Bedouins, Camels and the Dead Sea

Hello everyone,

I am Anna-Lee ;)!!
Today we went to the Negev desert. There we went to the Bedouin tents and learned about their religion, their houses, and their food. We even got to taste their tea and most people tasted their coffee. My mom said that the coffee had quite a strong taste to it, and the tea was very sweet. Also when we were there we went on a camel ride. It was very interesting and pretty uncomfortable! I felt pretty sorry for the camel, I can't imagine lifting 2 people up and walking for 20 minutes with them on my back over hills and valleys and most of all the rocks are so slippery!!
Well saying all of that I will now talk about the Dead Sea. It was not exactly what I thought it would be, it was salty and all but it was also very shallow. I walked up to my knees and tried to float but I actually had to push myself down a bit, to say the least.  I have scrapes and gouges all over my hands and toes from the shards of salt on the bottom of the sea even though I wore flip flops :(!!!! That was not what I thought it would be like.
I am looking forward to tomorrow so I hope that I will be pleasantly surprised!

Granny at the Bedouin Village

The Ancient city of Ahab

This is a bus stop in an Israeli town (S'dot) near Gaza city. All their bus stops are also bomb shelters.

Looking over Gaza city from the above Israeli town. This is the town that fired missiles at them for years.

This struck Linda - a house with two missiles plus a basket ball net. The mentality of these people to keep going, to never leave their homes, hope for their children...

Drinki

Our guide David Miller, teaching.

We actually did see wild camels.

And even Granny rode.

He will protect us from the noonday sun has some realy meaning now.

Riding without stirrups was quite unusual

The Negev  - hot

A view from the Negev of the Dead Sea. Think Cabot trail - height, winding hair pin turns, cliffs. Then replace all the trees and vegetation with desert.

Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth - thus no gravity for any water to flow out.

A real Bedouin who explained to us the past and the present ways of life. He has three wives and 15 boys and 8 girls.

Yes Valerie, I am here.

The view from our Dead Sea hotel. Anna-Lee enjoyed the pool more than the Dead Sea.

This picture should have been up with the others, but it's late and my mouse is not working! So, it will stay here for now. It is an up close photo of the missile.

This picture is for Grandma. There are a lot of feral cats around the Israeli hotels. Very sweet.

Bobbing in the Dead Sea. You can't actually swim. Linda stood up in the sea and bobbed up to her waist!

Linda's perspective: I think the photos said most of our day, but here is a question. How did Moses NOT complain in the desert? This is not normal. It is so hot and so desolate. I cannot imagine wandering it for days with no water. The fact that he did not complain is amazing to me. I will never read that Scripture in Exodus again with any judgment against the Israelites. I would have complained. I think our team lasted about 10 minutes before we began to "comment."