Day 27: Masada

Sunrise over Jordan from Masada.

Wake up came very, very early in the morning as most of us couldn't sleep anyway.  We sleepily loaded the bus for Masada.  The mountain looked a lot taller than I originally thought it was, but I attempted the assent on foot anyway. I got about halfway up before I felt completely nauseated and had to turn around and go back.

Climbing Masada

Masada

Killing time at Masada

Masada

Masada

I waited four tedious hours at the bottom, plagued by flies and the hot sun. At 8:00, the cable car opened and 20 shekels later, I was on the first car up to the top. Most of our crew was ready to come down at that point - but Liza and I looked around for a few minutes before deciding it was a bunch of walls and not really very exciting. {I think the extreme heat in our room the night before probably did a lot to dampen our enthusiasm}  

Winding path up Masada

We returned to the hostel where I opted to take a two hour nap instead of visiting Qumran (the location where they found most of the Dead Sea Scrolls) - not too exciting, I know, but neither is dying in 120F weather. {It wasn't just the heat, it was the humidity as well. The Dead Sea's evaporation makes the air heavy and thick... and then add the extreme temperatures... just awful. What I don't talk about in the journal, because I didn't realize it was happening, is that several of our group had to be taken to the hospital in Jerusalem.  My friend Heather was ill from this experience for a long time. }

Ein Gedi Spring

Floating in the Dead Sea

Waterfall at spring

After a boxed lunch, Joni, Ryan, Heather, and I walked to the beach by the Dead Sea and went swimming.  The water was really neat. Because of the salt content, it is impossible not to float.  I started walking into the water and before I realized it, my feet were not touching ground, but I wasn't treading water and I was standing perfectly straight.  Cool.  We spent about 45 minutes to an hour there, and then walked to Ein Gedi Springs where we found a beautiful little cove with a pool and a water fall. It was incredibly relaxing. It looked a bit like the lobby of a very nice hotel -- but it was all natural.  I stood under the waterfall, which gave me a nice back massage. {Having suffered dehydration sickness the first week, I was very prepared. I carried 3 gallons of water with me when we went walking to the sea and then to Ein Gedi Springs}

Dinner was at seven, and bed time was around 9:00 - much more comfortable than the previous night because the air conditioning had been on all day.