I'm Baaack (With Gifts)!

 Dead Sea mud! (I brought some back for you.)

Israel was incredible - floating in the dead sea, riding camels, clubbing in Tel Aviv and exploring ancient ruins in Jerusalem. And despite the amazing friends I made (both American and Israeli), it sure feels good to be home. I am currently taking a long sabbatical from hummus, catching up on sleep and reveling in the comparatively crisp 80 degree air.

As promised, I brought you something to make up for the long absence and to show my enormous appreciation to all of you who follow my silly musings. So, for The Well-Appointed Catwalk's very first giveaway, one of you will be receiving a whole boatload of products from Ahava, an Israeli company that uses salts, muds and minerals from the Dead Sea to create some delicious skincare and bath products.

The loot includes Dead Sea Mineral Mud, plus multiple samples each of Honeysuckle & Lavender Velvet Cream Wash, Dead Sea Liquid Salt, Gentle Body Exfoliator, Cleansing Cream and Purifying Mud Mask. To enter, just leave a comment below and follow me through Google Friend Connect (to the right) or Twitter. I'll pick a winner randomly on Sunday, August 29.

I promise to post on Israeli design soon, but until then, you can click through to see some of my touristy photos.

Jerusalem's Old City

 Goodies at the Mahane Yehuda marketplace [photo stolen from a friend]

The pretty camel that carried me through the Negev Desert

Sunrise hike up Mount Masada [also stolen from a friend]

 These guys like to park their rabbi-adorned vans on city streets, blast techno music and dance. 

They think this will hasten the arrival of the messiah. Yeah, good luck with that.

 A view of Tel Aviv