Working in Bangalore & an Indian Wedding

Working in Bangalore + An Indian Wedding

Truthfully, India was never at the top of my list for places to travel. I can’t stand spicy food and huge crowds of people overwhelm me. However, when the opportunity to travel to India for work came up and it coincided with the time I get off for the holidays, I knew I had to do the country justice and extend my stay to do a little exploring. I planned this trip very last minute… I booked my flight 2 weeks before leaving and pulled everything together with help of some friends who have lived or traveled in India before. I had also heard wonderful things about Sri Lanka and because it’s so close to Southern India I decided to add it to my itinerary. 

Intuit has an office in Bangalore which is where I was heading, I left on December 5th and arrived on December 7th. First I have to add a note about flying business class- it was the most ridiculously luxurious experience ever. They served me champaign when I sat down, they gave me a toiletree kit, the food was actually good, they had a bar on the plane and it had unlimited alcohol - I definitely had my fair share of wine. This made the 16 hour flight a lot more bearable. We had a short layover in Dubai and then arrived in Bangalore very late on Friday night. We arrived to our hotel around 5am on Saturday morning and I slept for a few hours before heading to the lobby for some breakfast and to meet up with my team mates. 

Before leaving for India, I had told my team that the one thing I really wanted to do in India was go to an Indian wedding. At breakfast Saturday morning one of my teammates who traveled with me from California told me that his friend was getting married tomorrow (Sunday) and told me I could go. I said I would go if he was going! The wedding was in Hyderabad— which is about an hour flight from Bangalore. We booked our flight to leave the next day around 2pm and come back at 5am on Monday morning. 

I rested most of the day on Saturday because I was completely jet lagged. Then I went out for dinner with one of my old team mates who I used to work with but recently switched teams. We went to his home and I got to meet his son and wife. His son who was 11 years old, and had just finished his yoga practice. It’s so interesting because in the states yoga is very much focused on the stretching and sequences of poses. In India it’s a lot more than that - it involves a lot of chanting, meditation and intuition training. He said that kids in the class are able to be blindfolded and can tell what color of a tissue is - wow! This whole practice is used to tune intuition and reduce stress. My old team mate also has a yoga practice and a guru (teacher) that he goes to for practice. At their home they treated me to a tea and a sweet (sweets is what they call desserts in India)- it’s called Kheer and it is usually a rice or noodle cooked in a sweet milk. 

I told them about the wedding I was going to the next day and they took me to a store to get some appropriate attire. It’s amazing how beautiful and varied all of the fabrics are in India - there were so many choices I had a hard time choosing. But I picked something out and then we went to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants. My first Indian meal- it was DELICIOUS. We ate family style - I had some broccoli soup, kofka, grilled paneer (paneer is the most popular cheese in India), and some different curries with naan— only one of them was a little too spicy for me.

I learned about the school system in India - at least for my team mates’s son, he goes to school 6 days a week! The school system is very rigorous and stressful. This 11 year old was already studying physics! He was studying for exams that were not even put on by his school - they are exams organized by the country and there are different levels and if you keep passing you take more exams against the smartest kids in the country. 

After dinner I went back to my hotel and surprisingly after traveling and being awake all day I couldn’t sleep - I guess this is what jet lag is like! I decided to workout very early in the hotel gym because for the life of me I could not sleep. I rested in the morning before heading to the airport to take off for the wedding! This is where I learned how TERRIBLE traffic is in Bangalore (and the rest of India as well I later learned). I was stuck in a standstill for a least 30 minutes and really thought I might miss my flight. The traffic is so bad in Bangalore - cars, auto-rickshaws, motorcycles, people, buses, trucks — all weaving in and out of lanes, pure chaos. It made the traffic in the Bay Area seem not bad if that gives any reference! The city of Bangalore recently started trying to put up mannequins wearing safety patrol outfits so drivers from a far might think that they are real traffic patrol and start to actually follow the driving laws and traffic signals… I don’t think it’s working.

Anyways, I made it to the airport, had some trouble waiting in line for a while in security- in India there are separate security lines for men and women. The men’s line generally goes quickly and the women’s is always a much longer wait. The reason is that women have to go into this box to be frisked. It’s because since many women wear saris it is possible they can keep things hidden in their saris and the security person (always a woman) has to check _everywhere_ to make sure you’re not hiding anything - I even had my boobs felt up which was an odd experience- I promise not hiding anything in there!

I made it through security and made it on the plane, we arrived in Hyderabad around 3pm and had some chai at the airport. Chai directly translates to tea and is a huge part of Indian culture. People take breaks during the day to go out to a chai stall on the street and it’s usually served in tiny glass cups. So you have a small chai and then go back to work or whatever you were doing. I loveeeeed the chai - it was so tasty! Traditionally made with milk and sugar and so flavorful, this definitely became a part of my daily routine. After our chai stop at the airport we headed to the resort where the wedding was taking place - the wedding started at 8pm. We arrived around 5pm to the hotel. My team mate, Satish, knew the bride because she used to work at Intuit. He also had other friends at the wedding, they were lovely women who took such good care of me and allowed me to stay in their room. I got ready with them and they lent me a bunch of their jewelry and a shall to wear along with he outfit I had bought the day before. They also gave me a bindi- a bindi is the dot that many Indian people wear on their forehead between their eyes. I learned that it is meant to be a reminder to keep your head cool- it is in the place of the first chakra, in the mind and is meant to keep you calm. Although I had to get used to it because I kept thinking I had something on my face and almost brushed it off many times. The other girls were all wearing saris - which is the traditional Indian apparel and is so so beautiful. I was wearing a kurta with I would compare to a tunic, so I also had pants with it. After we were all ready we met up with Satish and headed to the lobby. In the lobby many men were getting turbans put on - some were red and others were pink. I believe that the red ones meant the person was on the grooms side and the pink meant that they were on the bride’s side. It was around 8pm and I was wondering when the festivities would start, but then I learned that they were starting - but only for the groom’s side. I went outside and saw the groom on a horse with a bunch of people holding light up parasols in a parade line and then with a ton of people dancing, a little car with a mini band playing music - it was a moving party! This procession was just for the groom’s side and they were probably in the procession for a few hours! It was fun to watch them celebrate, but I was getting hungry to we went over to the area with the stage and there were a bunch of street food vendors. I tried SO MANY THINGS. My favorite was aloo tikki (aloo = potato, tikki = grilled), it had some tamarind sauce, curd (a yogurt sauce), and pomegranate on it - my new friends learned I didn’t like spicy food so they told the server to leave off some of the spicy sauces. I also had these indo- Chinese veggie meatballs which were tasty, and jellabe - which is a sweet that I would call similar to a funnel cake that is more oily and doesn’t have powdered sugar. Then when they finally made their way to the venue, the groom got off the horse, and women from the bride’s side greeted him and showered him with flower petals, they lit incense around him and chanted some blessings/ prayers. Then the groom went up on a stage and then the bride entered the stage as well. They were both wearing red which is traditional for Indian weddings and the bride looked like she had 100 lbs of gold on her outfit and accessories which seemed impossible to walk in. Then there was a tradition where the bride and groom each get lifted up by their friends and they have to each try to place a lei over the head of each other and I believe it is some sort of good luck/ better luck to the person who gets the lei over the other first - didn’t totally understand this one - it also might be more of a silly thing just a joke but still a ritual. Then more family members went on the stage to start taking photos with the bride and groom, and this was taking a while and the reason is because EVERY PERSON at the wedding started getting in line to get on stage to take photos with the bride and groom - including myself! I went up on stage with Satish and his friends and we took a photos with the bride and groom - and yes I was the only white person at the wedding, so despite my Indian apparel I definitely stood out!  But I was so grateful to be there- and I got to meet the bride later and she was so happy that I came to her wedding and thought it was so cool that I wanted to attend an Indian wedding - I was happy to be there! The photo procession went on for probably 90 minutes and then we had dinner around 10:30pm, most of it was a little too spicy for me but I found a few things I really enjoyed. Then there was a wedding intermission - the bride and groom had to change outfits for the wedding ceremony which would start until midnight and would go until probably 4am. Satish recommended we get some rest and then catch the end of the ceremony before we had to go to the airport. So we rested and then got up to catch a taxi and see the end of the ceremony - it was just ending but what happened is that the bride and groom were sitting under what was similar to a gazebo and then there were a lot of incenses/ other things burning/ chanting/ prayers/ blessings/ rituals and I couldn’t really understand any of it.  I still don’t understand why it happens so so late at night! 

