Stein Family Adventures: Women's Day in the Negev

Friday I went to an event to celebrate women. I went down to Mitzpe Ramon, a town about 25 min south of us. Mitzpe's claim to fame is that it is on the edge of the Maktesh Ramon. A maktesh is an oval canyon. It's kind of like a crater, except craters are formed by impact and makteshes are formed by erosion. I'll save the geology lesson for another time (and probably Jay). Suffice it to say that "it's a maktesh, not a crater" as most people around here will remind you if you utter the word "crater."

Cappucino, chocolate croissants and friends!

Our first stop was a coffee shop, where we met up with the group, 30-40 women altogether. I was surprised to realize that I knew about a dozen of them--starting to feel a little bit a part of this place. Almost as exciting was the discovery of the coffee shop itself. Aroma is a sort of Israeli Starbucks, except with fresh, delicious salads and sandwiches. Remember that we live in a town with only one simple restaurant (hummus and falafel stand) and a coffee store (but take-out, not wi-fi, hang out and schmooze kind of place). This Aroma is a 15-min drive from my house, has a big shady area with couches for relaxing, and is open 24/7. This is a game-changer. If we don't want to cook, or forget to shop by 2 Friday when the store closes until Sunday, we have an option!

Next we went to tour a new hotel, the Isrotel Ramon. It's very upscale, with units perched right on the edge of the crater. They say it's opening the 17th. I'm surprised they had time to give us a tour.

Isrotel Ramon units overlooking the Maktesh

The lobby in progress

Next, we went to a more bohemian setting, a part of town where former factories have been transformed into a little arts colony. There are dance, yoga and meditation studios, art galleries, two restaurants, a clothing store, even a fancy organic soap maker. A dancer led us in relaxation and free movement.

The dance studio and lounge

Another cool coffee shop!

The dance studio also host other groups. I picked up a dozen flyers, not sure exactly what they are until I run them through google translator, but pretty sure there's a Negev version of Burning Man. This afternoon, there was a group doing something that involved a lot of paint.