Escape to Eilat and tour to Petra, Jordan

When last I wrote, I tried to give a view of things as they are seen by Israelis, as best as I can determine. I realize the current war in Gaza has stirred many emotions, large protests, and the loss of civilian life on both sides is tragic. I won't go into that any more here, except to suggest reading the Jerusalem Post at www.jpost.com for the Israeli perspective, and reading papers from multiple other international sources, and if you can find it, an Arab newspaper.

To get away from the sirens and incoming rockets in Be'er Sheva (pronounced "Bear" Sheva), sometimes written as Be'er Sheba (the Hebrew letter for "b" and "v" is the same), Dawn and I escaped to Eilat, the Israeli resort town on the Red Sea for four nights last week. Eilat is the southernmost city in Israel and Israel's only access to the Red Sea. From Eilat, you can see 4 countries: Israel, Egypt to the south and west, Jordan to the east, and Saudia Arabia to the southeast, some 27 km/15 miles distant. You can view photos from our trip at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/airzoojosh/EilatIsraelAndPetraJordanJanuary2009?authkey=-fp9Pizd1JU#

We arrived on Thursday afternoon and walked along the North Beach, in front of many high rise hotels and vendors selling everything from clothing and toys to ice cream. Eilat enjoys 359 days of sunshine per year, and year-round water temperatures between 70 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit, regardless of the time of year. Eilat is a tourist town extraordinaire. There are 40-50 hotels within the city of 70,000 people. Our hotel was across the street from the Eilat downtown airport, where charter and commercial flights arrive carrying vacationers from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, a 4-4.5 hour drive north. Larger planes from Europe and Russia must use the larger Eilat airport 25 miles north of town, though I was surprised that a 757 managed to land at the downtown airport. Our hotel room overlooked the runway. Planes must back taxi on the runway to reach the terminal, as there are no taxiways. (Sorry, I'm an avid aviation buff and long-time Air Zoo volunteer!).

On Friday, Dawn and I met up with Jenny and Max (anglicized names), a Chinese couple we know from the university. Jenny is in my Hebrew class and working on her PhD in Russian Jewish Literature, while her husband Max completes a post-doctoral fellowship in the chemistry department. We spent the better part of the day at the Underwater Observatory and Marine Park, where we saw the sharks and sea turtles get fed, enjoyed a movie in the Oceanarium, saw countless fish of all colors and sizes, and (the highlight for me!), the coral reefs and the amazing variety of sea creatures from 6 meters (about 20 ft.) below the surface of the water in the Underwater Observatory.

On Saturday, we went snorkeling at the Coral Reef Marine Reserve, an Israeli National Park one bus stop before you get to the Underwater Observatory (coming from Eilat in the north). I didn't feel strong enough to go out into the deep water, but was able to see a few fish among the corals closer in to the shore. Dawn made two trips out into the deep area, as the current carried her swiftly along the reef from the northern pier to the southern pier. Saturday is Shabbat, the Sabbath day, but buses still run in touristy Eilat, unlike other Israeli cities. Don't let the taxi drivers tell you otherwise. They are best ignored. If you go though, be advised that buses do stop running for the day sometime between 3 and 4 pm on Friday (the Sabbath Eve) and Saturday (the Sabbath).

We were originally going to return to Be'er Sheva on Sunday, but decided to stay one more night so we could take a day-long tour to Petra, Jordan. This involved packing up and leaving our hotel at 7 am, as we could not extend for an extra night without doubling the cost of the room per night. So I found another hotel on the opposite side of the airport and north of the North Beach for the fourth night. We were picked up at 7 am and taken to the Yitzhak Rabin border crossing, where they had to cancel my long-term tourist visa, as I had not thought to get a re-entry visa before leaving Be'er Sheva. A re-entry visa costs $45, and so does the long term tourist visa, so in reality, I didn't lose any money. It's just a hassle. After about an hour, and payment of the border takes of $45 per person to leave Israel, enter Jordan, leave Jordan, and return to Israel, we got on a mini-bus and headed for the ancient Nabotaen city of Petra.

Our guide's name was Ali. His English was quite good, except that he said "governmental" and "economical" when he should have said "government" and "economic". Half of our group fell asleep while he was talking on the way there, as many of us had gotten up very early, or even, in the case of a law school student from D.C., taken the 1 am bus from Tel Aviv to Eilat. After a quick drive through Aquaba, the Jordanian port city opposite Eilat, which is much less developed, we had a 2 hour ride to Petra. Then we walked about 1.5 km (.9 miles) through the Siq (gorge) until we arrived at the Treasury. The Treasury was actually the burial chamber of a Nabotean king, but legend has it that the Naboteans buried their treasure in the rock, so people have shot at the rock, hoping that treasure would spill out. Along the way, one can see other burial caves carved into the rock, the ancient Nabotean water system, which is being studied by researchers today to improve water usage in the desert. The population of the Naboteans at their height was several times that of the current population. They controlled the trade route from Yemen to the Mediterranean on the ancient Spice Route, and were experts at guiding the caravans across vast stretches of desert. No one else at the time (3rd century BCE-2nd century CE) had this knowledge. The Romans did not conquer the Naboteans until 106 AD, due to the many natural fortifications that the surrounding mountains provided. Carved into the stones are images of camels and men heading in both directions.

After leaving the Treasury, we continued for another 1/2 kilometer to see the Roman Amphitheater and a re-created Nabotean market, along with more caves which used to be used as houses, though most caves we saw were used as burial sites. Then, it was an hour walk back uphill to the entrance. You can ride a donkey, horse, or a cart pulled by a donkey or horse, but the Bedouins expect a tip of $5-$10 for this "included" service. (The entrance to Petra National Park is 21 JD (about $30 USD). Our $159 per person ($140 for students) day trip included transportation to and from our Eilat hotel, assistance at the Israeli/Jordanian border, a buffet lunch, the entrance to the park, all taxes and tips, but NOT the $45 per person border entry and exit fees. We had lunch around 2:30 pm, and returned to the border crossing about 5:45 pm. The border closes each night at 7 pm.

What happened to the Naboteans? They continued to exist after the Roman conquest in 106 CE, but the trade routes gradually moved north of Petra, and two earthquakes in the 4th and 6th centuries destroyed what was left of Petra, which had gradually fallen into decline with the decline of Petra's importance on the ancient Spice Route.