Israel: The Promised Land

After our trip to Egypt, we crossed the border to the Promised Land, Israel.

"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be bless through you." (Genesis 12:1-3)

*The sites below are in order of our tour

View from our hotel Dead Sea Resort & Spa. As soon as I saw the pool, I was ready to take a dip!

Massada is a fortress built by King Herod. He built the city on top of the mountains to be far from his enemies. The walls were made of rocks that they still stand strong until today. Many battles took between the Jews and the Romans took place here. In 73BC, 960 Jews committed suicide rather than surrender to the Romans. 

In 2001, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Falafel Pita Sandwich for lunch

Dead Sea is in between Jordan and Israel. It lays  1,407 ft. beneath the sea level making it the deepest lake in the world. It is also the saltiest body of water AND the most dense. No fish can survive in its water hence the name. Even I had a hard time swimming in the water because it stung. I felt like it was being burnt. Although, its ingredients have proven to be good for the skin. It is commonly used for cosmetics.

Jericho (Palestine)

My favorite Bible story when I was a kid was the Battle at Jericho. My parents used to act out the scene. I would laugh so hard when they would pretend to fall which symbolised the walls of Jericho falling.

When I got there, I was expecting to see those famous walls but to my surprise, nothing was left. There's a new city built on top of the walls already.

The city of Jericho today

Gideon Cave 

According to the Bible, this was the site where soldiers were tried and selected for the war against the Midianites. 

Bet She'An National Park is one of the oldest cities in Israel. It looks a lot like Europe because it was patterned after the Greeks. As soon as you walk in, you will see the columns. It was first conquered by the Romans followed by Egyptians but it burnt in a fire during the Byzantine period. 

My not so little brother

This used to be a theatre

The parents