The flight to Eilat took us down the center of the length of Israel. To the right (west) we had a good view of the blue-green Mediterranean as Tel Aviv receded behind us. Beer Sheba passed below us as well as Jerusalem. Soon the green of the north changed to the brown of the Negev desert. Settlements, kibbutzes and moshavs peppered the countryside, separated by wide swaths of desert.

North of Eilat the plane turned eastward and the shining Mediterranean faded behind us. The contrast between the Galilee and the Negev is astounding. In such a small country there is so much diversity.

Soon the Red Sea appeared out of the desert and we were at the corners of Israel, Jordan and Egypt. Legend has it that around 500 BC the Queen of Sheba had a secret tryst with King Solomon in Eilat to commune with him all that was in her heart. Today Eilat has been fashioned into an elegant resort to fulfil all that a holiday-maker's heart desires.

Arrived at Eilat at 11:30 am and settled into the Magic Palace Hotel. Our room is quite nice and the bathroom is huge. We then walked to the promenade on the northern-most tip of the Red Sea. To the east is Jordan; to the west is Egypt. To the southeast is Saudi Arabia. It was quite warm, so we sat in the shade for a refreshing lunch and then explored the map and began to discover Eilat.

Eilat seems to be a popular shopping area. There are malls and shops everywhere and much loud noise. There are quite a few options for water activities but we were hot and wanted to get away from the din for a while so we walked back to the hotel, cranked up the AC and took naps.

We have seen no Americans in Eilat. The prevalent language, other than Hebrew, is Russian or Ladino.

After resting we walked back down to the water’s edge at the Red Sea and mingled with thousands of other vacationers. This seems to be a popular locale for vacationing families – there are quite a few young couples with children. We took our time and window-shopped at the countless shops lining the promenade.

Stopped for dinner at a seaside restaurant and enjoyed the people-watching. From our table we could see Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The late afternoon is hot but there is a breeze and it is delightful in the shade.

Back to the hotel at 7pm. Tomorrow we are being picked up early for an excursion into Jordan to visit the ancient ruins of Petra, so we sipped a chilled chardonnay at the hotel’s outdoor bar before calling it a day. We hit the sack at 8:30pm, the earliest on this trip.

Next Day