Masada and the Dead Sea

As I'm sure you all read in my last post. My first attempt at going to Masada and the Dead Sea ended with me being very sick. I thought I was out some money, but the guy at the Jaffa Gate Hostel was able to get the tour company to take me two days later without charging me any money at all.


So first we went to Masada. This is a fortress in Israel where a bunch of Jews killed themselves rather than be taken prisoner in a battle with the Romans. The site is very cool and has some interesting structures. What I didn't like about it, was how it was presented in the video before hand. Before you went up to the fortress, you watch this 15 minute or so video explaining the historical significance of the fortress. It was somewhat informative, but also felt very nationalistic which I didn't like. But I digress.

What I found most amazing about this fortress is that it was on top of a plateau in the middle of a desert. How did they possibly live here? Well, they had these giant rooms built that collected water whenever it rained to allow them to survive. (And no, I didn't take my headphones out for the picture...) Other than that, it was similar to many other Roman period ruins, but still cool.


Next, we went off to the Dead Sea. This was really cool. The first thing you see when you get near it is this grey mud that looks so gross, and it becomes obvious that nothing lives in the water. It really took me a minute to get past the grey mud, but before long I had covered my upper body in it and began floating in the sea. You really do float effortlessly. I could have taken a nap if the current didn't keep pushing me into people.