After camping Bedouin style, we were pretty excited about washing up in the Dead Sea!  But first, it was history and hiking at a visit to the Masada!  In great weather (finally), we explored amazing stones, mikvehs, and even one of the oldest synagogues in the world!  Sitting on those synagogue steps, it was unbelievable to think that the same Jewish customs and traditions were practiced so long ago.  Another exciting attraction, on a personal note, was seeing the “original” Watergate.  But that’s a whole other subject for those who know me…and for those who don’t, trust me, you don’t want me to elaborate!

As we took the cable car down to the bus, we couldn’t help but start getting particularly excited about floating in the Dead Sea.  Considering that we hadn’t been performing our full skin care regimens for a day (or two!), we were more than ready to partake in some significant skin care — and retail — therapy! 

First stop was the famous Avaha factory, where some of us got a little too excited about the two-for-one package deals!  Then it was off to the sea, where we took some great shots floating on the water!  Next step — mud baths!  And if you thought that wasn’t enough, we treated ourselves to hot sulfur baths as well!  Much needed showers later, we hopped in the bus and were off to Tiberius.  I mean, where else can you get a good kosher Chinese/Thai dinner???

We finally made it to the Kibbutz, where we listened to some polka and Israeli music in the lobby.  What better way to end the day?