By Trevor Siegel, NFTY in Israel Participant, Bus 7
We arrived to the Bedouin experience in sweltering heat; an inconvenience that have now become a normality. As we approached the complex of tents, the first thing that caught our eyes were the camels. Rows and rows of humped animals lined the outer edge of the fenced in area and soon our excited whispers filled the air. We all wanted to ride those camels like we had seen in movies and read in books. We shuffled into our tent and saw that this was already going to more comfortable than the desert. You see, now we had mattresses. We were living the life. We quickly went over to the camel area where we learned the basics of camel maintenance. Then, in pairs of two, we boarded our camels. The animals were loud, easily annoyed, and smelled something awful. But all in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience that could only be appreciated with camp friends. After the camel rides, we met with a Bedouin man who explained to us his people’s way of life. After spending four days in the desert, one could appreciate how these people use techniques today that their ancestors used while in the desert left to their own devices. Finally, we had dinner: a sumptuous meal of perfectly cooked lamb and amazing hummus and pita. We sat on cushions on the ground and ate with our hands, the way humans are supposed to live. After dinner, we moved back to the hub where every group was situated. We spent the next few hours playing frisbee and Kadima while mingling with other groups as well. As it grew dark, the Eisner and Crane Lake groups made a campfire and sang songs around it for the next few hours. Then, as it grew later, marshmallows were cracked open and s’mores were crafted. At 10:00 PM, we all began to get ready for bed, each of us dreading the 3:45 AM wake up time the following morning. As we laid back on our mattresses, we tried to ignore the brash and crude shouts from the adjoining Eisner tent. Finally, one by one, we fell asleep; the readiness to visit the historic mountain of Masada filling us all with excitement for a new day.
