Weekend in Eilat

This weekend I finally got to accomplish some of the goals that I set for myself before coming to Israel. So many of my friends have taken various trips to Israel before, and all of them have had the opportunity to spend time in the Negev, the southern part of the country, which is made up of mostly desert. The main city in the south is the port city of Eilat, which is located near the border of Egypt and Jordan. The city itself is very much geared towards tourists, with mostly English signs, hotels on the beach and a huge mall.

Anyway, the International school set up a weekend hiking trip, and we left around 3 in the morning on Friday. After driving for about 7 hours, we finally reached our destination - the Amir Mountains located about 15 kilometers outside of the city, and it was here that we would spend the next 36 hours hiking to Eilat.

Now, when you think of hiking, you probably envision a path through some trees, maybe up a few hills, something like that. Apparently, hiking through Eilat entails climbing mountains and walking through the desert with only sand and boulders in sight. Our first day of hiking lasted about 4 hours before we reached the campsite where we were to stay for the night. We all helped out to make Shabbat dinner, then had a bonfire with s'mores. That night, I was so excited to finally be able to sleep in the Negev under the stars, something that my friends have talked about doing for years. And yes, it was literally me, my sleeping bag, and the desert night.

We woke up to the sun rising the next morning around 6:30 to have breakfast and clean up the campsite before we began our second day of hiking. As we walked through the desert for what seemed like forever, I began to realize that, until you've hiked through the Negev, you really haven't experienced anything. Over the course of the next 8 hours, I climbed higher than I ever thought I could, saw 4 different countries from the top of a mountain, and used muscles in my body that I never knew I had. At the end of the day, I was beyond exhausted, and sore in every way, but so proud of what I had accomplished.

After the extremely long day of hiking, we went to a hostel by the coast of Eilat, where we were finally able to shower and relax. On Sunday we were given a free day to go to the beach, go shopping, and experience the rest of Eilat. Debby and I took this opportunity to go jet-skiing, which was amazing. At around 2, we all boarded the bus for the long drive back to Haifa, feeling tired and accomplished. Above are a few pictures that I took while hiking, which is really the only way to describe the experience.

Other than that, classes are going well and the weather is finally starting to warm up! Hope all is well at home...

Lots of Love,

Elyse