Today was a very relaxing day spent in and around the shores of Eilat, Israel. Our morning consisted of taking a private, leisurely boat ride around the Red Sea on the Merry Lu. It was the perfect size boat for our group of 16, and we couldn't have asked for a better day. Temperatures in the 80's in the sun and high 60's in the shade.
Here's a shot of our hotel, the King Solomon, on our way out to sea. This was one of our favorite hotels!
In the background is the coastal city of Eilat, Israel. It's the southern-most point of Israel, and is essentially their version of Florida – it's warm even in the winter and is the “resort escape” of the country.
Even though our extension to Egypt was canceled, this picture shows mountains of Egypt in the background (the ones on the left). So close we could swim there!
These mountains are the Kingdom of Jordan!
In the right side of this picture there are 3 small smokestacks, and they are in Saudi Arabia. It was amazing how in 1 boat ride on the Red Sea, we could turn 360 degrees and see 4 countries in 1 spin: Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
Doug, Joy, and Debbie ventured out into the Red Sea to cool off (we would have too but didn't think to bring our bathing suits).
These needlefish approached the boat for food. Pita bread was not well received, but they sure loved chicken.
Speaking of chicken, the crew grilled us some juicy marinated chicken, beef sausages, and hamburgers. Mmm!
Underwater Observatory Marine Park
In the afternoon, we visited the Underwater Observatory Marine Park in Eilat. The Red Sea has a beautiful coral reef with exotic colored fish and lots of other marine life. This was sort of a mini “marine zoo” with an underwater observatory where you could see the reef without snorkeling.
Giant turtles are always a hit.
We got to witness the SHARK FEEDING! Actually, it was not exciting at all. Sharks swimming around in a tank had food thrown at them, and they proceeded to continue swimming around in the tank. I think one of them ate one piece (apparently they eat once a week in the wild, but they get food twice a day here).
Here's a shot of a turkey fish.
Kris, I thought you'd like this one. What better picture than a Red Wings fan standing next to a live octopus?
Joanna did some scuba diving...
Coral off the cost of Eilat.
These large cargo ships carried cars from Japan to store them here in Eilat. One ship could carry 3,500 cars!
1 comment:
Wow. The clarity of that water is amazing!
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