Just over two weeks ago, I stood at the border with Lebanon. Today I soak my feet in the Red Sea, at the opposite end of Israel. Eilat, just across the border from Aqaba in Jordan, is the quintessential beach city: crowded with tourists, loaded with tacky attractions, and hot. Like, holy shit hot. Satan’s rectum hot. Eggs cook in their shells hot. What redeems Eilat for me is that A) I happen to enjoy the sensation of being cooked alive and B) the coral reefs of the Red Sea are wondrous.
For a fee reasonable compared to any in the Sates, one can rent snorkel gear and explore the reefs, which are just offshore and just south of the city proper. Here, parrotfish chomp on the coral, silver eels wind between the rocks, and clownfish hover beside their egg clusters (yes, just like in Finding Nemo). In contrast to the deserts that border it in Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, the Red Sea is abundant with vibrant, colorful life. That, for me, is reason enough to travel to Israel’s southernmost city.
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