We made it to the airport, made it to Bangalore by 6am, the hotel by 8am for a quick shower and the office by 9am - for my first day of work with my team! The work week was real good- it’s so nice to get face time with the people I have morning and night calls with so frequently — and it’s amazing how much you can get done and how productive you can be when you’re in the same room as people. 

The office is in an eco-park, which is a gated area with a bunch of different tech companies, and a food court with places like Starbucks, Baskin robins, and other Indian chain restaurants or chai shops. It was fascinating to go from the extremely traffic-y, dusty, bustling, trashed streets of Bangalore into this clean utopia of green grass and big beautiful buildings. And it was right next to each other - the poverty next to the tech hub, so fascinating. Bangalore is the Silicon Valley of India, so there are many of these eco-parks or tech-parks. We were walking distance from the office so we usually would walk there- which included having to cross a street - this would have been quite the adventure but the city recently installed a foot bridge so we could cross over the street. The few times I had to cross a street I would hold on to the backpack of my co-worker, close my eyes and hope I didn’t get hit by a car - it was true chaos. But the average speed on the streets was like 10km/hr so people aren’t moving all too fast - you just gotta push your way through.

We spent our evenings at dinners, went to Toast & Tonic, The Big Brewski, and Bombay Brasserie. We had an Indian breakfast at our hotel each morning. I had a lassi everyday - and I tried many flavors! I had plain sweet lassi, mango, strawberry, and banana. I said I wanted to open a lassi shop in SF! Lassi is a yogurt drink - like a smoothie but thinner. I tried many foods over the week- the main food groups are carbs and curries. There are lots of different breads - dosas (thin and crepe-like, more popular for breakfast), chapatti, paratha, naan, roti, Udupi…and probably many more. Also lots of rice. You would then dip the bread or rice in curry- lots of different types of curries, I preferred the not spicy ones! Also lots of Dahl - which is a lentil dish that I enjoyed. Chutneys also accompanied the carbs sometimes - I enjoyed the coconut chutney but the others - a red one and a green one- were too spicy for me. I also had lots of sweets - they usually accompany most meals. Indian food is eaten with your hands - but I generally used a fork, unless I was dipping the bread. So it’s common at all restaurants for there to be sinks nearby, or even in the Intuit cafeteria there are sinks there. Everyone washes their hands before and after they eat, because they are eating with their hands and curry is very messy! Also, at the end of the meal you will see a bowl of fennel at all restaurants and in the Intuit cafe. Fennel is known as a digestive in Ayurvedic medicine so you eat some - either plain or coated in sugar - after each meal to help you digest. 

One night we tried going to a bar but when we got there it was closed…the reason? It was an Election Day and in that district they were counting the ballots so they didn’t want anyone drinking and counting the ballots so no one was allowed to sell alcohol in that area. Alcohol is interesting in India - many people don’t drink because of religious, cultural or family reasons. I brought a bottle of Napa wine for the team in India but apparently alcohol isn’t allowed in the office there!! We have a fridge full of beer right next to my desk in the Mountain View office!

On our last night we wanted to go out dancing, so we were trying to get an uber but Ubers take forever (like 30 minutes on average to pick you up) - because of traffic was is so bad and the demand is much higher than the supply. That brings me to the amount of people - India is overpopulated. This was a bit overwhelming for me- there are just so many people - everywhere! Additionally because of this there is so much labor and labor is so cheap. For example, it’s very common for a lot of people to have maids that clean their home and cook their food. There are a lot of people who control traffic, a lot of bathroom attendants. We went bowling as a team one day and we had a bowling attendant who gave us tips when we were bowling and cheered when we did well. 

Back to our night out dancing - we tried for an hour but could not get an Uber, so instead we hailed a couple of auto-rickshaws. They are kind of like go-carts but they are all licensed vehicles, you can even order them on uber. You can also order a motorcycle pick-up on uber. 

We made it to the restaurant/ club, we had dinner and some drinks and then we danced - and my luck, it was Bollywood night! I was the only white person in the entire club and it was packed! My team taught me a couple of Bollywood moves and we danced the night away.- it was a blast.

