Day #4

Today is a day I had been looking forward to since I first arrived in Israel. In the morning we headed for Mt. Masada to see the sun rise. We made it just in time, and after watching the sun rise we had plenty of time to explore the ruins on top of the mountain. Apparently this is the location where a group of Jews held out against the Romans in the past. Though fun, this is also the location where the Jewish inhabitants decided to draw lots and commit ritual suicide to spite the Romans who wished to capture and make slaves of them. To travel up the mountain we hiked up the dirt mound the Romans built to gain access, and to get down the mountain we took the snake path on the other side which was surprisingly steep and twisty.

After hiking down the mountain we headed a short distance to the Dead Sea. This had to be one of the highlights of my trip. It is absolutely amazing how you can float so high up in the water. Since the Dead Sea is the lowest point on the globe the water is incredibly dense due to an extremely high concentration of minerals in the water, unfortunately this means if you get any of the water in your eyes it burns almost unbearably.

When we were finished at the Dead Sea we all packed back up and headed for the bus. Tonight we will be staying at the Jerusalem Regency. Though it is a nice hotel, I must say the idea of staying within Jerusalem for the upcoming Palestinian Elections is a bit unnerving. Everyone says we’ll be safe, but this is Israel, and almost anything can happen at any moment. Also I am not sure if I will have access to the internet, so I will do my best but this may be my last entry for a couple of days.

Should you want to go back to the first the map please feel free to.

REFLECTION