Day 8 – Friday, March 15: Southern Border Crossing into Israel, Red Sea, Timnah, Dead Sea
Staying here in the desert last night was really a fun experience. But today we cross into Israel! Following breakfast, we left Wadi Rum and drove to the southern border to cross into Israel. Leaving at 8 a.m., we read from Obadiah about the Edomites. The weather was again sunny, with warm temps around 80.
Rabin Southern Border Crossing
It took about 50 minutes to arrive at the border crossing. Located at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba, we cross from Aqaba, Jordan to Elat, Israel. The border here is named after the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The border crossing (we walked across to Israel) was fairly easy and quick. We were only the second group to cross this border since October 7th!
Coral Beach/Red Sea
Once we crossed, we met Shlomo (our Israeli guide) and David (our Israeli driver). We drove through Elat, Israel’s most southern city, to Coral Beach. Here, we enjoyed the beautiful waters of the Red Sea. The clarity of the water and the color of all kinds of fish was stunning! It was a fun time of swimming and relaxing.
Timnah/Tabernacle Model
From here, we drove north through the Aravah (Rift Valley) to Timnah. In ancient days (13th-12th century BC), this was a copper mine of the Egyptians. Here we walked through a full-size replica of the Old Testament Tabernacle. Ariel, a Messianic Jew, offered a teaching on how all aspects of the Tabernacle was fulfilled by Yeshua-Jesus. As we left the site, we read from Hebrews 9. We also hiked up and over Solomon’s Pillars where we saw a Temple of Hathor (the Egyptian goddess of fertility.
“Today we crossed from Jordan into Israel! What a tremendous feeling! We were met by Shlomo and David. We all got wet in the Red Sea in the morning before floating in the Dead Sea later this afternoon. What a great day!”
Yotvata & the Dead Sea
We drove to Yovata about 15 minutes north of Timnah. We enjoyed lunch and especially the ice cream here (complementary, with special thanks to Amiel Tours, our Israeli agent!) at this “dairy kibbutz.” Shlomo’s sister lives here. With content stomachs, we drove about 1:45 hours north up Rt. 90 to the southern end of the Dead Sea (33% salt and minerals). We checked into our hotel in Ein Bokek and then enjoyed floating in this unique body of water. Dinner and a free evening at our leisure followed to end the day. The “Erev Shabbat” (Evening of Sabbath) dinner was incredible! Tommorrow we continue northward along the shoreline of the Dead Sea.
Day 9 – Saturday, March 16: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Judean Desert, Jericho
