Eid Day 4: Sunrise Edition!

Found this in the cistern I climbed down into!

Words cannot explain the day I had. I woke up at 315 - that's a.m. not p.m. - to hike up Mount Masada.  I tried to get a full 8 hours of sleep knowing I'd have a long day ahead of me, but my German roommate insisted on debating American politics until 1030. *sigh*  Anyway, a group of 10 of us troopers headed out in pitch black to Masada, the place in the mountains where King Herod built his fortress.  The Romans amazingly conquered the area in 73AD and found nothing but ruins.  The Jews had committed suicide to avoid being massacred by the Romans.  We headed up this mountain - more like a really rocky hill - and got to watch the sunrise as we hiked.  Quite possibly one of the coolest and most spontaneous things I have ever done.  I had my own little worship service at various points on the mountain since it was Sunday for me.  Y'all. Singing hymns. In Israel. Watching God's majesty in the background.....Ain't nothin' like it.

It fit me perfectly!

After we got back down, we headed to Ein Gedi, a nature preserve on the way back toward Jerusalem.  Nothing extremely exciting there, but we did see several oryxes and beautiful waterfalls.  We figured after climbing Mount Masada, why not hike a little while longer? We were rewarded with a secluded waterfall area with freaking cold water and bright sunshine.

 

Mount Masada overlooking the Dead Sea

Last part of this tour took us to the Dead Sea. They really are serious when they say you just float.  I mean, I tried swimming...and I kept ending up on my back. Getting into the water itself should be an Olympic sport.  I sank into mud up to my hip - which I know is not very high for most of you but just go along with it - and kept slipping and sliding til I made it to the sea.  I picked up a few salt crystals, too, to take with me as souvenirs.  Sadly, there were too many people on the beach for me to feel comfortable taking out my camera and leaving it on the beach while we floated. All of us slapped the mud all over ourselves until we blended in with the water.  It felt really nice on the sunburns we were developing, so I can see why people used to flock here to be healed.

Party at the beach!