April 14 - Masada, Qumran, floating in the Dead Sea, the River Jordan

What a day! We were rudely awakened at 6:20 am by an announcement that there was a security issue and everyone had to vacate the hotel. I dressed in a jiffy and Diane and I took the stairwell to the outside. We noticed that people were quietly eating breakfast and we asked around. Nothing forthcoming. We told them they needed to give the all clear. It is a Micky mouse hotel, something like the Marigold Hotel. It is an amazing building but everything else is poorly done. We leave tomorrow, never to return.

Today we travelled into the Judean Desert. It is very rugged and stony and gives the feel of a huge gravel pit. Our goal was Masada, Herod's palace on a mountain top. It was not discovered until 1956. It takes a cable car to get to the top. This fortress was also the site of a Jewish holdout against the Romans. It was spectacular up there, with great views of the Dead Sea.

We briefly visited Ein Gedi where David holed up in a cave with a spring. 

Then we went to Qumran where we first had a delicious lunch at a kibbutz. Super busy there, though. We saw the cave where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. Very rugged territory. 

Nearby was the place where we floated in the Dead Sea. The change room was jammed with people trying to dress and undress in a humid atmosphere. It was quite a walk to the water's edge but we were determined. In we went and floated on our backs for a few minutes. Not such a big deal but we had to experience it.

We are getting tired now but we make a brief stop at the Jordan River and watch people being baptized. Complete immersion in the muddy water. This was actually quite moving. Diane put her feet in the water. 

I still wanted to see Jericho and we were near by. There is not much left off the original city and I was disappointed. It is now a mainly Muslim community.

Back at the hotel some flowers, hard fruit and stale cookies were waiting for us to make up for our bad experience this morning with the alarm. Also, I got cleaned out of my American dollars for a tip. This was annoying because I insisted the tip should be part of the cost. However, this particular driver and guide were done with their services and wanted a tip. Whatever! I will speak with George about this tomorrow. He is the one I made the arrangement with and he is taking over the driving/guiding tomorrow. 

Overall, a fantastic day!