Desert Survival

I did it! I survived, and had a lot of fun! In summary, we went on some pretty intense hikes, saw a nature reserve (with many endemic flora and fauna), learned a lot about the Dead Sea (and floated in it), climbed Masada (religiously/historically significant mountain), toured Masada, visited a Bedouin village, and went for a camel ride :D

Random things I'd like to share:

- It was a rocky desert, not sandy like you picture it in the movies and such. 'Twas also a "fake" desert -> "real" deserts get cold at night; "fake" ones stay hot all hours.
- the most beautiful place I've ever seen
- we watched moonrise the night we were camping in the desert: The moon looked full, and seeing it come over the mountains was epic. If that wasn't epic enough, the next day we climbed Masada around 4am, so as to watch sunrise. Brilliant - make sure you check out the pictures!
- It would reach around 43 degrees Celsius around mid-afternoon in the desert. We would swim in waterholes whenever we found waterfalls while hiking, and be COMPLETELY dry within 5 minutes (I kid you not. There was literally no point in bringing a towel on hikes).
- Hiking didn't always involve a trail: i.e. the "trail" would be an arrow pointing up a cliff, and you'd just climb up the cliff...
- I'd open my door and see ibexes. That was cool
- The desert Kibbutz next to the field school had plants growing from all over the world (Mexico, Madagascar, Japan, etc). Anything is possible in the desert....
- ...except cold water. It'd take too much effort to cool the water, so showers would always be tepid. I remember when I discovered this fact after a long day of hiking -> I couldn't wait for a cold shower. Then I learned to just be thankful the water shortage wasn't so bad as to not allow for frequent showering.

In short: the experience of a lifetime. I know I never would have been to the Judean desert otherwise, and I'm really glad I had such a fantastic experience!

Link to pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shalinilc/Israel2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCKX0hqP6zOzbWQ&feat=directlink