From Desert to Rocky Hills (Israel)

Hello again. Since last speaking with you from Eilat (southernmost point in Israel), we began driving north through the Negev desert, stopping in Mitzpe Ramon, a city that sits on the edge of a steep cliff overlooking the Ramon crater, a deep bowl in the desert whose rocks contain fish fossils, since the crater was underneath the sea millions of years ago. Then we drove towards Beer Sheva and spent a few days living with a bedouin family who now live in a city with homes and streets. Almost every home has a tent outside where the men sit every evening, drink bedouin tea and coffee, and smoke tobacco in the nargila. The father is the principal of a school for blind bedouins, and the wife stays home and prepares food for the family, consisting of 6 children. Many other bedouins still live in the open lands, many still wander according to the seasons. We visited a man who lives 5 km from the nearest paved road, in a house without electricity (using a generator), but he has a Mercedes automobile to bring him to town. He has 4 wives but prefers to live alone, visiting his families on occasion.

Then we came to the holy city of Jerusalem, and stayed with the lovely Cohen family in the rocky hills outside the city. We of course visited the old city of Jerusalem which was the most crowded we have ever seen it, because of the Passover holiday, few people working, no school, and families on vacation. Here are some photos - enjoy!

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