This week Marissa and I packed our backpacks and took the south by storm. Neither of us had any clue how much adventure we were getting ourselves into. Thank goodness for my Dad teaching me survival skills and how to read a map or we would have been even more lost then we were. This week we traveled to Eliat, Jordan, Mitzpe Ramon and a few unplanned stops in between. Since we were keeping Kosher all week we packed Matzo, hard boiled eggs, cheese and charoset.
We took a bus to Eilat, a 5 hour drive through the Neg Ev. When we arrived in Eliat we found our hostel, the "Faulty Towers." The name should have been a sign for the events that would happen. Eliat is very similar to the Jersey Shore or Myrtle Beach. When we first arrived at our hostel a group of boys were grilling out in the yard, of course we were greeted warmly and invited to join. We found our room and headed for the beach. We swam in the Red Sea! It was really cold. You could literally swim to Jordan it was so close. In Israel there is a type of Israeli called the Ars. A boy who resembles the American Guido and they love Eilat. We met up with our other friends from Hebrew University and went to the boardwalk. We laughed all night at the Arsim trying to impress us. We made it home to Faulty Towers before crashing for the night.
Tuesday we woke up early to cross the border to Jordan. We did some research and knew a little of what to expect. We paid our exit tax out of Israel and crossed the Demilitarized zone between Jordan and Israel. On the other side we went to passport control and asked for a visa into Jordan. The Jordanian officers started to ask us questions about America. My favorite was "Do you know Chelsea Clinton?" After we made it out of the border and into Jordan we realized they didn't charge us for a visa. Also they gave us employment visas to stay for up to a year in Jordan. Marissa and I looked at each other and started to run before they realized they forgot to charge us. I consider myself a Diva on a budget and this trip was no exception and so I was happy to avoid the $60 visa charge. Jordan lacks infrastructure and so they did not have any buses to Petra. This meant we had to pay a cab for a 2 hour drive into Petra. The ride was beautiful and breathtaking! We drove up into the Jordanian mountains until we reached the city right outside the ancient city of Petra. Marissa and I decided we would camp with Bedouin people. Our driver could not find our camp so he dropped us off on the side of the road. Then these two guys came up to us and said they could take us. We loaded into their car and didn't realize how horrible of an idea it was until they were driving us outside the city. Marissa and I were freaking out in the back seat, I was sure we were going to be kidnapped. After a 30 minute drive outside the city we arrived at our camp in the middle of the desert. We thought it would be a touristy spot but we were wrong. It was an actual Bedouin camp.
We jumped out of the car quickly and ran into our camp. The Bedouin man greeted us with tea and a smile. After they showed us our tent we headed to Petra! Petra was amazing! We walked a couple of miles through a narrow canyon. It opened up to the most famous site the Treasury! This is where an Indian Jones movie was filmed! It was awesome! Petra was an ancient Nabatean city that was rediscovered in the 1900's. We walked through the city all afternoon. It is known as the "Rose City" because of the red rock the buildings are carved out of. Petra is one of the 7 wonders of the world. Now I have visited 5 of the 7 wonders of the world and I am only 19 years old!! I have realized my life is anything but conventional over the past few months.
We made it back to our camp and ate dinner hiding in our tent. We ate matzo and the other food we packed but we knew matzo was not the most welcomed food in Jordan. The Bedouins made a huge fire and we sat outside and watched the stars, it was wonderful. We woke up early the next morning and headed for Wadi Rum a famous desert in Jordan. We rode camels in the desert! In Jordan they have camels everywhere, instead of playing cows when they travel they must count camels. We headed back to the border happy that we had made it out of Jordan in one piece.
Getting back into Israel was easy thankfully and we made our way to Mitzpe Ramon a famous crater in the Neg Ev. Everyone had told us how easy it is so hitchhike in Israel and how everyone does it. So Marissa and I on our adventures streak started to hitchhike. After about 30 minutes a nice old man named Sami picked us up and told us we were in the wrong place. So he drove us to another round about closer to where we thought we were going. It was absolutely hilarious Marissa and I standing on the side of the road laughing. I started to complain that hitchhiking was giving me bad tan lines while Marissa chased down the people who wouldn't stop for us. Finally a man picked us up and told us he was going our direction. As we started to drive we realized the large military presence in the area. Between the military bases, the satellites and tanks I realized we were probably heading the wrong direction. Finally we arrived at a huge military area where the man said, "That is Egypt" as he pointed to the land 100 yards away. We learned this was not the way to Mitzpe Ramon and we were scared! I immediately started to pull out my hair into the car so my DNA could be found if we were kidnapped. At the time it seemed like the best idea. After the man talked to the soldiers and met with his friend he said he would drive us back to the bus station. We arrived at the bus station and my heart was beating so fast. Marissa and I gladly bought our bus ticket and ice cream! I considered my hitchhiking experience my personal Exodus from Egypt.
We made it to Mitzpe Ramon and found our hostel "The Green Backpacker." It was a house turned into a hostel which was so cute! The owner was really nice to us and gave us advice on where to hike in the morning. The next morning we woke up and hiked in the crater. It looked like a different planet! We used a map to follow the trail which I know my Dad would have been so proud. We hiked about 6 miles until the trail intersected with the highway. The owner told us to hitchhike back to our hostel. This nice young guy picked us up and drove us back. Our bus didn't leave for another 2 hours and we thought "Lama Lo" (Why not in Hebrew). So we stuck out our hand and started to hitchhike. These two guys picked us up and said they were driving until near Tel Aviv. They didn't speak much english so we practiced our Hebrew and listened to music. They drove us almost 3 hours before dropping us off near a Jerusalem sign. We realized we were now committed to hitchhiking because no buses were in sight. Another man pulled over and gave us a ride to outside Jerusalem. He lectured us on how to hitchhike and gave us the rules we needed to follow. He was very fatherly and I think a little worried about us. After he dropped us off we again stuck out our hand and sure enough a young girl pulled over. She was very quirky and an artist. She not only drove us home but invited us for Shabbat Dinner! Only in Israel! So Marissa and I made it home safe and sound!!
We got a call from Lani, Marissa's friend from home who joined the IDF after high school. He invited us to come celebrate in Tel Aviv with him because he got out of the army! So after a short nap and a much needed shower we headed to Tel Aviv! We had so much fun and it was great to see Lani! The nest day we made it home to Jerusalem in time for Shabbat! Dena and Candace's families are visiting for Passover and so they hosted us for Shabbat dinner. It was wonderful. Milia and Jacki are home from Europe and everyone was back together! I am using Shabbat to catch up on sleep! My first day of my internship starts tomorrow!
This week was amazing and full of adventure and memories! The entire trip was exciting and we had so many laughs along the way! I am so glad to be home in Jerusalem though!
Shabbat Shalom!
xoxo,
Katy Ann
ps. I posted pictures to shutter fly
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