Blogs from Mitzpe Ramon, South District, Israel, Middle East

Di nuovo in Israele, dove ho lasciato per ultime alcune gemme nascoste nel deserto del Negev e poco piu' in la'. MITZPE RAMON: Questo piccolo villaggio sorge sul ciglio di un grande cratere che si e' formato quando, nel corso dei millenni, l'acqua di un antico mare si e' ritirata. Arrivando da Eilat a Sud, l'autobus passa a caricare e scaricare giovani militari di leva che prestano servizio nelle numerosi basi sparse nell' inospitale ed isolato deserto del Negev, lontane da sguardi indiscreti; la strada sale gradualmente fino ad arrivare ad una ampia valle contornata da quello che in termini scientifici viene definito "circo d' erosione" ma che viene piu' semplicemente chiamato il "gran canyon" d'Israele: il Makhtesh Ramon. Qualche tornante e si arriva sul suo bordo dove l'altopiano continua poi indisturbato come niente fosse; qualche ... read more

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 ... read more

For the past two days I have been heading out into the desert to walk. I wake up around 9:30am. The hostel is nice and quiet at this time and I have it pretty much to myself. After a breakfast that involves ham and Nutella I am out the door. My first day I had only a vague where I was going. I had a map with me, but could not decipher it completely. I knew I wanted to climb down into the crater and reach the desert floor where I would wander and contemplate how Christ must have felt all alone in the desert. I found an intriguing path leading down marked with these green/white blaze marks. Later I would discover that this was the Carpentry Trail. How appropriate. I had no idea where I ... read more

Mit jeder neuen Mail, jedem neuen Eintrag hier fällt es schwerer den Schalter von Englisch zurück auf Deutsch zu drücken. Viele meiner Freunde hier fragen mich, wieso ich nicht in Englisch schreibe. Ich antworte dann immer: "Wegen der Familie. Die sprechen kein Englisch." Tatsächlich ist es wohl aber auch für mich, zum Selbstschutz, damit ich zwischen all den Englisch- und Baby-Hebräisch-Erlebnissen, meine eigene Muttersprache nicht verliere. Nach meinem ersten Abstecher zurück in den Norden, ging es ein paar Tage darauf ans andere Ende des Landes - in die Negev. Vor etwas mehr als einer Woche sind Lior und Amit in den gelbbraunen Süden gezogen. Ihr neues Heim heißt Mizpe Ramon und hat einen 8 mal 40 Kilometer langen Krater (Gottgeküsst!) vor der Haustüre. Zu dritt in Tel Aviv gestartet, saßen wir ab Be´er Sheva (die umgangssprachliche ... read more

Leaving Israel, I’m left with a few lasting impressions of this small country and its big personalities. One of the first things that struck me – and stuck with me – is that Israelis are sticklers for anything and everything you can be a stickler about, but especially for traditions and rules. If it was written 3,000 years ago in the Torah, it still stands today – even if no explanation was ever given and practicality petitions for change. So it is written, so shall it be. If the bus has left it’s official stopping zone by a mere ten meters, you’ll have to wait for the next bus, because there’s no way that one is going to let you on. The same rule follows for hitchhiking. It’s easy, but it has to be done from ... read more