Best travel portal on the web featuring best travel sites, travel packages, travel guides, travel tips, weekly travel newsletter, travel webcams, and much more!
November 11, 2009

Home * Travel Deals * Website of the Week

Webcams * Travel News

WHERE'S JOHNNY JET?                    Masada
KEY: BOLD = PICTURE, HYPER LINK = WEBSITE

HOUSE KEEPING: Remember when you click on the pictures in "Where's Johnny Jet," they will open up in another window. Just click the "x"(close) in each picture to get back to the newsletter. This should alleviate complaints about closing Johnny Jet. Thanks again for your support, and remember: If you book trips on the web, please go through JohnnyJet.com. (It will save you money).
Google
 
Web JohnnyJet.com


Join Our Mailing List
Email:


Web Resources

Printable Version of Full Newsletter.

Page 1 | 2 | 3



Shalom from Israel! I continue to tell you about my amazing trip to the Holy Land. This week we head to the Dead Sea, Masada and Bethlehem which is in Palestine.

DRIVE TO MASADA
In case you missed it, last week we left off from Jerusalem. Using our hotel as a home base, we made a couple day trips to popular (and unpopular) attractions. Our first trip was to Masada. Our guide, Amir, picked Natalie and I up at 8:30am for the 75-minute drive. To get to Masada we had to drive past the lowest place on earth, the Dead Sea.



CAMEL PHOTO OP
The highway for the descent was brand new and wide. Along the way we passed sea level markers and many Bedouin camps – here the Bedouins live in shacks, not tents. To take a quick break and a photo op for Natalie on a camel, we stopped at a sea level sign. The photo op was 15 Shekels, but we gave him 10 and he took it.

JORDAN
The road then turned into this picturesque drive that reminded me of the California coast. We drove along the Dead Sea. As we passed a huge section of palm trees, we saw the AHAVA Israeli Cosmetic factory that uses Dead Sea minerals (their products are popular in the States). We were so close to Jordan (on the other side of the Dead Sea) that my cell phone got a welcome text message stating: “Enjoy GPRS Services to assist you during your stay in Jordan.”

MASADA
Masada is a huge tourist draw and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The word ‘masada’ means ‘fortress’ in Hebrew. Masada is the site of a complex of palaces built by King Herod the Great around 37 BC. He designed it as a refuge in the event of an attack against him since he was a friend of the Romans. Although the remains are basically a pile of rubble, you can see it was more than a safe haven. Today it’s a symbol of Jewish heroism since this was the site of the Jewish rebels’ last stand against the Romans. Instead of being defeated, at the very end they committed mass suicide (supposedly two women survived, by hiding in a well, to tell the story).

GETTING UP AND DOWN MASADA
To get to the top of the 1,300-foot (400-meters) high palace, we took the 3-minute cable car that leaves every 15 minutes. It costs 67 INS for a return ticket, 49 INS for a one-way or 25 INS if you want to walk up and down. I walked down by myself, which took 25 minutes. The path was steep at parts and my fear of heights kicked in so bad at one point that my knees were shaking. It was the middle of the day, so I was all by my lonesome for the descent. But, I did pass 7 hikers walking up (3 of them Americans) who gave me motivation. TIP: Bring sunscreen, a hat and water and go early in the morning.

1 | NEXT PAGE >>> | 3

*PLEASE tell us what you think of this trip!





Copyright 2009 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pictures From

The Trip

 

Drive To Masada

 

Palm Trees

 

AHAVA

 

Beautiful Drive

 

Masada

 

Cable Car

 

Kids Walking Down

 

View From Top

 

One of the Palaces

 

What It Used To Look Like

 

Walking Down

 

HOUSEKEEPING

This Newsletter is sent by permission only. If you wish to subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription at any time, please login HERE. If you have any questions or suggestions please send message addressed to Johnny@JohnnyJet.com

Join Our Mailing List
Email:
Editor-In-Chief
Johnny Jet

Editor
Natalie Bahadur
About JohnnyPublicityNewsletter ArchiveMy MomPhotogalleryContact Us
Johnny's BookBlogBookmark Us BannersSuggestions