Saturday, I went hiking with some people on my team. We did two hikes - one at Nandi Hills, which ended up being super foggy so we couldn’t see much, but it was still beautiful up there and we wandered through many gardens. We got to the top by around 7am and I could not believe how crowded it was - and all Indian tourists. So many people!! And there is a ton of domestic tourism in India, so you don’t see many foreigners in many of the places. We stopped at a great Paratha shop after that hike which had amazing paratha and mango lassi! Then we did another hike in Avalabeta - this one was less crowded and less foggy so I enjoyed it a bit more. The views were beautiful and there were lots of monkeys along the trail. After the hike, I went to the mall with my Indian team mate because I had to buy sunglasses since I left mine in SF! We also stopped by this food court and I got to sample a bunch of sweets! Cashew sweets are very popular, but one of my favorites was this fried bread in like a sweetened condensed milk - too good. They we got chai at a chai stall and walked around the city a little bit - stopping for a coconut water along the way. I drank a ton of coconut water in India, you stop on the side of the road and someone is selling coconuts, so for less than 1USD you ask for a coconut and they take a big sword to it and chop the top off, then you drink the coconut water, then you finish it and give them the coconut, then they cut it in half, then they cut a small piece off the side and you use that as a the spoon to scrape the tender coconut in the inside of the coconut out to eat! 

I spent the night packing up and ordering room service, I had a 4am flight to Sri Lanka to catch so I enjoyed the last bits of Bangalore and caught a couple hours of sleep before taking off.

Last week at Livnot!

Last week at Livnot

Monday:

After breakfast we had another day of excavating, we did the same thing that we did last week of digging out dirt and rocks and we discovered a new room that had been built over. We didn't get to enter the room, it would take a lot more digging to get down there safely, but I'm excited for whoever gets to continue on that project in the future!

The group did a tour of tzfat and met a local artist, but since my friend Sarah and I already did that, we decided to explore tzfat on our own instead. We talked to artists and also went to a cheese and ice cream factory where we met the owner and sampled some delicious cheeses and ice creams--yay dairy, yay Wisconsin. His family created the recipe for tzfat cheese which is a very salty but delicious cheese and they are the only people to make it this type of cheese.

We then headed back to campus for dinner and we did another Mu Judaism circle and met all the new people in our group for the week!

Tuesday:

We did an all day hike to a beautiful waterfall pool. The waterfall was pretty big and the surrounding rocks were awesome to jump off of and into the water. I had so much fun climbing around and swimming in the water. We had our lunch there as well and enjoyed some yummy pita, hummus, and tahina with veggies. 

After the hike we bussed back to livnot and my friend Sarah and I walked around. I finally bought a small water color painting from a woman who's work I really liked. She was so sweet as well and nice to talk to. She had a big water color painting I really like and when I stopped in a few days before and told her I really liked it but couldn't afford a big painting, she told me she would make me a smaller one. When I came back today she had a smaller one in two different sizes for me and said I shouldn't feel pressured to buy either if I didn't want to, but I of course loved it and bought the smaller one! :)

In the evening, a few of us went to a local cafe and had a beer and chatted before heading back to sleep after a long day :)

Wednesday

This morning we went back to the senior center and dance and danced with the senior citizens-- although most of them didn't speak english, it was a fun experience to connect with them through music!

In the afternoon I skipped programming because it was the same activities that we did the previous week. I set up an appointment with one of the artists I had met the previous week to make some art with her. She is a ceramist from the states but she has been living in Israel for over 20 years. We played with clay and I made two mezuzahs with her. She is going to fire and paint them and then ship them to me!

When I got back to the campus my group was doing the same tu'beshavat seder as last week but I joined in with them as we talked about the significance of this holiday of the trees. 

After the seder we headed out to a bon fire where the other group had set up a fire with s'mores materials as well. We enjoyed the light of the fire at where one of the oldest artist studio's was located and we sang songs and listened to very talented guitar players strum their hearts out.

Thursday:

We went on a long hike today and pretty much scaled down a mountain. We had lunch at some swimming holes and enjoyed the shaded area for a while before continuing on our hike. We had a pretty rigorous climb back up in the hot heat with no shade-- I drank so so much water throughout this hike!

In the afternoon back in Tzfat I did my final gift buying and saying goodbye to my favorite artists that I always visited, because tomorrow would be Shabbat and most would be closed!

We then had shabbat prep and peeled and chopped lots of veggies while listening to music and dancing a lot! I went out for dinner and had my last falafel from my favorite falafel guy! So many lasts! 

I then went to Cafe Michael with Sarah, Sunni, and Lexis and we got some amazing cheesecake and listened to live music! We then went to the amphitheater steps and hung out there, and some guys from livnot came and joined us! We had a couple of beers and then a random man came by and gave us a huge tray of free baked goods from my favorite bakery-- Ariel bakery. It was amazing. There were randomly a lot of slugs on the steps that were so fun to watch but also made me very nervous to accidentally sit or step on one!

Friday:

Challabration-- we spent the morning braiding challah which was really fun! and I learned that out of the whole bunch of dough we always take a part out of the dough out for those who do not have food.

After making challah I walked around a bit and had my last lehouh ( the Yemenite food across the street from Livnot). 

We then had shabbat prep and got things ready for our dinner. After an afternoon of hanging out and prepping, we lit the candles and then went up to the balcony to watch the sunset into Shabbat. 

I walked around tzfat with a few people to feel the energy of Shabbat in tzfat. Like last weekend and every weekend, the town shuts down for this weekly holiday. No cars drive in the street, everything is closed, and everywhere you walk you hear prayer and songs coming from the different shuls. 

Women and men are separated in the shuls by a curtain. 

We then headed back to Livnot for our Shabbat dinner -- we did a blessing for the wine, drank some wine, washed out hands 3 times on each side, and then did a blessing for the challah and ate the delicious bread we made that morning. We then had the rest of the delicious Shabbat meal.

After eating a bunch of us hung out upstairs, had some beer and cookies and had DMCs until 3am.

Saturday:

We slept in for shabbat and then I went with 3 other girls to a family's house for shabbat lunch. We went to one of the artist's homes and had a delicious and healthy lunch. 

After lunch many of us took a nap because the holiday of Shavuot started this evening and its tradition to stay up all night and learn-- I didn't stay up all night and learn, but I did stay up all night.

We had our dinner and entered Shavuot which is the holiday of when the Torah and 10 commandments were given to the jewish people. Before today, I didn't know what Shavuot was but apparently it is one of the holiest holidays in the jewish religion. It's common to eat dairy foods on Shavuot -- so we had lasagna and quiches for dinner. We had a class that taught us more about Shavuot and then an ice cream party. 

To stay up all night would be a challenge, but I wanted to make it until dawn- around 7am- when the 10 commandments are read.

