Day 7: Sometimes We must Come Down to Go Up
Today's activities have been totally different than the past couple days. We have joined a local tour to visit Masada and Dead Sea. It gave my legs a chance to rest a little. I have heard about the Dead Sea since I was a child, I knew that it is a lot more salty than any other sea, it is below the sea level and people can float on it even for big guys. All these sounded so magical that it stayed in a child's head for a long time. At last, the boy now much older have got the chance to feel it himself.
The tour picked us up at 8:45am, we started off from Jerusalem (about 800m above sea level), headed straight down to 400m below sea level by the Dead Sea. First stop was a skin product factory, yikes. Totally not interested, but you know, joining a tour group like this, they would always have some commercial things that comes with it. I am glad that we just got it over with way in the beginning. So, we could just enjoy the rest of the day. By the time we arrived Masada, it was like 10:30-11am, we took a cable car up to Masada (as opposed to hiking), which is a roughly 100m above sea level again. Masada is located in the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, we passed by some parts of the West Bank. On the road, the landscapes was dry, very dry and for a big part we can see the dead sea on the left. It was beautiful, perhaps due to the mineral, the water was in light blue from afar, it contrasted the dry brownish dirt salt, mud, dry land, or whatever that was very well. Masada was a fortress built some 2000 years ago by the Herod the Great, it sat on the hilltop. The structures have mostly been destroyed by natural cases by now, but it was somewhat interesting to learn about the history, see some artifacts and the view on the top plateau of Masada was magnificent.
Lunch at the foot of Masada, where we also got some sandals and sunblock for Dead Sea. I think I fell asleep on the way to Dead Sea, after lunch and with the desert heat, it was prefect for a nap. Think we got to Dead Sea around 2:45pm, a beach on the top of Dead Sea, near where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. It sounded kind of silly to put mud all over and float on ultra salty water and took a bunch of silly pictures. But do what the Romans do when you are Rome. Spent 1.5 hours at the beach, I think that was the right amount of time. We have enjoyed it. Aside from the snow angel, salt angel on the Utah Salt Flats, now I also did the Dead Sea angel.
Last night in Jerusalem for me. Paul will stay an extra night before he will head back to the states, while I will take off to Petra very early in the morning. Highly doubt I would have internet since I will be staying in a campsite. So, the next time I can post probably will be Saturday night when I return to Tel Aviv from Eilat. Since it is the last night we are spending together in Jerusalem, and coincidentally it is Thanksgiving though it is not necessarily our reason, we do have had a really nice meal, one of the best meals actually. We were on the rooftop restaurant above Mamilla Hotel where we were picked up by the tour group in the morning, on the rooftop, we were facing the Old City, too bad the Dome of the Rock was not lid up. The meal was simply divine, I started with a crispy sea bass salad and one the best burger I have ever had, it had goose liver instead of cheese (for kosher reasons? If that is the case, it is a great substitute). Paul started with seared red tuna and a short-rib gnocchi. Dessert was a coconut mousse. Not a single bite was bad, everything was wonderful tonight.
See the other photos from Day 7 here.
