At the Lookout

Israeli/Jordanian Border

Early in the morning before work, Eyal took us to the “Lookout”.

The hills are majestic. The sunrise is indescribable. Everything is golden. The hills, the stones, the earth. Jerusalem is the city of gold, but this is the land of gold. We drive along the winding roads towards the plantation. Roads that were once, and sometimes still are, pathways for camels, donkeys, and sheep. The soft morning light mingles with Eyal and Ran’s voices as they tell us about the history, about the ancient Israelites, prophets, and royalty who could have hidden or taken refuge in the caves and mountains that we pass. We come to a gate and Eyal gets out of the car to unlock it. We ride along the bumpy road towards the lookout. Here we see rows and rows of perfect date palms lined up against more of the mountains. Somewhere hidden among it all is the Jordan River, the border. Fifty years ago this land was empty-a waste, a scorched desert valley. Look at it now.

The view is amazing. From here we could see the Jordan River and over into Jordan.