"Ain't no mountain
high enough"
(The
Engagement)
"I've got friends
in
low places"
(The Wedding Party)
"Freeze Frame!
Freeze Frame!"
(The Photo Gallery)
"I've got two tickets
to paradise..."
(The Honeymoon)
"Deliver de letter,
de
sooner de better..."
(Email
Us!)
"Home is just another
word for you..."
Back to Home
Eilat:
24 August - 29 August
Tuesday, 24 August: By the time we arrived at Eilat airport, took a taxi to our hotel, and checked in, it was nearly 6:00, and we had been (mostly) awake and unshowered for over 24 hours.
After
a shower, and calls home, we enjoyed a room service dinner along with
the bottle of sparkling wine that had been waiting for us, courtesy of
Raya's parents!!
The room was on the 6th floor, facing the Red Sea, with a beautiful view of the sea, the Edom Mountains of Jordan, the resort areas of Eilat, and the lights of the Jordanian city of Aqaba.
Wednesday,
25 August: We took a walk in the morning, down the Eilat-Taba
Road, towards Egypt. We checked out the beaches, and saw the Coral World
Observatory.
Later, we had lunch at a beachside snackbar, and then rented chairs and sat on the beach in the 110 degree heat! We waded in the Red Sea a few times, and just generally chilled on the beach. The water was crystal clear, we could see the fish swimming by our legs.
That night, we enjoyed dinner at El Gaucho Argentinian Steakhouse. (Special thanks to Adam Levine for the recommendation!) We drank strange complimentary "Argentinian cocktails," drank huge liter beers, and ate a ton of delicious steak!
Thursday,
26 August: This was the best day in Eilat! We went to the
Dolphin Reef, a marine research
observatory. The family of 11 dolphins that lives in the Gulf of Eilat
is trained and studied at the Reef; however, the dolphins are not kept
in captivity. The reef enclosure is open to the sea, and the dolphins
choose whether or not to "visit" with the scientists and tourists.
Cici, our guide, gave us the equipment (wet suit, snorkel, mask, fins) and a brief instruction on how to use everything. We then followed her out into the water, and she led us on a half an hour swim around the reef.
We could hear the dolphins' clicks and squeaks almost immediately, as soon as we had our ears underwater. Pretty soon, they started approaching us...they were so BIG! One brushed by Eric as they darted under us...it was so cool!! The other underwater life was beautiful as well: the large coral reef, the brightly colored fish.
After
returning to dry land, we watched the dolphin feeding and training session
from the observation tower on the beach. The dolphins are fed at the same
time every day; however, they are fed whether they participate in the
training sessions or not. They
aren't rewarded or punished for good/bad behavior. They freely choose
whether or not to interact with the trainers.
That night we went to dinner at the Last Refuge, a marvelous seafood restaurant right on the beach. We ate delicious fresh fish, and walked around the seaside marina. Then, we walked next door to "Goldstar Village Beach" (Goldstar is an Israeli beer) and we sipped drinks with our toes in the sand, right at the sea's edge.
Friday, 27 August: We visited
the "town" side of Eilat today, and explore the "Mall HaYam"
or "Sea Mall." The mall was ridiculously crowded, we had to
pass through security checks at the door, and inside, people were smoking
everywhere...not exactly like a mall back home!! After escaping from the
mall, we walked along Eilat's North Beach, where the huge resort hotels
are...if MTV ever filmed "Spring Break Israel," this would be
the place! Tanned teenagers dancing in the 120 degree heat, beachside
bars, topless sunbathers, etc.
Saturday, 28 August: We hung out by the pool most of today, relaxing in lounge chairs as we faced the sea. Since it was Shabbat, the poolside snack bar didn't want to light a fire, so our only lunch choice was "jacqnoon" -- the snack bar server couldn't really describe, and even after eating it, neither can we. It was sort of a hard, hollow pastry-like thing.
Dinner was much better...we took a taxi back into town, and went to Mai Thai. We enjoyed lots and lots of food: soup, egg rolls, beef stirfry, lemon chicken, rice, and really big fried bananas with maple syrup! Yum!
Sunday, 29 August: On our last day in Eilat we woke up early to take one last walk along the beautiful beach. Then it was back to the hotel to pack, have breakfast, and get a taxi to the airport....
