Kibbutzing, hiking and snorkelling

View of the whole kibbutz from the top of the mountain

We got to Kibbutz Ketura on Thursday after a 4 hour drive. Kibbutz Ketura is located 30 minutes north of Eilat. It was founded in November, 1973 (at the end of the Yom Kippur war), by a small group of North Americans who had just finished their gap year program through Young Judaea.  Most of the Kibbutz members made Aliyah from North America, although there are people from South America, 

The whole experience on the kibbutz was amazing!! They first gave us a tour of the Kibbutz, from the Dairy farms, to the solar fields.  Then we went to one of the only factories in the world where an algae that slows cancer down is produced. 

The cows on the kibbutz

After the tour, we climbed a mountain behind the Kibbutz where they have 7 barrels they light on fire which they use as a menorah for Hanukkah. 

Mountain that we climbed up behind the kibbutz

View of Kibbutz ketura from the mountain that we climbed

Me and Zmira on a mountain behind kibbutz ketura

Me and Eytan on a mountain behind kibbutz ketura

On Friday we went on a hike in Eilat, to a mountain (Har Tzfachot), where you can see four different countries. It was a two hour hike, and when we came down we went to the red sea and went snorkeling in a coral reef. It was my first time going snorkelling, I saw so many fish, sea horses.  We then had time to get ready for Shabbat, and walk around the Kibbutz. 

On Har Tzfachot (Jordie,me and Annalise)

Me and Carly on Har Tzfachot 

The view of the Red Sea from Har Tzfachot 

Panorama of the mountains

 Getting ready to go snorkelling

On Saturday we woke up, prayed, and then we had more activities teaching us about the Kibbutz.  That night, we had free time on the Board Walk of Eilat and had the best ice cream ever!! 

When you go to Eilat you have to try this ice cream place!!

Amazing flavours too

The next day we went on a biking trip to the Yotvata Choco factory! Yotvata has a great restaurant on the beach in Tel Aviv that I love!!  After biking, we took a bus to Timna Park where the Egyptians mined. It was a great tour and a really great place. Too bad we didn't spend much time there though. We went to the kasui sand dunes after, although it was raining.  We were supposed to be making pita and hummus, except that it was still raining when we got back so we just had pizza in the chadar.  After dinner it stopped raining, and we had a Bon fire. 

 It was a pretty busy day, and a lot of fun!!

Me and Kayla on our bikes

The 'path' we rode on

Yotvata 

Timna park

Timna park

Alina, me and Emily in park timna (all matching)

Timna park

The Kasui sand dunes

On Monday we all had a choice between a bunch of 'artsy' desert activities. The choices were between candle making, film, decompauge, and hiking. I chose to do decompauge, which is basically gluing funky napkins to a pot. 

This is the pot that I decompauged

 We were all really sad to be going back to the Chava.  It meant that we had to go back to the usual routine of school and food. On the bright side, Purim is in a week and a half, and so is Gadna, we have a lot to looking forward to in the upcoming few weeks!!