A day in the Golan Heights

A sight to behold!

It's wonderful when your spouse really surprises you - Muna had always enjoyed the ride on a horse (or was it a donkey) into the magnificent, enchanting city of Petra in Jordan many years ago, so when I saw an advertisement for horse riding in the Golan Heights, I was truly delighted when Muna was keen to try. With our good friends Mark and Carolina, we headed out on a lovely warm winter day in early January.

The ranch Ramot was truly professional and catered for those who had ridden before, and those who had not. The horses were in excellent shape and after a thorough safety presentation, it was time for the horse to meet Muna.

This is no ride for those who want to canter - it was a circuit overlooking the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) over some very rough terrain- the horses finding their way amongst the many stones.

A little Jack Russell terrier accompanied us all the way and really knew its way around horses.

The path at the start of the ride was the time for learning how to start, turn, make it go faster and stop our horses. After that the terrain became very hilly and rough - a great ride.

Muna is a natural when it comes to riding - even though these were big horses. A Russian mother and her daughters accompanied us on the ride.

The horses are sure footed, even though we were often on the sides of really steep hills - they know their way. We saw lots of wild life but I found out it is really hard to take photos when you are riding a horse! Birds and a fox racing down the hill were a thrill to see.

This is a genuine rock garden! Basalt boulders everywhere. Tough on the shoes of the horses.

Half way around we looked east to the meeting of several water courses, including th "El Al" river - the name of the Israeli carier. Magnificent views from this vantage point.
Archeologists have confirmed that these rocks are from a civilisation that lived here thousands of years ago. Easy to find building materials. Not sure what they ate and how they survived the cold winter nights.

Cattle country - they were not amused when the Jack Russell sorted them out and moved them on out of the way of the horses.

Cyclamens flower in winter, well it is really spring, as we had the most mild but driest Janaury in the past 80 years. Lovely to see these. In a month or so the Golan Heights will be ablaze with wild flowers.

A great lunch after all that exertion - well by the horses anyway.

Then off to an area we have not yet visited - the north-eastern part of Israel near the border of Syria. These are the Golan Heights.

At one point we were right on the border of Syria

Even Allan could work out this was a no-go area!

and this area is patrolled by the United Nations who passed by in one of their vehicles.

To our amazement we came across a wind farm - quite old by the look of the turbines.

We really felt the spectre of war - this area saw intense fighting during the 1967 war. Remnants remain.

And more - not sure if they were left as a reminder of the conquest.

We really felt the high security in this area, as we looked out on Syria, the first glimpse for Allan.

Soldiers no doubt sought shelter and fought in these buildings - they are pock-marked with bullet holes so many died as well.
Areas are still littered with mines and warning signs show you where to venture not.

Further down Jordan borders with Israel and it is a very hilly desolate border - so different from the rich farmland inside Syria a few kilometres north. The road twists and turns and new villages in northern Jordan suddenly appear.

There once was a border crossing bridge - partly destroyed in the war. Note the hilly terrain.
As we appraoched the southern end of the Sea of Galiliee the sun suddenly set, on what was an amazing day in the Golan Heights.
Being winter time, we sometimes get a few really clear days in Haifa. When that happens we can clearly see Mt. Hermon to the north - this is located in Lebanon and is snow capped in winter. A few days this year it was clearly visible from the window of the Office where Allan works. It is the source of water for the river Jordan, not that much actually gets to flow there these days.
The Baha'i World Centre is a lot like some mining towns - people coming and going all the time as staff from over 70 countries come and serve for periods of typically 1 year to 5 years. An Aussie lass from Sydney - Zoha Stafford - served with Allan for the last six months and brought a lot of capability and joy to the Office - it was so sad to say farewell Zoha! All the best with work and your studies.

Stunning Negev Desert – One of Our Favourite Places

We start with comings and goings - we have been truly blessed with lots of visitors recently. Merle Heggie, one of the early Australian Bahá’ís, was on pilgrimage with her son Adrian, and we had a delightful morning tea recalling inspiring memories. This photo is with Jeffrey Safajou – a long term staff member in Haifa.

Shervin Tosif also breezed in – he is riding his push bike across Asia/Europe and flew into Haifa for a break before riding through Austria.

Hooman Zahrai visited his delightful daughter Shade and we were invited to dinner, and had a most wonderful time.

It was also our wedding anniversary in late November and some friends joined us for a luncheon here in Haifa.

Robin Stott of Perth and her daughter Diane were on pilgrimage and we had a delightful day at the Sea of Galilee.
Apart from these dear friends, the real gem of the past few months has been a return to the Negev desert in southern Israel. We scouted out the region in January 2008 and decided that a return visit—this time with 5 additional couples—was well worth it. This map will help identify some of the locations we visited (click on the map to enlarge it).

Being Aussies, all activities revolve around morning and afternoon tea, and we took a small gas burner with us to make delicious Arabic coffee and heat soup for lunch.

