November 23rd, 2019
Today is the last day of the trip for Brendan! It’s hard to believe that after all this time, our adventures and our trip are coming to an end. It has gone by incredibly fast. Brendan is going home for some party bus business while I have a little more time. It is going to work out for him to be able to surprise his family for Thanksgiving which is really cool.
We could not have asked for a nicer day to end our journey traveling together! Eytan and two of his friends took us on a day trip to Golan Heights which is in Northern Israel right on the border of both Syria and Jordan. We had perfect weather and stopped at the store for some supplies before making the two-hour car ride up North. We passed the Sea of Galilee which was interesting and took some pictures even though it was a little hazy.
We passed another point of interest that was supposedly where Jesus turned water into wine. We stopped at an active Army base that had an amazing view looking far into Syria! Eytan and his friends talked to the soldiers that were stationed there and although they did not let us into the base, we still got an amazing view. It was really a trip because Syria is such an “off limits” place to travel in since it can be so dangerous. Seeing it with our own eyes from this vantage point was quite an experience. We had binoculars and could look right over the border to the Syrian villages. At this time, it looked as though nothing was going on in Syria (the part that we could see) and it was super quiet. However, Eytan told us about a year ago you could go to that spot and just watch missiles fly through the air as they were just blowing each other up in civil war. Totally crazy.
After this we went to another spot which was an old military bunker that had historical significance and a memorial for the War of Yom Kippur.
This also had really great panoramic views and a perfect spot for us to have lunch. Eytan and his friends prepared a local dish for us called shakshuka, and it was totally delicious. It is a thick red sauce dish with tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion, eggs and cheese that we had with bread. We had a very nice afternoon there before moving on to another spot right on the Jordan border.
At the next spot we parked the car and walked along the Jordan border to some “secret” hot springs.
The hot springs were super-hot, and I watched from the side as all the guys got in. Another local who was there gave me a cup of Chai tea from his thermos and we stayed there until after dark. It was a bit of a drive back home but we stopped for coffee and chocolate to break it up. We had fun hanging out and listening to music on the way home. Once back to Ra’anana the guys showed us their favorite shawarma place and it was indeed delicious! Probably our favorite food in Israel so far. The portions were huge and we ate until we could not fit another bite.
This was an amazing last day together, and I am so thankful for Eytan and his friends for making it fun and special for us!