"Sunsets in Israel" by talmid

Israel has the most beautiful and romantic sunsets I have seen so far. I just like sitting to see how the sun goes down the horizon as the sky turns red. Well, most of the time I have to sit alone, but I enjoy them just the same. In the main picture you can see the city of Caesarea, in the coast of Israel (see the towers). I took this picture from inside the Palestinian territories, so this will give you an idea of how narrow Israel is in some parts. Look carefully....you can even see the security wall...

Send Photo to a Friend

Sunset....somewhere in the road Hebron-Beer-Sheva

The sun is bleeding...

The sky turning into red during a sunset reminds me a legend of my ancestors, that my father used to tell me when I was a child. This legend comes from the place where my parents were born, the Mixteca region in the mexican state of Oaxaca. This region is known as 'the land of the Sun', and the ancient mixtecs used to believe that the sun used to bright all the time over the mixtec land many centuries ago; thus there was no rain, and the land used to be a real desert...

Send Photo to a Friend

Sunset....somewhere in the road Hebron-Beer-Sheva

...negotiations to convince the sun to stop heating the land from time to time failed, so the mixtec people decided to use force to turn their land into a better place to live. Many brave young men tried in vain to fight the sun, and most of them were killed :( One day, a mixtec boy whose name was Zahuindanda came decided to defeat the sun. He approached him with a shell and an arch, and commanded him to set down the horizon. The sun refused, and Zahuindanda took and arrow and with his arch threw it against the sun; the sun was injured, he fell down and started to bleed; his blood was spread on the sky as he was falling, turning it into red...

Send Photo to a Friend

Sunset in Nitzanim Beach, Israel

...but, did the sun die? No. The sun is powerful, and an arrow is not enough to kill him. After some hours he recovered and rose up the horizon, now in the opposite side to take Zahuindanda by surprise. But Zahuindanda was a great warrior, and he fought the sun again...the same episode was repeated, and the sun was injured again, and again. But the rain was able to come because the sun lost power, and agriculture started to be practiced by the mixtecs, and their animals had something to eat, all thanks to Zahuindanda. The mixtecs think that their hero still exists, and that he bravely continues the eternal fight with the sun.

If you ever travel to the Mixteca region, pay attention to the ceramics...now you will understand why you will see the sun and a man depicted in many pottery pieces. If you ever travel to Israel, stop when the sun is about to set down...and take time to watch one of the most beautiful natural wonders that we have on this earth. Even the little Prince (check the book by A. S. Exupery) used to love the sunsets too...
If you know of a place with beautiful sunsets, let me know. I will be happy to visit that land and sit down to contemplate the last rays of the daylight.

THE END