THE RED SEA
Day 7: December 28,
2012
Aqaba
After my breath-taking expedition in Wadi Rum, we drove to
Aqaba. Aqaba is the only port city of Jordan located at the northeast tip of
Aqaba Gulf Red Sea. If you love ocean, (not me) you can enjoy its wide range of
aqua activities such as, scuba diving, windsurfing, waterskiing, jet skiing,
snorkelling and sailing.
Crossing the Border
Sief dropped me off at the Wadi Arava border, which I crossed,
to head back to Israel (Eliat). Before the passport control counter, all
visitors leaving Jordan must pay for the Exit tax amounting to 10JD (US$15). I
left the immigration building and walked about few hundred meters to Israel
Immigration building.
Entering (again) in Israel was not easy as I entered in
Jordan. They asked you several questions and manually inspect your luggage
before you can proceed to the passport control counter. Outside the building,
there are taxis waiting. If you want their services, you will pay a fix amount
of 30NIS (US$8) going to the city centre of Eliat. It’s up to you if you want
to walk. There is no bus in this border going to the City centre.
Eliat
Eliat is modern, clean and quite. I really felt that I was in
Israel. I was surrounded by lots of the Israelis, unlike in Jerusalem that most
of the residents are Palestinians.
The markets and shopping malls, restaurants and 5-star hotels
are located along the beach of Aqaba Gulf Red Sea.
Red Sea
The
children of Israel lived in the Nile delta area or the land of Rameses, and
first encamped at the northern end of the Gulf of Suez or Succoth at the
beginning of the Exodus. This was the first point where they went into
the camping mode. Then
they travelled through the wilderness of the Red Sea, or what we call today as
the Sinai Peninsula, and encountered the Gulf of Aqaba. (I Kings 9:26 calls
this the Red Sea.)
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