A brief excursion to the sea in the south of Israel

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Arrived in Israel with an excursion from Taba in Egypt where I was on vacation for a week. The trip was made with a friend and many other Italians. We walked across the border between Egypt and Israel, and after numerous checks we have entered the country. To greet the young guide and an Israeli tourist bus grean practically new. It was dawn when we began to walk the streets of Israel, Eilat, a city that is the only narrow outlet to the Red Sea in the country, presumably anvcora was sleeping. Eilat is located just across the Jordanian Aqaba which is separate from the short Arava Valley. Aqaba is close, it seems you could touch it from here apparently a neighborhood of Eilat. Going north the city soon turns to the Negev Desert with its bare mountains of pink stone. Occasionally we find some kibutz, small groups of houses of farmers living in community interpreting literally the Communist discipline. The road descends into the deepest depression of the Earth to reach the Dead Sea. Near this, the guide will point out the mountain of Masada on top of which is a small plateau where they consumed one of the many tragic events that characterize Jewish history: the mass suicide of zealots who took refuge here to avoid being caught by Roman soldiers. The sacrifice of these men rather than surrender to the enemy removed their life is also strongly felt by the Jews and the current Israeli soldiers take an oath at Masada.
Masada after the road along the Dead Sea, actually a lake fed from the salt content in the north by the river Jordan and that is slowly drying up by evaporation. Here is always very hot, not raining and we hardly ever at 400 meters below the Mediterranean. The Dead Sea up to half a century ago was much bigger now not only the level was significantly lowered but the basin was divided to form two separate pools, the southern and the northern one. E 'on the banks of the south we stop at a beach. The small beach is reddish, the sea has a color very close to the turquoise and outcrop areas of salt. The temperature and water is ideal for dive in this lake is completely devoid of fish. The sensation is unusual, even swim without floats is supported by the salinity of these waters. When you return to the beach but there seems to be covered with an oily substance but just a quick shower to get rid of this feeling. Near the beach there is a shop stocked the famous Dead Sea salts and offers the possibility of free use of showers and changing rooms. We go back on the bus and continue north along the northern Dead Sea. On the opposite bank to where we are known profile of the peaks in Jordan while our road is narrow between the lake and rugged mountains of rock whose colors range from pink and ocher. The sun reflecting on the Dead Sea makes the atmosphere almost unreal. As we leave Israel along the lake and enter the West Bank, Palestinian theoretically either party but in fact controlled militarily by Israel (the other part is the Gaza Strip). There are no borders between Israel and the West Bank in this area here because there are important Palestinian settlements, the wall is to the north. We enter the West Bank without even realizing it (see for this part of the trip itinerary Occupied Palestinian Territories). Will enter the West Bank and East Jerusalem, part of Jerusalem which, according to the international community should instead be managed by the UN since 1967 and was annexed by Israel. Additionally, both Israel and the Palestinian National Authority have unilaterally proclaimed Jerusalem its capital (the whole city Israel, Palestine only East Jerusalem). For this reason we dedicate a route to Jerusalem apart. On returning from Jerusalem after recrossed the West Bank, were part of Israel retracing the path of going. After a brief stop in the seaside resort on the Southern Dead Sea where we had stopped even in the morning, head south until you reach the border near Eilat, which separates Israel from Egypt. Leaving the country that controls were less meticulous leg, quickly got off the bus crossed the border on foot to the Egyptian Taba.
Some notes: swim in the Dead Sea is an experience not to miss if you pass here. There are no customs formalities nor controls between Israel and the West Bank in this part of the country. The border with Israel is better to ask not to be stamped my passport and it is enough to fill a form where you will be stamped for entry. Obviously, this form must be kept with the passport through the country. This is necessary because otherwise the Israeli stamp in the passport will be denied access to many countries of the Islamic faith who do not recognize the State of Israel.