FUN-travel: Holy Land – Eilat, Israel – Day 7
April 7, 2013 by Susan Clarke
The ABC’s of The Holy Land
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Trip Day 61 – Sunday, March 31 – Eilat, Israel – sunny, breezy, high 80’s
Jazz Festival Statue
- 7:00 – wake up
- A – cappuccino out of machine pretty good
- B – no yeast items – only matzo – it’s Passover
- 8:30 – pickup
- 1st stop – Underwater Observatory & “Coral World” – features 25 tanks w/more than 500 species of fish, sponges, corals, sharks & sea turtles – observatory is 20 ft down w/spectacular live view of marine life
- 2nd stop – 10:30 – snorkeling @ open coral reef – fish not as abundant as other places I’ve been but coral is quite beautiful
- 11:30 – drive to next stop – long way around via water desalination plants, agricultural fields, date palm plantations
- B – never saw Flamingo ponds
- 3rd stop – 12:30 – arrive Timna Park & desert trail – 3000 BC Egyptian copper mines – curious mushroom-shaped rock formations caused by wind erosion – see graffiti of Ibex & hunters w/bow & arrows
- 3:30 – lovely Moroccan lunch @ Colin & Vicki’s house – salad w/tomatoes & cucumber, avocados, homemade olives, rice & chicken
- 4:00 – room R & R
- 5:45 – jeep tour in desert for sunset – not near as nice as Wadi Rum – huge power lines, buildings, spoil view – mountains not as majestic
- 7:00 – dinner back @ Eddies Hide-a-Way – no reservation but hope the waiter Yuval (Colin’s son, has some pull & he does – he took care of us yesterday)
- grilled shrimp & calamari salad – carpaccio – nice Yarden Syrah Reserve
- moonlight/star watching optional tour – chose not to do
Coral World
- A – Blue Hotel has free internet
- B – very basic, very small room – more like a hostel than a hotel
FF – (FUN-fact) – Eilat is the only Israeli town on the Red Sea. Aqaba is directly across on the eastern shore in Jordan. Because it is Passover the town is packed and the shoreline is filled with families camping. And this is serious camping as they have erected tents and have generators, couches and coffee tables covered by huge tarps held up with poles.
Timna