The whole town of tzfat is still shit down, just like it is on shabbat, but all of the shuls are packed all night long. I stayed up and hung out with some girls upstairs while we played guitar, sung, danced, and played some cards against humanity. We played the card game until around 3:30am when Yifat took whoever wanted to go to the Mikva. About 10 of us walked over to a nature preserve where we had to illegally enter by scaling a fence and hopping over. We got to the Mikva which is a pool of natural water-- it's a jewish tradition to submerge yourself in the Mikva for cleansing, purity, renewal, etc. Orthodox women enter a Mikva every month after their period to cleanse themselves. If you convert to Judaism you have to enter the mikvah. And on Shavuot it is tradition for both sexes to enter the mikvah just before dawn and before they go back to shul to read the 10 commandments. 

We got there and were about to hop in but then a group of about 10 guys came and Yifat told them to go ahead of us. Many of us ladies were upset because we got there first, but in orthodox religion the men are seen as unable to control their sexual thoughts, so she didn't want them to be near thinking about us being naked in the mikvah. A lot of us were frustrated and it was already getting light out by the time the boys were done. We almost didn't go in, but then decided we walked and waited so why not.

I felt a lot of déjà vu with my Ecuador experience where I went to a spiritual cleansing in the river in the middle of the night, and had to deal with machismo there. Ecuadorians and Orthodox Jews are clearly very different, but some of their cultural beliefs and traditions are oddly similar.

After hopping in the mikvah, dunking my head under three times and getting out quickly because the water was cold, we all hopped the fence and walked back.

I went to a near by shul where the women and men are separated-- slightly annoying because the guys have the Torah on their side and the women just have to listen through the wall and curtain to know what to read. There was a lot of energy on the women's side even though they had been up all night and it was 6:30am. After the Torah portion was read I went back to Livnot and passed out until 2:30 pm.

Sunday:

I slept in to the extreme -- after finally getting out of bed and showering, I made it out of my room by 3pm. I was so hungry so I was happy to find out our Beer-BQ was underway. We were having a Beer-BQ on the roof to celebrate Shavuout. We had a huge feast of BBQ'd goodies and then we did some skits. I ended up portraying as a rock which was probably my first and last attempt at acting.

We had some free time where I walked around Tzfat for the last time and took some photos of the beautiful ancient streets and blue doors.

In the evening we wrapped up the week with our closing circle and had some lovely conversations with Yifat and had to say goodnight and goodbye, because I was leaving early the next morning.

Monday in Jerusalem:

I hopped on a bus with Sarah at 8am and we got to Jerusalem at noon. We went to our friend Anna's place to drop off our bags and then got to exploring. We ate probably the best falafel I had throughout my entire time in Israel at a place called Maoz. We then walked to the old city where we wandered through the markets in the Jewish quarter and found our way to part of the muslim quarter, although once we reached a certain part a security guard told us we could not pass, and that only muslims were allowed. We explored more of the Jewish quarter and entered an ancient synagogue, we were then soon told to leave because it was a men only synagogue...

We walked around, observed people at the Kotel (Western wall) from afar, and then made our way back into the new city. We walked around the Shuk (Market) which is probably my favorite market that I have ever visited. It was such a huge market with vendors that sold teas, spices, cheeses, juices, meats, there were pop up bars, and cafes, and even restaurants. Part of the shuk sold souvenirs and clothes, others had fresh veggies and fruits. It was awesome! Like I mentioned, it was probably my favorite market I've ever visited in all of my travels, with Barcelona's, Melbourne's and Madisons as close followers.

I had my last slushie coffee from aroma cafe, I will most definitely miss this coffee treat. We met up with Anna in the shuk once she got done with work and we had dinner at an Israeli restaurant in the shuk. We then went back to her place and I took a walk on my own for a little bit before returning to say goodbye, grab my things and make my way to the airport.

It was quite the journey to the airport. My flight was at 12:45am so I hopped on a bus outside of Anna's apartment at 8:45. I got to the central station in Jerusalem and got on another bus at 9:15 that dropped me off at a shuttle stop near the airport around 10. After waiting for about 20 minutes, there was no shuttle and I was getting a little nervous because it was getting closer to my flight time. There were two guys also waiting at the shuttle stop so we decided to get a cab together to get to the airport. 

We got to the airport by 10:45ish and even though everyone said it wouldn't be that crowded that late on a monday night, the place was packed. I got into a line and was nervous I would miss my flight with how long the line was. Once I got to the front of the line they interrogated me about my Judaism like they did when I left out of JFK in New York. I then waited in another long line to get my boarding pass, since I didn't have it because my ticket was through birthright, and to also drop off my luggage. I then waited in security and after getting my shoes back on I sprinted to the gate. I made it on just in time but then once seated I found out we were delayed until 2am-- good thing I was beat tired. I woke up in New York.

I had to re-check in and get my luggage and drop it off again and then made it onto my flight to Chicago! After the longest travel day it was 11am in Chicago and I was happy to be home :)

I had such an amazing time in Israel. The country is so small ( the size of New Jersey!) but it offers to much. The second biggest tech scene is in Tel Aviv, next to Silicon Valley, the Negev dessert and dead sea in the south, the mountains and valleys in the north, the old historic city of jerusalem and so many neat places in between! 

WOW! I am so grateful to have been able to have the experience at a ridiculously low price. If you're reading this and you're Jewish, you need to sign up for birthright right now!! and extend your trip, because when else do you get to travel on someone else's dime? 

I am so happy I finally made my way to the homeland. When I got to israel and throughout my experience, everyone always said "Welcome Home," and I definitely felt a sense of home during my time in Israel. The country really spoke to me and made me understand the imporatance of a land for the Jewish people, after we have been forced out of so many other places. I am grateful to be able to live in the states and feel safe being Jewish, but it's nice to know that Israel is there if I ever need to or want to return :)

Sending Smiles from Chicago,

Rebecca

Living life at Livnot

Monday:

We got up early & had breakfast- liv'not has jars on jars of PEANUT BUTTER, so I love them already.

We then hopped on a bus and headed a bit north for our day hike. We hiked through this incredibly beautiful valley and up the sides of the mountain. Our guide maier was great. The hike was amazing because there were no other people around us, and the land was untouched-- it was a really special place. We went up unpaved paths to get to some hidden caves which were super neat. He reminded us that even though being in the valley is beautiful, sometimes we should make our own path for a different perspective. 

We then continued along to some other caves where I got to wander and climb and monkey around a bit which was very fulfilling for me. I found a spot on top of the cave that everyone was in & enjoyed the beautiful, peaceful environment. We had lunch in the cave- pita with hummus, tahini, cucumbers, and red peppers-- so yummy! We also had some bamba-- which is an israeli snack that looks like a puffy cheeto but has peanut butter on it- needless to say I'm obsessed. Also learned that people who make bamba are always required to go to work no matter if conflict is happening or not- similar to a doctor, they are always on call. This country cannot survive without bamba. 

