We had our first two-day weekend since the dig has started, and nine volunteers from the group went to Eilat, a touristy city on the Red Sea. We took a bus out of Be'er-Sheva at 2:00 p.m. on Friday and arrived in Eilat at 5:00 p.m. One of the other students on the trip had made the bus reservations, and it was my responsibility to find a hostel in Eilat. I found a hostel for around 30 shekels per person per night, which converts to about $8 per night. The hostel had a nice staff and a laidback environment, and everyone from our group was happy with it, which made me relieved. On Friday afternoon, we walked down to the beach, swam for a while and then walked along the touristy strip by the beach. We had dinner at a restaurant on the beach and then returned to the hostel to crash early.

On Saturday, we went down to the sea and checked out some boat tours. We found a tour that everyone agreed on; it was a four-hour trip out to the border with Egypt and back with lunch included. When the boat anchored for lunch, we were able to jump off the side and swim for a while.

The weather in Eilat was perhaps the hottest weather I have ever been in. It was around 45 degrees Celsius, which converts to about 107 degrees Fahrenheit, with a hot wind blowing south from the desert. Even at night, the wind was hot and sometimes unpleasant. The trip back to Lahav on Sunday was also hot and tiring, but everyone was happy that we made the trip. Today is Tuesday, thus work has resumed on the tel.