Bedouin Camping

We must begin this post with a big thank you to Stewart's sister, Ashley, who introduced us to her friend, Aline. Ashley and Aline work for the same company, so when Ashley found out we were moving to Israel, she immediately got us connected to one another. This introduction has proved to be a wonderful friendship, and if it weren't for Aline and her family, we wouldn't have seen or experienced half of the Israeli culture we have thus far. This is the family that took us desert hiking as our first indoctrination, introduced us to amazing music (thank you Izzy!), craft fairs, beaches, and now... Bedouin camping. Here's Aline:

On the way to the camp we wound our way through the desert, following our friends to meet up with the others in our entourage at a random "forest" on the edge of the dessert (Yatir forest, we think). The topography here in the middle east is just unbelievably different from anything in the states. While we had our enjoyable picnic lunch, two gentlemen and a camel appeared out of nowhere offering camel rides. Will was first to jump at the opportunity, and as you can see for both of the kiddos, they were all smiles!

After lunch and camels, it was on to the bedouin camp.....

Kfar HaNokdim

The place is called Kfar HaNokdim, and it is literally an oasis in the middle of the desert. You must check out the link to the website to get an idea of this camp and the Bedouin community. There is also a short movie clip featured on this interactive map of Israel, www.eyeonisrael.com.

Unfortunately, one of our camera lenses broke at the beginning of the trip, so we lost full use of our camera (FAIL). However, we found this little advertisement/video on youtube that covers the experience perfectly! We stayed in the goat hair/ succoth large tent, and we brought and prepared our own food.

The view from our tent:

Our tent (part of it):

The kids just absolutely loved it and entertained themselves for hours just running around inside.

Five families with a total of 10 children (ranging from ages 1-8) all sleeping in one tent sounds like mayhem, but it worked out quite nicely. The tent was huge, and we each claimed our own corners and mats. The donkeys, which from this experience appear to be nocturnal and LOUD, were the biggest deterrent to a wonderful night's sleep. The donkeys plus the wind flapping all night reminded me of my first deployment to Qatar, but this was a far more pleasant experience.

Check out Will's sneaky-cute smile.

After we arrived and settled in, we decided to take camel rides before sunset. The air was pleasant and cool and a much better alternative to the morning heat.

Pictured above was our guide for the camel ride & below were our trusty Gamalim (camels). Will was too young to ride the camels (you had to be 5 as per their insurance), so he and Elizabeth made the trek on donkey. Lydia noticed that half-way through our trek that the guide stopped and "lit a cigarette with his own little mint leaves from his pocket." I'm not sure those were mint leaves...but surely they made the journey a little easier for those on foot:) After traveling only an hour with Lydia on a camel and seeing Will and Elizabeth together on a donkey, I have a whole new appreciation for those short verses in the Bible that recount traveling through the desert on these animals. I will never read Luke 2:4 the same way again--a pregnant teenager riding a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem would be an arduous affair indeed. Also, seeing my friend Izzy sit on a donkey where his feet almost hit the ground & the poor animal's legs looked like they might buckle made me consider just how un-dignified it was for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem on an ass (Matt 21:1-11).

The view of the desert was amazing...Will clearly agrees.

Finished, just in time for sunset.

Dinner the first night:

Breakfast the next morning:

This was a truly wonderful experience with a great bunch of folks. We are continually impressed and humbled by the warmth and patience of so many Israelis to include us in their seemingly endless adventures around the country and to humor us with our less-than-exceptional Hebrew. As for Kfar HaNokdim, it was a unique and beautiful place that we will definitely have to visit again. Who's in?

Shalom Y'all...