colorful hard coral with a Purple Tang
we went upstairs to the bridge
the camping is in the garden of our hotel
on our way to the Underwater Observatory Marine Park
Eilat seen from the west
it takes hours to cross the border to Jordan
under water the Sargeant Majors rule
Eilat is an Israeli harbor at the
Gulf of Aqaba. The city is Israel's only connection to the Red Sea and hence strategically
important for its oil import.
The nice climate, the beaches and the coral reefs in the Gulf make Eilat a very popular place for
tourists.
Its history goes back 9000 years and early on it was an important trading post for the faraohs of Ancient Egypt.
When
Nasser closed the Straits of Tiran in 1956 this
led to war with Israel, the same happened in 1967. In both cases Egypt was forced to lift the blockades and give Israel access
to the Red Sea.
We visited Eilat in December 1998 .
Eilat and Aqaba sit at the end of the Gulf of Aqaba
the beach is a bit cramped
the evening sun colors the mountains
a blurry picture of an octopus
a Red Sea Banner fish
