Negev remix

5.20.08
Today we explored a number of places that I found really beautiful. I got up really early this morning to catch the sunrise over Maktesh Roman. It was beautiful and poignant. While at the crater, i took about 100 pictures. I loved it there. In the morning, we went to Avdat, a Nabatean settlement. The Naboteans were spice traders that used the routes through the Negev. They centered around Petra but had a settlement in Avdat. There were some Christian items there as well, like a church and baptistry. It would be a hard life to live in the hot and arid land.
At Ein Avdat we took a hike up a canyon and then climbed a canyon wall. I thought it would be much more strenuous than it actually was. I had a great time. I don't usually enjoy hiking all that much, but with landscape this stunning, I'd do it all the time.
So far, some of the sites we've gone to have been less interesting than others. Beer-Sheva was one of those. I found a couple of things that would be great for teaching, but the overall vibe of the place was boring.
Arad had an interesting feature, however. It had a temple - like that in Jerusalem, but smaller. This was against the covenant and in complete defiance of the law. What made it worse was that it appears to have a place for two gods. They found an inscription that mentioned "Yahweh and his Asherah." I realized that I, too, can easily become syncretistic by loving consumerism, comfort and air conditioning.
Tomorrow is the Dead Sea, Masada, and En Gedi. These are some of my favorite spots from the last time I was here. So far, the Negev has been my favorite.