Going South to Eilat and Jordan

Dear Friends:

Sorry for the delay. On Sunday morning, we left cold, raining Jerusalem and headed south. Due to the large amounts of rain, we were forced to cancel our trip to Beer Sheva to visit David Ben Gurion's kibbutz and grave - the rain waters filled the wadis and caused flooding, which we saw on the Dead Sea road going south. So, we're in Israel - let us create a new adventure.

First, we went to the Peace Observation Point - a special site along the Arava that connects the Jordanian/Israeli borders. This is a special place created by the Jewish National Fund to help create a better border between these two countries - especially in the issue of water management.

Then we went further south to Kibbutz Lotan, where our guide, David is from. Kibbutz Lotan, situated in the Arava Desert in Southern Israel , is a community based on a modern liberal approach to Judaism that strives to fulfill values of equality between the sexes, equality in work, genuine communication between people and a commitment to environmental concerns and ecology as an expression of Lotan’s Progressive Jewish and Zionist orientation. The Center for Creative Ecology’s work is rooted in “Tikun Olam”-the Jewish concept for repairing and transforming the world. The Center started as a dream and vision. It began with a small desert organic garden, expanded to include a migratory bird reserve and nature trails, and continued to extensive alternative building projects. Kibbutz Lotan and the Center for Creative Ecology sponsor educational groups for short visits, workshops and longer-term, in-depth educational programming. We all were amazed in the incredible work they have been doing.

After a long day's journey, we finally arrived to Eilat to the beautiful Dan Panorama Hotel. The view from my balcony is of the harbor - see the boats:

See the next post about our trip to Petra, Jordan.