Bish and I drove to Mitzpe Ramon today. With a heavy heart we packed up the meager belongings we had collected in our little apartment there and loaded them into our little van. Then we returned the keys to the landlord. We went for a last look over the edge of the Crater and headed back home.

The landlord is quite fond of us. He suggested we come down to one of his holiday villas as his guests. We will. We still love Mitzpe Ramon, even if we can’t get down on a regular basis.

On the way back we stopped at a little place for a bite to eat. It was set out Bedouin-style with cushions on the floor. We had pita, laban’e, yoghurt, salad, olives and herbal tea. I love these places because you sit comfortably and you don’t feel obliged to leave in a hurry. In Sinai you can sit in a Bedouin cafe all day reading a book, and order just a glass of sweet tea.

This was a new place. We’d often driven past that spot and had never seen it before. The proprietor seemed uncomfortable to be serving people. He was a bit gruff, but in a vulnerable, endearing sort of way. It crossed my mind that he might have been a retired army officer, more used to giving orders than receiving them.

Now we have to figure out where to put all the stuff we brought home.