Today was one of my favorite days. It started out with us heading toward the Dead Sea. Our first stop was at Qumran to learn some more about the Dead Sea Scrolls. We saw some of the caves that the scrolls were found in and also an amazing view of the Dead Sea. Our next visit was to the Dead Sea itself. The Dead Sea is 35% salt, whereas the oceans are only 3%. Therefore, our bodies completely float in the Dead Sea. It also causes major burning if you get the water in any cut or scrape. One of the things the Dead Sea is famous for is the mud that comes out of it. We were in gift shops that sold all different kinds of concoctions that contained mud from the Dead Sea. A lot of the people in our group rubbed mud all over their bodies before rinsing off to leave. I tried a new food for lunch called Schnitzel. It is chicken with a type of breading and sesame seeds on it. You eat it the same way as Falafel; in a pita and with vegetables. It was pretty good but I still like Falafel the best. Then we came to the best part of the day. We had like an hour or two drive along the Sea and out into the desert. The scenery was the most gorgeous we have seen yet and we all took a ton of pictures. We ended up in the middle of the desert at a tiny little Bedouin camp. Our first priority was to take a camel ride. That was quite interesting! The camel that was behind us kept trying to catch up, and she didn't look to friendly. The ride was fun even though it wasn't the most comfortable thing. When we were finished we unloaded our luggage and went into the camp. Our host was a Bedouin musician who could sing and play all kinds of interesting instruments. He told us some of the history of the Bedouins. One of my favorite facts was about welcoming guests. Bedouins welcome anyone into their home, as long as the person coughs three times outside of the tent. When the guest comes in, the Bedouin decides if they are a threat to their family. If there is no threat, the following will procede: The host will grind coffee and serve a small cup followed by an even smaller cup to the guest. Lasltly, the guest will serve a large cup. This means that the guest is welcome in the home. If the guest is dangerous, he will be served one large cup of coffee. This means "I do not want to embarass you, but please leave quietly." I love learning about different cultures and customs, so I found this intriguing. Our host then taught some of our group how to play some different Bedouin instruments. It was a really relaxed and fun evening. Dinner was great, and the sunset was beautiful. To end the night we sat around a bonfire and sang worship songs. I really really enjoyed being out in the same desert that Jesus was in for 40 days and nights. It felt so peaceful and free...
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