East of Jerusalem, in the West Bank and descending to the Dead Sea lies the Judean wilderness. Because of its lack of water and good routes, this area has been largely uninhabited throughout history. John the Baptist preached here, and it seems likely that this was the wilderness where Jesus was tempted. (Location of Judaean Desert in Israel and the West Bank in red)
I chose a Jeep excursion to explore this particular area of Israel, and early one morning in September, boarded a motor coach at a nearby Jerusalem hotel. Although there were many people on the bus, I was the only one venturing into the desert, as the rest had opted for a day at one of the popular Dead Sea resorts.
Halfway to our destination, we made a stop at sea level for a photo opportunity. Remember that Jerusalem sits 2500 feet above sea level, making it more easily defendable. Our destination was 1300 feet below sea level, for a difference of nearly 4000 feet over the course of about 40 miles. A camel ride was optional, which I declined. I did, however, opt for a selfie with a sheik (of sorts)…
Our tour guide and famed photographer, Dan Porges, did an amazing job of describing all of the various history- political and geographical- that rolled past the windows of the comfy coach. I saw the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus was tempted by Satan, and in the Valley of the Jordan there grew many types of fruit and vegetables: grapes, dates and figs, olives and cherry tomatoes (which, I learned, are an Israeli invention.)
Back on the bus, we continued south, quickly losing altitude. We passed Israeli settlements, Bedouin encampments and the Byzantine church and hostel called the Good Samaritan Inn. Based on biblical literature, this is the place described in the parable found in Luke 10:25-37. I was amazed at the numerous garden outlets selling trees and plants, statuary and landscaping accessories.
After dropping passengers at their various destinations, the bus eventually pulled into the Ahava factory at Mitzpe Shalem. Apparently, the Dead Sea cosmetics manufactured here are internationally recognized for their medicinal and relaxation properties. Our guide was a big fan, and as we stepped off the bus, he handed us coupons, encouraging us to purchase them.
As we exited the coach, Dan informed me that he was still trying to get a driver here to take me on my excursion. Oh brother, I thought, just my luck. I get to spend four hours all by myself in the Judean wilderness with some stranger, when no one in the world knew where I was. Heck, I didn’t even where I was! So I just wandered around doing what I do best…I took pictures.
And since I had just bought a Jeep Wrangler before I left the States, I had a bit of a laugh as I took this one…
As I turned the corner, Dan is frantically beckoning to me. He introduces me to Ali, my driver, and an Australian couple, who have also signed on for the Jeep Excursion. We head back in the direction I had just come from, only to find the Land Rover I had been chuckling over is our ride!
We introduce ourselves, Johanna and Bob seem nice, and I’m thinking this will be fun. I’ll admit that I’m a bit relieved to have another couple along for the ride. And we’re off…
We roar out of the parking lot and all of a sudden I’m feeling very happy that I chose this adventure. It turns out to be one of the most fun things I have ever done in my life. Ali explains in his sing-song, heavily accented voice that this road is the longest in Israel. Ali: So Friend. Left and right it’s road number 90. The longest road in Israel. Yes? It starts up north from the Lebanese border to the Egyptian border down- like 560 kilometers. Okay if we turn right after three hour we will be in the Red Sea.
The Jeep is loud, and as we travel up the highway, the wind and road noise makes talking nearly impossible. When I look back at the Australian couple, their eyes are sparkling and they have big grins on their faces that match mine. She has already pulled out a large scarf to cover her hair. It’s pretty obvious we’re in for the ride of our lives. The day is quite warm, but dry, and the sky is cloudless and bright blue.
We approach a checkpoint almost immediately and it’s obvious the soldiers know Ali. After a cursory once-over we are waved through. I begin to see signs warning of dangerous curves and camels, as the paved road narrows and begins to twist between the mountains of rock that grow high on both sides of our vehicle. The winding brings us due east periodically and we’re rewarded with breathtaking water views. The color of the sky is identical to the blue water and it’s difficult to see where they meet.
After about 10 minutes we leave the blacktop and guardrails, and pretty much civilization as we know it. I point to a green shrub which stands out clearly as it is the only green thing to be seen in the tan landscape of the desert. Ali stops the Jeep and explains it is an air plant, but not in those exact words. He says it gets the water from the air and I say air plant. It’s like language barrier charades. He gets as close to an explanation of what it is and we guess or make suggestions until we all agree.
Ali: You know animals like the mountain goat, they live here and they have same color as the mountains, and if this animal don’t move you cannot recognize it. It’s aaah…As he grasps for the word, I helpfully offer camouflage and I am rewarded with a big yeah! and a bigger smile.
He abruptly pulls over and stops the vehicle. Look here! Ibex…Not only one there is many. We all ooh and aah and he continues. It’s mountain goat. In Hebrew we call it ya’el. If somebody know Israeli lady named Yael, it’s this animal. And you know this animal, it’s nice but not so beautiful, because the eyes are like this, not like this. He pantomimes sideways instead of vertical.
