A Southern Oasis

Israel is beautiful no matter where you go, but Eilat is known for the warm (most of the time) weather all year round. The palms trees and clear beaches makes Eilat a paradise at the bottom of the desert.

The bus left the central station at 7:00 AM. Fortunately, Aviva and I were prepared for the 4.5 hour bus drive through the Negev. We drove past the dead sea and rows of trees. When we got to Eilat, I realized it is very small and thrived off of tourists. Before I left, Gabby told me Eilat was like Las Vegas because of the towering hotels and fancy restaurants, but Aviva said it reminded her of Palm Springs. Since I haven't been to either places, I couldn't compare Eilat to anything. As we walked to our hostel, I was surprised to see how close Eilat was to Jordan. Every mountain we saw across the Red Sea belonged to Jordan and at night I was able to see city lights of Petra.

The first thing we did was visit the Underwater Observatory. I was blown away by how clear the water was. I could have stood outside for hours, but Aviva was eager to look at the fish from below sea level. It was so cool and it made me excited for snorkeling the next day. Through one window, Aviva and I noticed coral. It looked bleached, but we hoped it was from how the light was hitting the water. Besides watching fish, we viewed the sharks and small fish in tanks. It was a short (ish) visit, and when we were done we went to Ice Mall. The only reason why we went was because we were expecting an ice rink, but the mall replaced it with mats for a karate competition. Instead, Aviva bought bathing suits then we met up with a few friends for dinner. It was a busy day and the moment we got into our rooms we fell asleep.

The company we were using for snorkeling picked us up at 8:50 AM. Liana, Hannah, and Bradley joined us and it made things really fun. We were at the shop for at least an hour to try on wet suits, goggles, and flippers. I had such a good time getting ready that I knew by the time we got to the beach I would be ready to see the fish. We entered the sand covered van and headed to a beach. It was a quick drive and after a quick talk about what was going to happen, we got in the water. The moment my feet hit the water I could feel how cold it was, but the wetsuit helped a lot. Everyone stayed in the shallow part to put on their flippers and goggles then we were off. This was an independent swim, but I still felt connected because we were all experiencing the same thing. Our tour guide was really nice and answered all of our questions and she pointed out the small octopi that were hidden behind rocks. The best thing about the whole activity was my goggles. Although they kept falling off, they had prescriptions built into the lens and I was able to see everything perfectly. It was beautiful.

Between the observatory and snorkeling, I was breathless. There was a whole ecosystem. I always knew about sea life, but seeing it in person is a different feeling. If the water was warmer I could have stayed in longer. I know I will be going back, but I want to go scuba diving. Aviva wants to get PADI certified which would allow her to go diving anywhere in the world.

After changing back into our dry clothes we went back to Ice Mall for brunch. Since we spent most of the day in the water and at the mall there wasn't much else to do. We were all leaving that night. Aviva wanted to leave a day early so she could get ready for India. The visit to Eilat was too short for all of us. We wanted to go hiking and go to a few museums. We have a tiyul (hike) in the South in a few weeks and we're making a stop in Eilat, but going with all of Nativ versus going with a few friends is a different experience. I guess this just means I have to go back.