A Desert Safari

Eilat- Israel

 Friday and Saturday were the weekly holidays for us! Sounds strange but true, as we were in Tel Aviv undergoing training! The weekly holidays coincided with Sabbath and Sunday was the first day of the week. We had spent more than two weeks and were itching to see more of Israel! I along with the other three Indians, two Israeli and one Italian friend checked out of the hotel . Luigi, the Italian, agreed to drive the car, Isuzu Trooper, hired for the weekend trip to Eilat. The city is at the south most tip of Israel and is around 400km away from Tel Aviv.

The day was breaking when we assembled outside the hotel and waited for Luigi who showed up soon, at the steering of the four wheel drive! Soon, the car hit the main highway as we went past the towering buildings of International Diamond Centre in Ramat Gan! We got on the Aaylon Highway Route 20 where the traffic was gradually building up.  The first halt was at Beersheba about 40 km away for a cup of coffee! Next we drove through the arid Negev desert where one could see the sprawling sand dunes for miles!

Negev Desert

It is a mélange of brown, rocky, dusty mountains interrupted by wadis( dry riverbeds that bloom briefly after rain) and deep craters. We sighted the local tribesman called Bedouin! The sun shone strongly and the weather became hotter as the day progressed.  One gets very thirsty as the dry air hits the face on stepping out from the car. We had a brief stopover at the town of Dimona to stretch our legs before reaching the kibbutz at Lotan. The drive continued till we reached the Timna Park. 

Timna Park near  Eilat

This place is located 30 km short of Eilat. It has some of the most wonderful multihued volcanic rock formations, sandstone columns which are a nature’s creation! They appear vibrant with color as the sun rays dance around to give a feel of descent of a rainbow on the ground. We collected at least a dozen samples of colored sand  in small glass bottles here which have been formed, with the erosion of the volcanic rocks, as a souvenir!

We reached Eilat in around six hours and checked in the hotel to retire for the day. Eilat  is flanked by the port of Aqaba on the Jordanian side and village Taba on Egyptian side. These cities can be viewed from Eilat on a clear day! The city's beaches, nightlife, Marine Park and other attractions including alluring desert landscapes make it a popular destination for domestic and international tourists

Next day after breakfast we reached the Coral World Underwater Observatory, where we saw  the rare marine life like stingray, turtles and sharks from close quarters .

Our next halt was a ride in The Yellow Submarine!

The Yellow Submarine in Eilat

The Yellow Submarine is one of the world's most advanced public submarines.
The safety and comfort is assured using advanced technologies and an experienced crew. The Submarine leaves the Underwater Marine Park, and slowly moves to deeper water, to a depth of 60 meters. The submarine has viewing windows of Perspex which transported us to a whole new world! In this journey one experiences the slow changes in light levels, the color and underwater life at different depths.

We then went to see the Dolphin’s show at the Dolphin Creek where dolphins perform and swim with the tourists. We started our return journey for Tel Aviv, after lunch!

It was an awesome sight to see the golden sun, set beyond the sand dunes and see the sky darken. Finally we reached Tel Aviv at night, as the city sparkled in the twinkling lights, with some of the best memories to treasure.

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      2. Images kind courtesy Google