http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Aviva/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Aviva en-us Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:24:34 +0000 Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:24:34 +0000 This trip to Israel could not be going any better Aside from the gorgeous weather amazing people and fantastic lectures I am learning an immense amount about renewable energy. The past few days have been filled with lectures and field trips based around renewable energy and sustainable living. We visited the neighboring kibbutz Lotan. Lotan is the most environmental place I have ever been http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/South-District/blog-416194.html How is it that one of the most extreme deserts in the world is able to also be the agricultural center of a country With the Arava valley losing more than a meter of water a year to evaporation and gaining less than five centimeters of rain per year it does not seem as if much should be able to grow. However the other day we visited the experimental orchards outside of the Kibbutz. The or http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/South-District/blog-415261.html awesome pictures from Hai Bar http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/South-District/blog-413572.html So today was gorgeous as always In the morning we got a tour of the kibbutz and learned a lot about its history and also had an introduction to the course. During our afternoon siesta we went out to the pool for a couple hours and swam layed out I am already starting to get tan. In the evening we went to Hai Bar Nature Reserve which is an amazing place. Hai Bar's goal is to bring animals t http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/South-District/Eilat/blog-413456.html So after fourteen hours of traveling from NY to London to Tel Aviv I am finally on Kibbutz Ketura and it is AMAZING. From my room I can see the mountains in Jordan the border is only three miles away. The kibbutz has around 140 members a pool surrounded by mountains tennis courts soccer field an algae farm which produces algae that changes color based on its stress level date palm tree f http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/South-District/Eilat/blog-413296.html