Hitchhiking in Israel? Surely a recipe for disaster…
Desert escape...
I was ready to escape city life and religious sites for a while, and enter rural territory. Despite coming to Israel in the heat of the summer I wanted to get out into the desert. There’s something mystical about the desert environment that I feel drawn to. The harsh qualities of the landscape really puts us as mere z humans in place. Being out in the desert with no distractions is also the perfect place to reflect and be alone with your thoughts.
The Maktesh..
I’d researched a place called Mitzpe Ramon- a quirky small town in the Negev Desert with access to hiking trails on the edge of a “Maktesh” which is a kind of valley or crater formed over time by erosion due to its geology. Anyway, it looked cool and was an escape out of urbanisation, which after the intensity of Jerusalem I desperately needed.
Getting to Mitzpe Ramon by bus..
To get to Mitzpe Ramon from Jerusalem I needed to take two buses. The first was an hour long ride to a town called Beer Sheva. From here it was another hour and half to Mitzpe Ramon. As it was a Sunday the bus station and buses were jam packed with young IDF soldiers returning to their army bases (many of which are out in the Negev desert) after the weekend. All Israelis are required to complete National Service when they leave school- men for three years and women for two.
It was quite surreal to see so many young men and women in their late teens with huge guns slung over their shoulders all in green and blue uniforms. I felt like I was in the hunger games or 1984 or something. My bus filled up very quickly, the Israelis having no reservations about pushing and shoving their way on the bus, I was lucky to get one of the last seats.
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Mitzpe Ramon
Mitzpe Ramon is a strange town set out in the desert on the edge of a crater with a population of just 5,000 people. There’s not a whole lot here but that’s the appeal. It has a slight hippie vibe with an artists quarter, although in summer the town shuts down a bit. Apparently in Winter it’s much more lively.
I arrived to one of the the only hostels in town – The Green Backpacker set right on the edge of the Crater with only one other backpacker staying- a young German passionate about hiking, and was greeted by the owner who explained the hiking trails. She said because it’s summer I should stick to the shorter two hour hike and I’d have to start it early- at 6am is best otherwise the heat becomes incredibly uncomfortable. The hike would take me down along the bottom of the crater and eventually if I followed the signs I’d emerge out onto a road. “And the way back is to hitchhike”.
Err say what?! My face must have said it all because she quickly replied with “hitchhiking in Israel is perfectly safe and normal on the outskirts of towns.” Hmm, I’m sure I’ve heard that line before. Bear in mind I am a horror film fanatic with an active imagination.
Hiking the Maktesh…
The next day I got up bright and early. The trail wasn’t too physically demanding and there were regular markers to show the way, lbut I had to be careful as there wasn’t a path as such- it was very rocky and there was lots of rubble making it easy to trip.
I didn’t have hiking boots but my converse held up well. In the wetter, muddier months hiking boots would be essential. The sunrise made the view extra special as I started my hike down into the valley.
I enjoyed stopping at various intervals and listening to the complete silence around me.
The hike ended at a natural water pool where I sat and watched some blue and red dragonflies.l flit over the water’s surface.
Hitchhiking in Israel..
As the heat rose it was time to return to town, and the only way for me to get back (other than hiking back which would mean a very steep hike in intense heat) was by hitchhiking.
If I had been attacked I don’t think anybody would have much sympathy for me to be honest. “I see… so let me get this right… you were hitchhiking alone in the desert in Israel?”
It’s one of those things that on paper sounds stupid and ridiculous, but in reality it’s just the way things get done. Not everywhere is like the UK and sometimes you just have to do things differently. I stood rather awkwardly by the roadside. Not many cars were passing- one every five minutes and most were headed in the opposite direction. I avoided lorries and trucks as in my mind that’s well and truly horror movie territory.
However I soon started to worry less about who would pick me up and more about when- the heat was getting intense. Death by murder or dehydration? Take your pick. Eventually a couple pulled by the roadside. I put thoughts of Fred and Rose West out of my mind, checked there weren’t any weapons in the back seat and hopped in for my ride to town where I got a lovely coffee and Danish pastry as a reward for my hard work!
Pretty desert sunsets
That afternoon there wasn’t much else to do – rest, listen to music, drink coffee, read. Until the golden hour- the hour before sunset is the prettiest to sit overlooking the Crater. I sat listening to music watching the colours change as the sun set deeper in the horizon. I stayed out until it was dark and the stars made their appearance. After enjoying the starry sky I returned to the Hostel for a glass of wine and a good nights sleep.
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