Shalom (hello in Hebrew)! I thought I should update the blog now as tomorrow I meet the group for the 600 mile walk and so no wifi for the next two months as the camping begins!
So I got picked up Monday morning and taken to a dive centre. It was just me and the instructor which makes things quicker and easier than if you're learning in a group. However, while some of the dive instructors I've seen are pretty fit, mine is a bit older and fat! But he's pleasant enough for an Israeli and has done some amazing diving around the world! We did a lot of theory to start- the physics of volume, density and pressure! And biochemistry of nitrogen and oxygen and compressed air! Then had a snorkel to practice basics and prove I could swim! Then I got kitted up with wetsuit, BCD (buoyancy controlled device), flippers, mask, regulator, cyclinder and weight belt. I learnt how to put it together, but the hardest bit was fitting into the wetsuit!! We went out into the water and practiced breathing and other skills underwater in shallow waters. It's a beautiful spot here overlooking Jordan and Saudi Arabia and Egypt next door and turquoise waters overshadowed by the sandy mountains. He gave me an iPad to come away and study the next chapter on! So after he dropped me a cheap supermarket, I spent some of the evening studying and went out for a tour of the city with an Israeli guy in the hostel- he's a bit odd- 40 and living in the hostel! But I survived!
Tuesday was another day of diving- more time in the water practicing skills and starting to explore the reefs- so many amazing fish and corals! It is an abundance of wildlife, so no wonder it's a popular diving place. I spent a couple of hours on the beach when we finished, studying the next chapters! Then in the evening I went out with a Swedish guy for a walk- there was a big event on for the 50th anniversary of Eilat, so the prime minister was here and there was music, fireworks, etc. we couldn't be bothered to queue for it, so went to watch a light, music and fountain show which was pretty cool!
Wednesday- more diving!! He gave me a diving watch which is a computer that calculates all the times and stuff to ensure a safe dive. There is so much to remember!! But I'm getting full marks in the exams and getting better at managing my buoyancy and kitting up! I moved hostels to a slightly nicer one and cooked myself veg and lentils! More studying then I met the Israeli guy to help me find an adaptor I need for the walk! To be fair, he knows his way around and so we got me a relatively cheap one!
Thursday- more diving in a different spot! I had the final exam today and got 47/50, so I passed luckily! Saw octopuses and eels, etc. Then I done some washing so I can start my walk with all clean stuff! I went to get my haircut, I was gonna go shoulder length for easy maintenance, but the place I found yesterday was shut! Guess it wasn't meant to be! Tomorrow is my last day on the course, then the instructor will drop me off at the beach camp where the others will be arriving from Tel Aviv. I have enjoyed the diving and may see about doing my advanced diving in Jordan or else I've already looked up diving in India, but don't think I'm going to become obsessed with it and let it determine my travels. The weather has been amazing, haven't seen a cloud all week!
Did you know: Eilat is tax free as its on the border, so everyone comes here to buy phones, clothes, cosmetics, etc.
Israel imports live cows by boat from Australia to supply their beef as it's too dry here for them to be raised. This just seems odd to me, surely there is an easier way!? A gigantic cattle ship arrived yesterday and the city is full of cattle trucks taking them to quarantine before they get slaughtered. A rather pungent smell in the air. Makes me glad to be vege- all these poor cows crowded on to a boat for months to come and be killed.
The airport is in the middle of the city!! As I sit in the hostel garden you can see the runway and the planes landing and taking off, you walk around the runway to get to the beach! I've never seen anything like it! Luckily it's only an internal airport, so a couple of flights an hour.
Anyway, I have an Israeli SIM card with some data, so I will try to update the blog weekly or when there is signal over the next 2 months! Keep the messages coming and let me know what I'm missing in England!!