I returned yesterday to Jerusalem after spending 4 days in Eilat, Israel. Eilat is Israel's southernmost city with gorgeous beaches and triple-digit weather. Basically it seems to be the place where everyone goes to to escape from work and responsibilities for a few days.

After about 4 hours cramped in a car, we arrived in Eilat in the evening and were greeted with pool-friendly weather. Since I went with 3 family members and a friend of the family who go every year, they had already decided to rent an apartment for our stay. This made it more economical when we split the cost by 5 people instead of staying at a hotel. We stayed at the Royal Park apartments, which were nice and had a big swimming pool. The apartment itself had 2 rooms: a living room connected to a kitchen and a bedroom. Two people stayed in the living room and three in the bedroom (each had their own bed). And of course there was a bathroom. The place wasn't big at all (going by "California/US standards") but it definitely fit the bill for the few days we were staying, and also for the fact that we spent most of our time outside the apartment. 

Of course, for additional savings, we came prepared: enough food was brought to last 4 days, as well as cups and plates much like when you go camping. Thankfully, we also found a local place to buy very well-priced foods. It is really ridiculous how high the prices were in Eilat, but also how much they differed depending on location!! (which seems to be the case all over this country...!?). Most of the food we ate that week-end consisted of hummus, 2 different kinds of salads, eggs, sausage, bread and soda for breakfast, and barbecued chicken, kebab meat, onions, hot peppers and again that salty "100% fat" that everyone seems to love, for dinner. Cocktails were consumed all throughout the day as well. Again, eating that way for a few days felt great, but it's definitely not a diet you'd want to keep going much longer than that!!!

Eilat is pretty small, so I'd say the things you can do can be limited and you only need a few days to really see and know what Eilat is about. There is one mall with 3 floors, and right outside there is a boardwalk filled with shops. I'd say the shops are definitely catered to tourists, but you can also find cute beach-friendly clothes at bargain prices. I found a pair of very cute (even if 'exaggerated') harem pants for only 50 shekels (about $13). Bonus that the material is cotton, which is always what I look for when purchasing clothing. If you go to the regular or more high-end shops, the prices are "Eilat prices" AKA, very high. IE: someone bought ONE bar of soap for 6 shekels (about $2) when in Jerusalem I bought 6 soaps for 15 shekels (around $4). 

In the evening, you can enjoy one of the many 'cafes' that line the beach, many with low seats that you can sit/lie down on while you have a drink just literally a few steps away from the water. I had never seen bars/cafes with this kind of outdoor seating and I must say it was so lovely and relaxing!! All throughout the city, music was blasting from one corner to another, well into the night (I could still hear it blasting around 3am when I once fell asleep at the apartment LOL). There is definitely a 'party vibe' to the city and I think most people come to Eilat for that. I heard that there are dance clubs but sadly I did not see or visit any of them. Bars and shops stay open until pretty late so that you can enjoy drinks and being out in the hot weather well into the night.

Aside from 'doing the drinking thing,' Eilat also has water activities, amusement parks and aquariums that you can enjoy. When at the beach, we decided one day to pay a fee and do 3 water activities, which included lying down on an inflatable 'bed' which, attached to a boat, basically pulled us through the water and tried to make us fall off. I don't know the name of this activity but it was my favorite, and so much fun!!!! The second activity was similar, except you'd sit on an inflated banana and get dragged through the water. I learned that keeping your balance in the water while sitting is very difficult indeed! LOL Finally, we kayaked for some time as well. We got a good arm work-out, and came out of the water red from the sun and covered in a 'white film,' thanks to the Red Sea's saltiness. On another day, we visited Coral World, which had different exhibits such as sharks, turtles and stingrays, rare fish and red sea reef. It was entertaining, but small in my opinion. We had planned on visiting King City (which was close to where we stayed), but when we got there we were told we only had one hour until they closed, so we skipped it. The sight of that massive orange structure standing in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere was unlike anything I had ever seen. Something about that orange color... or was it the architecture?! Not sure...

One thing I sensed about Eilat is that it seemed to have a bit of a "hippie" vibe. I saw many shops with rasta-like themes, and a few times when we hung out at the beach I heard songs that basically sounded like Jewish/Israeli reggae. I saw tons of people with tattoos-- and of course that's not to say that they were all from Eilat-- but judging from some of the tans, they definitely could have been. Seeing tattoos definitely stood out to me since 1. you rarely see them in Jerusalem and 2. I hear it's looked down upon by religious Jews, and that there is a tradition that says that a tattooed Jewish person can't be buried in a Jewish cemetery. Maybe tattoos are becoming part of the mainstream in Israel as well? In any case, Eilat's hot weather allows everyone to show off their body art (and hot bodies!!) if they are so inclined. 

Another thing I definitely noticed was the city's prominent Russian Jewish presence. Most places had Hebrew and Russian signs, which testify to that. The apartment we stayed at also had a lot of French Jews. I would say Eilat did not look particularly 'diverse' as most people there were Jewish. Jews from different parts of the world indeed, but mostly Jews nonetheless. Saw maybe 5 Arabs and a few Africans (who themselves also could have been Jewish...). And this detail only underlines part of the political situation in Israel. Seeing so few Arabs only reminded me that many Arabs--with the difficult issue of identity being what it is--are not allowed in Eilat due to its proximity to Egypt and Jordan. For many Arabs, permits are issued for other parts of Israel but Eilat is the one forbidden location. 

