Rocket Dodging

Ok, I SAID we were going to Beersheba today, but plans changed. After our visit to the site of Tel Arad in the Negev, we drove into the modern city of Arad and sipped cappucino (which turns out to be a Hebrew word, according to Yosse, our guide). Then back on the bus for a visit to a Bedouin camp where we rode camels for twenty minutes (2 riders per camel -- I rode behind Matt), learned a bit about the Bedouin culture, and then shared a meal under a tent.

As we were boarding the bus to go on to Beersheba, Yosse informed us that our plans were going to change. Seems that Hamas had managed to toss several Chinese made rockets into the city of Beersheba that morning, injuring no one, but closing down some schools, businesses, and the national park that was on our itenerary.

So we took a different route, stopping to visit the Bell Caves at Beit Guvrin, which were created by two hundred years of mining the chalky soil to use for cement and mortar. Jim Brown, one of our group, treated us to a Latin chant deep under the earth that echoed around long after he'd finished singing.

We also made a stop in the Valley of Elah where David once faced off with Goliath. Yosse demonstrated David's slingshot technique with a woven sling of his own. His first shot went arwy and almost took out a passing vehicle, missing only by inches.

We paused at a West Bank checkpoint near Bethlehem and enjoyed a spirited, lengthy, and loud argument in Hebrew between Yosse, our bus driver, and the soldier working the station. A few minutes later we were in Jerusalem and at our hotel.

Tomorrow, we visit Bethlehem and other sites in the Jerusalem area. I'll check in again tomorrow evening. Shalom.