Hello from Israel!
We awoke early from our night in the desert under the stars to continue our exploration of the Negev. We hiked Ein Avdat canyon, and relaxed at the Neve Midbar mineral pools. We completed our day with a look at the Ramon "crater" before checking into beautiful Kibbutz Yahel in the southern Arava. Today we woke up super early in order to safely hike Mt. Zephachot which affords a breathtaking view of the Red Sea bordered by both Jordan and Egypt. Now we're about to begin our time at the Red Sea. Snorkeling, swimming, and banana boating here we come!! With it in the 90s before and supposed to hit 111 or higher later this afternoon, some time in the Sea is much needed.
The CSL in Israel 2014 program is off to a great start. We arrived on Monday and drove right to Jerusalem, stopping at Haas Promenade overlook to view the city. Tuesday was spent in a Jerusalem. We walked underground in Hezekiah's ancient water tunnel, we toured the Jewish Quarter of the Old City and the southern wall excavation sites, finishing up with some time for personal reflection at the Kotel.
Wednesday we started our journey south into the desert. We first explored caves under excavation and learned about biblical archaeology. We then crawled through the Bar Kochba caves that kept the Jews safe from the Romans. We learned about the time of the Hanukkah story by exploring the land on which it took place. We then journeyed to our desert campsite, but not without a stop at Sde Boker to visit Ben Gurion's grave and learn about the father of desert pioneering.
Looking forward to a restful Shabbat in the Arava. Saturday night we return to Eilat for an evening out on the town before continuing our tour of Israel's beautiful southern region bright and early on Sunday.
Shalom from Israel!
