Our guide, Alon, is one if the most creative and positive guys. We were delayed about 4 hours from departing the old city of Jerusalem due to being encapsulated within the routes for the Jerusalem marathon. Who could expect this? Police everywhere had the entire area shut down to all vehicle traffic. The bus could not get near us to pick up bags and passengers. What did he do? Came up with a little walking tour and going over maps recapping our tour to date. Very fun! We walked up to the YMCA, windmill park, and by Solomon's swimming pool. The state of Rhode Island almost could have fit in it. Yea! the bus broke through the police lines at about 1:00, we scrambled in the bus and off we go to our next hotel on the Dead Sea. On the way we stopped at Qumran Caves in the Dead Sea Rift Valley. This is an archeological site where a settlement of Sectarians lived in the first century, wrote the scrolls, then hid them in large jars in the caves. Very interesting, and crowded. Next stop, Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. Fabulous view from the top of this mesa of the valley rift below. Treated to watching a few hyraxes scamper about. Shaped kinda like a rabbit and a huge rat. Isn't nature interesting.... No ibexes showed up, but they are around. Finally, arrived at our hotel right on the shore of the Dead Sea. We are more than 1,300 feet below sea level. Who da thot?!? It has an unusually high concentration of salt and rich with minerals. Impossible to sink, only float. Tomorrow, Masada!
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