Avi picked us up at 9am with a big smile and some fabulous microfiber capris, and we headed to the Golan Heights to stop at the former Syrian outpost just across the Jordan River from which the Syrians launched the 6 day war in 1967. According to Avi the war was in truth 7.5 days but 6 days “soundz sehxi-err”. The Syrian bunkers were incredibly well fortified and hidden and the entire mountain side is cordoned off with barbed wire to protect civilians from the hundreds of land mines still laying in wait along the rough hillside terrain. We then drove up to the Israeli outpost near the current border of Israel and Syria to observe the battlefield of the Battle of Tears where the 80 tank Israeli 77th Battalion staved off the 100 tank Syrian assault on the Israeli’s the afternoon of Yom Kippur 1973. We saw an amazing film about the battle and how the Israeli’s won with actual footage from the fighting and real radio transmissions, it was deeply moving and terribly sad. We then headed to a Druze village for lunch (best hummus and falafel yet) and drove to the Jordan River for our river rafting excursion.
David, Chloe and Justin took the first raft while Livvy, my mother and I took the second. As I sat down to begin paddling I felt a rush of warm water surround me and looked down to notice that the bottom of the raft was pitted with a few dozen holes to allow for water to rush in and drench your short-clad tush. It was oddly refreshing and annoying at the same time. We spent an hour drifting on the river and laughing as we passed raft after raft filled with tourists and locals speaking in Arabic, Hebrew and English. A foursome of Arab speaking women serenaded us with a song and rhythmic clapping as we paddled past them and Livvy couldn’t stop giggling. Heavenly.
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