Before we came to Israel, Cassie set 2 goals for our year here: riding a camel and going to the Dead Sea. Recently, it's occurred to us that we've been here 2 months already, and have not really checked much off our list. So this week, when I was on a break between semesters and the girls were on break for the end of Ramadan, we decided to take a family trip to the Dead Sea and the oasis at Ein Gedi.
The girls were very, very excited about our planned "hike." They both wore pants, in case they scraped their knees on the rough terrain. They reminded us to bring water and snacks. They regaled us with stories of nature walks past. After packing unbelievable amounts of stuff for a one-night trip, we were off, in our brand new rental car.
By far the most successful part of the trip was the camel ride, which took place at a gas station on our way to Ein Gedi. For 20 shekels, Cassie and I got a 3 minute walk on a camel, which Cassie accurately described as a "really slow roller coaster ride." Camel ride: check!
The Dead Sea was less successful. We arrived at our self-described luxury resort hotel to find that there was no lunch. The girls had milkshakes and we had a croissant at the coffee bar. Then off to our room, which was basically what you would have found in 1965 in a small town in Arizona. For $300 a night. But never mind! Off to the Dead Sea!
We arrived at the "spa," the guests of which basically fell into 3 categories: Elderly Russians; Elderly Ultra-orthodox Jews; and a smattering of Arab families. And us. We went to eat at the restaurant, which was serving a high-priced and basically inedible meat buffet accompanies by moldy bread. I had a granola bar, a coke, and a beer. Lunch over, we went to the humid and sulfurous spa building, where we wrestled the girls into suits in preparation for a trip via truck-wagon (think a hay ride without the hay) to the Sea itself.
Viv had already made it clear, after our dire warnings about not touching your eyes, that she was NOT GOING IN to the Dead Sea. She was also basically falling asleep. But off we went anyway. We arrived, and it was, we have to admit, very, very cool. A whole "beach" crusted in salt, with big piles of salt everywhere. Cassie and I waded in. She immediately lost her flip-flop and scratched her foot, resulting in hopping that dislodged the other flip-flop. We persevered and enjoyed approximately 10 seconds of submersion, at which point she started to burn all over. In the meantime, Viv had insisted on joining us, but only if I would get her. I went back and fetched Viv as Cassie began to hop and lose her shoes again. Viv also started to itch. But she doesn't like showers. So there we were, the 2 of them starting to snivel in discomfort, and all of us wading out of the scalding water trying not to scrape ourselves on salt. The walk back to the non-hayride was the longest desert trek since the Exodus. Viv was alternately crying and falling asleep. Cassie was insisting that she was NEVER GOING INTO THE DEAD SEA EVER AGAIN. I was wishing I had another beer.
Thank goodness for swimming pools. Following this debacle, we went to the pool, where both girls perked up and invented new jumps while the "lifeguard" basically texted and napped the entire time. After dinner, we put Viv to bed, and I stayed with her, reading by flashlight like I haven't done since I was 10. Cassie insisted that we take a walk with flashlights, but soon discovered spiders. Finally, we all went to sleep, with only 2 of us snoring at a time, and the other 2 getting up to alternatively turn on and off the annoyingly binary air conditioning.
In the morning, we were all cranky. Breakfast didn't help, since this is a land that does not know from real coffee. Cassie didn't want to go on a hike. Viv insisted on going on a hike, but also insisted that we carry her. Josh and I somehow kept ourselves from crying, since the only reason we didn't do a daytrip was to have a chance to see the oasis/national park. We scrapped the hike and went back to the pool, keeping an eye on the time so that we could be sure to avoid the spa buffet and instead dine in the relative splendor of the gas station with the camel rides. More jumps! More splashing!
At this point, the girls deem this the best vacation ever. Josh and I are glad we have babysitting on the other end.
All in all, a success! After all, we checked both of Cassie's goals off our list, and have learned that the secret to happiness on our upcoming trip to Istanbul will be making sure we have access to a pool. Plus, it got us to finally sign up for a monthly rental car, which has already changed our lives for the better. Stay tuned for further adventures!
