Episode 10: "The Desert" (+)

This past Monday, I was pretty glad when I got out of class. Ulpan is always interesting, but I was feeling particularly tired and just wanted a nap once our lesson was over. After class I ran into Val, my friend and Christian partner in crime. Before we could head back to campus, we heard there was some trip to the desert involving camel riding that was happening in a matter of minutes. Both of us were pretty wiped, but my roommate Roni was enthusiastic enough about the trip to convince us to go.

So instead of sleeping, we were soon on our way to “Genesis Land”. The trip took maybe a half hour tops, and the terrain changed drastically from the cityscape to an awesome desert expanse within that short amount of time. Before entering a small building to prep, we saw our camels chilling out in front of it, marking the first time I’d ever seen a camel in real life. They are just as amusing and cool as they look in the movies.

Ridiculous.

We got a talk from a tour guide about the desert’s significance. We were in the desert where Abraham set up shop and Biblical guys of old camped and conquered. That’s the short version, and pretty much all I know. Anyway, after his talk, Val and I saddled up on a camel. I decided to name him Sonic. He was a pretty chill ride, although he had the gumption to try speeding it up from time to time. Dude had a little personality, and I felt pretty secure on his back.

Val and I doing a little desert pre-gaming.

Satisfied clients of "Pimp My Mammal".



A production still of "Miami Vice 2: Israeli Vice".

The desert itself was amazing, but I guess that’s pretty predictable given how I’ve described the rest of this country. There were fantastic panoramic views of brown rock and a wheat-like flora (grass?) that made the sides of hills golden. God obviously knew what he was doing with this part of the world.

I've given up trying to make a "Riding Dirty" pun.
It was based on the fact that there was a camel to ride.
And a lot of dirt.

Afterward we sat on pads in a huge tent, where a guy pretending to be Abraham talked to us about his own history. He and his guys served us food, based on the fact that back then, showing hospitality to strangers earned a blessing from God. He said we were to be treated like kings and queens as his guests, and promised us food until we were full. There were dates, humus, pita bread, avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, and more. All of it was delicious. He and his guys also served us incredible hot tea with cinnamon. All the while the opening of the tent faced a valley, which was a terrific view itself. All this and we were in the area that Abraham may have actually put up his tent in. A lot of Biblical “booyah” vibes. Classic.

I almost passed all this up for a nap.

Don’t worry. I embarrass me, too.

Shalom,
Eric