Israel Day 14 - Mitzpe Ramon

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Time to head back towards the airport, which will be achieved over two days. Today a 100 mile drive through the Negev Desert to Mitzpe Ramon, a town on the edge of the Makhtesh Ramon crater. The drive though the desert is more scenic than I expected. There are warning signs for camels and tanks. I’m not sure which I would least like to hit.



We arrive at the crater and head for the Ramon Visitor Centre. We buy tickets and head inside. We are expecting a museum detailing the geology/flora/fauna of the region. We are not expecting to enter a fake rocket launch site to watch a series of films about Ilan Ramon, an Israeli astronaut who died on board the space shuttle Columbia.



The area is very busy with both tourists and soldiers on manouevres. We find a quiet spot on the edge of the crater for a picnic, gazing over the stunning scenery. We are soon joined by a family of ibexes. They clearly haven’t read the signs.



We head for our hotel. We need our passports, but they’re in my handbag, last seen during lunch on the the crater edge. We hurry back and it is where I left it. It hasn’t been stolen/eaten by ibexes/blown up by military, which is a huge relieve. We check into our hotel, the iBike. It’s unconventional, a converted army warehouse. Our room is in the middle of a mezzanine with no outside windows. It’s a bit claustrophobic. But the hotel has a lovely garden where we have a beer and watch our last Israeli sunset.

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