Today is one of the days that I have been looking forward to for a long time. I have been wanting to go to the desert to see what it is really like and I have also wanted to go to the Dead Sea and float in the salty waters. The day was even better than I was wanting because we visited 4 important sites in the area. You can see all of my pictures from the flickr.com website with all the pictures in the desert area.
First, we went to Masala, a famous mountain city fortress that was built by the Jews when they wanted to escape Roman influence and Roman occupation. They fled to the desert to the top of of a mountain and built a city, where you can see me standing. This city consisted of houses, a temple, and other places for daily life. At one time it held 900 people. The story goes that they escaped there but the Roman army chased after them, built a ramp and a 30ft tower to go and slaughter all of the people. The Jews decided that instead they would kill themselves than become slaves of the Romans, and so the site has held important history for the Jews since then.
Next, we went to the famous dead sea, a beautiful blue color sea that hardly moves. There is very little wind in this area and it is in fact the lowest place on Earth!!! We arrived at a beach where we could get in and they warned us to not get any water in our eyes because it is 30% salt, and would be extremely painful if it splashed you. We swam for about 30 minutes, and all that I can say that it is the strangest feeling to be swimming in this warm water, knowing that there is nothing alive in the entire sea and that you can stay afloat simply by laying on your back or stomach. Of course, I got water in my eyes and one of my friends had to take me to the shore so I could wipe it out, but I returned again to try and 'learn' how to swim in that water. I can't wait to go back again.
Then, we went to the famous Oasis of En Gedi, or place of the goat. This is a waterfall that runs all year long in the depth of the desert. I have no idea where the water comes from, but it makes a small river that empties into the Dead Sea. You have to see the pictures to believe it, it is so beautiful and peaceful to see the desert and then all of a sudden to see green and lush trees and grasses growing next to a cool river.
Lastly, we went to Qumran, famous caves where they found ancient scrolls of the old and new testament. This site is very small and mostly of interest to scripture scholars. By that time, to be honest, I was tired, it was 100 F or more and we were all a bit dehydrated. Keep following my blog to find out more of my adventures.
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