Dead Sea and Massada

December 13, 2010—Monday
It was raining when we awoke this morning, and it was cold when we left for the Dead Sea. We got lost again in traffic, but we eventually made it to Hwy. 1 West. We also stopped and picked up another orthodox Jewish man whom we saw on the street in the rain and who pointed at the street when we drove near. Fortunately, he spoke a little English. He asked if we had been to the tomb of somebody that we did not recognize a famous Jewish person. We had not, of course, and he could hardly believe it. When we told him we were going to the Dead Sea (in the rain), he could hardly believe that, too. We said we hoped it would stop raining, but as he got out of the car at his stop, he said he did not think so.
But it did, actually, about as soon as we got out of Jerusalem. Outside the town to the west, it becomes a wilderness wasteland. Hilly, barren, and dry—when it isn’t raining. We passed several Bedouin camps with square, one-room “houses” of sheet metal, plywood and cardboard. One camp we passed was within eyesight of relatively modern apartment buildings on a hill.

As we drove out, Lehi’s trek was on our minds. That was not an easy walk through this desert, up and down very high hills. They would have needed to have known where to find water because they could not have carried enough to get all the way to the Red Sea before heading west for three days.
We also thought about Nephi, Sam, Laman and Lemuel walking all that way and then going back to Jerusalem twice. Roundtrip: at least a month’s walk, not counting the time in Jerusalem. With nothing to talk about, like sports, Laman and Lemuel must have been hating life and making life miserable for Nephi and Sam. They were right; it was a hard thing their father and the Lord had asked them to do.
We stopped at Qumran first to see where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 1950s. A guy in a vest and sort of safari hat was being filmed by a crew while we were there.
Then we drove to Masada. The cost for an adult ticket and a student ticket (Logan has gotten in for half price everywhere because he is a student) was about $50, but that included the cable car ride up to Masada. You also have to pay if you want to walk the Snake Path up to Masada, but it is a killer and would have taken us another hour.
From Masada, we drove to Ein Gedi so we could swim in the Dead Sea. Being below sea level, the temperature was much warmer there. It was warmer at Masada, too, which is 22 meters above sea level. The Dead Sea at Ein Gedi is the lowest point in the world.
The swim was great. The water was about the temperature of an unheated swimming pool in the summer. The air temperature was around 70. It was really relaxing in the Dead Sea.
It is interesting that they have lifeguards there. The only way to drown is trip on the beach, hit your head on a rock, and roll face down into the Dead Sea and stay that way.
On the way back, we stopped at a gas station and rode a camel and bought some fresh dates. Just so I don’t give the wrong impression, not every gas station here has camel rides and dates.
We have one more day in Jerusalem. Tomorrow morning, we go to the Garden Tomb.