Day 8 – Wednesday, September 10: Return into Israel, Red Sea (Coral Beach), Timnah, Dead Sea
Today was “cross-over” day as we came back into Israel from Jordan. Following a great breakfast, we packed/loaded the bus and left at 7 a.m. We stopped for one last view from high above Petra before we drove south to the Aqaba/Rabin border crossing. The weather was sunny and a bit warmer once again (95?), but a “dry heat” as we say. We read from Obadiah 1 (about the Edomites) as we departed the hotel.
Rabin Border Crossing
We arrived at the Jordanian sieve there border about 9:30. The procedure of crossing into Israel only took about an hour. On the Israel side of the border (called the Rabin Border, named after the former Prime Minister assassinated in 1995), they were a bit more thorough in the process. Shlomo and David greeted us with warm smiles once we crossed.
Elat/Coral Beach/Red Sea
After loading up David’s bus, we drove a bit more south to Elat, Israel’s southern-most city. Here we enjoyed a visit to Coral Beach and the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds, Yam Suph in Hebrew). Some in the group enjoyed swimming among the stunning aqua-colored water, bright fish and coral reefs. It was a beautiful place that we enjoyed for about an hour.
“Today was “cross-over” day as we made our way from Jordan back into Israel. This travel day did include a few sites and experiences. This included seeing (and swimming in) the Red Sea, visiting the Tabernacle Model, and ‘floating’ in the Dead Sea!”
Timnah & Yovata
We now drove about 18 miles north to Timnah. This site was once an Egyptian copper mine in the 13-12th centuries BC. However, displayed here is a full-scale replica of the Tabernacle. The size of this Mishkan (Tabernacle) was 150 feet by 75 feet. We saw the Altar and Laver in the court yard. In the Holy Chamber we saw the Menorah, Table of Presence, and Incense Altar. In the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant. It was a great tour led by a Messianic believer from Elat who made Christocentric connections throughout the tour. As we left the model, we read from Hebrew 9 about how Jesus fulfilled everything the Tabernacle represented
About 15 minutes north of TImnah it a dairy-kibbutz called Yovata. Shlomo’s sister lives here. We stopped for the wonderful ice cream here. We had many different flavors from which to chose!
Ein Bokek
We arrived at our hotel (the David) in Ein Bokek about 5 p.m. Following check-in, we all changed into our bathing suits and walked down to the Dead Sea. This unique body of water is about 33% salt and mineral, allowing us to float effortlessly. It was a wild experience!
Following our “floating,” we enjoyed dinner at the hotel on our own time. We are looking forward to our “day in the desert” tomorrow before ascending to Jerusalem for the rest of the trip!
Day 9 – Thursday, September 11: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Jericho, Wilderness of Judah, Jerusalem
