Dead Sea, Gamechange, Petra

Last Friday night, Kelsey and I had an authentic and touching family Shabbat dinner at Jared's (our Jerusalem guide) house. It was even vegan! It was a perfect way to spend our last evening in Jerusalem. There will be more on Jerusalem in another promised post, but I can definitively say that my time in this city of wonders has been the one of the most enlightening and wonderful in my life. 

We took off early from Jerusalem on Saturday to our destination, the Dead Sea. After a fairly uneventful desert drive we arrived at the David Dead Sea Resort. We figured after a couple of weeks of hostels we would pamper ourselves with a proper hotel. Sadly, David did not deliver. Within two hours of our arrival, we had canceled our two follow on nights and were plotting an adventure to...Petra!

My knee gash prevented me from floating around in the salty water. I did sprinkle water on it to test it out and immediately regretted the decision.

Sunday morning, we groggily dragged ourselves to Masada at 0430 to hike the Snake path to the top of the desert mountain fortress for sunrise. Masada, built by Herod the Great around 30 BCE, was the site of the Roman siege of 960 Jewish rebels in the First Jewish-Roman War in 73 CE. Rather than being taken captive, the besieged Jews committed mass suicide the night before the Romans breached the fortress walls, garnering admiration from the Romans that discovered them. The sunrise walk was so worth it.

Leaving the Dead Sea, we continued south towards the beach city of Eilat and the border crossing to Jordan. Prepared for long lines and mass confusion at the border (as we had been warned), we were pleasantly surprised to find a free parking lot at the border, and exactly two other tourists crossing at the same time. We breezed - as relative a term breeze is - through seven passport checkpoints, and found ourselves whisked towards Petra, our taxi driver Issa, explaining the landscape  and history. 

Over dinner that evening in our hotel, we met A.J., a native Vermonter living in London, who was visiting Petra before attending a wedding in Israel. Bright and early the next day, Monday, we took Petra by storm for an epic 11 hours of hiking, climbing, gasping in awe, and general wonder.

Petra, here we come.

The Treasury appears dramatically around a bend at the end of the 2 km canyon walk to Petra.

Classic shot.

The Monastery.

Heaps of camels.

Built as early as 312 BCE by the Nabateans, it is a sprawling, unimaginably beautiful city built in the rose colored mountains. The city was abandoned and lost in the 14th century and only rediscovered in 1812. How amazing would it have been to stumble on this place!

Lunch on the ruins.

That night, Kelsey and I had dinner, recapping this most amazing journey we have taken together in the Holy Land. The closest of friends, with Kelsey, I can speak spirituality, growth, fear, love and life. This second trip this year with her has been such a gift, truly. I miss my friend already.

Up next...a hike in the wild desert.