The following day they arranged a hire car and made plans for the five days they'd be travelling on wheels. Their main goal was to head southwards to Eilat and the Red Sea, and also to feel a bit of warm sunshine.
They set off early the next day and made their way to Jerusalem and after making an overnight stop there, hit the gas pedal for the long journey south. By early evening they'd arrived in the region of the Dead Sea. The temperature difference between the kibbutz they'd left and the below sea-level valley they were now in was incredible - it was warm enough for shorts.

They spent the night in a youth hostel at the foot of Masada, the ancient Jewish stronghold against the Romans, and were up again before dawn to make the steep 400m ascent to the top. They made it up in time to see the sunrise, which had been their main aim. They stayed on the plateau for some time, inspecting all the ancient ruins and mosaics before walking back down to the hostel, collecting their bags and hitting the road again. His friend was amazed at the scenery - the vast desert, the mountains on either side of the valley and the colours of the stones. It was very impressive.