Kibbutz Vacation

I was watching the Discovery channel last week and I saw the most bizarre thing on the show- the host was hovered over a dead camel searching for the intestines so he could retrieve the water reserve. He found the section of the-might I add- HUMONGUS intestines, slit it open and out came the coveted "water", which was slurped up just way too ambitiously. How fkn gross is that?! (However, it's comforting to know what to do in a jiffy in case I'm stuck in the middle of a desert and am thirsty as hell.)

This dundee fellow proceeded to clean out the insides of the camel (the rest of the gut lumen, intestines, etc.) and since nightfall was approaching, he said he was going to use the camel's skeletal framework as a temporary hut and even skinned the pelt off of the camel and was using it as a blanket to cover himself to safeguard against the night-preying coyotes!

Which brings me to the topic at hand: Israel, which is included in the Mediterranean trifecta of Jordan, Syria, and itself, has an abundance of camels that you can go ride and kill when nightfall approaches (use it for your source of food and shelter; it's cheaper)...but if you want a less humble abode, you can actually vacation on a Kibbutz and either exchange your physical labor for lodging or stay in a hotel for only a few shekels. Even more, one may even get to score a view of the Sea of Galilee outside your window.

After reading on the history of Kibbutzim, I sorta contemplated the idea of being daring and actually vacation there. You know, immerse myself in some culture and they say that the Kibbutz hotels have contributed to a surge of capitalism in Israel (mind you, Kibbutzim only makes up a negligible percentage of Israel ~2 %!!!!)...and that they even have strayed away from the antiquated eco approach to the living arrangements and adopted plasma screen TV's, spas, massage parlors, etc. I mean, seriously people, what a vacation spot...peace, calm, serenity... HOWEVER, per Wikipedia (safe source, right? haha):

"Israel is quite safe for tourists. There is a risk of violence between Israeli Forces and Palestinian Fighters in the west bank and gaza at any time; additionally, there is a slight risk of further military action between Israel and other countries. Currently the situation makes travel safe. Use prudence if you plan to travel to the Palestinian territories. "

Ummm, yeahhh...maybe NOT.

Late,

P