We stop at another small outpost and Ali explains: Now friend, we going to start now for the tour. Friend, here in this small house people from the Nature Reserve Authority. They stop there if someone hiking inside he must be with a map of the area, thirty meters of rope… Bob asks why. Because many people went inside and they don’t return. Because many people hiking and making rappelling and some people without enough water and….
I ante up my two cents. Because people are idiots and venture out unprepared, and now someone else has to go in and save their butts for them, right?
I get an affirmative nod from Ali as he takes off up a steep incline and shouts Opa. Opa. We are rocking and rolling now and shaking all over. I look behind me and those two are holding on for dear life to the roll bars. I am in my element!
Friend, this is our highway. Wow wow wow. So friend, probably sometime during the tour we will get sometime a little bit of dust. Don’t worry- it’s organic dust. Okay? Somebody told me everything organic is healthy. That gets a good laugh out of everyone.
Ali is third or fourth generation Bedouin and knows his way around the desert. We get a lesson in tracking…
And in making hand soap from this particular plant and some water. He also hands each of us a huge bottle of water, at least 3 liters, and instructs us to drink often.
Ali: Okay, so I will like to ask you. Where you come from? When we tell him Australia and America, he addresses me.
Okay, if you see some animal in the night what part of him you can see? I reply “their eyes”.
How you can know from the eyes this danger animal or not danger animal? It’s international law- this work everywhere in the world. It’s very, very easy. Always if you see animal with two eyes it’s danger animal. If you see animal with only one eye it’s not danger.
The three of us laugh heartily, thinking it’s another one of his jokes. It’s not. He explains that animals that eat meat have both eyes right in front of their heads. On the other hand, the animals that eat grass are usually not dangerous and have very widely spaced eyes, so you only see one in the dark. Who knew?
He starts the car and still laughing, we continue our dusty roller coaster ride through the desert.
The beauty of the desert wilderness landscape has me totally mesmerized, but the wadis are terrifying. Running parallel with the cart path that is our road, these steep dry hollows appeared seemingly from nowhere, and presented a huge drop off. We are not talking ruts here, but vehicle-swallowing holes in the ground.
I found it hard to believe that water alone forms these massive gulches during flash floods . The floods cut the rills and widen them into gullies. The streams of water then widen the gullies to form these steep sided valleys. Apparently, it’s not uncommon for flash floods to claim innocent and unaware victims each year. Last year, a large number of children on a field trip to the Dead Sea in Jordan were killed and their schoolbus swept away.
Credit Muhammad Hamed/Reuters
Ten Israeli teenagers were killed in similar circumstances in April 2018, when a flash flood swept them away while they were hiking in a riverbed near the Dead Sea on the Israeli side. The military academy that arranged the trip was accused of ignoring or underestimating forecasts of rain and the danger of flooding.
You can see by the tops of the surrounding hills that we are pretty high up at this point. If you’ve ever been to the Grand Canyon, you know you can walk around the rim. This was like being in the middle of it! I could not help thinking what a long walk it would be if the car broke down…
Ali kept us entertained with his stories, and time passed quickly. I felt a bit dejected when signs of civilization began to appear and I realized our excursion was nearing the end.
Intermittent glimpses of the black ribbon of highway competed with breathtaking views of Jordan as we wound our way south to below sea level and the Dead Sea .
Reunited with my original group at the Dead Sea, it was hard to believe four hours had passed. Surrounded by sleepy and sunburned companions, the bus sped towards Jerusalem. I reflected on the adage that one cannot appreciate a mountaintop experience without being in the valley. After today, I would most readily agree. Thanks for riding along.
Sounds like great fun! I enjoyed your photos and the story too.
Thanks for your support!
Very interesting, and great pictures! Thank you!
Would this be any of the same wilderness where the Jews wondered with Moses?
https://www.bible-history.com/maps/route_exodus.html
Debra- Great question! Here’s a link to the Israelites’ 40 year journey. It doesn’t appear they came that far north, according to this map. Does anyone have anything more concrete?
woops…..”Wandered”….I imagine they “wondered as they wandered” – like the beautiful song : )
What an amazing country…I could see Yeshua in the desert through your pictures. Actually I can see Him in all the places in the pictures you have sent. And soon He will be back for real. Just as He said. Thank you for the great tour!
Thanks, Maria!
Thank you for sharing your journey! What an adventure!
Cool journey. Shocked you didn’t take that camel ride:)
I showed my daughter the rock formations on the photo labeled sunrise, sunset and she said, “Mom, they look like two people facing each other and talking.”
Sara, I thought the same thing myself, first time I looked at it. The photo was taken on Masada. I’m in the process of doing a blog post on it next so stay tuned. Thanks for your comment!