Most of our posts for this tour will be written by LaFaye Hurst and Melinda Martin. This first post contains excerpts from both, signed by their initials. Most of the photos are by Andrew.
M.M. – Doris and I both slept very well. The 6:00 wake up call on the phone announced the beginning of our day.
By 6:55 we went to the elevator. Breakfast was supposed to be at 7:00. It seemed to take the elevator a long time to come to us on the 4th floor. I think most of our group was down to the dining hall before 7. They were all sitting at tables, eating. There were about 5 stations of food. Hot scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, chunks of potato in a delicious brown sauce, several kinds of phyllo pastry delicacies. Another station had 3-4 kinds of cheese, besides yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. A veggie bar with cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, pickles, olives, egg salad, hummus, red and orange bell pepper slices, several kinds of fish, etc, a baked goods bar and a cold cereal bar. And of course, coffee! But the baked goods, for all the good looks, are not sweet.
By 8:00 we were going to the bus. (Both the bus driver Tarek, and Aaron are staying at the hotel too.) Aaron and Andrew are a fairly relaxed pair. A “Try to be punctual, but don’t stress” kind.
We drove through the desert to Tel Be’er Sheva. We saw Bedouin settlements, complete with camels, new Jewish villages in the building stages (one had 29 cranes) and vineyards and olive trees. It seemed like a dream!
L.H. – Today we started our journey in Bible lands in the southern part of Israel, in the Negev Desert. We are starting out in the Old Testament sites. This is the land of the patriarchs. Abraham, Isaac & Jacob.
Our first stop was Tel Be’er Sheva or also known as Beersheba. This was the southernmost city in Old Testament Israel. So the saying from Dan (north) to Beersheba (south).
We learned that a Tel is a Hebrew word for a place where ruins have been discovered and built overtop . So now I know that when we are going to a Tel that we will see ruins.
M.M. – We saw a stone lined well that goes down 700 feet. And the cistern where they caught the precious rain water. It only rains 3 inches a year in this area. We walked down the 151 stairs into the cistern. A few of the older ones opted to go back the other way rather than going down the stairs. In a chamber of the cistern we sang “Open the Wells of Salvation”.
L.H. – It was quite inspiring to visit a site where Abraham would have lived and walked. High in the desert, the sun bright and the air warm. We saw a herd of camel being herded by a pickup truck to the stream below us for water. What a contrast.
While we were traveling we saw lots of Beduin communities. Tumbletown shacks with tin roofs and barriers made of burlap and sticks. Abandoned vehicles outside the compound and children running around outside or herding animals such as goats. We also some some men riding camels like they were just out for a leisurely horseback ride. We would somewhat compare this people group to gypsies in America.
Our next stop was Wadi Zin, in the wilderness of Zin (Numbers 27:14) The landscape changed dramatically as we left the highway and headed down into the ravines of the wilderness. The landscape is very white/cream here. Reminds me of the Badlands or Utah in landscape but very light colored. We saw several Ibis scampering around on the rocks.
We exited the bus and walked back into the ravine even further into the wilderness and as we turned the corner there was a lovely little brook and waterfall! Streams in the desert for refreshment. As we traveled further we came to a tall waterful coming out of a split rock with a beautiful pool at the bottom. It is commonly felt that this is where Moses split the rock with his rod. Experts are not sure where the water comes from, but it is slightly salty. It was so inspiring to think of Moses and Aaron and their sister Miriam walking here.
M.M. – To the waterfall was mostly level walking. Some up hill, but not very strenuous.
Soon after the waterfall we had to choose- to go back the way we came or climb upwards. Most of us went up. Some places it was slopes, but many places were stairs built into the side of the cliff. Thankfully there were rebar hand rails in the “worst” spots. There were 2 places that we had to go up ladders, about 15-20 feet long.
It was beautiful. And strenuous. And hot. The bus was waiting for us at the top. The trail is a one way trail. There was a sign that said that from this point you must go up. You may not go down.
Eugene Hurst has an Apple Watch. He measured 597 ft of elevation that we climbed, in the 1.4 mile hike.
L.H. – After a quick lunch at a travel area we headed to Tel Arad. Another ruins, this one from the Bronze Age, 3500 BC, then rebuilt in Canaanite times. It is commonly believed that Abraham would have camped in this area.
This ruins had a temple with an alter and Holy of Holies. In this place of worship are replicas of a stone tablet and two pillars. They were found purposely broken, placed on the floor and buried. The originals are in the Israel Museum. It was wonderful to put in perspective what the temple really looked like. It certainly didn’t look like I imagined!
M.M. – From the top of Tel Arad we walked down hill a ways, then up the slope opposite, where the ruins of a Canaanite house had been excavated. It is a multi-roomed house where a patriarch and his extended family lived. They reconstructed what may have been the main house, complete with a roof. We sang a song there.
By then it was time to head to the bus. Since it’s Shabbat, the site was closing soon.
We got back to the Inbar Hotel about 3:30. We had time to do laundry, take showers and relax before supper at 6.
It was a good meal. Baked Potato quarters that were seasoned, and rice, chicken, beef and fish. Lots of salads, and 2 kinds of squares, apples and tangerines for dessert.
After supper Andrew said they were going for a walk, does anyone want to join? I think we all did, except Cara. We walked a few blocks away to where there are shops, and a “town square” where people gathered. It was empty tonight.
It was about 8:30 when we got back. Time to finish off this report and go to bed. Breakfast will be at 7 again.
