Last day in Israel

We’re now in Jordan… I’m a bit behind on my posts.

The last place we stayed in Israel was an eco-kibbutz, complete with vegan food.

It amazes me how the Israelis can drop down into the desert and create a rich green space. This place has ponds, trees, a vast array of solar panels, and comfy cottages.

They had lots of goats and in the middle of their main camp, they had a show that looked very Hindu, but was a tall cooling tower. There are vents all around it just below the green top and the cooler air is piped throughout the village.

We rode along the wall a long time.

Some border crossings aren’t really open. As we rode past this one, I wondered what kind of lock they might have on the gate to match the strength of the fence.

Well, turns out they use a lot more than a lock. How about concrete blocks and barbed wire and more blocks?

After that we rode down into Eilat, on the Red Sea. The terrain became red and dramatic.

Finally we got to Eilat and had lunch in a mall. Talk about culture shock!

Then the border crossing…although you could also bird watch…

This is the view from my Aqaba hotel room. Jordan is a fairly poor country, with the vast majority of purple loving up north in Amman. Aqaba felt very third world: small shops with inexpensive plastic and tin his spilling out into the sidewalk, coffee stalls everywhere offering gritty Turkish coffee, very few women anywhere…