I'm back in Israel! I flew into Tel Aviv at 6 in the morning on Friday. Erik picked me up and we drove straight down to Eilat, about a 4 1/2 hour drive. It was such an amazing trip driving through the Negev Desert.
All different shades of brown as far as you can see. We went to Club Med for a work trip of Erik's. It was incredible to look across the Red Sea and see Jordan, Saudi Arabia further down, and then Egypt below us.
I've always been somewhat against all-inclusive places like this. Not just for the cheesy factor, but also the idea of being stuck at one place...with all the same people. But I have to say it was pretty convenient to be able to use everything they had; the snorkels, windsurfers, archery, mini golf, trapeeze.
It was also nice not have to worry about paying for food and drink. Although, there is the fear of eating too much... which then may make you feel like a sausage in a wet suit. Plan ahead...
On saturday we went to Dolphin Reef. It's a reserve with 7 dolphins and lots of protected coral.
You can snorkel or scuba dive with the dolphins. I had never scuba-ed before and actually had no intention of ever trying. I find snorkeling hard enough... it's the whole idea of breathing through a tube... and a little bit of claustrophobia thrown in too. However, I was somehow convinced to try... first off, it started to go bad when I put my wet suit on and seriously felt like a sausage crammed into a casing.... I looked that good. ahem. So then I met with my instructor and told him that I was a little nervous.... he had no idea what he was getting himself into.... In the 25 minutes we were given, I managed to go about 20 feet out, and perhaps 4 inches deep.... I freaked out. I'd be under for about one minute and then totally panic and have to come up. So much for swimming with the dolphins... erik did though, and we got a movie of it too. One of the dolphins actually hit his face with it's flipper, snort. ah well... next time, I'll stick with the snorkel (or as they call it here "shnorkel").
When we got back to the hotel, I needed to make up for my lame-ness by doing something brave. So I did the flying trapeeze.
It looks so easy from down below, but once you climb up and see how high you are... it's a little frightening. but it did it... there may have been a lot of screaming, but i did it.
On our last day we went to an aquarium with an underwater observatory.
It was great fun.
All in all it was a great mini vacation. I'm hoping to tempt some people out to visit... you can scuba with dolphins! (or chicken out and snorkel...I won't tell)
2 comments
I was in Eilat on the weekend just before you! But we went diving.
I love the trip down to Eilat, we always take the car and the dessert is amazing to look at.. so beautiful to watch how everything changes from the noisy gray city to the big empty mountains.
Can we go here when I come to visit?
Do they have mola mola there?
I hope so!
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