Day 6 - Israel 2010 - 8-24-2010

Today started out on an odd foot. Belle was off. Bob was a bit less off, though definitely on the negative side. Bean and Puppy...well, they were oddly positive and close...even holding hands!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. We left Masada for the two hour ride to Mitzpe Ramon - the Ramon Crater...which soon we leaned is called "Machtesh Ramon" with no translation as there is nothing like it in the world. And thereby Machtesh- or Makhtesh was added to the dictionary.

But again, I'm getting ahead of myself. It was a long ride - with many of these signs...that cracked me up each time!

We got to the visitor's center to decide what to see from there. But it was closed for renovations!

We decided to take a quick walk to the observation point. That is where both Bob and Belle lost it. I think the magnitude of the two hikes from yesterday came flowing back to their psyche and they shut down. It was only 100 yards up the way...we could see the end from the starting point!

Bob came around, but Belle cried the entire way up. And Bean and Puppy?!? They held hands and talked to each other the entire walk up and back!

It was a magnificent view. 26 miles of a crater formed by erosion.

We took some pictures and then walked onto "Bio Ramon" - weirdly translated from the hebrew "Chai Ramon" - which means the "Life in Ramon" - aka zoo/preserve.

The girls did not want to join. So I took the boys while J made some calls to see if he could find us a Jeep ride through the Machtesh.

In my old age- I'm not a real lover...or even liker of most zoos. But each entrance price had a guided tour included. Puppy was free, Bob was 7nis and I was 13nis- so for a total of about $5.50 we had an awesome time and learned a lot. I think all of our favorite part was the porcupine and its quills.

Do you know that it has 3 kinds?

1. Long skin, wobbly ones to make itself look big to its prey

2. Shorter, wider, hard/pointy ones underneath the long ones to poke it's prey by backing into it, or stopping short for the prey to smash into it

3. Tiny hollow ones on their tales to make the sounds warning others to stay away!

After a quick bite of shwarma, we met out tour guide/jeep driver Tamir for a 2 hour tour of the Machtesh.

I don't know how I can describe in words how amazing this experience was. We spent 2+ hours driving off road through the crater, up the hills and mountains within- through the landscape. Truly amazing.

EVERYONE loved it! Belle and Bob probably the most! Puppy was doing amazingly... But the poor kid fell asleep half way through for about 30 minutes! No one could believe what he slept through...the bouncing, the tossing, the excitement in the car- J propping him back up on his seat as he bounced off!

He woke up in time for the amazing finally and views as we got out of the Jeep on one of the mountains in the Machtesh.

We then proceeded with the 3 hour drive home.

Mom and Aunt M came over to see us. Mom arrived in Israel with Grandma yesterday. The kids were asleep, but it was really nice to catch up as adults.

After 3 days it is good to be back at the apartment. Until the next adventure!

Day 5 - Israel 2010 - 8-23-2010

Today began with the alarm going off at 4:30am. No it wasn't an accident- we purposely got up before the break of day so we could climb Masada.


The kids did great getting up and out. We rolled out of bed got our sunscreen on and walked out of our Hostel (kids are calling it a Hospital...I think of it more like a no frills hotel!)...out the door to the base of Masada.

From the later in the afternoon - see the snakepath to the top? The cable car launch on the top right?

It was pitch black. We didn't think to bring flashlights...but it wasn't too bad. J thought the hike would be 30 minutes...the man who handed us our tickets said an hour and a half!

20 minutes into the walk Puppy started crying. Screaming in fact. He was just saying he was scared- but we didn't know of what. I joked to J that instead of an "I climbed Masada" t-shirt, we would get him an "I cried Masada" t-shirt! I finally got out of him that he was afraid to walk DOWN Masada! OY.

We walked...and climbed and climbed some more! It was more difficult than J or I remembered it. Maybe it was bringing 4 children...maybe it is the 18+ years that have passed since the last time we did it...maybe it is the 18+ lbs that we have gained! Or...a combination of all three.

We missed the sunrise at the top - but it was just as beautiful from 3/4ths of the way up!

It was probably the most difficult thing I've done, besides birthing 4 babies in under 5 years, in my adult life!

For me, it was all about the climb. For J and Bob...they wanted to see stuff. It was pretty cool.

I liked the mosaic tile floor and the explanation of how they got water to the top.