We then began our decent and the bus picked us back up! We got back to livnot & I took a shower before heading out to explore town with one of my roomies, Anna. 

We went to a fruit market and got some amazing nectaries, peaches and plum, then found some 5 shekel iced slushie coffee. The exchange rate is about 3.6 shekels to the dollar. We then stopped in the best bakery in town and I got a bunch of Danishes, crosaints, and a cinnimion roll- supposed to last me a couple of days and I've already eatten 4/5 in one day. Whoops. We then wandered through the streets and found this art studio so we went in and started talking to the lady working. Her name was Orna and she was a firecracker. We talked to her for about 2 hours and pretty much learned her life story. She is from Israel but she has lived in Long Island and San Diego, and her kids live in San Francisco. Well, one of her kids still lives in SF. She recently went there to surprise her daughter for her wedding!!! It was such a great story. 

We chatted with her about mindfulness, technology, studies, and everything in between- the woman loved to talk. And then we headed out to grab some dinner. We had some Yemen food that was pretty good- it was dough with cheese, veggies, and spices wrapped in there!

We had a workshop at 8pm where we talked about our "jewish journey" and sang some songs. Everyone here is very nice so I'm excited for the weeks to come!

Tuesday:

I woke up early after my my first full night of sleep in Israel. I went to our roof patio for a mini workout and some yoga- it was so lovely up there! 

We then had breakfast-- our group takes turns making meals and this morning the girls made a fruit salad with yogurt and granola-- it was delicious! 

Our morning consisted of a service project-- we went excavating! Tzfat, like I mentioned before, is a city in the mountains. The homes and buildings were all built on top of each other whenever the buildings started to collapse. Last week, the group that was digging/ excavating found a new room! We continued to dig and get out the dirt and rocks in order to make our way into the room. We made some progress but still have a ways to go. We also found some cool artifacts while digging such as old metal plates and bowls, and I found an old broken glass bottle which I plan to use as a candle holder. The work was hard but fun-- anything can be fun when you have music playing!

We then had some snacks and had a small discussion about digging deeper to find new perspectives. After that we had a tour of tzfat and learned a bit more about the history of the city. We learned that just under 70 years ago the city was divided between the Arabs and the Jews-- the Jews were not allowed to cross into the Arab quarter or they would be shot. The British came to help get the Jews out of the city because the Arabs threatened to kill them all, however, the Jews refused to leave and they eventually won the city. We walked around the town and then all went to get lunch.

It had been three days since my last falafel, which is three days too long. I got falafel and an ice coffee for lunch & it was so yummy! 

We had a break so I decided to walk up the gallery street and talk to the artisans. It was really neat to hear their stories. Some of them were not the artisans but rather represented the artisans. When I told them I was from Chicago, a few of them said, oh where, skokie? Evanston? Northbrook? I laughed because they knew exactly where the Jews come from in Chicago, a few of them have family there. One of them even said he sells products to the store hamakor in skokie- small world.

We then had a group talk with an artist names David Friedman- he is originally from Denver but now lives in Israel. His work is very geometric and from the Kabbalah, which is like the most intense book of Judaism. His work revolved around the Hebrew alphabet, repetition, numbers, and symbols. It was very intricate and beautiful.

After then talk I wandered a bit more and found myself in a winery. I talked to the manager who is from Canada and learned a bit more about their vineyard. 

I then headed back to livnot and helped the group prepare dinner. We made shakshuka, which is an egg and tomato sauce dish. I had it without the egg & it was yummy! I made some banana ice cream for everyone for dessert which turned out pretty good!

After dinner we had an intro to Kabbalah class with this rabbi from LA who pretty much traveled the world and then ended up wanting to become a rabbi in Israel. He talked a lot about the oneness of everyone and our unity and I won't go to into it, but we sat there for about 2 hours discussing how Judaism relates to how we connect with each other. I still don't buy into a lot of the religious themes but it was interesting to listen to & debate.

We then did a Bon fire in the Forrest and made smores and sang songs as gabby played her guitar!

Sending smiles from tzfat,

Rebecca

Wednesday:

This morning after breakfast we went on a hike. We started walking out of our rooms all the way to Meron which was a little more than 6 miles through the Forrest and rocks. A little over half way we stopped at these little pools of water for a swim. The water was so cold & lots of fishes inside, but it felt incredible because we were hiking in 80+ degree heat. It was a great hike with nice views and fun rocks to climb along the way. Played a lot of music, drank a lot of water, and kept on waking. We walked all the way to Meron, another town, and ate lunch at a hummus place there. The hummus was amazing!!! They had multiple kinds but my favorite was the hummus mixed with tahini- I filled a pita pocket with that and some israeli salad (cucumbers and tomatoes). People at the table claimed its the best hummus in Israel, and I wouldn't argue that.

We took a bus back to tzfat where I ran into my tour guide, Asher, with his new group! I also ran into a friend from home who was on her birthright trip!

I then grabbed some ice coffee because I was feeling a bit tired, but the coffee didn't help much because I ended up taking a nap.

After my nap I took a wander around town and stumbled across a sign for a women's art co-op. I walked down a set of stairs and the sign of the door said open so I walked in and felt like I was in someone's home. I was and I was also in a studio. Only one woman was there and her name was Judy, she was an American who had moved to Israel about 20 years ago. She and a few other women use the space to make art and also teach art. We talked for about an hour about her ceramics, her journey to Israel, and her life. It was cool to hear her story & all of her work was amazing. She said she hosts people to come and make their own piece. I have been looking around all the galleries to buy myself a mezuzah but I think I'm going to make one with her! :)

I then headed back to campus where we all met up to head to a music circle. While waiting to go to the music circle, I was talking to the owner of the Yemen restaurant across the street. He told me life is limitless and we are in charge of who we want to be, and to keep the commercials out of our head.

We headed down to the building where we were excavating, so it pretty much felt like we were in a cave. When we arrived there were tea light candles set up and we all sat on pillows in a circle. We each brought an item that we would be able to make music with. The man and his wife explained what we would be doing- silence for 5 minutes, clapping and screaming for 5 minutes, and then making noise with random objects for 5 minutes. We made a lot of noise, had a lot of quiet, and a lot of fun. He said that we should be childish and pretend like we're 5 again. We ended with him playing guitar and singing a song, sharing feelings, and we headed back to campus.

I was on food duty for the next day, we all share food making and cleaning dishes responsibilities, and tomorrow I was up with two other girls. We decided we wanted to make pancakes for breakfast so we thought we could make the batter that evening. We whipped up some batter and then joined the rest of the crew outside to hang out, and a few of us walked to the top of tzfat for an incredible view of all the surrounding towns lit up at night.

