Masada
is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it is an ancient fortification that was
built by King Herod a few thousand years ago.
The Romans laid siege to the place a hundred years later and 960 of the
967 occupants died. The attackers
surrounded the fort which is situated on the top of an isolated rock
plateau. They first built a wall around
it for protection and to prevent anyone from escaping and then built a massive
siege ramp with thousands of tons of stone...a monumental effort that took
months to build. Once they finally
attacked and made their way in they found that the Jewish rebels had set most
of the place on fire and committed mass suicide. Nice.
Naomi and I decided that hiking up Masada to see the sunrise
would be the ultimate way to experience it however that required setting the
alarm clock for an obscene 3:30am wake up time.
If you can believe it, the temperature was 31 C already at that
time. We had to wait about 10 minutes
before the gate was opened and we could begin our hike. We weren’t the only ones there chomping at
the bit either as there were at least 30-40 others ready for the climb. There is a cable car that you can take,
however it only starts at 8am so it’s too late for sunrise. It was still a bit dark when we started up
the Snake Trail and unfortunately I led us a bit astray at first but soon we
were on the right track. The trail lived
up to its name as it was switchback after switchback. Under an hour later we arrived at the top and
just in time for sunrise, which was gorgeous with the Dead Sea below and the
mountains of Jordan in the distance.
Starting to get light out:
The sun rises:
Good morning World:
All the hikers soaking in the sun:
Ahoy!
Good morning Israel!
The Snake Trail:
After sunrise we wandered around the ruins and enjoyed the
views before descending back down the Snake Trail. It was already heating up quickly and I
didn't envy the late risers who were working their way up.
Some of the ruins:
Looking down from the north end:
Ya Baby!
The valley to the south of the fortification:
Naomi modelling Masada...that's what we climbed:
We drove back to the hotel at Ein Gedi for some breakfast
when Naomi realized that she was missing her iPhone. She had taken pictures with it up on Masada
so it must have fallen out of her pocket on our descent. We raced back the 5-10 kilometres to the park
and asked at the gate if anyone had turned it in. Unfortunately no, but we were told to head up
to the administration office and amazingly it was there. A Bedouin worker cleaning the trail had found
it and turned it in...always nice to know that there are honest people in the world.
After some breakfast and a nap we checked out and headed
back to Kfar Saba. Another great road
trip in this small but very diverse country.
Last view of the Dead Sea:
Palestinian settlements:
The walls of the West Bank:
That evening we headed into Tel Aviv to meet up with one of
Naomi’s best friends Tali for dinner. We
went to one of Tali’s favourite restaurants.
That evening there was a World Cup Football match but there were no TVs
in the place. The ladies were quite
sympathetic to my plight and we returned to the vehicle to head off to a new
eating establishment but then I told them that we could stay as it seemed that
this was the best option for yummy food.
We sat back down at our table and asked if they could do anything about
the game and lo and behold, they cracked out a projector and beamed the game on
the broadside of the four storey building across the road. We went from no game to the biggest screen
I’ve ever seen at a restaurant.
Sweet. Nice meal, lovely company
and entertainment on the side.
The ladies and the game:
Smiling with Tali:
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