New Mexico is Cultured

A couple days ago I heard on the radio about the concert last night in Santa Fe. Bach and Boccherini, guitar and strings. It sounded really terrific, but by Friday afternoon it was already sold out.

Instead we went down to the Route 66 casino. Tickets for Fighworld 15, a cage fighting match, were available at the door. Missed a few of the fights because of the line at the box office, but most of the rest of them were very good.

Saw a lot of rear naked chokes, one guy knocked down by a right cross to the jaw, and a few choke outs where the fellow on the ground worked his legs up until they were around the other fellow's neck. I would use more correct terminology, but am no expert in these matters.

Hermione turns death-eater, kills Harry

Have you finished the book yet?

Machine

Earthmoving equipment is pretty. Especially when it is red.

Amsterdam door

Doors are photogenic.

Pitcher

Ein Kerem has many artists. This is a view of some items one of them had outside of the studio.

Cistern

This is where they stored water on Masada. You can see how it was possible to have swimming pools even in the desert.

So that is what dehydration feels like

After visiting Masada there was some spa time. The Meridien hotel in Ein Bokek has a very reasonable spa. One of the interesting things about Dead Sea spas, as opposed say to L.A. Spas, is that there are people there who really need medical treatment. The Dead Sea waters are known to be beneficial for skin diseases and so on.

The massage therapist I got seemed to be good one, and the soak in the Dead Sea waters afterwards was a nice addition. We later went to another Spa, the one at Ein Gedi, where we went into the Dead Sea itself. The water was even saltier than in the treatment pool at the Meridien, it was almost viscous with salt. Ein Gedi has do it yourself mud treatments as well.

A high point was walking back from the beach to the mud area after taking the tractor pulled cart. The water from the showers I used to get the salt out of my eyes was quickly evaporating as I walked along. It felt rather primordial to be in the desert sun with nothing but trunks on. Ignoring the paved road was actually possible, if you concentrate on the hills in the distance.

I had not counted on the cumulative effect of all of those dehydrating things though, the hike, the massage, the time in the sun. On the drive back to Jerusalem I drank a liter and a half of water, and at dinner a bit later a similar amount again. It was hard to believe that one could be that low. The dinner at Marrakesh was excellent by the way, probably the best Hummus we have ever had.

Since then we have gone to see the Chagall windows, the village of Ein Kerem (very pretty), flown to Holland, wandered Amsterdam, eaten Indonesian food, and just today visited Haarlem.