No camping with this group, we travel in style! We even took a rice cooker and a microwave oven to cook and heat up delicious food for dinner.

Three friends—Mark, Brian, and Khosrow—took many of these wonderful photos that will give you a glimpse of the remarkable terrain and ancient civilizations that inhabited the region.

First stop was Paula and David Ben-Gurion's home at Kibbutz Sede Boker. Ben-Gurion and his wife moved into their desert home in 1953.

During his twenty-year residence there, the house was enlarged to meet the needs of his work and the reception of the couple's numerous guests. The home dates back to the 1960s and remains exactly as Ben-Gurion left it when he passed away in 1973. Its structure and furniture exude modesty, physical simplicity, and frugality.

The garden landscape has been expanded and is carefully maintained; pathways have been paved for visitors' comfort; maxims from Ben-Gurion's philosophy, and blown-up photographs from the early years of Sede Boker decorate the walkways.

An exhibition entitled "The Negev is the cradle of our nation, dangerously vulnerable and dazzlingly prospective" includes short videos of Ben Gurion's life. One can trace Ben-Gurion's early years in the Russian town of Plonsk; his aliya [immigration] as a pioneer to the Land of Israel in 1906; his rise to Zionist leadership in 1935; and his role as head of the political and military struggle for the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948.

Close by to this desert home are the graves of David and Paula Ben-Gurion which overlook a magnificent valley;

they rest in a landscaped garden in the desert, inhabited by many ibex.

The Nahal Zin is 120 km long and 1550 sq. km. It is the largest wadi (canyon or deep gulley) that begins in the Negev. The Nahal Zin was created by reverse erosion as the great height difference between the Negev Highlands and the Jordan Rift caused the under layers to erode during the rainy season, resulting in the collapse of the harder strata of rock above. The landscape is mostly limestone, consisting of some brown-black layers of flint.
Magnificent rock formations abound, as do the ibex.

The park has a bubbling brook, a waterfall, and pools. Many animals, including birds, reptiles and ibex, are attracted to the fertile banks with their lush vegetation. The park has limited its visiting hours to minimize the adverse impact of human guests on the resident animals.

It is so amazing to hear the sound of running water in an otherwise quiet desert, and to see a waterfall is even more spectacular, even if it is a trickle after a long dry summer.

Not quite Abbey Road (for those Beatles fans who remember the famous album cover) but the name of the game was "follow me"

A group photo

The riverbed has a grove of Euphrates poplars, trees often seen in oases and known for their amazingly diverse-shaped leaves.

The trail through the park is designed so as not to damage the landscape. It runs past caves which were inhabited by monks during the Byzantine period. The complete trail leads from the lower entrance along the river-bed to the upper entrance. On one stretch of the trail, hikers must climb up iron rungs hammered into the rock.

This time a hardy group climbed to the top of the deep gorge at the Ein Avdat National Park – including two vertical ladders fixed to the stone walls of the canyon.

Avdat is a Nabatean city that has bridged the centuries. It sits on the ancient Spice Route between Petra and Gaza. The city was named after the admired monarch Avdat [‘Abdah in Arabic].

It is an enormous city that housed an army of some 2,000 soldiers; caravans of several hundred camels bringing their riches were easily seen from a distance.

These wine vessels date from that period.
Its good to join the locals
and participate in local sporting activities

Avdat is a world heritage site and is larger and more interesting that the smaller city of Mamsheet which we also visited.
It had a natural fortification at the back and a clear view of any approaching army from the front.
No match for the Romans though, who had no great difficulty in occupying the city. With their traditional livelihood gone, the inhabitants of Mamsheet found another way to make a living—raising horses. The residents bred the renowned Arabian horse, which brought great wealth to their city.
The crater at Mizpe Ramon (Makhtesh) is an unusual formation.

The vigorous process of erosion, which swept away the upper strata of the Ramon anticline, penetrated deep into the ground, creating a "window" onto the layers of rock. Makhtesh Ramon also contains evidence of long-ago volcanic activity.
After the obligatory afternoon tea,

we watched the sun go down over the crater and saw a group of Jews celebrate the start of Shabbat with song and readings. Such a spectacular spot in which to reflect on our tiny place in this vast universe.

Brian got up at sunrise to take this photo, while the rest of us slumbered on!

Rain in this desert environment is a very precious and welcome gift. Fortunately, after several dry winters (it does not usually rain between May and October) we had some welcome rain in November and December; these storm clouds attest to the sudden change that can occur from the bright blue skies normally seen over Haifa to this stormy and angry canopy overhead.

Still, we are in the worst drought the country has ever experienced. Even with a little rain the country quickly "greens up" and we hope to travel in the coming weeks to see some northern parts of Israel in winter.

Our warmest greetings for the festive season

and all the very best for 2009.