people.
After learning all this and more it was time to hike down the mountain. We took the snake path, which was terrifying. Matan claims he has ran down it in 7 minutes but I don't believe him for a minute since it took us about 45 minutes to walk down. If you know I'm scared of heights you would be shocked to hear I hiked down Masada as it is so steep, rocky, slippery, and full of drop offs. At first, I didn't think I would be able to do it because of how terrifying the first steps looked but one of the soldiers, Liam, said don't worry we are right here with you, this meant a lot to me and I made it down with a big group of others.
Once we were finally down, we stopped for a lunch that wasn't great and had some free time before getting back on the bus and heading to the Dead Sea. The view to the Dead Sea was stunning from the mountains to the water.
When we got to the Dead Sea we got changed and headed down to the water. I have always wanted to go to the Dead Sea so finally being there meant a lot to me. Before going in the water, we put mud all over our bodies and faces and of course took plenty of pictures. For anyone who doesn't know, the mud exfoliates due to the salt and minerals and is great for your skin.
After getting our obligatory pictures we hopped in the sea to rinse off and float. As the mud came off my skin felt so smooth. We all stuck together and floated and talked. The floating wasn't overwhelming but literally anyone could float and with no work. The hardest part was keeping your head up when floating if you didn't want it wet. It also really burned if you get any water on you lips or in your mouth or eyes. After putting more mud on and going back in, I got out and rinsed off in the fresh water before getting changed.
We then headed back to the hotel and had an activity to talk about the holocaust and how it is viewed in America versus Israel. It turns out the culture between the two is very different revolving the Holocaust. This was a good way to prep ourselves for Yad Veshem, emotionally and from a different viewpoints position.
That's all for now!
Laura
The shadows of the camels and the path down are my favorite pictures. Living vicariously through you!
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