Magen David Adom was an amazing 10 days where much was
learned and most of all, close friendships were formed with the participants
from all around the globe. We missed them so much that this past Shabbat we
already had a mini reunion with the ones volunteering in Tel Aviv!
After our free Shabbat where we finally got to relax after
the intensive MDA course, we met up for Yam le Yam, aka Chof le Chof, aka Sea
to Sea, ie. Walking from the Kinneret to the Mediterranean Sea. Our first stop
was a water hike in the Majarase river which was an amazing way to begin
considering the heat at this time of year.
We then made our way to our first camping site where we were met with a sumptuous dinner before setting up our gear before it got too dark. Sleeping under the stars was a scary thought for some initially, and the first night of open air sleeping saw not a small number of people waking up a few times thanks to the nocturnal wildlife.
After getting up bright and early at 5.30 on Monday morning,
we packed up our camp and had a hearty breakfast before setting out on our long
day of hiking ahead. Shaul our tour guide led up through the trails, with the
highlight of the morning being the climb up the rock face! Finally we had a
well-earned break on a magnificent lookout where we rested under the shade and
let the cool breeze wash over us.
We did another trek for lunch before climbing to the peak of Mount Merom and down the other side to our campsite for the next night. Tonight people chose to sleep in tents and this proved a great idea when the temperature plummeted when it got dark!
On Tuesday we had an easier trail which was mostly downhill.
For lunch, we found a great spot with a nice spring to have a swim in. However,
just as we were settling down, along came 300 goats with their shepherd to
graze and drink in the area! After a good rest, we finished off the hike at our
new campsite and had a beautiful dinner before retiring to bed.
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Wednesday saw our final day of hiking and we started off in
great fashion with lots of water crossings involved. Throughout the hike we had
many dips in the water and during our first break, Ali our guide, made us all
his special camping coffee! We stopped for lunch at a magnificent water hole
where many had a good swim.
We then finished off the water hiking before coming to the final part of the hike, a 25 minute tough uphill to the campsite. While grueling and our calves were aching, the views we got to see were well worth it. Check out the pictures which still don’t do justice to what the human eye can envision!
On our final day of Yam le Yam, we were told to get on our
bikes to finish it off. So we did. Luckily for us, most of the way was
downhill, which allowed us to let loose and enjoy the breeze upon our faces as
we raced down the mountains towards the sea.
When we finally arrived at the end of our journey, we discussed the trip, our highlights and memories before a well-deserved swim in the sea. After a final lunch with our guides, we said goodbye and headed off to our free weekend, ready to put up our feet and recuperate for the next intense week of the program J
