After a night out in Tiberias, Mayanot 608 was a bit tired, but the cold stream on our first stop of the day certainly woke us up. As our first activity of the day was a water hike. Rachel and Shaya (our staff from North America) held up the rear as we trekked through the brush of Israeli’s north.
We came across lavender plants, Israeli fig trees and more before we dunked under a man made waterfall.
The view from up top was incredible, just look behind Justin and Craig.
Then we boarded the bus and headed for the kibbutz Misgav Am, directly on the border of Israel and Lebanon. We sat in front of a gorgeous panoramic view of Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. We listened to Aryeh, one of the kibbutz residents, tell his story about how he made Aliyah from the States, fought in the Israeli army and joined the kibbutz. He was an opinionated and honest about his role in the conflict and he definitely left us with much to think about.
Then we headed to Qirya Shemona to the mall for a delicious Israeli lunch and some time to explore the Israeli mall. When we got back, Aidel (our amazing Israeli staff member) taught us two Hebrew words of the day!
Our final stop of the day, and definitely a favorite activity among all of us was the river rafting down the Jordan River. We couldn’t take photos for fear of damaging our cameras, but trust us when we say it was a total blast. Many of us met locals who were parked in beach chairs on the shore and we all had tons of fun weaving along the river’s path.
It was an amazing day two and we can’t wait for more. Tomorrow, Israeli soldiers and students join our group to add a new perspective for the next five days. Can’t wait!
