Archive for March, 2010
One amazing travel experience…
I’ve been very lucky to get to do some travelling. Not nearly as much as I would like, but I’m still young and there’s plenty of time for that!
I was watching Word Travels, this amazing show about travel writers that you should all watch. I think they were in Venezuela and spent a night sleeping outdoors in a hammock. I then started to reminisce about my night sleeping outdoors, surrounded by nothing but sand and sky.
It was in August 2007, undoubtedly the hottest time of year in Israel. In August temperatures range anywhere from 42 - 50 Celsisus (108 - 122 Fahrenheit). It’s unforgiving - this weather smacks you in the face and then says “yeah, take that!” Like being in a sauna during the sun-filled days, there is no way to escape the heat. Not even the slightest breeze blows through the streets. It is like walking into a brick wall of unrelenting heat that leaves you sweaty and disgusting within five minutes of stepping outside.
On this particular humid day, we were driven to the Mamshit Camel Ranch about 45 minutes from the Dead Sea. The first part of our overnight adventure involved a camel ride through the desert.
After our camel ride, they served us delicious tea and coffee that was made through a special process. I can’t remember exactly what it was, but I think it may have involved steeping the tea in a kettle-like object and then burying it in the sand for awhile. Whatever they did with it, the tea was amazing! We then had a delicious meal - potatoes, rice and vegetables (plus chicken for the non-vegetarians). Food really does taste better when it’s eaten outdoors.
My favourite part of the experience was sitting around the bonfire. Someone had brought their guitar with, and at my request played Under the Bridge by the Chili Peppers, which we all sang along to. It was a pretty amazing moment sitting there under the stars. No streetlights, computers or cellphones - just endless nature. It was so refreshing to not have those daily distractions present.
In the early hours of the morning we called it a night. I lay on my thin mattress a few minutes before falling to sleep, staring through the open sides of the large tent and marvelling at the beauty and serenity of the desert.
That same morning we were woken at the crack of dawn to head over to Masada and watch the sunrise, signalling the end of that particular outdoor adventure.
