Day 3 - Wilderness, Camels... What Next?


Day 3 started with a trip to the Ben Gurion Tomb and Heritage Institute.  This is in honor of David Ben Gurion, Israel’s 1st Prime Minister and his wife.  It is located in the middle of the wilderness and its beautiful landscaping and green, lush trees were in stark contrast to the barrenness of the desert beyond.  A man-made oasis that is being carefully maintained. We were all excited to spot several sure-footed Ibex walking along the low, stone walls.  One looked as if he had fallen and I ran to check on him only to find him happily leaping across rocks on the side of a cliff like a pro.  From there we drove about 5 minutes to park and then enjoyed a walk in the wilderness along the base of the Zin Canyon.  It was still in the cool of the morning and in the shade so it was a treat.  We stopped at a pool of water and contemplated what it might have been like for the Israelites as they wandered as well.  As we retraced our steps a bit later, several other tour groups and school groups were headed our way.  We were thankful that we had gotten there before the crowds and appreciated the timing of that trip. 

The next stop was to visit Tel Arad.  A “tel” is a raised mound marking the site of an ancient city.  Oftentimes there are layers of ruins underneath.  Archaeological excavations began back in the early 60’s.  It is a 5,000 year old Canaanite city.  It has been interesting to explore these ruins and hear about the culture and history of those who lived there.  Amongst the ruins was what they believe to be a temple.  There were ostraca (inscribed potsherds) that had names of two priestly families mentioned in the Bible:  Meremoth (Ezra 8:33) and Pashhur (Jeremiah 20:1).  One significant find was in the Holy of Holies in the temple.  Archaeologists unearthed several items that they feel certain were used previously for idol worship.  During the time of King Hezekiah, all of those idols and items were to be torn down and destroyed.  They suspect that someone had decided to hide them instead, possibly to preserve them for future use when the king died.  The items that should have been destroyed were found laying on their side, buried in sand and then with tile covering them. 

Our final stop before heading to our hotel next to the Dead Sea took us to a Bedoin village where we enjoyed a camel ride and then some tea and coffee served to us in a Bedoin tent.  That was quite the adventure.  We were able to ask questions of our host who referred to herself as a “rebellious woman”.  Bedoin men can have up to four wives and so her husband had left to live with one of his other wives leaving her and her 10 children to fend for themselves.  She had gone back to school and eventually went on to college.  I must admit that I was moving pretty slow after our camel ride and I really can’t imagine riding one for any length of time at all, but it was fun for 20-30 minutes.

We have had nice accommodations along the way, some more rustic than others.  When we arrived at the Dead Sea, we all unloaded and went into the hotel. They had delicious juice and cookies to welcome us.  We began to partake only to discover that we were at the wrong hotel.  We were all laughing with a bit of embarrassment as we reloaded the bus.  All ended well as the hotel we ended up at was equally beautiful.  And, we get to have two nights in one location.  Tomorrow new adventures await…




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