Thursday, Dead Sea & Masada

Breakfast at Hod Hamidbar was good, but I liked the Metropolitan better (actually all around).  This is a more commercial hotel with many groups of people coming regularly to enjoy the mineral benefits of the Dead Sea.

After breakfast we left for Masada.  We had two options here, one was to take the cable car up and to the tour with Nir, the second, to hike up the Snake Path (about 1 hour hike) with Alan.  As I had done the tour a couple of times, I decided to try the hike.  I was determined to complete this, but a little less than half way, I started to lose steam.  The sun by now was very hot and strong (generally this type of hike is best in the very early part of the morning, it was now 10:00 a.m.)  and it was getting steeper as we climbed up.  Marty was having an easier time of it and kept asking me if I wanted to go back and finally I accepted his offer and turned around to climb back down, still proud of my accomplishment.  After the group gathered back together, we continued our journey to En Gedi, which is an oasis and nature reserve and also has a kibbutz, to have lunch and do a small hike in the nature reserve to see some of the sprngs this area is famous for.

From here we returned to the hotel for relaxation before dinner.  Some people has massages and treatments.  Marty and I opted for a dunk in the Dead Sea.  It was very nice, as the water was warm and the hotel had set up a railing for people to hold onto so that they could remain upright as the significance of the Dead Sea is that it is so full of minerals that nothing can live in it and nothing can sink in it.  The danger is that one cannot get these minerals in one's mouth or nose, as this could lead to aspiration and likely death.  So there are rules about not floating on one's stomach and no splashing.  Also, not staying in the water for more than 25 minutes and then having to come out and shower before re-entering again. Initially, I didn't think that we would stay too long, but found I enjoyed being in the water and stayed the 25 minutes.  After this we showered and went to the outdoor pool, which was also warm and lovely.

We returned to our room after this, showered and dressed for dinner, which was much better than last night, probably because it was the first seating and early in the evening.  After dinner, we had a study group, which started with everyone saying why they were on this trip and what they hoped to get out of it.  Then we studied Samuel 1: 1-20, which discussed David and King Saul in a cave at Ein Gedi, as they ones we had seen earlier in the day.  After this, I was exhaused and fell into bed and sleep.