Blogs from Ein Gedi, South District, Israel, Middle East - page 3

After a good nights sleep at Wadi Rum it was off to Israel - it was Ma'a Salaama Jordan and Shalom to Israel. I had to bid farewell to Aina and Martin who had acompanied me over the last 4/5 days and was back to solo travelling. I had to get a taxi from the bus station in Aqaba to the border crossing with Israel which is when the fun began. First of all I had to get an exit visa which was new one on me as it is an economic free zone and all visa should be wavered but anyway went in to the Jordanian office and they gavce me a stamp for my passport but I didn't have any change so they told me to get some, anyway I decided to make a ... read more

Dead Sea - After noon Travel... read more

Hello All, I just wanted to let everyone know I made it here safely. I am still very tired but I will hopefully adjust quickly to the time change. We are here in Ein Gedi at a nice kibbutz with views of the Dead Sea. I am very excited to be here but I miss you all and I am getting used to things. I am looking forward to starting the hikes and then getting into a routine at Ramat Rahel. Sorry this is a short entry...must go to breakfast. Hope all is well for everyone.... read more

Note from Jim: We haven't put up our blog from Wednesday but here are Thursday's activities from Leigh. We now know how to get comments to be seen so you can resume sending in comments! Not sure when we'll get up-to-date. But hopefully it'l be soon. Now on to Leigh and Thursday's trip to the Dead Sea Region. Didn't wake up early enough...rushed breakfast...Jim toppled his plate onto his lap and had to change pants--it bugged him for HOURS. Masada Then we took a long bus ride to Masada, a flat-topped mount next to the Dead Sea which was originally developed as a winter palace for King Herod (a Jew whom the Romans appointed King of Judea in 37 BC/BCE), but which became a Jewish stronghold against the Romans from 70-73 AD/CE. It is a phenomenal ... read more

We had a break from our workshops today, and took a trip down to Ein Gedi, a preserve in the desert near the Dead Sea. Although the area is only about 40 miles from Jerusalem, the drive took us about 3 hours because of having to go around the West Bank instead of taking the direct route. We took a hike through one of the wadis to a waterfall, where we had a chance to get in the water. Although the foliage was not as lush as on our hike in the Golan, the scenery was still spectacular, with mountains rising high over the sides of the wadi. After hiking out, we had lunch near the Dead Sea before coming back to Jerusalem.... read more