Eilat 11-15-09

This was the day before we went to Galilee....

You know, we just bussed down to the Red Sea for the day and went Snorkeling...just another day in the life of a BYU JC student :).

It seriously was awesome, though. The day was a little overcast and slightly cooler than it had been, but it was still really awesome. The fish were out and active. We saw a ton of cool stuff.

Let me back up. First of all, we woke up and were on the buses at 5:30 a.m. Early! It is a three and a half hour drive down to Eilat, which is the very southern tip of Israel, right by the border to Egypt. So we all got on the bus, and tons of people slept, which I did....after I watched the glorious sunrise!

This is the Sunrise over the Judean Highlands..

The progression...you can just barely see the Dead Sea now..

Sunrise over the Dead Sea!

I just couldn't help it. This one is slightly blurred, but so so beautiful!

After I took these pictures, I went to sleep. I bet I got about 2 hours of sleep....thank you ipod and the fact that I was on the bus with 30 people instead of the bus with 50 people... yay! So I spread out in an empty row in the back. Hallelujah!

When we got there we had a meeting with a guide there, who told us that we could go to "the north bridge" (aka the north dock) and swim until "the south bridge." I was skeptical because it was maybe 50 yards in between the two, and I there were only certain areas that we could swim in, and we couldn't go over the coral (cause it was only about a foot deep over the coral), and etc. But....we got in the water, and there were fish galore! It was so cool! I saw an eel, a tiger fish, puffer fish, and tons and tons more. I bet pat would know the name of them. Oh Pat, I was looking for the little fish that you love that has a little hole and sticks it's head out and then goes back in when you scare it, but I didn't see it. And THEN I was talking to one of my friends and he saw it! I was jealous. But, just so you know. They have those fishes in the Red Sea. Check and check.

This is me, Marissa, Kathryn, and Kyra with the Red Sea behind us! You can also see "the north bridge."

Just a fun picture of me....Happy!

And there is "the South Bridge."

Me, Marissa, and Kyra :)

Anyway, after about two hours of snorkeling, because it was a little chilly on the beach with the breeze, we decided to go into the city center and just look around. We went into a mall there, and I actually bought a really cute Red Coat.....I've always wanted one, and always talk myself out of it, but this time I went for it. I'm really glad I did, too. I love it! You can see pictures of it later, on the Separation Barrier field trip, which was the day after Galilee.

Love you all! Happy Snorkeling!

Oh I'd also just like to point out one small, cool fact. We snorkeled in the Red Sea, drove past the Dead Sea, Went to the Mediterranean Sea (at Caesarea Maritima), and then were at the Sea of Galilee. Awesome, awesomness. I love my life!