Masada and the Dead Sea

 Masada Panoramic

(all credit goes to my iPhone)

Dan Panorama Hotel - Friday 6:09am

The Tel Aviv Marathon was scheduled to begin at 8am, so they bumped the tour pickup time to 6am from 8am. The hotel I was to be picked up from was a few blocks from my apartment. I arrive at the hotel about 10 minutes early, but can't find the lobby (it's a huge hotel with a conference center). I reach the lobby at 6:09am and am told by the bellhop my driver left. WHAT? He suggests I go talk to the front desk. A quick call sorts things out. They ask if we can reschedule, I say no. It's supposed to get to 90 today making a dip in the Dead Sea a treat. Saturday is scheduled to be in the 70s. So they resend the driver. I figured a small bus of angry people would await, instead it was an empty bus with the driver. He seemed a bit gruff, but after I thanked him for coming to get me and apologized for being late all was good.  I really wanted to give him a piece of my mind. He told me they bumped the Marathon 2 hours early and made the decision late the night before. He went off about how they should just have people run on the highway. He didn't understand why the people needed to run through the city.  After about 15 minutes I was carted off to a stop where several  buses and about 2-3 dozen other people were waiting in a very disorganized fashion. They have some of the people board the bus I was on, than have us unload because the bus was broken, on to a different bus. The driver told us we had to pick up some people from a hotel in Jerusalem - we should use the bathroom there and get coffee.

Arriving at Jerusalem 

It took us about 45 minutes to reach Jerusalem, from there we were off to the Dead Sea, than Masada, than back to the Dead Sea. Why the Dead Sea twice? Because there were two packages. One was a relaxation package and the other was a combo package. One girl on the bus opted for just the Dead Sea package and off she went. As we speed off to the Dead Sea, our driver started to point things out and tell stories about things we saw on the side of the road. He would tell us over and over again he does not repeat himself because he only gets paid once. We almost hit a few cars on the way, but all was good.

 

Not only can he talk on the cell phone, he can also lead a tour and drive a bus simultaneously

To the Dead Sea

Random camel en route - at a gas station of all places! Random advice about camel riding, don't just ask how much it costs to ride the camel - also ask how much it costs to get off the camel (thanks Ryan).

Ahava Factory Store

Here's what I liked most about our multitasking tour guide - he was honest and straightforward. "Before taking you to the Dead Sea, I have to take you by a cosmetics company showroom for a presentation"...we do this because otherwise we'd have to pay a 40-50 shekel($13-14) fee to use the beach. Off the bus we go. After a 5 minute video about the wonders of the dead sea and Ahava products (which can be purchased on Amazon, shipped, for less than at the factory store) and 30 minutes of the ladies going nuts about overpriced skin cream, we were back on the bus. We make a quick stop to drop off the single, embarrassed, participant who opted for the Dead Sea only option and speed off to Masada. A member of the group asked about when we'd be swimming in the Dead Sea. She didn't like to swim before 2pm because she had pale skin and was worried about sunburn. The tour guide insisted you can't get burned by the sun in the Dead Sea. The added atmosphere by the extra 1,300 or so feet makes it impossible. Out of curiosity I fact check him - yep, he's wrong.

 

Outside the factory store

 

Factory Store Display

Next Stop, Masada!

On the road to Masada

Masada

Masada is an ancient historical site with relics in the Judaean Desert. Up until this tour, I had never heard of it. It's Israeli's #1 top paid attraction. Keep in mind the Old City in Jerusalem and the hot spots of Bethlehem are all free. I can't say enough about how beautiful Masada is.

 

 

Me outside the entrance to Masada. 

Note I did not bring a had or sunglasses - big mistake

Getting to Masada

There are two ways to get to the ancient relics. A three hour hike or a car on a cable car. Had I known the hike was an option I totally would have done it at least one way. It takes about 3 hours each way. Our tour guide was sure to tell us to put on sunscreen - because unlike at the Dead Sea, we can get burned by the sun's UV.

 

To the relics!

This guy had some device he put his camera in that flew all around the place. He took it over the ledge and into the canyon to get some photos. I was waiting to see if the battery kicked out...

Left again by the tour guide. 

Our tour guide might be 70, but he had quite the sense of humor.  I, along with a few others, were trailing behind since we were taking a lot of photos. Anyhow, he got everyone in the car and zipped off leaving me behind with one of two friends I made. I would later find out the tour guide told the group I was going to marry the girl he left me behind with - gotta love the sense of humor.

Dead Sea - Lowest Point on Earth (above water)

The mud found along some of the beaches surrounding the dead sea has mystical powers, so people put it all over their body. At first I thought I was doing this to watch the acidic salt water eat away at it.

Mudded up and ready. Note mud on face.

Not sinking...

 

Even putting all my weight downward, still not sinking.

Don't Feed the Bears....AND

1. Do not submerge your face in the Dead Sea
2. Do not pee in the Dead Sea

If you do either, the Dead Sea will win. I made the mistake of doing the prior - simply to get the mud off my face. All I can say is, I was in excruciating pain afterwards. I squinted the most I could and made my way over to the showers. Luckily, a tourist saw me in pain and splashed bottled water over my eyes. RELIEF. I only heard about the second rule after the trip. Apparently lots of kids make the mistake.

 

Enjoying the hot pool with some new friends

Back to Tel Aviv!

The drive back took forever, but we finally made it back to Tel Aviv. What's most interesting is that he didn't have a tip jar or anything of the like. In fact, every drop off was rather abrupt with no opportunity to tip him.