Day 55 - Asaf was right! (or alternatively, the best and most jam-packed road trip ever!)

{Readers beware: this post will set a record for most pictures of any single post for this blog. If it loads slowly, that is why. Dial-up users: there is no hope for you...turn back now}

Stephen, Dave, Itamar and I woke up before 6 am today, and after working out the sharing of the shower and getting dressed and packed, left the apartment and got into the car for what promised to be an amazing roadtrip.

Once we got on our way, I of course fell asleep. I think this was allowed, or maybe even intended, because Stephen did it too. Itamar kindly woke us at our first stop: a kibbutz called Lohamei Hagetaot, where we got out to see a Roman aqueduct. After some pictures we explored the kibbutz a bit on foot, and bought some breakfast food at a small grocery store before getting back in the car.

As we progressed farther and farther north, the scenery got more and more unbelievable. Itamar had served some of his time in the army at a base near the border with Lebanon, and therefore was very familiar with the region's roads and history. He warned us whenever we were about to embark upon a particularly beautiful piece of road, and was able to answer all of Stephen's questions about the locals: what they do, what the towns are like, etc. Stephen was really enamored with the landscape and area in general.

The next stop occurred after Itamar navigated us through the dirt roads of a small national park near the border with Lebanon. We got out of the car to find an amazingly beautiful overlook, and across the gaping ravine stood the ruins of a fort used by Crusaders, creatively named Montfort. Itamar is very knowledgeable about this area, and told us a bit about the history of the structure. On the way back out of the park, we stoppped a few times to take pictures, then were back on our way.

Since we coulnd't really go much farther north (due to fences and, you know, national borders), we were now headed South. Next was what I think is Itamar's favorite of the stops: Bar Am. A national park, it contains the ruins of a very old stone synagogue, and also the ruins of a village, where fruit orchards had long since been abandoned. Most of the fruit wasn't ripe, but we found fig trees and picked some pomegranates which will hopefully ripen on our windowsills in about a month. The park was filled with fragments of old stone walls, and occasionally a peek through the trees rewarded you with an amazing view of the countryside.

Being hungry once more by the time we got back onto the road, we stopped in a town called Jish (which was pretty Arab-looking) for lunch. Once we got back in the car after this, we were in a slight hurry. Dave started driving in a slightly less leisurely manner, and when we made stops to take pictures, we got out of the car less and less. We still had to make it back to Givat Shmuel to grab our stuff and the food, and then get to Rehovot before shabbat, so our schedule was tight.

The roads in the Golan were straight and empty, so Dave was able to make up for some time. We zoomed past abandoned tanks and ruins of Syrian bases amid the golden-brown grass. Dave slowed slightly as we passed the Sea of Galilee, and we made our last stop soon after, at the Quneitra overlook. Itamar had been showing us where we were on the map all along, and continued at this stop. Using my camera's zoom lens, we were able to identify a few amazing things from this vista: a suburb of Damascus in the distance, a semi-permanent UN camp, the ruins of a relatively modern town among the trees nearby, and some windmills (for power) atop a distant hill. Itamar imparted some more knowledge about the location before we got back into the car. He also pointed out two nearby hills, one of which is home to an Israeli base and one a Syrian one.

After a bit more driving, including Hamat Gader, a gorgeous downhill drive and view, we reached a checkpoint: the entrance to the West Bank. No other cars were around. Dave was asked to show his ID but was given no trouble, and soon we were inside. The lanscape was different than even slightly north: it was desert. We passed one or two settlements, which were like oases of white walls and green trees in a sea of sand. A few donkeys could be observed along the deserted road, and once we passed a herd of sheep, but other than that all we had to keep us company was an endless expanse of dunes, dotted with low bushes, and the narrow road stretching out like a gray ribbon in front of us.

A few things to note about the West Bank portion of our drive. One, Stephen, using my phone, was able to get perfect cell reception to call someone about shabbat plans. Two, an interesting sign, reproduced below, revealed to us that Israelis have less-than-unlimited rights and access in the region. It came at an interesting point in our journey, because at the three-way intersection where we stopped to see whether to go right or left, it stood to our right, by a checkpoint, and told us explicitly we weren't allowed past it. At about the same time as Itamar concluded we needed to go left based on the map, I concluded that we needed to go left based on the law (apparently). And three, while we had no trouble exiting (except that Dave volunteered information about our destination which wasn't requested and led the soldier to believe he was asking for directions), the driver of the car next to us was asked to pull over and get out.

Past the checkpoint, Dave was relatively familiar with the roads because he worked nearby, so we flew along towards Tel Aviv. We could see the sea in the distance, tinged pink. Soon thereafter we reached Givat Shmuel. We all hurried upstairs and gathered our stuff and the food, then packed up the car and I navigated Dave to Rehovot. We luckily made it in time! After bringing everything into Clore and putting the food on the hot plate, Stephen and Dave showered and dressed quickly, and headed to services. I chilled a bit, showered, and then helped (a very tiny bit) to set up for dinner.

Joel, Jonathan, Dave, Stephen, some of Stephen's and Dave's friends who happened to be in Israel for various reasons, and someone from Stephen's lab, joined us for the shabbat meal. I unfortunately had to leave slightly early to head to the mall, but was able to eat my fill before this occurence. I called Asaf on the way, and soon was sitting outside the movie theater with he and XiaoMeng. A few minutes before 10, we were able to enter and pick up our pre-paid tickets. I left Jonathan's and Joel's with the man at the door, and we went inside to find almost the entire summer population of Clore scattered about the theater.

Soon Joel and Jonathan arrirved, and the movie, The Dark Knight, began. I have to say, I really enjoyed it. I love that superhero films are so dark now...I like having something to think about when leaving the theater. Heath Ledger's performance was remarkable - I still can't really believe it was him. There also weren't too many unnecessary computer-generated scenes involving explosions or the like, which I appreciate. And that is all I will say, in order to avoid spoiling anything (although since it came out a week later in this country than in the country where most people are reading this, I probably shouldn't worry).

On the walk back, Asaf, XiaoMeng and I discussed various things, including the fact that XiaoMeng and I should really be making our nanocomposites for Batman and not "science," as clearly the former has more money in it and is cooler. Asaf and I also discussed that he needs to be mentioned in this blog more, as his tag count is too low. This topic seems to be coming up often nowadays...people are probably realizing I will be leaving soon and that they have to start hanging out with me in earnest, or their tag counts will never increase enough to make them competitive.

Anyway, back at Clore I said goodbye to Asaf and XiaoMeng, and went to bed soon after getting back to my room, after a quick hello to Stephen and Dave. It was a long, but exciting, day that I won't soon forget. I have way too many pictures, but I've tried to include a representative selection below.

Me at the aqueduct

Itamar and Dave racing back to the car

Stephen looking out at MontfortItamar, Stephen and Dave
Montfort
Itamar taking a picture out the car window


Goats!
The Lebanese border
The location at which this picture was taken
...



Dave about to ask directions from some farmers
By an apple orchard


Stephen dozing off
Jish!
Another road in Jish
At the convenience store in Jish...note the interesting brand name

The synagogue at Bar Am
Me observing it
Pomegranate!


Us walking along a path with fruit trees...
An open pomegranate

Two on one branch! I picked these.










Ruins from when the Syraians occupied this area
The demolished town, and a Damascus suburb in the background
Windmills!
The Sea of Galilee





The Golan is so lush in places...
Entering the West Bank
Donkeys

Desert...


Let's not turn right...
A soldier at the exit checkpoint
Exiting the West Bank