The kids liked pouring the water on the model "water system." Seeing the "sofer" - scribe, writing a Torah in the "Bet K'neset" - synagogue on top of Masada- in an air conditioned room was definitely the most unexpected!

As promised we sprung for the cable car on the way down. It was well worth the 98nis we spent...the smiles on the kids' faces...and the money we saved by getting down at 8:30am, before the 9am close of the included breakfast buffet at the hostel!

We then took a rest- read: I napped for an hour while the kids watched Israeli cartoons and J dozed.

We regrouped, re-sun screened, but on bathing suites and keens- and were off to Ein Gedi for a hike through rock and cliffs into a valley to see the natural pools and waterfalls.

We choose the less traveled area called "Nachal Arugot" - translated to "river of rows" - like in agricultural planting. It isn't really a river during the summer- it is a "Wadi" - dry river bed.

When we got to the gate, the park ranger said it was about an hour up, and an hour back down- but that the first water area was about 10 minutes out.

That 10 minutes took us 20. So when we found the pool at the top of the water detour, we made the afternoon of it.

What an amazing oasis it was! A pool of water with cave areas, a waterfall- and wildlife. The kids first found one frog and then a second in a cave off of far side of the pool.

Then Bob screamed "Abba! A tarantula!" When J came over- he realized it was a little crab! They had a blast.

The kids were not happy about not continuing farther- but after a day climbing Masada and this hike- we believed it was enough.

Look what we did!

We returned to the hostel for showers, a pizza picnic in our room, and a movie on our dvd player. Puppy was so tired he fell asleep at 5:30 before the pizza or movie - see him on the top left bunk?

What a memorable day...it really was like two days in one!

Day 4 - Israel 2010 - 8-22-2010

What a day we had!

J left to buy groceries for our trip this morning. A cooler and beach towels. We made sandwiches, snacks and packed for 3 days. It didn't help that the washer/dryer takes 3 hours to do one load 1/3 of the size of our home loads:) By 1:50pm we were on the road...only 3 hours after we had hoped!

We plugged our first destination into N'avi...our Israel GPS. It has this great feature that avoids areas we want to avoid for safety reasons...except, that when it asks- do you still want to avoid the area, because I am going to send you that way...it doesn't re-route. It stops all together!

This was a "feature" we didn't realize until we were lost in the middle of Jerusalem!

I must say the kids were amazing! They had this imaginative game going on with each of them having their own worlds...with portal's into Bob's "String World" which was under attack- they were coming to help him. J wondered when it would all end in a world war...but they did REALLY well, for hours.

We made it to the Dead Sea - Yam Ha'melach by 4:30pm. We had a few options that the tour book said would still be open.

One was Kalya, a name I fondly and remember from my childhood visits to Israel. We decided that is where we would go.

I remembered it as an amazing water-park over looking the dead sea. It was the first time I was introduced to the fantastic word... "Glitch Glatch" - water-slide!

I remember taking Lolo and Unc on the slides. Carrying the tubes up with them...waiting on line...and as we came down the slide taking in the breathtaking views of the Dead Sea below...and Jordan across the way.

What a shock it was for me to see what we saw! I didn't see the bungalow on the side of the road, nor the oasis I was expecting..nor children and their tubes on the ladders.

There emptied out shells of huts- without doors or windows, there were some trees- but far from the oasis of soft grass and palm trees...but worse yet were the abandoned ladders and water-slides...sadly standing tall the way they did 18+ years ago...but the shiny yellow and blue slides looked worn and dilapidated...the ladders looked broken and dangerous.

We continued passed the park of yesterday to the area by the sea. It was pretty- and had a beautiful view...they were even building new shops and spa...but it wasn't what I had expected.

Thank god I had not put any expectations out there for the kids. I told them what had been, even pointed out the slides...but we moved on to our destination...and the ONE place Puppy said he wanted to go- INTO the Dead Sea!

We made our way down, explaining the rules to the kids. The view was breathtaking!

 

The Dead Sea is below sea level - this bar on the way down to water was -418 meters!

We all immersed. Bean and I were the only ones not to partake in the mud...sometimes I really do think she is my kid:)

 

After we had had enough- 45 minutes later we climbed back up the steps for a much needed water and ice cream break.

A few hours later we are all now bedded down for the night in the Masada Youth Hostel at the foot of Masada. Our alarms are set for 4:30am so that we can do the climb in time for sunrise.

Wish us luck!