Day 6 - Livin' it up at the Dead Sea!

Today's post was written by Libby (and, sort of, Marty) Cohen:

We began Tuesday yawning our way onto the bus just after dawn and ended it dancing in Jerusalem at midnight.  In between, we went down, then up, then down again, and then way, way down.

The contrasts are breathtaking:  the gracious Jerusalem home we visited Sunday night, and the impoverished Bedouin shanties by the roadside; Monday evening's beautifully presented dinner, and Tuesday's plentiful but odd boxed breakfast (a cucumber! a tuna sandwich! a tiny muffin studded with peas and carrots!); the clear air and cool breeze on Masada, and the dense, intense heat of the Dead Sea.

We boarded our bus at the preposterous hour of 5:45 AM and passed day laborers waiting for their rides as we left Jerusalem.  We passed Qumran, the site of the Dead Sea scroll discovery. After miles and miles of glistening water on our left, desert cliffs on the right, we arrived at Masada.

It's hard to make sense of Masada through twenty-first century eyes.  The plateau rises high above the desert; the stunning vista confirms that there are no other communities, no trees, no fresh water source, nothing but desert as far as the eye can see.  As a military fortress, it is imposing; as a vacation home, it's evidence of King Herod's arrogance and extravagance.  We tried to picture the Zealots going about their daily lives surrounded by the Roman camps, hearing the sounds of the construction of the ramp, and knowing there was no earthly way out.

We descended the cable car for some quick shopping, finally some coffee, and a visit with an inquisitive ibex.  We then bussed on to Ein Gedi.

Once again, we struggled to understand the significance of what we saw, riding into a desert oasis on an air conditioned, wi-fi-equipped bus.  As always, Muki provided us with a meaningful biblical and historical context, helping us to see through the throngs of tourists.  We learned an excellent Scrabble word:  hyrax (a desert animal); and watched 2 hyraxes resting in the shade.  After a quick dip in the waterfall we were back on the bus.

The thermometer at the Dead Sea read 45 degrees Celsius.  We slid and stumbled across the boiling hot beach into the thick, briny water, struggling to adjust to a new center of gravity.  In the Dead Sea everything you know about water is wrong - how you move in it, how it feels on your face, how it tastes and smells.  It's intriguing and threatening at the same time.  The novelty of floating like a beach toy is balanced by the fear of submerging.

Some of us closed the day's circle with a visit to the Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea scrolls.  Later, freshly showered and desalinated, we walked out to the restored Jerusalem Railway Station for an excellent dinner, dancing in the street, and shopping under the stars.