Day 16 - Mom and I went to the Dead Sea. We made a quick stop at Qumran, but figured that it wasn't worth the hassle to get in just to see the cave where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We headed further south to Masada -- neither of us had a desire to go the top so it ended up being another quick stop. Before reaching the southern furthest reaches of the sea we found a place to pull off so that mom could had herself a little wade in the Dead Sea. I got myself a handful or two of the water and couldn't believe how strange it felt. It was oily, dense and took ages to dry once it was on my skin. Such odd stuff! The landscape in the area is very peculiar, but actually reminds me a little of central Washington near the Dry Falls area. Because it is so far below sea level it is typically about 10 - 20 degrees hotter than Ramallah.

After working our way back from whence we came, we headed to Jerusalem for lunch. I was able to revisit one of my favorite places, and a place that I have mentioned before, Askadinya. Mom and I were starving by the time we arrived and thoroughly enjoyed our meals there (as usual). The Mt. of Olives was next on the agenda; however by the time we got there all the various churches and chapels were closed so we could only see them from afar. We made it over to the Jewish cemetary that lines the southern half of the mountain and probably has one of the best views of the Old City in all of Jerusalem... stunning!!

Day 16 - O threw a surprise birthday party for V. He is such a ridiculously good organizer it was beautiful. We caravaned with Makazi to their house in Kowber (a small village NW of Ramallah) and the day ended up being perfect to spend some time outside in their lovely garden. V was definitely surprised and we all had a wonderful time eating luscious homemade Palestinian food, smoking a mix of nargileh, and trying to understand and speak Arabic. What strikes me about being with V's inlaws is just how helpful and hospital they all are, especially the men in the family. O and his brothers ensured that everyone was happy and taken care of and when the women of the family tried to help they wouldn't allow it. I love seeing the amount of respect that they all give the "elders" -- serving them first, making sure they are comfortable. I have such a huge amount of respect and admiration for them.