After a crossing a wide wadi the trail approached an area of red cliffs of some considerable height. Large blocks of sandstone at their base from rock falls discouraged me from getting too close. Then began a long climb up Ma'ale Amram, although the views back in the morning sun across the wadi to Eilat provided some compensation.
Then it was down Nahal Raham, initially a small canyon with one particularly interesting climb down a dry waterfall, the metal rungs taking you down a narrow channel beneath a large bush. Later the wadi opened out and it was gentle, if unexciting stroll down for a few kilometres.
As I walked along, an SUV stopped with a family inside. The driver greeted me, he was a member of the local emergency rescue team, called out by the police if you were in trouble. I was glad such help existed, although hoped I would never need to use it.
I turned off the Israel National Trail to head towards Be'er Ora passing through an old boundary of barbed wire and a modern wire security fence with a yellow gate, a sign of the historic security issues in the area. Following his WhatsApp instructions I arrived at Zohar's house, where I had arranged to stay the night. His garage area was arranged like a Bedouin tent, low cost, good value accommodation advertised on one of the Trail websites. Arriving a little after midday it was a chance to buy some groceries. Only problem being I could not read most of the labels being in Hebrew, with additional words of Arabic. I bought some tortellini (or maybe it was ravioli) to cook for my tea, but could not read the instructions (and Google Translate did no better). As in Britain you cooked the same type of thing in boiling water for three minutes I assumed the same thing would work here. Tasted fine, a cheese filling as it turned out.
I was shocked to discover that my phone charger was no longer working, an absolutely essential piece of equipment to keep my phone charged for safety reasons and as important, for calling my wife each day (both because love her and so that someone would know if I failed to reach a destination). At the little village shop I was most relieved, and surprised to discover they sold phone chargers, and I was able to charge my mobile again (and my kindle and camera).
Be'er Ora itself is a neat, well laid out village, with houses rendered in muted colours to match the desert, and trees planted to soften the lines. Little lanes ran between roads making for a confusing layout if you were unfamiliar with it. I was told the residents mainly work in nearby Eilat, but this was a better place to bring up a family.
18.5 kilometres walked toady with a total ascent of 470 metres according to my GPS.
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