With a private taxi hired for the day – the first stop was Qumran. This is an area where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered, being thousands of years old, these are the earliest existing copies of the Hebrew Bible. The Dead Sea scroll tour starts with a short screening about its history. Afterwards, there's a short stroll, following through to the displays of ceramic pottery and pieces of the scrolls, before heading outside to continue on a trail around the ruins. The area is not excessively large and the tour will take all of about 30 minutes in total, it’s not an overly appealing place to visit, but if you have the time why not make the brief stop.
 |
| How the Dead Sea scrolls were found in Qumran |
 |
| A piece of the scroll |
 |
| Trail around the Qumran ruins |
Second stop of the day – Masada. This is a popular tourist attraction, where you can hike from the ground up (approximately 30 minutes) or take the easier option of a cable car ride, that takes a short 2-3 minutes to arrive upon the cliff tops.
Masada in Hebrew means 'fortress,’ which was built by King Herod. This is an interesting place and if you can use your imagination to piece together what its existence would have been like thousands of years ago, it would have looked something sort of amazing and impressive.
This place also once had the most dramatic historical backdrops, when the Romans invaded the Jewish and instead of surrendering to their enemies, they committed mass suicide. This place is worth the visit, not only for the historical worth, but the amazing views of the desert, Dead Sea and across to Jordan. If you’re planning your time, a typical visit would last around 2 hours. Website: http://www.masada.org.il/
 |
| Cable car up to the Masada cliff top |
 |
| View from the top of Masada |
 |
| Masada ruins |
Last stop for the day – the Dead Sea. The weather at the Dead Sea is generally constant all year round, being sunny and hot, with any rainfall being very rare. The Dead Sea is located at minus 417 meters below sea level, and although some say the UVB rays are weaker here, it's still recommended to slip slop slap on some sunscreen.
There are numerous locations to go for a Dead Sea experience from Ein Bokek, where there are a string of hotels or Mineral Beach (for a fee) or Ein Gedi Beach, a free public beach.
Mineral Beach was our floating destination - the entrance fee was 55 shekels (≈€11 / ≈$USD16) and equipped with all the facilities you would require – a shop, café, beach bar, chairs, umbrellas, kids freshwater pool, hot sulphur pool, mud station, showers/changing rooms/toilets and of course, access to the Dead Sea. If you’ve planned to come to the Dead Sea then you would have come prepared, but if something’s been forgotten, then towels/robes or shampoo can be purchased as an additional option at the entrance and lockers too.
The Dead Sea is truly something, the water feels slightly slimy and is extremely salty, so the rule is no splashing or the consequence will be horribly painful eyeballs! Attempting to taste the water can be a huge mistake, your tongue won’t know what’s hit it! Get in the water, sit your bottom down and you’ll naturally float and bob around like a cork, it’s just way too much fun!
With a mud station on hand, get yourself all covered up from tip-to-toe. After rinsing the mud off your skin, you will feel glorious and supple from therapeutic qualities within the mud. What more can I say, after over 4 hours spent enjoying the Dead Sea and adoring the breath-taking desert views, it’s really one of a kind – Nowhere else in the world.
 |
| View of Mineral Beach from the cafe |
If you have time on your hands and it’s something you must do, Bethlehem is a half-day trip (from 8:30am-1:00pm) with an organised tour group. Have your passport handy, as you may need it at the checkpoint into the Palestine region.
Bethlehem is located about 10km from Jerusalem. The area is run-down and there is not much else to do and see besides from the Church of Nativity, which was built around the cave where Jesus was born and then put to lay in his manger.
With the many tour groups visiting this place, it means extensive waiting times. So if waiting around for an hour or so, to see the birthplace for all of about 20 minutes, is something you’re willing and must do, then go for it. Otherwise it could be missed and not regretted - but I guess it’s a good to see, once in your life.
 |
| Church of Nativity |
 |
| Entrance down into the cave where Jesus was born |
 |
| Inside the cave |
 |
| Walls around the Palestine district |
Check out my instagram for more @t_r_a_n_
No comments:
Post a Comment