There’s a city in the south of Israel called Eilat, which is located on the Red Sea and home to terrific scuba diving. It’s pronounced “ee-lot”, which sort of sounds like “a lot” … so it cracks me up to pronounce this post “A Lot Underwater.” Puns! I make them.

When we last left off, I’d wrapped up my time in Jordan and walked across the border from Aqaba into Eilat. From there I unintentionally hitched two rides — strangers took pity and insisted on taking me into town, then specifically to my hostel, and they were both so earnest that I accepted.

I’m staying at Corinne Hostel, ideally located right in town next to the bus station, bank, grocery store, post office, and cheap restaurants. It’s an odd place, which I’d read about in the reviews on Hostel World, but it suits my purposes. I need a few days of down-time to write blog posts and edit photos after my whirlwind 10 days in Jordan. Corinne Hostel has solid wifi and the price is right.

Oh, and there’s one other major reason I’m in Eilat. My friend Melanie (whom I met in Jordan) had stayed here a few weeks earlier and did a day-trip to visit the Pyramids in Egypt. Before she could even finish telling me about the experience, I knew it was something I wanted to do.

Here’s how the tour works: the van departs at night for the Egyptian border (very close to town), then the group switches to another van on the Egypt side, and they drive all night to the Pyramids. There’s a bunch of stops until lunch, at which point they hop back in and make the return trip to Israel. All for $260 USD.

If you’re thinking that sounds both awesome and terrible, I’m with you. But the lure of seeing the Pyramids in person outweighs spending a day in a van, and Melanie said it was neat to drive across the Egyptian landscape (including the Suez Canal). Since this country isn’t especially stable at the moment, a tour like this is considered a ‘safe’ alternative to a longer trip — get in, see the Pyramids, and get out.

But it wasn’t meant to be. I speak with the company and they’re ready to offer me a discount, but they need at least one other person to sign up for the tour, and during my three days in Eilat no one does. But that gives me a chance to research other ways into Egypt, and I find a company — Egypt Fun Tours — who is happy to host me for a day-long trip whenever I can fly into Cairo. I plan out the remainder of my itinerary and realize I can squeeze in a one-night visit just before Christmas. Done and done! Egypt is going to be bonus stop #1 on my RTW trip.

Back to Eilat. I’m thrilled to have a few calm days to do work and sip coffee in cafes. Like at this place… cafe cafe.

This quickly becomes a favorite spot. I’m obsessed with that white beverage — it’s got coconut and espresso and I’m in love.

And on this day I paired it with a cherry almond croissant…!

A few other excellent (and cheap) meals in Eilat include grilled eggplant from the pita place around the corner, a garlic pasta dish at cafe cafe, and THE BEST FALAFEL I’ve ever eaten, which is really saying something after 10 days in Jordan.

I used Google Maps to help locate where I got this excellent falafel (the place was recommended by my scuba dive master). It’s a four-minute walk south from the Corinne Hostel, and it’s just under that orange sign below (see closer image on the bottom). It’s fast food where they make it fresh right there and you can add various toppings. And it’s super cheap.

Speaking of my scuba dive master, let’s get to the real draw of Eilat — it’s located on the Red Sea and the underwater life is plentiful and vibrant.

I spend the morning with Shulamit’s Diving and they are wonderful. They do pick-ups & drop-offs at any accommodation in town, they provide water and snacks, and their prices are competitive. (I didn’t get a discount, just happy to share that they’re a good company.)

We head to Diver’s Village, within sight of the Egypt border. SO CLOSE.

And that’s Jordan on the other side of the Red Sea, where I went swimming only a few days ago.

I should note that I have just begun taking antibiotics for a sinus infection (which began a month earlier while trekking to Everest Base Camp) so I’m technically not supposed to dive. In fact, I initially signed up to snorkel. But after talking to the dive master, he’s confident that I’ll be fine and it would kill me to pass up this diving opportunity, so I give it a shot. Let’s do this!

As soon as we submerge, I’m so glad he talked me into it. The colors are truly spectacular.

Even though I just got certified a few months ago, I’ve done a fair amount of diving — around 30 dives in some of the best scuba spots in the world — and the Red Sea ranks very close to the top. The water is incredibly clear and there’s so much color.

A few posts ago I mentioned stone fish, which can be deadly to humans. And they blend into the sea floor like a stone… hence their name. Can you spot one below?

I have zero problems swimming with sharks, but eels terrify me.

There’s a ton of macro life and our dive master is adept at finding cool things for us to look at, like this hard-to-spot fish weaving through coral.

I have no idea what this is. Anyone have any ideas?

This is a pufferfish; I remember seeing one of these guys while snorkeling in the Cook Islands last year.

A lion fish! I love these guys, but don’t get too close because they are poisonous.

I don’t know what this is but it looks cool…

This sting ray has electric blue spots. It’s one of many moments during my travels where I’m in awe of what nature comes up with.

Even if you don’t dive, the Red Sea is a terrific spot for snorkelers. As the photo below shows, even if you’re swimming near the surface you’ll still see a lot of colorful creatures.

After a few days of relaxing, blogging, and scuba diving, it’s time to meet my uncle and sister in Tel Aviv. It’ll be my first time seeing family members in seven months! Tel Aviv is only a few hours away, and there’s an extensive and cheap bus system in Israel. Some of them even have Wifi.

Next stop, Tel Aviv!