"A Nation of Bad-Asses"

Relatively early on, one of the group quipped that Israel is "a nation of bad-asses." Given their embattled security situation, and the need for nearly all to spend time in the military and then the reserves, this is definitely not a country to be messed with (which is why Anwar Sadat went from war to peace).

There's no better proof of that than where we went Saturday morning -- to Masada. To get there, we drove through what we are told is the smallest desert in the world -- the Judean Desert. It was there that we actually saw the desert that we thought was more geographically dominant. We saw camels roaming around, Bedouin shanty towns, and some very stark and beautiful terrain.

We passed within a distance of the Palestinian town of Jericho (where as yet, no archaeological evidence of tumbling walls have been found, but, as Ian stresses, just because it doesn't exist doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Apparently, until the Second Intifada, there was a thriving casino in Jericho where Palestinians would work and Jews would drive over from Jerusalem/Israel to gamble. That source of jobs and revenue has been closed since. That fact that it existed at all is further evidence of what a long, strange trip it's been for the last 60 years, where borders and travel patterns shift often.

As we drove down to Masada, between the cliffs to our right (East) and the Dead Sea to our left (ergo West), and Jordan perched just across the Dead Sea, the land took on an eerily beautiful quality, with the occasional oasis intermixed. At Qumran, Ian pointed out some of the caves in which the Dead Sea scrolls were found.

Masada is the genesis (no pun intended, well -- maybe intended) of the "nation of bad-asses" (btw, "bad-asses" should be pronounced as one word, as a pause in-between implies something derogatory not meant at all). Rather than recap the history of Masada (see the link if you need it), I'll focus on our experience (which turned out better for us than it did for the Jews holed up here against the Romans).

We didn't have time for the 45 minute hike straight up the Snake Path (when I go next time), so we took the cable car up the cliffs. It's a little freaky walking the hanging ramp (with a pretty healthy drop below). When we got there, Ian gave us an in-depth briefing on the history of Masada, and why it was built.

(In the future, Ian will be able to be purchased as a Star Wars like recording, and then your droid will beam him into the air and he'll brief people without even having to be there. Remember the part where R2D2 shows Princess Leia beseeching for help? Just like that. The future will be so cool.)

We then walked around grounds, including the bath house and parts of Herod's palace. The views were staggering -- as stunning as the stories of Masada. It is now thought that the whole story of mass suicide is a bit of an exaggeration, but did happen on some scale. It is believed by historians that the Romans killed some Jews as well, but let's not mess with Hollywood.

Ian gave us a good look at how the water system worked to collect plenty of H2O -- an ingenious system to capture enough to survive a long time.

Pictures don't do Masada justice -- it is a place that has to be seen to be believed. Perched high about the Dead Sea on a rocky cliff, you can look down and see the outline of the siege wall and Roman forts.