Lilah tov! (Good night!)

Thursday:

I made pancakes with two other girls for our group of 20. Our morning activity was going to a senior center and singing to them. Gabby brought her guitar and we went to 4 different rooms in the senior center and sang some english and some Hebrew songs to everyone. It was really fun to sing and dance with the seniors, although most of them did not know english we still shared smiles and claps over the music.

Did a little acro yoga after our singing session at the center and then we all walked back to town for lunch. I had some yummy falafel and then walked around with Anna and Antoinette going to some different artist studios that were not on the main artist gallery strip.

We talked to a few different artists studios and chatted with the artists and learned about their stories.

We then had a group activity of talking about why jews keep kosher and what keeping kosher means. There are a lot of rules, but it's mostly surrounding how to kill animals that we eat, what parts of the animal to eat, not eating animals that are already dead, and not mixing meat and dairy. I don't keep kosher, but I pretty much do because I don't eat meat. There are even rules about how fruit and veggies have to be kosher by the farm allowing a portion of the crops to go to charity.

After the activity we started preparing for shabbat dinner, which is tomorrow. My job was peeling and chopping sweet potatoes but others made a kugel, salad and other things as well. We food prepped for a while and then I volunteered with a few other people to prepare "food for the soul" and talk about jewish wisdom. I picked the topic of making your career benefit society- which I managed to find a Judaism quote that relates to that.

After, we all had dinner & then I cleaned a massive amount of dishes from dinner and shabbat prep. We then all walked up to the top of the hill, same as yesterday, and had a couple of beers and SAW A PROPOSAL up there. It was magical.

Friday:

We started the day off with a challabration-- we braided challah down in the kahal-- which is an old ancient room with an ancient oven from 500+ years ago that still (kind of) works! Had to hold a button to keep the flames going so we were not able to bake our big challahs in the oven but we were able to make some mini pitas and bake them in the old oven! We were able to eat the pitas right away and they were so tasty!

We then went to meet an Artisan named Daniel who is a potter from England but has been living in Israel for a while now. His work was incredible!!

We then had a discussion about the importance of Shabbat-- it is so amazing that the town is able to completely shut down every Friday afternoon until Saturday evening or Sunday morning each week!! Shabbat is a day of reflection and enjoyment with friends and families. No cars drive on the street, no technology is used, no dishes are washed, no light switches are switched, nothing is baked or cooked (hence why we did shabbat prep yesterday!). I definitely don't think I could ever slow down that much in my life back at home. I love being active and going out and doing things, so using my weekend to just rest would be really difficult for me! I did enjoy resting this shabbat though-- I put my phone away and didn't turn it on until the sun set on Saturday.

We lit the candles to bring in shabbat as the sunset, and then we went on the patio to sing and dance--boys were not allowed to dance with girls, so there were about 12 of us girls in a big circle and then 4 guys on the other side dancing together-- orthodox rules.

We then went "shul hopping" as in bar hopping but with shuls (synagogues). We went to the house of love an prayer for a bit and then some of us left to just wander around Tzfat and absorb the shabbat spirit. It was neat to see everyone super dressed up for shabbat. The ultra-orthodox men wear large furry hats, some wear all black and others wear all white depending on their denomination.

We got back to campus and had our delicious challah and the yummy dinner that we prepared yesterday. After dinner we had an oneg/ party upstairs with beer and cake. We had some lovely conversations and I also had some nice reflection time outside on a hammock that had randomly appeared that day.

It's been a while since I've celebrated shabbat so it was nice to get to celebrate for the first time in a while in such an incredible town.

Saturday:

Shabbat is a day of rest and and a day of eating good food-- and that's exactly what today was.

I slept in and relaxed in the morning hours before going to Shabbat lunch at a local family's home with a few other girls from livnot. We were all given directions to get to our host family's home and then we set off to explore tzfat and find it. 

We got to our home and it was a family of 7! Mom and dad- mom originally from England and dad from New York-- had been living in Israel for 10 years and have 5 kids with ages ranging from 9 years to two months.

We had a lovely lunch and we played with the kids for at least 3 hours! The girls were so cute and had me throw them around, play with them, read to them-- it was fun but exhausting!!

We headed back to Liv'not and had some rest and then an "intimacy" discussion with Yifat. We had a late dinner which was leftovers from yesterday.

We then did a small tubeshavat celebration even though it's not the actual holiday. We also celebrated the end of shabbat which is called havdallah, where we lit a candle, had some wine, and sniffed spices.

We enjoyed each other's company for one last night because many people were leaving livnot the next day.

Sunday:

Sunday is the day of switching groups so many people left livnot this morning. It was very sad to say goodbye to many of the people I met this week. A lot of us grabbed breakfast together in town for one last meal before everyone headed out.

Since there was no programming during the day, myself, Sarah, and Lauren went to Tiberias to swim in the Kinneret/ Sea of Galilee. It was so so hot so the water felt great, unfortunately it wasn't really a beach, but more of a rocky shore. We swam and soaked up the sun but it was so so hot that we were drained from the sun-- it was upwards of 100 degrees-- and we decided to head back to Tzfat.

We met some of the new people at Livnot and had dinner together. We then all went to a local pop up bar at the khan of the donkey. The space is an awesome renovated horse stable and is rented out to different people in the community. On. Sundays a brewery opens up and sells their microbrews. The beer was very good and it was fun to meet the new people in the program! I also chatted with the bartender and his friends -- it was really nice to chat with locals and spend sometime with them even after the bar closed.

It was a great first week at Livnot and I'm excited to see what week 2 has in store :)

Sending smiles from Tzfat,

Rebecca

Good times in Tel Aviv

The day of goodbyes had sadly arrived. We woke up at 6:00, had breakfast, and hopped on the bus to drive to the airport. We sang and danced on the bus wishing the ride would last forever (the only time we wanted a bus ride to last forever).

We got to the airport & hugged the crap out of everyone. Under 20 people from our trip actually boarded the plane because the rest of us had extended our trip!

After everyone checked in, the rest of us grabbed a train to get to the city center of tel aviv. We then had to take a bus to our Airbnb that 9 of us would be staying at!

The bus we took was very small & we couldn't all fit! 2 of the guys got left but we thankfully were able to meet up with them when we got off the bus.

Once we got to our Airbnb we were so relieved to drop our bags and feel free. After 10 days of basically wearing a shock collar to prevent us from wandering, we could now do whatever we wanted.

