Chasing Butterflies

The last 10 days have flown by. On June 27th, we got dropped off at LAX early in the morning, where we met our new family: 40 Jewish kids from San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County. After a 13-hour flight, we arrived in Israel the following afternoon. From the airport, we drove south to a hostel in the middle of the Negev Desert, where we stayed that night.

The following morning, we visited a farm, where we learned about Israeli agriculture. We got to pick our own fruits and vegetable right off the vine to taste. We also got to make fresh pita bread:

Elevated strawberries grow in soil enriched with coconut shells

Fresh picks

In the afternoon, we drove to Kfar Hanokdim, where we rode camels, learned about Bedouin culture, and even slept in a Bedouin tent, where I managed to trip over a rope and eat shit in the middle of the night. The next morning, we woke up at 4 in the morning to watch the sunrise over Masada. It was beautiful.

Our accommodations for the night

Sunrise over Masada

After a tour of the fortress, we took a hike in Ein Gedi, where we bathed in freshwater lakes and rinsed off under natural waterfalls. After the relatively strenuous ascent (and descent) of Masada in the morning, we were all eternally grateful for the cool-off session. After the hike, we went to the Dead Sea:

Mud-pies anyone?

After the Dead Sea, we were off to Jerusalem for the next 3 days. We toured the ancient city of David and the Jewish Quarter and visited the Kotel. I have been to Israel 3 times before and had never felt so moved. This time for some reason, was different. My eyes slowly welled up with pools of tears until my vision went entirely blurry. It was an epic cry, if I do say so myself.

Good morning, Jerusalem!

It was really special that we were able to be in Jerusalem for Shabbat. The energy of the Kotel at night was vibrant and alive. At the wall, we joined a large circle of women from all over the world who were dancing and singing Jewish songs.

One night in Jerusalem, the traveler's nightmare happened to my poor cousin: her purse got stolen (which means so did her wallet, phone, and passport). We stayed up the whole night dealing with the situation. After embracing the expression, "It is what it is", we watched the sunrise on the top floor of our hostel with the bartender, Mike. Luckily, she obtained an emergency passport from the American Embassy in Tel Aviv yesterday.

After that morning, things started getting a little blurry. I was running on empty, but pushed myself to keep going. Human bodies are very resilient things. It was also comforting to know that everyone else on the trip felt the same way. After all, we hit the ground running and didn't stop for a second.

These are just a few of the things we have done on our trip so far. As you can probably guess, I have been taking a butt-load of pictures (and videos). My camera has become an extra appendage. In the past 10 days, I have learned more about my camera than in the whole time I've had it.

The trip ended yesterday. My cousin and I said our goodbyes to our new friends and hopped in a cab bound for Netanya. Now, we are laying low for the next week in my grandparents' condominium so that we can recover, recharge, relax, and switch gears for the rest of our trip.

I have no idea what's going to happen next, but I can't wait to tell you all about it.