enjoy this moment, for this moment is your life: June 2014

For the SECOND part of the road trip, the family and I stayed in Eilat, Israel. Eilat is on the Gulf of Aqaba and is directly across the border from Jordan. When we were staying in Aqaba, Jordan we could see Eilat and when we were staying in Eilat we could see Aqaba, just as clearly. While still hot, the Israel side of the Gulf was much more pleasant, with an ever-blowing breeze. Eilat averages 1.1 inches of rainfall each year (okay, it's the city with almost no rain), equating to 360 days of beautiful sunshine! Eilat is definitely a resort and beach city. There is an atmosphere of "nightlife" that doesn't seem to stop, whether the sun is up or down.

The blessing of staying of Eilat came in a special and interesting way. I had no part in the giving of the blessing, but I was invited to be part of the gift. Here is how the special blessing came about: the family that I am working with is renting a lovely house from a nice Israeli family. The design of the house makes it a perfect place to host any big party. The homeowners even have a vacant lot adjacent to the property! This is very, very rare in Israel! With the homeowner's knowledge, the family I am working for was asked if the house could be "borrowed" for a Bar Mitzvah. This would mean the whole family would have to vacate the house for a weekend. After thinking it over, they said "yes!". To thank the family for letting them "borrow" the house, they offered them a vacation in Eilat. I benefitted from this great gift because I was invited to go with the family! (on a side note, Bar Mitzvah's are an enormous to-do here in Israel. It is a momentous celebration and there is nothing spared in the planning. For weeks, the vacant lot was leveled and landscaped. Stairs were built from the back garden and a patio/stage was put in. We, of course, were gone during the party but heard about it when we returned and saw the remnants of a extravagant event. There were 500 guests that attended! Huge and artistic tents were still in place, rented couches, loveseats, benches and hundreds of chairs were stacked for pick up. Remnants of a firework display littered the front driveway, and much, much more....see picture below. The vacant lot used to look like the picture next to it, filled with wild flowers and grasses!).

Here are some of the great memories from Eilat:
The hotel where we stayed was super, super swanky. We had gourmet desserts trays delivered to our rooms every night and there was a breakfast and dinner buffet (that was part of the hotel gift) that cannot be described with words. It was the elite of elite of cuisine. Every food choice looked like a piece of artwork. There were probably over 30+ types of desserts every night, each one being almost too pretty to eat (I ate them). I have never been so full and sick to my stomach in my whole life. And when I say that, I'm not joking. I really DID get sick from all the luxurious and rich food. But, I had to try everything new. Well, except for the Brain Stew. I drew the line there.

The view from the hotel was amazing. Across the water, you can see Jordan and the beautiful Aqaba Mountains. I got early to get the sunrise, which didn't disappoint! And, was blessed enough to see a moonrise, too!

Yet, another experience of a lifetime happened while I was on this trip. Not only did I get to see what Brain Stew looks like in person, which took a place in the running for experience of a lifetime, I got to go Scuba Diving. Scuba Diving is a strange, exhilarating, and foreign event. It is completely unnatural to place your head, followed by your body, down into to the water and begin to kick toward the ocean floor. As I began to swim toward deeper waters, I occasionally found myself holding my breath despite the ever-available, giant tank of pure oxygen attached to my back. I was assigned a certified guide who didn't leave my side. He held my hand for part of the time and was constantly "communicating" with me underwater to confirm my state of being. He used hand signals during this communication. These signals work great if the novice diver knows what they are (not me), they don't work great if the novice diver doesn't know what they are (me). If they don't know or remember, then it's just a game of silly charades. During the suiting up, there was period of chaos when it seemed that there were more novice divers than certified guides. I ended up without a guide and had to wait. Amongst the chaos, I never really got any one-on-one training. So, when I entered into the water it was like a game whenever my guide "communicated" with me. I just figured, if anything was to happen, I'll use the universal sign for choking and that should do it.

I have no previous point of reference (other than National Geographic) for this event. It was more unique than any experience I can to compare it to. There is nothing that is like swimming freely, under the water, without fear or needing to surface. For imagination purposes, I think it is like flying under water. Without sounding too cheesy, it's was like entering the marine world as a guest. I was like a fish and the fish swam around me accepting my presence as being normal. I could go on and on but the pictures really tell their own story. There are various pictures of all of us, and of course the stars of the show, the fish:

Mama J took this last one. She stopped me, giggling, noting how funny it was that my guide just walked on with his "normal" sized O2 tank and left me in his dust with the O2 tank sized for a giant!

The Dolphin Cove, Aquarium, and other moments of awesomeness:

B and I laughed about the picture above and on the right. The water is so unbelievably clear, that it looks like the fish, and their shadows, are photoshopped in!