Kibbutz Yahel

Hi everyone, 

This past weekend was my trip to Kibbutz Yahel, which was especially interesting to see because my mom lived there for some time when she lived in Israel!  For those of you who don't know a kibbutz is a collective community usually based off of agriculture.  In the past there would be members who picked tomatoes, members who did laundry, members who watched over the children, etc. However now it is much more of just a community and the members of the kibbutz might not even work in the fields or for the kibbutz at all.  They still have many fields of agriculture but they hire others to work in the fields and it is actually quite a large business.  

I have a ton of pictures of the scenery and only put some of them on here but I wanted to show how even though we were in the middle of the desert there is the ability to grow all kinds of plants and flowers. This is the view outside of our guesthouse. 

 These are the date tree crops there are rows and rows of them! It is crazy to be driving through the desert and not see anything but sand and then come across something like this! 

 These rows of green looking "grass" are actually scallions... there are sooo many of them!

 These giant black spider beetles were EVERYWHERE! It was so gross, especially in the pomelo fields they were all over the place. They are actually kind of tall looking but you can't tell from this picture.

This was the road that we were told not to cross... it is hard to see but there are two fences and between them is no man's land and on the other side is Jordan.  There is a good relationship with Jordan because they have shared the pomelos in the past and have compromised on the land, but we were told not to step on the road because any footprints have to be investigated and the kibbutz can be put under a "general warning" if they are not sure where the footprints came from.

 Pomelos are these big yellow fruits and they are only grown in 3 places in the world (Southern Cali, Israel, and Southeast Asia I believe...). They are the largest citrus fruit and they taste similar to a grapefruit. They are amazzzing but you need a sharp knife to cut them open... I'll have to post a video of me opening one because its really interesting. We picked these pomelos ourselves from the field.

 Here are just some scenery pictures from the Kibbutz and the surrounding views.

 This was the start of our desert hike... it was a little strange walking directly into this vast desert... I would hate to be stuck out here!

 These plants are sooo sharp and they are all over the place so you have to be careful where you step! They spread out and can get stuck on your shoes haha.

Lion King view?  Those trees are the biggest providers of shade... and in fact standing under them the breeze really cools you down, its like a good 15 degrees cooler under them!

No idea where this came from or what it was but it looked cool... maybe its from some tribe in the desert no one knows about...

 Lizard trying hard to blend in, better luck next time! There are actually quite a few animals that live out in the desert such as fox, rodents of a few kinds, gazelles, and many poisonous snakes (7 varieties I think). 

The kibbutz was amazing and had wonderful food.  It was strange because it was alot more modern that I expected. The kids go to a high school down the road quite a ways and there is wireless internet, cars, etc. Anything you would have anywhere else.  When you are on the kibbutz it is easy to forget that you are in the desert, but as soon as you step out its literally nothing.  We had a great time and learned alot and had a wonderful shabbat there and I for sure started my tan!  I have so much to say but I would rather not be boring so if you want to know more about modern kibbutzim then ask me... I like to think I'm an expert now! 

This will be a more studious week and then in 2 weeks off to Eilat and hopefully Petra for Purim vacation!! Stay tuned :)

-B