Backpacking

Wwwwwwoooooooowww What a blessed trip!! God has blessed us every day here in Jericho. And on these last two “weekends” we had a chance to go to a such beautiful places. 

After a lazy rainy day on monday, the sun shined again on tuesday to make our trip more worthy. Tor Arne, our mentor and also our guide, picked us up early in the morning and we drove for forty minutes south in a road very close to the Dead Sea until we get to Massada.

I wanna tell you the history of that place cuz it´s very interesting and I really like it: Herodes, the king, built this fortifications on the top of a desert plateau overlooking to Dead Sea as a refuge for himself. After the destruction of the second Temple(in Jerusalem) by the Romans, some jewish rebels fled from Jerusalem to this place, Massada. 

Then, the Romans built some camps surrounded the plateau planning to attack the rebels. But after climbing until the top and destroying the wall, the romans met all the rebels dead. They commit suicide during the night to avoid being caught by the romans. Can you imagine that?  Very nice place with very good history.

We spent one hour climbing the mountain until the top. Of course, the norwegians spent 20 minutes. During this long way up, we had a funny meeting with some girls from Uruguay. When we told them we were brazilians they sang: “delicia delicia, assim você me mata, ai se eu te pego ai ai se eu te pegoo”. Incredible how this stupid tune is being sang all over the world.

The view from the top was veery nicee, nothing more than the orange from the desert contrasting with the blue of the Dead Sea, perfeito. Very interesting to know how they built a whole town on the top of a desert plateau more than two thousand years ago. It could be one of the seven wonders of the world easily.

Now, this last weekend, junior and I went  up north to Tabarias. Four different public transports until we get there. In one of them (from Azaria to Jerusalem), we all had to get out from the bus and show our passaports to the cops in the check-point. Everyone who wants to go from WestBank to Israeli territories has to be allowed to keep travelling through these check-points. Two hours late we got there and we saw the Galilee Sea and the Jordan River. Yes, really nice to see where Jesus had been for some years living and teaching with his disciples but the Jordan River looks like Canal 6 in Santos haha.

After knowing these places, we went to a town close to Nazareth to meet Carlos and Fernanda (a brazilian couple who is also working as volunteers). We had a good time with them and they drove us to the hostel in Nazareth. I think I´ve never been in a so weird hostel. We were shocked. Haha. Weird people, old place, funny decoration. We just spent one night there, thanks gosh, a parade tava caindo aos pedaços. Early in the morning we left to see some biblical places and then to take a bus to Haifa.  This place was worthy of all money I have spent. It looks we were in other country. Pubs, beach and a reaaly good “hostel”.

We stayed in a Norwegian house called Beit Scandinavia. They have this place to host travelers from all over the world with very nice rooms, bathrooms with hot water, good breakfast and dinner. It was perfect. It was almost being home again, relaxing, very confortable. We met some guys from Germany during the dinner and we took a long walk in the evening, got some beers and exercised our mussels on the public equipment close to the beach. It was so good to hear the sound of the waves and to feel the fresh atmosphere that comes from the sea again. On the next morning I had the brilliant idea of trying to touch the Mediterranean Sea, but one big wave came and got me. I had to walk all the day long with my socks and shoes wet and full of sand. So silly idea. My mom would say “mas é burro mesmo”. Haha But it was a very good day tough. We wanted to be there for some more days but we didn’t have time to do it.

I´m so thankful and blessed of knowing these places. Enjoy the photos!  Five days left!