Click here for Wikipedia's entry on Avdat
This was still only the second day in Israel. We've already been to Beer Sheva, Tel Arad, Mamshit, the Wilderness at Tzin, and now Avdat. Plus spent the night at a really nice hotel in Mizpe Ramon and had two gorgeous meals. You get an idea of the pace of this trip. And to try to absorb all the information being shared by Mickey and by Pastor Paul, I have to trust God that He will give me the power to remember what He wants me to remember.
Anyway, Avdat was fascinating, with its commanding position at the top of a hill, a view of the valley below, and its ancient architecture. It had been built by the Nabateans, and later occupied by the Romans. During the Byzantine period a church was built here, the ruins of which are apparent. It was a fairly large city by the standards of the time, and affluent. The Nabateans prospered from the spice trade such that they were well off.
Left Behind
Ever wonder what it feels like to be left behind in a foreign country? In the middle of the desert? With no water or food? Here's where I got a taste of that experience.
This being only the second day in Israel, I hadn't gotten a feel yet for the pace of the group. Mickey, our guide, had warned us pretty clearly to stay with the group, so I really have no one to blame but myself. I got too involved in taking pictures - fascinated with the columns, the broken-down pillars, the arches and the whole interestingness of the place, when I started to notice that I didn't see any of my friends around anymore. I started back towards the bus, and... the bus wasn't there. "OK, don't panic, there has to be an explanation for this..." I told myself. But I saw nobody around at all except for a few strangers. I looked down at the bottom of the hill, where there was a gas station and a place to eat, plus a little museum/visitor center. "Now what does our bus look like?" There were several buses, some of which were leaving. "That couldn't be my bus, could it?"
The only logical thing to do was to walk down the hill. I don't know, maybe a mile, maybe less, paved road, shouldn't be a problem, right?. All the while I'm walking I'm wondering "did they drive off and forget me?" "Nah, that couldn't happen. They're just teaching me a lesson, that's it."
Anyway, I walked down the hill, and thoughts are going through my mind, like "I wonder what it would be like to be stranded here, in Israel? Could I get back home?" I made it towards the bottom of the hill and started to recognize our bus. I found our group gathered in an outdoor patio having lunch, and walked in and sat down. "Hi. Glad I found you." Turns out, a few of the people had to go to the bathroom really bad, and couldn't wait. Mari said she figured I could handle it, so they took off, figuring I'd do exactly what I did do. A happy ending.
Shoot Like a Tourist
One thing I resolved to do from this little lesson: shoot like a tourist. Don't get overly involved in being a creative artist when you're on a tightly-packed tour with twenty other people and a schedule to keep. That's just dumb. And probably selfish too. After that, it never happened again. Which explains why I got so many "just OK" pictures. But I had a great time getting them.
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