Leaving Tel Aviv Bubble: Negev Desert

Beautiful layered rock formation cut by a water stream. Water remains from last two day's rain

It seems like Tel Avivians think life is centered around central Israel. There is Tel Aviv, and a few suburbs around. Once in a while, we seem to remember there is a beautiful country all around us. We also notice how a three hour trip can take us to a whole different environment. The Israeli Negev desert is a beautiful and calm domain. Mostly empty, with it's own slow pace. After a rain storm, Israelis flock to see what water remains and catch a glimpse of rejuvenated plant life. A few weeks to a month after strong rains, flowers fill large expanses. We call it "red south" (darom adom) - after the large expanses of red poppies flowering for a few days. This year the rains have not yet created the usual flowering. The dry wadis (rivers) collecting rain water from surrounding areas are active with flash floods. Smaller streams usually collect water for a few hours and eventually dry up in days. There are a few beautiful areas where water and wind cut stone canyons. More pictures from this trip in later posts. This is an abstract detail of a small water pool.