August 2015:
I hopped off the bus in Eilat and the extreme heat was like a punch in the face it was so strong – around the 40°C mark. Buses and public indoor areas in Israel have the a/c on so high that you freeze to death. Then when you walk outside, the temperature difference from inside is so great that you really feel like you’ve walked into a sauna.
My girlfriend, Margarita, and I travelled the five hours to the beach town of Eilat by bus from Tel Aviv. Our plan was to stay here a few days using it as a base for day trips to Jordan and Egypt.
After freshening up in our hotel, we ventured outdoors to have a look around and to get something to eat. We found a suitable restaurant and because of the language barrier, (we don’t speak or understand any Hebrew at all) we ended up ordering two massive plates of meat. No problem. We were able to save what we didn’t eat for sandwiches the next day. As night fell, we had a restful evening watching the light and sound show at the water fountains in Gan Binyamin Central Park. The fountains rose and fell to the sound of music whilst different coloured lights shone in sync with the beats. To add to the desert atmosphere, the IMAX theatre standing right next to the fountains, is in the shape of a pyramid
The next day, we went to the beach for a swim in the Red Sea. There were a lot of beautiful people there, laying on deck chairs, or drinking and dancing to techno music. The water was pretty cold at first but we got used to it after a while. My favourite part was watching planes fly low over the city, coming in to land at the airport. The planes aren’t as big, or fly as low as they do at the famous St Maartin airport in the Caribbean but still it was exciting to watch.
In the evening, we walked along the beach promenade which is full of shops and markets and Fun Park rides open till midnight, or later in some cases, as well as many bars. For me Eilat was like a mini Playa Del Carmen, in Mexico, with the bars on the beach, the party vibe, and the large multi-storey hotels nearby.
We didn’t stay up too late as we had to get up early the next day. For me, it would be a dream come true. Seven years in the making. We were going to Petra, baby.
*Some photos included in photo gallery.