What did I enjoy? It was definitely nice to get away from the city (Jerusalem) for a while, and see something new. Of course it was more laid back in Eilat... the things you do are limited and very relaxed! Spending your day mostly drinking and swimming is not going to be a source of frustration, so what is there to complain about? LOL The scenery... definitely gorgeous. Eilat is bordered by Egypt in the south and Jordan to the east. I definitely loved swimming at the Red Sea beach (even if the water was cold and salty!) and contemplating swimming straight across to Aqaba's shore, staring right at me... Yes, I was googley-eyed, remembering that scene from "Lawrence of Arabia" with T.E. Lawrence and his Arab troops capturing that port city... How could I not be?! *sigh* 

Driving back through the scorching desert, my imagination roamed, filled with images of camel-riding people trekking through the never-ending vastness...
And I was reminded that I love me an air-conditioned car indeed!!!!

Eilat: simple, layed back, hot, somewhat cliche in some ways... but definitely to be experienced. 

SPF 45+ sunscreen mandatory. +

Since I came to Jerusalem last month to witness all the Palestinian Christian Easter traditions, I had my share of church/mass experiences. By blood, my family is Russian Orthodox, but being that they live in an Arabic-speaking country, it makes sense that they might like to go to the Arab Orthodox mass, which is in Arabic. Linguistically it makes little difference for me as I speak neither Arabic nor Russian (sadly!). Although they are both Orthodox churches, albeit of different ethnic groups, some aspects stood out to me during these frequent April church visits.

The first thing that comes to mind when I compare both churches is the way people dress when attending mass. Going to Arab Orthodox mass puts little limitation on what you can wear. Of course, you'd figure not to wear things that are too revealing, but in terms of pants or skirts and which colors, pretty much anything goes. Some like to dress up, wear a variety of colors (brights and patterns too) while some are more casual in jeans and flats. 

In Orthodox churches women are supposed to cover their hair slightly, as a sign of modesty, but it was not made a requirement when attending Arab Orthodox mass. I saw some wearing it (usually older women), but I'd say most didn't. 

For Russian Orthodox church, ladies have to wear a long skirt and cover their hair. There is no exception to this rule. I had gone to Russian Orthodox mass at the Mount of Olives on the Eve of Easter, so I chose to wear black. However, I saw most women wearing pretty much neutral colors, and a lot of flower-patterned scarves on their head. I had visited the church before Easter, and I was surprised to find that at the entrance of the church was a wooden 'box' that had tons of apron-like long skirts ready for you to wear in case you didn't come wearing one. As I wasn't wearing a skirt on that day, to enter the church I wore one of these briefly while inside, and I wore my sweater's hood too (since I didn't have a scarf then).

Another detail that stands out is the way the mass is carried out. In Arab Orthodox church, depending on the day, the masses are usually rather brief (1.5 to 2 hours). There is seating throughout the church and most people sit until a particular passage referring to God or Jesus comes, at which point people will stand for the passage. On the other hand, Russian Orthodox masses seem to be longer (the one I attended was 4 hours! But it was Easter Eve at the Russian Orthodox Convent of the Ascension after all...), and sitting is usually a privilege left for older people. Basically, you stand for the duration of the mass. The seating I saw on Easter Eve was very limited, and the concept was the same in that when certain passages come, people stand. 

A third detail I noticed involves socializing/behavioral aspects. I got the impression that going to church for Arabs is a very social event, with people greeting each other, kids everywhere (loud and quiet ones), and sometimes even some minor chatting on the sides. When mass was over, people would linger around and say hello to one another. Basically, it was rarely 'silent as the grave' when attending a mass.

I definitely noticed a difference when I entered the Russian Orthodox church. As I entered and heard a priest singing in a low and consistent voice, I immediately remembered how beautiful that traditional singing can be in those churches. It was for the most part very quiet, dark (the only lighting was from candles) and whispering seemed to be at a minimum. Aside from nuns in black attire moving about at times, and of course people blessing themselves, there was limited movement. I remember one brief moment, when the choir of nuns were singing. It sounded so angelic and I felt so still that for a few seconds, as I closed my eyes and said a prayer, I actually felt like I was the only person there... Then someone passed by me and I was back in 'the real world.' (*Sigh* It's fine... that moment was enough to have made this long night worth it.)

Of course I could be wrong, but I didn't sense that there was as much interaction between people here as in the Arab Orthodox church. There could be different reasons for that. Could be some people were Russian tourists visiting for Easter, maybe some are more reserved or simply don't know anyone else who is attending. At Arab Orthodox church it seemed everyone knew each other, which would obviously explain increased interaction. 

Basically, in terms of 'rules,' I'd have to say that the Russian Orthodox church is stricter than the Arab Orthodox church. It's not a question of right or wrong; they're just different. The point is not to portray one as 'better' than the other; I was just reflecting on how they may or may not be alike. I'm glad to have experienced each so that I increase my knowledge and experience of each side and in some ways, of the cultures as well.

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