Day 17

Thursday 30th July

The day began with a visit to Timna Park, just north of  Eilat where we saw some amazing rock and sand formations and learnt about the history of the park, which was especially active during the time of King Solomon when it was mined for copper ore.

This was followed by a trip back to the Ramon crater. The Machtesh ramon is the largest Machtesh in the world – a geological landform unique to the Negev. It was amazing to walk through it and view Israel from a completely different eye line. Even though it was extremely hot, we enjoyed our short walk through the Machtesh.

We then had a camel ride through the desert before experiencing a traditional Bedouin dinner, followed by sweet tea and a history of the Bedouins in Israel.  

The day ended with a bonfire and sleeping in Bedouin tents at Har Hanokdim for the night.

Days 15 and 16

Tuesday 28^th July

We started off the morning with some fun team-building exercises that helped to create even stronger bonds between the participants.  Even though we have now been together for two weeks these activities really strengthened the bonds created between us and we all had so much fun doing them.

Back we headed to Miztpe Ramon were we then climbed

up the crater instead of abseiling down it. This was a tough feat in the hot Israeli sun but everyone enjoyed the climb and the incredible views from the top.

After returning to the bus we then started our long

 Journey down to Eilat - we were all very excited to be able to get to see another very different part of Israel. We headed to Arkadia Hotel,  

where we will be staying for two nights. 

By the time we got to Eilat, it was later than expected so we headed to the mall before we went to the hotel to end another fun packed and exhausting day.

Wednesday 29^th  July

We started off the day with an atmospheric davening  followed by a delicious breakfast that was enjoyed by all.  Having filled up on a yummy breakfast we headed to the site Har Tzfachot and began

our three hour hike, where, from the top, we could

see Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.  The

view emphasized how small Israel really is and was important for us to see just how surrounded Israel is, by some not so friendly neighbors'.   

Everyone had a great time on the hike and the madrichim witnesses the group bonding as they sang and chatted their way up the mountain. Madrichim made extra sure everyone was drinking even more than ususal due to the extreme heat in Eilat.

Following this, we headed off to Migdalor Beach where the group went snorkelling in the Red Sea. The Red Sea has one of the most extensive coral reefs in the world, because the sea is so deep (something

very rare for a coral reef).  We then enjoyed beach time and packed lunch on Eilat’s beautiful beaches and went swimming in the sea.

Madrichim made sure to remind everyone to keep drinking and applying sun-cream.

We then made our way to the Red Kanyon which is only 200 metres long but it is deep and is full of beautiful red colours, hence the name. This was an amazing hike as the beauty surrounding us was awesome.

After some relaxation time, the group freshened up.  In the late afternoon the group headed to Har Hizkiyahu and headed on a short hike to an observation point, which looks out onto the desert. 

To end the day slightly cooler than it begun, we went to the Ice Mall and enjoyed the Eilat mall – which has one of the few ice rinks in Israel.

After another exhausting day, we went back to the hotel and headed to bed.

The Tribe Team

Day 14

Monday 27th July:

As we begin to discover Southern Israel we made our way to Sde Boker, where David Ben-Gurion made his home.  Despite his high profile and relative wealth, Ben-Gurion chose not to settle in the heart of Israel, but lived by what he preached by promoting the settlement of the South of

Israel, setting up his modest home on Kibbutz Sde Boker.  His home is now open to the public.

We then started a two hour hike in nearly Ein Ovdat.  Despite the intense heat of the desert, the group donned their hats, slapped on the sun cream and filled their water bottle ready for a hike through Ein Ovdat Canyon.  The hike took us through the largest Wadi (dry riverbed, in the Negev and we were able to cool off in the natural springs and waterfalls.

Everyone had a great time and were really proud of themselves having completed this intense hike.

We then visited Miztpe Ramon, which was to be our home for the night, and made our way to the Ramon Crater.  It was then time to get the adrenalin pumping by abseiling down the rock face of the Ramon Crater – an incredible (but a little scary) experience.

The Machtesh Ramon is the largest Machtesh (Crater) in the world – a geological landform unique to the Negev.  Abseiling down this gave the group the opportunity to see the spring at the bottom of the crater.  Abseiling was a really useful tool in building group dynamics and allow the group to let their hair down a little more.

 

 
 

 

We then went Jeeping - we had such a gorgeous backdrop to this really fun and exciting activity.

After a really tiring, informative and fun day, we made our way back to base camp for a well needed rest.

Days 11 - 13

Friday 24th July:

To kick off the day, we went to the Botanical gardens in Jerusalem to learn about Sh'mita. Sh'mita occours every 7 years in the in which fields in Israel, have a year of rest.  It was informative and fun learning about it.

Following this, we went to the very famous Jerusalem market  – the shuk "Machane Yeshuda". The shuk really captures the heart of an Israeli especially going on a Friday when it is at its busiest with people trying to get their food for Shabbat.  We were given money for lunch to allow us to smell and taste typically Mediterranean cuisine. 

We then went back to the hotel to get ready for Shabbat – our first in Jerusalem.

Friday Night was a major highlight for us as we all got the opportunity to daven (pray) at the kotel and we enjoyed eating dinner overlooking the Kotel Plaza. This was extremely powerful especially as we were about to commemorate the 9^th of Av where we mourn the destruction of the temple & our city.

Shabbat 25^th July:

On Shabbat day, after davening, we had a session of

games and discussions. We then had a really fun surprise Kiddish to celebrate Jade's birthday with special food we all bought in the shuk.

After Lunch, we we went on a walking tour of the Jerusalem

neighborhoods.  It was really special seeing

how all the different types of people – Modern Orthodox, Ultra-Orthodox, secular, Arab and tourists all come together to make this city so wonderful.

As Shabbat went out we had another special seudah shlishit (Shabbat evening meal) singing songs that we have learnt over the past two weeks.

Sunday 26th July - Fast of Av

We had a really interesting and insightful morning, learning more about the day of Tisha B'av, why it’s the saddest day of the Jewish calendar and what it means for the Jewish people.

We spent the morning in the hotel but after it cooled down a little, we headed to the Tayelet – where you can get get the best view of Jerusalem, an uninterrupted vista of the old city stretching from Mount Scopus around to the Mount of Olive and on a clear day practically down to the Dead Sea. You can also get to understand just how big the temple was and exactly where it stood.

We went back to the hotel where we watched a video and stayed indoors until the fast went out.

Well done to all those that fasted all the way through and those who tried fasting for their first time.

Once everyone had eaten, we went to Cinema city for a special night out.

After this, we went back to the hotel we prepared for our last night in Jerusalem (for now) before starting our journey down South tomorrow.

Day 10

Thursday 23rd July:

At Tribe, we believe it’s important for Tour to engage in some volunteering while we’re in Israel.  The aims for this are threefold.  Firstly, to understand some of the social problems Israel faces.  Secondly, it’s important, during a time in which we are having a great time, to help those less fortunate.  And, thirdly, to give back to the country in which we are travelling, exploring and falling in love with.  In that spirit we headed to volunteer packing parcels at Pantry packers.

We then headed over to the City of David where we splashed about in Hezekiah’s water tunnels whilst learning about the ancient city.

We then made our way over to the Old City and into the Kotel Tunnels.  Hidden layers of the wall are revealed underground and tell the story of ancient Jerusalem and of generations of longing for it.  The Kotel Tunnels were enjoyed by everyone and we finished the afternoon on a real high.

After the excitement of the tunnels, we had a thoroughly engaging discussion on the topic of ‘Israel – Why are we here’, giving us all a great chance to get involved in a big debate.  The day was then finished off with an evening of free time or a chance for friends and relatives to come and visit us.