Polamalu Vs Masada

We flew out of Armenia, our first flight since our initial flight to Russia, to Israel where we met up with both sets of parents.  My parents were going on a formal tour, but had built in time to meet up for dinner.  Chris' parents decided to have a go at 'budget style' travel with us.  Thankfully, we were able to get both sets of parents together for dinner before mine set off on their own itinerary.  It was really nice relaxing and catching up in Tel Aviv, but the real adventure started when we headed for Ein Gedi (Dead Sea area).  It was there that the saying, "If you can't run with the big dogs, then stay on the porch," would get played out on the big stage.  The following is a play by play account of those events. (NOTE: No professional football players were injured during the writing of this story.)

Team Leseman and Team Vasallo Unite

It's half past five in the morning and Polamalu positions himself squarely in front of his opponent. His rival stands as big as a mountain, daring him to take the first step. This foe laughs in his face, as Polamalu glares sternly ahead. He looks behind him to see the first haze of light high above the arrid land. That's the signal. The game has started. It's time to climb.

Masada Snake Path (Dead Sea at top of pic)

BLUE 42! BLUE 42! HIKE.....HIKE! That becomes his mantra, repeated like a tymphony in his head. Only a few more yards until the first down. He loses ground as he slips on the dry sand, falling back a few hash marks. But gotta push through. The clock is ticking and the ref isn't calling any timeouts.

The odds are against him. Drops of perspiration mark the ground like gingerbread crumbs, as they fall rapidly to the Earth. His heart is aching, straining for blood, but the sun refuses to stop the game. He crosses the 50 yard line. The giant sneers, but Polamalu isn't giving in to his intimidations.

He glances at the clock. Two minute warning. He can taste the chalk that marks the goal line in his mouth. Game on. With 43 seconds to spare, he passes the threshold of the end zone. TOUCH DOWN!!! During his dance, the sun breaks over the stands. BZZZZZZ!!!!! Game over. 

Polamalu 6. Masada 0.

Chris & Chris' Dad, Ryck "Polamalu"

LOGISTICAL STUFF:

If you want to climb "The Snake Path" up to Masada early in the morning, you have to take private transport, either a hired car or taxi. We took a taxi and prearranged for him to pick us up at 4:55am to arrive at Masada by 5:15am (15 minute drive from The Ein Gedi Youth Hostel). You buy your ticket for entry at the ticket office at the start of the path. (You then buy your cable car ticket separately at the top of Masada.) 

According to the driver, it would take anywhere between 45 - 75 minutes to climb to the top, depending on your athletic abilities. We reached the top at exactly 6:27am (72 minutes). We initially asked the driver to pick us up at 9:15 (giving us 4 hours for both the climb and seeing Masada), but that really wasn't enough time. In retrospect, we wish we had asked him to pick us up at 10:00am. Those extra 45 minutes would have given all of us time to watch the film down at the bottom of Masada (near the entrance) and venture down the stairs to the Northern Palace that clings to the cliff. 

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Press HERE For System Restart

Admittedly, there were a few setbacks and the staff didn't return to their positions as quickly as expected, but this announcement serves as restart of the blog production line.  Our current environment is more conducive to work activities, as the inter web facilities are available and somewhat reliable.  So let's roll the clock back and post by post make our way to the present.

The backlog started back in our final days in ARMENIA.  We had experienced numerous random acts of kindness from all sorts of strangers.  Those encounters alone are probably enough to justify a visit from fellow backpackers. But, for someone who enjoys visiting old churches I would say it's definitely worth your time.  Surprisingly, we never got tired of visiting all the churches.  We walked through the forest to some and took "the world's longest cable car" through mountainous canyons to others. It was good times searching out all the churches and seeing all the scenery along the way.

Here are some photos of holy sites and other things we saw while we traversed the country:

Noravank

Saint Hripsime Church

Sevanavank

Haghpat Monastery

Matosavank Monastery

LOGISTICAL STUFF:
SOLO TRAVELERS:
Public transport is pretty limited and you'll probably find most of the marshrutkas (mini-buses) to be full unless you catch them at their original departure point.  We found hitchhiking to actually be easier and safer than the erratic driving of taxi or marshrutka drivers.  It was foreign to us at first, but we quickly learned that it was practically another form of public transport.

GROUP TRAVELERS:
Renting a car in Yerevan (the only place to do it) is probably the best option.  Although you'll miss out on the hitchhiking encounter, you'll get to see more of the country and get more out of your time.  Also, the local bus schedules don't always link up right, so you could end up waiting for your next bus for a few hours at the station.  Also, if you're more than 2 people it becomes almost impossible to hitch a ride since you won't all fit in a single vehicle.

ALL TRAVELERS:
We found it very customary to be offered homemade vodka from our guesthouse host or even from complete strangers when we were hiking.  From our experience, it was always harmless and safe, but drinking 40-50% proof shots can quickly send you into a very bad world. We enjoyed a shot or two, but there were definite occasions when we politely declined, which translates into saying, "no thanks" about 20 times (no exaggeration).

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