Israel itinerary

We've (finally) set our itinerary for the Israel trip next week:

Wed	Fly from Heathrow to Tel Aviv at 10:30pm
Thu	Arrive 5:30am, spend all day with family, stay with Jessica's cousin, Marcelle, near Tel Aviv
Fri	Borrow Marcelle's car and drive to Ein Gedi, swim (float?) in the Dead Sea, and visit Masada, then back for Friday night dinner
Sat	Tour Jerusalem with Tracy and family
Sun	Tracy's wedding at 7pm
Mon	Drive to Kibbutz Lotan (southern Israel); stay overnight
Tues	Birdwatching in the morning, then drive across the Jordan border to Wadi Musa
Wed	Visit Petra in the morning, taxi to Wadi Rum in the afternoon, sleep in Bedouin camp
Thurs	Tour Wadi Rum, taxi back to Eilat (Israel) in the afternoon
Fri	Eilat -- lay on beach, snorkelling in the Red Sea
Sat	More Eilat
Sun	Fly back to Tel Aviv, meet Tracy for lunch, then fly home to Heathrow

Masada is a fortress built on a mesa overlooking the Dead Sea. In 73AD, during the Great Jewish Revolt, a group of Jewish rebels captured Masada and made their last stand, but committed suicide rather than surrender. Right now I'm reading a book about the 1966 excavation of Masada, and the pictures are just stunning.

Petra is an ancient city carved into the desert rocks, and was recently voted one of the "new seven wonders of the world." (Interesting side note: Of the original "7 wonders of the ancient world," only the pyramid of Giza still exist.)

Bedouin are nomadic farmers (think "Lawrence of Arabia") and "wadi" is Arabic for a dry river bed. The desert around Wadi Rum is supposed to be breathtaking.

Eilat, the southernmost tip of Israel, is on the northernmost tip of the Red Sea. That also happens to be the limit where corals will grow, so snorkelling will be amazing.

So all in all, looks like a fabulous trip, weather permitting. Right now it's perfect -- sunny with a high between 65-75F -- but it's been quite variable over the last couple of weeks, from freezing cold to pouring rain. Still, I'm traveling to the Middle East and my main concern is the weather--that's got to be a good sign. :-)

P.S. Still no job or house--I may have my priorities confused.