Three of the biggest world religions (Christianity, Islam, and Judiasm) all collide in Jerusalem. People have been fighting over this city (and this country) for centuries -- literally, since the beginning of time. It’s kinda crazy to see a mix of Orthodox Jews, Muslim women in burkas, Catholic priests dressed in long robes, and Israeli police armed with giant guns all walking down the same cobblestone street.
After a few days in the Holy City, we rented a car and headed for Masada— one of the most iconic hikes in Israel. We accidentally drove into Palestine (our rental contract specifically forbade it), had a picnic along the edge of the Dead Sea, then slept in the car in 110 degree desert heat just outside the trailhead so we could be the first to be let into the pass the morning. That night, we sweat so much our fabric car seats were soaked through. Slightly dehydrated but undeterred, we woke up at 4 AM, were first to be let into the trail, and raced several other backpacking couples. We beat everyone to the top (#competeateverything), then snapped a selfie for proof.
We hiked a couple other trails in the area, and figured we’d jump in the Dead Sea. There’s sinkholes all around, and only several pre-approved places to wade in -- but rules be damned. We shimmied through a broken fence and walked about a half mile down to the water’s edge, waded in, and about 30 seconds after we were completely immersed in the water -- we started panicking. The Dead sea is literally 10x more salty than the ocean. You think you don’t have any cuts or abrasions on your body, but the burn tells you otherwise. It felt like my skin was on fire. We ran as fast as we could back to the car, I tried to choke back tears, and poured the remaining drinkable water we had (that was now close to boiling, due to the heat) over our body to wash the salt off. It didn’t really help much, but the burning eventually subsided. A few hours later, we dropped the car off at the rental station, the seats soaked with sweat and white with salt, exhausted, definitely dehydrated, but high.
What a day. What an adventure.
Next up: Jordan...
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