Israel Trip Part 5

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

After the melting awful humidity of Tel Aviv we spent the next day in the desert. But first we had to get there.

Pit Stop

We stopped off at an Israeli shopping mall to get lunch. It was definitely strange to have to go through a metal detector before being allowed entry. Also, seeing an Israeli soldier in the restroom with a huge gun just slung over her back was a bit of a culture shock.

We arrived at our first destination and walked for a bit. We saw Ibex.

We also saw some great views of the desert.

Then we saw the grave of David Ben Gurion and his wife.

Then we went for a walk through the desert. It was going to be a 2 hour hike, but we had to shorten it to 30 minutes because it was 106 degrees. I finally appreciate the expression "It's a dry heat".

The park we were at.

An Ibex in the desert.

A tree in the desert.

A cave thingy in the desert.

An oasis in the desert.

A girl on the trip dropped her camera in the water. One of the guys jumped in after it and retrieved it for her.

We would have hiked up there had it been cooler.

Apparently it's rare to see a bird in the desert.

After the desert we went to Ben Gurion's home in the kibbutz where he lived.

Instead of a hotel we spent the night in a Bedouin Tent. But before bed we went for a camel ride. And spoke with a Bedouin who answered our questions about his culture. Then we went out into the desert for reflection.

Part 6 is up!