Not like the other day, I got up at five (one more hour sleep!). And reported to the excavation office so that they know I will not be here any more and also they called a cab.
Double Deck Israel Railway Train
I went to the Pades-Hannah railway station. And on the way while in the cab, I saw two girls sitting on the bench of a bus stop. One girl is a Muslim because she was wearing and covering top to toe except small part of her face. The other girl was in IDF (Israel army) uniform. They were talking and laughing together. I do not know whether they just met at the bus stop or have been friends for long. But the scene was very emotional to me, especially at this time of war between Israel and Gaza, killing each other. I saw hope, and I saw a bright future from them.
This is my first time to get on the Israel train. And to my surprise, it is double-deck! My train trip was from Hannah to Tel Aviv.
Are these founders of Tel Aviv?
And I came to Tel Aviv, the economic capital of Israel. One thing I do not like about Israel is that they do not announce in English at all, not in a bus nor in a railway trains. Korean buses and subways always announce in English.
I had some problem finding where to get on the bus number 25 so that I can go to Egyptian Embassy. I asked a girl on the street, and she was with a lady. The lady called bus company and asked how to go to Egyptian embassy. She spoke in Hebrew but I understood one word – Mitzraim, which is Egypt.
Again, the bus driver does not speak English, but also again, I got help from a passenger. When I went to the Egyptian embassy, it was closed without any notice. There was no notice in their website too. The guard their just said, “tomorrow” whatever I asked. So I asked:
Je: Is “tomorrow” the only word you know?
He: Yes, yes. Tomorrow. Tomorrow.
I guess it is some kind of Egyptian holiday. So I went to the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, and bought the ticket to Eilat. I bought the ticket at 9:33 and was told that the bus left three minutes ago. Next bus is 11am. Well, what can I do?
Highway Stop before Beersheba
McCormick Group, do you remember here? We stopped here last January when we were going to Beersheba. Today we also stopped here before we hit Beersheba. This was the first Aroma that I tasted, and was good.
Negev Desert
The bus ride was almost five hours. And the scene of the Negev desert was just wow.
Fish on the Road
When I got to Eilat, the heat from the ground was great. And there were many fish marks on the road.
Fish Statue in Eilat
And also many fish statues. Eilat is the southmost city of Israel, and just before Eilat, we passed the checkpoint. And McCormick group already experienced, two soldiers with semi-auto rifle came on board. Maybe because of war, almost half of the bus passengers were in IDF uniform, and half of them were with semi-auto rifles.
Eilat Youth Hostel and Guest House
I walked to the hostel and it was just 10 minutes but I was sweating like Niagara Falls. The Eilat Youth Hostel and Guest House has very nice view. You can see the Red Sea from the picture above. This room is shared by five people and breakfast is served. I booked via Booking.com and paid $30, and I got to know if you book directly, the cost is 120 NIS which is $40.
Red Sea is blue
There is a sea and who can endure the temptation of the sea in this piping hot weather? This is the Red Sea which Moses cut in half (but of course not at this spot). I do not understand why the name is Red Sea. It looks like Blue Sea to my eyes.
Because I could not go to the Egyptian Embassy or Consulate General, I will go to the border early in the morning.
Hannah and Je together 