Sian's 12 Days in Israel: Day 5 – Masada (optional) & Day Off

I said I wasn’t going to write today but we just got back in our room and Tami fell asleep and it’s not time for dinner yet so I thought I would share a few funny things and some photos of today.

It was an optional outing today to visit Masada, the last bastion (103-76 BC) of Jewish freedom fighters against the Romans. About half the group went and Tami and I are so glad we did too because it was well worth the trip and we were back at the hotel by 11am so we had plenty of time to relax and take in the Dead Sea experience.

Masada was incredible, it is a site of great tradegy for the Jewish people and its fall signaled the violent destruction of the kingdom of Judea at the end of the Second Temple period. The story of Masada is told in the famous movie called “Masada” staring Peter O’Toole. David said that, even though the movie had the required “Hollywood” spin, it was a good movie about the story of Masada. We decided as a group that when we get back we are going to get together share pictures, great memories and watch the movie.

Good vacations are always made greater when there are stories that happen that aren't planned but just happen. This morning Tami went to the bus and I ran upstairs to get something and was a few minutes late for our scheduled departure of 8am. David, our guide, likes to be on time and not hang around, which I love. I was 3 minutes late and they were gone. I asked one of the other bus drivers if Horizon's bus had left and he said yes and asked if he could help. He said if I didn’t mind riding with a Chinese group to Masada I was welcome to go. Of course I said yes and thank you. I sat in the front of the bus and after everyone got on the bus the guide gave a commentary like David but in Chinese. He leaned over and asked me why I was on the bus so I told him and then he told everyone on the bus in Chinese what I said. They all laughed and I waved in acknowledgment. The couple sitting across from me (pictured) asked me, to my surprise, where I was from so, I told them “Horizon Church in San Diego.” They were all from a church in New Jersey. Ha, what do you know!!!

Anyway, by the time I got off the bus I had new friends and if I didn’t catch up with my group it would have been OK.

Ok, one more thing. Last night Spike, Tami, a few others and me met at Roma Coffee (Equivalent to Starbucks). I had my computer with me and they had free Wi-Fi so I got my emails and watched the YouTube videos that Greg sent me of the Girls audition on Friday night. Anyway, of course it came up, what was the new and funny YouTube clip so, we watched this and literally Tami and I are still laughing. What is so great about this clip is, even though F.U. is scripturally incorrect, the passion of the pastor for getting the message across is classic. Let me know if you laughed as hard as we did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE_7Ogze-V0

I hope your race was a blast Greggy, tell Roch and Huddle that I learned Chinese today…"Yungtun tim min hunkanum. Si won ohhhhhhhhh”

God bless