Ashdod, Israel

So on to Ashdod, the entrance for us, to Israel. We chose a trip which took us along a fertile coastal plain planted with oranges and avocados trimmed into high hedges for ease of picking, through Jerusalem, where all the amazing holy sites were pointed out and we had a chance to take photos from the Mt. of Olives, of Gethsemane, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Golgotha. All there just in front of us and surprisingly close together. We saw the walls of the old city now eclipsed new housing but still in the same style. It’s a very pretty city and apparently deceivingly hilly. We travelled through Jerusalem, Jericho, through the West Bank, toward Jordan and the Jordan River which flows into the Dead Sea. The Israelis consider less than 200 ml of rain, dessert, and less than 100 ml wilderness. We had a stop near where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in a cave (1947),and a chance for some shopping.  We then went off to Masada, a flat topped mountain standing totally isolated from the mountain range and an easily fortified outpost for the Romans. It also had a palace and retreat on the northern side for Herrod. It was sacked by Jewish Zealots who lived there for three years before being surrounded by Roman armies and forced to capitulate. The men killed their families and are believed to have drawn lots to kill 9 others then themselves so that all of them wouldn’t be condemned for committing suicide. This was in 73 AD I think. It’s vaguely reputed that the eruption of Pompeii (1979?) was divine retribution. Even left some stores there to tell the Romans they hadn’t been starved to submission. The set-up was quite amazing with channels to capture flash floods when it rained; stables (turned by the Zealots into a synagogue) for the donkeys that carried the water from the reservoirs to a cistern at the top; they even farmed pigeons for fertiliser for their gardens. Here we saw about twenty 19 year old females carrying M16 rifles on their hips although dressed in civvies. They were on leave from the army. Women do 2 and men 3yrs compulsory training which includes visits to historic sites and study of their history. We went up the mountain on a cable car but Jews make pilgrimages to here at least once a year and walk up and down a “snake path” – some sacrifice in the heat with no shade.

We had a lovely lunch at Lot Spa Hotel , all kosher food, and then came one of my most anticipated events  - a swim in the Dead Sea. What a strange sensation.  You can’t swim; you can lie on your back and read, I have photographic evidence. It’s actually very strenuous trying to keep the right way up because your feet keep coming up. There’s an umbrella with bars around it so you can get some respite by tucking your legs under but because your tummy wants to float to the top it’s still quite uncomfortable. I touched my tongue with my finger – horrible horrible taste. Poor Hop got some water in his eye and I tried to guide him to shore for a shower before he could get back in. They recommend only 15 minutes in the sea then a shower, then back in if you want to. There's a tent full of showers on the sand. All very well thought out. But the sand was extremely hot and the waterside about a metre of salt crystals. Some describe it as a swim in baby oil but not quite. Your skin does feel rather smooth. Of course there are evaporation ponds and works where they extract minerals from the sea; the sea is also receding quite alarmingly and they are trying to discover ways of saving it. So how low can you go? This is the lowest place on earth at 1276 feet below sea level. We can’t get any lower!We went home on a secondary road, still pretty good, through open lands planted with corn, wheat and  other fruits and veg; we also saw lots of Bedouins tending sheep and goats,  also camels and donkeys,with their fragile tents beside expensive looking farm machinery – some baling hay or the like. I saw every kind of car imaginable. On the dock there were acres of cars. They are trucked to the port from wherever they are made, then shipped to the various Mediterranean countries, to save being sent through the Suez; to save paying the Egyptians the Suez fee – they love that idea. It’s all much of the same story and history, told from another point of view. Somehow Jordan felt more biblical. Maybe Jerusalem is the New Testament City.

Greece tomorrow and we're off to Corrinth. Pretty busy from now on as you'll see. I've finally caught up with travels and blog so hope I can keep going without too much raving!! Love to yo'allXXXXXXXX