Eilat

I just got back last night from three days in Eilat. I went with Leora and Laura, and met Rose and Dan down there. Eilat is the southern most point of Israel, situated right on the Red Sea. The city has a population of only about 60,000 people, but it is a very touristy city. It is absolutely hopping in the summer. For this reason, it is also very secular. Buses even run here on Shabbat and almost everything is open. We stayed in a really nice hostel close to the beach. One of our roommates was a woman in her 60s though--a little odd! It took us about 4 1/2 hours by bus to drive down to Eilat--through the Negev and along the Dead Sea. The scenery in Eilat is amazing...it is surrounded by desert and mountains, that truly reminded me so much of El Paso. Yet between these mountain ranges is the beautiful Red Sea! The Red Sea is bordered by Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. I was so close to Jordan and Egypt I honestly felt like I could have swam there if I were so inclined! It was incredible. Thursday we hung around on the beach, explored the boardwalk, and went to an Irish bar with a live band playing American rock! On Friday we went on a four hour cruise. They anchored in the middle of the sea and let us jump out and play around in the water, and fed us a delicious lunch (classic Mediterranean..grilled meat, pita, hummus, different vegetable salads, and rice). They had mentioned once we anchored that we could jump off the the tip of the boat..this particular location was surrounded by heavy chains and in very near proximity to the anchor. I really wanted to job into the water, but it didn't seem the safest. So I asked them if I really could job from there, and they said "Of course!" So I did, and it was fun, but it's very funny how there seem to be no regulations here!! That never would have flown in the states. After the cruise we rented a paddle boat for an hour. Friday we went to a dolphin reef, and went snorkeling with dolphins!! The dolphin reef is a big tourist destination--it's a large enclosed area in the sea that is home to 8 dolphins, and there is a beautiful private beach there. So we put on wet suits, flippers, goggles, and snorkels and followed an instructor into the water! Unlike some places in Orlando or Cancun, we weren't allowed to actually touch or grab onto the dolphins (we also paid a lot less than at those places!) But they swam so close to us--it was amazing. It's incredible to say that I swam with dolphins in the Red Sea, where Moses fled to with the Jews after leaving Egypt! We hung out at the beach for a little while longer, and then took the long trip back home.