The rose of Jericho

Well, I just went with it – on the winding road descending from Jerusalem to the Judean Desert, I found myself going down to the Jericho Inn Hostel.

An amazing experience in the north part of the Dead Sea, basked in historic sites and modern desert agricultural-tourism, a visit to these wonderful hostel rooms near Jericho, in a village called Vered Jericho was just what I needed. The village’s name, apparently – fits the scenery – “Vered” in Hebrew means a “Rose”… It is a welcoming warm house, a comfortable and cozy place to stay with family and friends.

The hostel overlooks one of the best views this land has to offer. So many locations around – it’s hard to decide where to begin with: The interesting monastery “Deir Hajila” of the Byzantine period, with its ancient mosaic floor. Next to it, is the Baptismal Site on the Jordan River – “Qasr al-Yahud” – the source of all holy water in Christianity.

The hostel is also conveniently close to Dead Sea, and in the midst of a modern desert-agriculture area. An agricultural tour is offered as well by Gary – the hostel’s owner husband, amongst his desert-grown crops, just around the corner.

The owner of the hostel provides her guests with a friendly and kindly hosting experience.
We were staying there with friends, with which we went for a ride in this charming area.

I couldn’t stop myself from admiring the splendor of this land, its history & culture, all embedded in this primal striking desert landscape. So much history… so much natural grandeur… It got me thinking – when was the last time I’ve spent to see the Israeli desert?

I’ve answered myself…

Well, I should defiantly do it some more than.

Hagar Songo