Spy Valley

The locals call it Spy Valley. Its actual name is the Valley of Elah, the same valley where David slew Goliath. 

I admit to being a little nervous when taking this photo. That's why it is blurry. I probably had nothing to be afraid of, but I had the overwhelming feeling of being watched…perhaps just my imagination. Who, after all, would be concerned with an eager American tourist like me?

Israel is serious about security. The Ben Gurion airport is said to be the safest in the world. Israel does not take chances. They watch…from the sea, from the air, from the borders…and from tranquil Spy Valley.

Ein Gedi

And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi. 

I Samuel 23:29

Ein Gedi means "Spring of the Wild Goats." 

Here David hid from the wrath of King Saul. 

Ein Gedi is a beautiful oasis on the western edge of the Dead Sea. We watched goats scampering near our car. The Dead Sea provided a serene backdrop for the majestic palm trees.

The West Bank

Traveling through Israel gives me perspective of the Arab-Israeli conflict in many regards. One thing that strikes me is how small Israel is and how much of the land is inhabited by Palestinians. 

This map helps to better understand the division of land between Israelis and Palestinians.

Map: http://www.historyofthings.com/history-of-the-gaza-strip

Eilat

As I stated in the previous blog, in 2011 we went to Eilat with my mother for a couple of days of much needed R-E-S-T! 

Eilat is a beautiful port town. Luxurious hotels, a vibrant boardwalk, and a lovely seashore make a great getaway for Israelis and tourists alike.

We did not stay in one of those expensive, luxurious hotels, but found the Cactus Bed and Breakfast that was small, cozy, quiet, lovely, and inexpensive.

Sandra, who runs the bed and breakfast, was from somewhere in Europe. The thing I remember most from our conversations with her was how when she first moved to Israel, she looked outside and the sky was black in the middle of the day. (Eilat is almost always sunny and bright during the day. It hardly ever rains or gets cloudy.) She said the sky was full of locusts, so many that they blocked out the sunlight. 

So much for skeptics of the Bible who want to scientifically brush aside the plagues upon Egypt, including the plague of locusts (Exodus 10:3-20).  

Modern-day Eilat sits on or near the site of biblical Eloth.

"Then went Solomon to Eziongeber, and to Eloth, at the sea side in the land of Edom."

II Chronicles 8:17

Mom loves to journal. She certainly had plenty to journal about during our three day trip to Eilat…driving through a sandstorm, getting her picture taken with IDF soldiers, seeing four countries at one time (Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt), going to an Israeli flea market…we packed a lot of fun memories into those three days!

Mom ordered a plate of this fish for dinner at a restaurant called The Last Refuge. 

Lazy Day at the Dolphin Reef

You won't find a dolphin mentioned by name in the King James Version of the Bible. There are people who believe that the Tabernacle in the Wilderness was covered with dolphin hide rather than badgers' skins. Certainly, biblical words sometimes really mean something different than we think at first glance. But dolphins' skins on the Tabernacle is a new one for me. I'd have to do some serious study before I buy into that idea! 

Regardless, when my mom came to visit us in 2011, we rented a car and took her on a three-day excursion to Eilat, which is located on the northern tip of the Red Sea. (Aqaba in Jordan is Eilat's "twin" city, separated by a no-man's land.) Eilat has a marvelous Dolphin Reef and we went there one balmy afternoon.  

I remember that day as lazy and so relaxing. It is not often that I do nothing for an entire afternoon but doing nothing seemed like the right thing at the Dolphin Reef. 

A Lesson from a Christmas Cup

Okay, so this might seem really random. But I had this "aha" moment a while back and thought I would share it with you. 

This past Christmas, my mom gave me a cup with the Hebrew alphabet on it. I was thrilled. It was just the kind of gift that I like. 

When I was a kid, I read everything I could. I read books as I was walking to school, I read during the day, I read at night when I should have been sleeping. You get the picture. I also read the packaging of food I was eating, from cereal boxes to canned goods. I guess the habit has stayed with me because I was reading the front of a bag of Garden of Eatin' Blue Corn Tortilla Chips. What did I find? The kosher symbol. No big deal, right? It is on a lot of products.



But my brain suddenly linked the kosher symbol to a letter in the Hebrew alphabet that I had just been looking at on my Christmas cup. It is the letter "kaf." It is similar to the English "k." Look at the two photos and you will see it too!

I have learned that there are about 700 companies that issue kosher certification! Each company has its own unique symbol, called a hechsher. The one shown here is the symbol of a kosher supervision company called KOF-K.

Ein Bokek

Ein Bokek is a hotel complex located at the southern end of the Dead Sea in Israel. 

Exploration Essentials

On our days off while working overseas, we make sure to take two essential items with us when we go on our educational sightseeing excursions: Our camera and plenty of water! 

I have literally thousands of photos. There are so many things to see and we snap away, sometimes waiting until later - when we have more time - to figure out what we were looking at! 





Our photos have been reference points for me time and again when I have been studying a certain subject or place. They are not just memories; they are a photographical record of history. 

As to water, especially when it is hot, it is essential. We are not always close to stores so we try to always keep extra water with us.