We all wanted to go to the beach. We put on our suits and sun screen and walked on over! We lounged, we had some beer, we swam in the Mediterranean Sea, and we played a bit of volleyball. We had no itinerary and it was perfect. After feeling defeated by the sun, we headed back to our place for showers and naps!

In the evening we went out to grab food. I went with Nitzan, David and Mikaela and they got pizza and I went to another place to grab falafel & then go eat with them. The place I went to for falafel was so yummy and even more delicious because a guy in the store offered to pay for it. I didn't even have to give him my number- win win.

We ate, I desired some post dinner ice cream, and we went back to our place! Our flat is awesome- it's 2 stories with a huge roof top balcony. It has bed space for all of us & is centrally located and super close to the market! :)

We had some drinks at our place and then went out to some bars & for some late night pizza. 

It's so nice to not have a curfew anymore :)

Day 2: 

Extension 2:

Tel aviv is a really cool city! It is very diverse- Israelis all look very different- there is no typical Israeli profile. Another interesting thing is that many people ride motorized bicycles. It is crazy! They are just zooming around and some people Ride motorized scooters- I saw a man, woman and dog flying their way down the road all on one scooter.

I woke up and went to the market- ha carmel market- with my friend Amy. We strolled around and bought some fruits to have for breakfast. The market sold everything from souvenirs, to veggies, to fruits, baklava, nuts, spices, tea, and everything in between! I even found tim tams- my favorite New Zealand treat! 

We went back to the flat and I had a small fruit salad on our rooftop while admiring the beautiful views.

I then headed down to go to the artists market which is on Fridays and tuesdays. I love love love markets and this one is probably one of my favorites I've ever been to! There were so so many incredibly talented artisans and I loved taking to them and hearing their stories. I decided to walk the market on my own because of how ridiculously slow I am at markets, how many photos I take, and how indecisive I am when trying to make a purchase. It was nice to go at my own pace and get to look at everything.

I then went to go get lunch! I was possibly going to stay at a friend of a friend's jn tel aviv, however, I decided to stick with the group and stay at the Airbnb. I wanted to have lunch with and meet this guy because he was so kind to offer to host me! He took me to an amazing hummus place- it was my first time going to a hummus place where the hummus was made fresh on the spot! I basically got a bowl of hummus and a small salad that i combined together and spread on pita- it was delicious! We walked down to the beach and then he had to go off to meet his friends & I wanted to explore the old city of Jaffa. 

I walked along the boardwalk down to Jaffa and spent some time walking around and through the alleyways and parks. Jaffa is the old city next to tel aviv and the city structure is very different compared to the new city of tel aviv. I enjoyed roaming alone and taking in the views that the high points of Jaffa had that showed the skyline of tel aviv. I listened to a band play some music in the square. Most places were starting to close early because it was Friday and when the sun goes down, Shabbat begins. I went back to our home and we showered and got ready for our Shabbat dinner. We made some veggies and cous cous and had a lovely Shabbat dinner on our rooftop patio. We then went to a local bar for some drinks!

Day 3: 

Extension 3:

I got up in the morning & went to grab some breakfast with my friends Amy and Dan- israeli slushie coffee is still my favorite. 

After breakfast a few of us headed to the tel aviv art museum. Since it was Saturday, many things were closed because of shabbat. It reminded me of Sundays in Spain when everything shut down. It's nice to have a little relaxation & to slow down during our busy lives. 

The art museum was really neat- it was huge and the architecture was beautiful. There were many different exhibits but one of my favorites was by an artists who made collages that looked like photographs or paintings when you took a few steps back. They were collaged of words and photos of people and it was truly incredible. I looked at sculptures, watched films, admired paintings and reflected on the work of many israeli artists.

After the museum, myself, Harris, and Perri went to grab lunch. We went to a place called the local and it was incredible. We had some cauliflower, artichokes, and focaccia, then I had some pumpkin risotto which was so bomb dignity good.

We left the restaurant and headed towards the beach where some of the rest of our crew was hanging out. I decided that I wanted to go walk around instead of relaxing at the beach so I started waking towards a neighborhood called neve tzedek and ended up picking up my friend Rachel along the way. We walked to and through the neighborhood which was very cute and had some nice plazas. We had some gelato, watched a drum circle near the beach, and then sat and watched the sunset with a bottle of wine.

We headed back towards our place and grabbed some dinner and then we went out for our last night in tel aviv.

Extension 4:

I woke up early and enjoyed my last morning on our patio. I grabbed some bread and fruits from the market and ate and enjoyed the view from above. 

We had to clean up our place so we gathered our things and stowed them away for the morning. Morgan took us to her fave restaurant and it was amazing. It was a pita place called ---- and the vibes there were so good. One of the guys working there walked to our table outside and he was burning sage in a pan to create good vibes and cleanse the air. They brought us so much free food and the pita I had was the most amazing pita I have had in my entire life. Mine had cauliflower and green onions and tahini- wow wow wow. They also came By and started pouring us free shots. It was a really chill morning with everyone and the perfect way to say see you later as after the meal many of us were leaving tel aviv.

I walked with Rachel and Perri back to our place to get our bags and then Rachel and I hopped on a train together To go up north! Rach got off at Haifa and I took it two more stops to Akko. I got off the train and was a bit confused as to how to catch a bus and which bus to catch. I used the wifi to figure out I needed to catch bus 361 which wouldn't come for another 30 minutes. I waited outside at the bus stop & eventually hopped on. 

I arrived to tzfat and noticed how conservative the women were dressed-- no shoulders or knees showing. I was wearing my beach shorts and felt extremely out of place. I grabbed my favorite scarf and wrapped it around me like a skirt -- then I mapped my way to the center where I would be staying, which was about a 15 minute walk away. 

I'll be doing a two week program at liv'not in Tzfat called Northern exposure- it combines hiking, community service, and spirituality workshops. I had no idea what to expect but my thoughts were-- I feel like I'm going to a convent. I remember tzfat from my first day of birthright- it was a little town in the mountains, one of the most holy cities in Israel, lots of religious people around, cute art galleries, winding streets, great views. I loved it then and I love it now. However, I was a little nervous about not being super religious and living in a religious city. 

I arrived and the building was super cool- it's extremely old, has a lot of different levels, and a rooftop with the most incredible view. I got there a bit late and missed orientation but when I arrived a few people showed me around! It was pretty much all girls with the exception of one guy from New Zealand- of course I chatted his ear off about my love for his country!

I ate some of what was leftover from dinner, chatted with a few girls, admired the sunset that I could see from the window in my room & passed out before 9:30.

