Day 27: Sunday, May 18, Dead Sea/Masada

Today we followed the “Way of the Patriarchs” south along the Jordan River. The landscape changes here. It’s still desert everywhere, but the Jordan River is clearly distinguished not because you can see the river – it’s little more than a lively stream at points – but because you can see the agriculture that pops up along the bank. Rows of date palms run like spiders as you drive past them.

Ibex on the cliff. Can you spot the little guy?

Our first stop was the Ein Gedi nature reserve. It was really beautiful. A stream trickles from the Ein Gedi springs through a rocky valley. The canyon walls do go almost straight up on either side, and there are myriad natural caves in the face. It was in caves like these that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, and after looking at these you can see why they were safe for thousands of years. First, there are a lot of them. Second, they are on almost vertical cliffs – I wouldn’t be able to get to most of them without rappelling down. It was in this area that David spent a lot of time hiding from Saul, and it’s obvious why. When the Bible talks about the “clefts of the rock” I will always think of these caves.

Our next destination today: the Ahava factory. Ahava markets beauty products made from Dead Sea mud. (Am I the only one who finds it funny that people clamor for skin care products made of mud, let alone mud from a place called the Dead Sea?) They have a factory there on the edge of the sea where you can see the products being made. Or, more accurately, you can watch through glass as finished products are boxed by a robot; the main attraction is the short film on Ahava products (i.e. promo video) and shopping in the store. A quick look at some of the pictures and clips in the promo video show that this is definitely not a conservative Jewish operation. They are not above selling their beauty products next to men’s boxers with “100% Kosher” written on them.

After the checkout counter there is a VAT refund stand. Israel has a VAT (Value Added Tax) system. Tourists can get refunds on the tax paid on items over a certain amount. Since few tourists want to go home, mail paperwork to Israel, then wait six months to be paid (like those sketchy mail-in rebates), there is an industry that pays you up front and submits the receipts for you in exchange for a percentage of the refund. Ahava made a lot of money off of people buying stuff, then made more money off of them by giving them tax refunds. Very smart system.

My stunning good looks are all due to regular Dead Sea mud treatments.

There was no way we were going to drive by the Dead Sea without testing the waters, so of course that was our last stop of the day. It really is an odd experience, because you can sit Indian-style in the water and float perfectly. However, getting to where you can float is sort of a painful experience. On the bottom of the sea is a crust of crystal minerals, so it’s like walking over the inside of geodes. You also have to shift your weight carefully, because if you step to hard or hit a thin spot you will fall through the crystals and sink knee-deep in the thick mud that is below. The mud is fun to play around in, as you might imagine. Any scratches you had (and the many you get from the crystals) are instantly and painfully cauterized. Despite all of this, it really is worth hopping in. One girl got the water in her eyes and it obviously wasn’t pleasant.

We stayed that night (and the next) at the Masada Youth Hostel. It was a very new and much nicer than “hostel” implies and could handle small conferences as well. They had a central grassy courtyard… oh wait, it was actually Astroturf. A basketball court and large swimming pool made for some good diversions.

I forget the name of this groundhog-type animal.

There are several Jewish school groups with us. For each group there are several student leaders who carry guns around everywhere. The vast majority use the M1 carbine, which is a WWII weapon. Today I saw a waif of a girl whose rifle was about as big around as she was. Israeli school kids dress more skanky on average than their American counterparts seem to do.

Bush is in the country right now. I have gotten used to hearing fighter jets roaring overhead every couple of days, but I noticed a spike the other day. Now I probably know why.

Today on the bus our guide told us that there are several tribes that just disappeared – “the Jews” today are almost all descendents of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. There is speculation that the Pashtuns are actually descendents of the “lost ten tribes.” I’m not sure how much speculation vs. evidence there is.

Chillin' in the Dead Sea. Can someone pass me a mojito?

The family that joined us the other day arrived with no luggage – Delta has assured them it will arrive soon. Also, I was talking with the mom and she talked about how she had asked the trip coordinator the obvious question: is it safe? His response hadn’t been yes or no, but simply to refer her to the story of Joshua and Caleb. Of 12 spies sent into the land that Israel was to conquer, 10 reported that the inhabitants were too mighty to be defeated. Joshua and Caleb reported that it didn’t matter, because God had said he would protect them and go before them. It was an interesting response to the safety question.