October 11, 2013

Today was probably my favorite day so far in Israel! My friends and I arrived to Eilat, in Southern Israel, last night. Eilat is so cool and pretty. From our hotel, we coulc see the Red Sea and directly on the other side of it (about a mile away) was the Saudi Arabia border and the Jordan border. We woke up early this morning, had breakfast at our hotel, and headed to the beach. As soon as we got to the beach, we bought snorkels. We found some nice chairs on the beach, right by the water, and relaxed there all morning. Paige, Alona, and I went snorkeling a few times. It was absolutely beautiful; crystal clear, blue water, white sand beaches, tons of coral, and awesome fish. We saw rainbow fish,  blow fish, spiky fish, schools of fish, zebra fish, and tons more. It was amazing how clear the water was; swimming on the surface of the water, we could see perfectly 30 feet down! The beach was so relaxing and the water was so clear and blue and clean. We got a quick lunch on the beach and headed back to the hotel, to get ready for our camel riding.

In the afternoon, we all went camel riding at Camel Ranch. I have never really seen a camel, let alone been on one or been so close to one! We get into our taxi and he drives us to the ranch. The entrance is basically on the beach, but then there is a dirt road running through the desert for about a mile, before the actual entrance to the camel ranch. As soon as we get there, our instructor tells us and shows us how to get onto and sit on the camels. There were 6 camels in a row, all tied up to each other (four camels for us and two camels for another couple). Once we were all on the camels, we started the “voyage” into the desert on our camels. They walked for about an hour, through the desert. It was so cool because it felt so real and Middle Eastern! At one point during our walk, our tour guide told us that we were only three kilometers (less than a mile) from the Israel/ Egypt border. After an hour of camel riding, which is really uncomfortable, we went back to the camel ranch and had a homemade snack in the Bedouin tent. Our tour guide made fruity tea, similar to what the Bedouins’ used to and still do drink. He also made us Laffa (which is just flour, salt, and water mixed together, cooked on the top of a pan, over a fire) with a yogurty cheese sauce, and fresh olives. It was all really good and was a great experience!

Later at night, we went to a Brazilian steakhouse for dinner which was really good. After dinner, we came back to our hotel to watch their show. There were African acrobatics and they were incredible! We saw these five or six guys doing flips and jumps and balances and juggling and tons of other cool stunts. There was also really cool African music playing and a huge crowd watching and clapping and participating in the show. After this show, my friends and I went downtown and walked around the Tayelet (boardwalk). It was fun because there were a bunch of shops and jewelers and food stands and activities and bars. There were tons of people there and walking around, so it was fun to see tons of people our age, hanging out, both Israelis and non-Israeli tourists. After an amazing day in Eilat, I am exhausted and about to fall asleep now. I am going to sleep so I can wake up tomorrow for another great day in paradise in Eilat!