Sending smiles from Tzfat,

Rebecca 

Day 9: The Holocaust Museum

Day 9: 

This morning we went to yod hoshem-- the holocaust museum in Jerusalem. The holocaust museum was a 3 hour guided tour. I have been to the museum in DC and in chicago, but this one was a different experience. I learned so much more about the sequence of events and personal stories that I had a whole bunch of emotions going on inside. Our entire group was very emotional, there were a lot of feelings happening and it was amazing to have the support of each other through the experience. It was difficult for me because as an optimistic person going through the museum I think it hit me that there is no good way to look at what happened. It is incredible that 60 million Jews were wiped out for absolutely no reason. The inhumane actions of the nazi party were disgusting and it was very difficult to see some of the images and hear the stories of how my people were treated. Israel exists because of the holocaust and maybe if there was an Israel before the holocaust, the holocaust wouldn't have happened. This event is the reason Israel will never stop fighting to defend its people.

We then got lunch- falafel of course- but the bus ride to lunch and lunch were very somber. Nobody talked. We were all in a state of emptiness. 

After lunch we went to the Herzl memorial and cemetery. While Asher our tour guide told us a lot of stories there I was not really paying attention because I was still processing a lot that I learned in the museum. We walked around the cemetery where IDF soldiers are buried and it was so crazy and sad to look at the ages of everyone: 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. It was those numbers over and over again. Because they serve right after high school, that's why they are so young to die. There were a few memorials for Americans who have decided to join the IDF after coming on their birthright trip which were very sad but inspiring stories.

We then hopped back on the bus to our hotel and had dinner and our closing programming. I didn't talk much about dinner through my blog but as one of the guys in my group put it- all the hotels had the same exact food but at different qualities. I usually had a salad and maybe some chicken or stuffed peppers. There is an amazing sweet potato salad that was one of my fave dishes!

We had our closing programming which consisted of talking about how our trip went, if we want to come back to Israel there are different programs to go on, and discussing our favorite memories. I really loved my group - which was not just a group but a family. We had tshirts made and have lots of hugs before filling our glasses up and drinking together for the last night.

It is crazy to think that 10 days ago I didn't know these people and that today I cried on their shoulders. We have a bond stronger than Judaism, it's an amazing feeling to have made these strong connections with these beautiful people. 

Sending smiles from Jerusalem,

Rebecca

Day 8: Tel aviv birthright day!

Day 8:

Tel aviv 

We got there around noon and we went to Rabin square where ---- was murdered. We learned the story of why his murder was so important. They even had spots on the floor where each person, the prime minister, the murderer, the body guards were at the rime of the murder.

We then said goodbye to our Israelis which was very sad but I know we will keep in touch! We had a group circle 

had lunch. Our bus broke down so we walked to the beach. At the beach they had watermelon, Zumba and beach volleyball. Some of us played beach volleyball and others did Zumba- it was a bit hot out but we were so happy to be at the beach! 

After that we went on a walk with the rest of the birthright groups- there were waving flags and a clesmer group playing as we Walked around the city and had some dance circles. We had our next stop at a bar where we had a talk with this woman who started a business that helps prevent aids. The company, prepex, created a device to circumcise males because circumcision reduces the likelihood of getting aids by 70%. Israel is a huge start up hub, second biggest Hub next to Silicon Valley. It was awesome to hear about an Israeli start-up, see a successful woman in the field, and learn about another social entrepreneur. I loved hearing her speak and it got me so excited for my move to the Bay Area.

Next, falafel stop. We got free falafel which was fantastic because I had to continue my falafel a day diet. 

After eating, our next stop was at a music hall where we participated in a workshop with mayamuna- a performing group that creates music with their body and random objects. Our group had a bucket and drum sticks, another group had sticks, and another had scuba flippers. We saw them perform and then we all used our objects to create an awesome rhythm and beat together. It was a lot of fun & we had a dance party at the end!

Then we went to our night event- we went to a little village of shops and cafes. We looked around at the shops, grabbed some food and then went to the concert. It was outside and ha tik va shesh was playing. We all had some drinks and were dancing our hearts out, hugging, and enjoying the beautiful tel aviv weather. When the concert ended we hopped back on the bus and went back to the hotel. The bus felt like a party bus because we were all so energized from the event we continued dancing and singing the whole was back to Jerusalem. 

At our hotel the party continued as we were getting sad it was our second to last night! We enjoyed each other's company until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore.

Sending smiles from Jerusalem,

Rebecca

Day 7: Masada, the Dead Sea, En Geti

Day 7:

This morning we woke up in our tents at 4am. We rolled over and groaned but were excited to see The sunrise at the top of Masada. We had some tea & crackers and then drove to where the hike starts. It was a quick but steep hike up to the top. After a few minutes the sun began to rise up from behind the Jordan mountains. Sadly it was a bit cloudy so it went up into the clouds, but it was still so beautiful. 

We then had a tour at the top of Masada and learned the story. When the Romans were taking over Israel and killing all the Jews. A portion of Jews created a village at the top of Masada because it was the only area the Romans hadn't found. However, when the Romans found out and the Jews knew they were coming, many of the Jews committed suicide so that they wouldn't be turned into slaves or killed by the Romans. The views from the top were spectacular and after walking around we began our decent down.

The hike and story reminded me a bit of the history of Machu Picchu.

We got to the bottom and had breakfast because it was only around 8am. We then hopped back on to the bus and headed to the Dead Sea.

We went to a resort that had direct access to the Dead Sea which was awesome because we basically had the beach to ourselves. I had heard all about the Dead Sea and how you float instantly, and it was so crazy to actually experience it! The water is warm and at the shore is a bunch of salt with a little sand. When you walk in you start to feel lighter and you can lift your legs and then you start to float!  You can lay on your stomach or back or sit with your legs crossed, it was so neat to experience! A bunch of us linked together and formed a raft-like structure which allowed us to relax and float around!

We then had lunch, I of course had falafel again, and then we headed out!

The Dead Sea made our bodies very soft and slippery because of the oils in the water. We showered off but then we visited a waterfall oasis-- with fresh water! The place was called en geti- and it was magical because amongst a desert there was this waterfall that created a stream flowing from the top of a mountain all the way down creating mini waterfalls and pools along the way. We did a bit of hiking and a bit of lounging in the pools. 

Leaving the oasis, I ran into a girl, Rebecca, who knew from high school & college! Such a small world!!!!!

We then hopped back on the bus to Jerusalem where we would stay for the rest of our trip! In the evening we hung out but we're pretty exhausted after getting up at 4am that morning!

This had been by far the most "hi-gear" day of our trip! Along with yesterday as well :)

Sending smiles from Jerusalem,

Rebecca