This morning we left Jerusalem and headed south into the Negev Desert. How amazing that within twenty minutes or so we were gazing out the bus windows at stark canyons covered with cream colored sand, small Bedouin settlements, shepherds and their sheep on the hillsides, and an occasional camel along the road. Is this real?
We stopped in Qumran to see for ourselves where the Dead Sea Scrolls
were discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd boy. How awe inspiring to look up at the caves in the canyon walls
where the scrolls were found and to explore excavations of the 2,000
year old Essene settlement where they were written.
We headed further south and further down below sea level, and at last reached the Dead Sea at -1300 feet below sea level, the lowest place on the planet. It sparkled on the left as we drove, a stunningly beautiful, turquoise body of water with white edges of salt. It looked like an inviting tropical destination, replete with date palms. However, there were no people in sight.
Next stop - Masada, a towering cliff made into a palace and then a fortress, with a powerful story. We rode the cable car up to the top, marveled at the archaeological ruins, and then some intrepid souls walked the long Snake Path back down.
We arrived at our hotel, tired yet excited and marveling that we were sleeping within yards of the water's edge. I walked down to dip my feet in the salty Dead Sea water. Tomorrow I'll go in for a float. After I ride my camel.
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| Mary and Kellun contemplating the desert |
We headed further south and further down below sea level, and at last reached the Dead Sea at -1300 feet below sea level, the lowest place on the planet. It sparkled on the left as we drove, a stunningly beautiful, turquoise body of water with white edges of salt. It looked like an inviting tropical destination, replete with date palms. However, there were no people in sight.
Next stop - Masada, a towering cliff made into a palace and then a fortress, with a powerful story. We rode the cable car up to the top, marveled at the archaeological ruins, and then some intrepid souls walked the long Snake Path back down.
