8 Masada and the Dead Sea

On day 3, we headed east through the occupied territores, dropped below sea level, and skirted along the Dead Sea to reach the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Masada - an ancient fortification atop a huge mesa-like plateau. Masada was the site of a famous resistence against the Romans, which laid siege to the mountain in 73CE. Eventually, the Romans did overtake Masada by building a ramp and battering their way onto Masada where they found 960 souls had committed suicide. We reached the top of Masada by tram, and explored every inch of the settlement, including the north palace. Interestingly, we also located a room in which a scribe, today, is writing Torahs. While we planned to hike down, it was getting late and we still wanted to swim in the Dead Sea, so bailed on our hiking plans. We motored on for 20 more km south to reach Ein Bokek where we got a hotel room which we used as our base while we swam - ok, floated - in the Dead Sea. Truly amazing experience, even as we struggled to try to stand up in this salty water. After a quick dinner, we drove the two hours back along the Sea and through the Occupied Territories and desert mountains to Jerusalem.