Parting is such sweet sorrow -- and so is the Crown Plaza

Our group split this morning at about 130am. A little over half the group boarded a bus and went off to Ben Gurion. The rest of the group got up a few hours later and bused to the little Podunk Sdeh Dov airport. It's a tiny place and feels very retro. With only a minor hassle we flew down to Eilat. Flying to Eilat is a thrill because of the outrageous scenery below. The deepest meaning of the word, 'wilderness' is truly defined by the endless stretch of desert: dry, devoid of vegetation, no people, no nothing: just a dry expanse. It underscores Ben-Gurion's audacity to urge Israel to settle in the south and tame this empty, fearsome place.

All went swimmingly well. True, it felt cooler in Eilat than in Jerusalem, but ok, we could handle that. We aren't complainers, we intrepid TBA travelers. But then we checked in to our hotel: the Eilat Crowne Plaza. Liza and I entered our room, our suite, actually. A porch the size of a restaurant patio. Two massive rooms, not particularly well appointed, but pleasant nonetheless. That was wonderful and felt like the great way to end a terrific tour.

But word began to leak out that the other rooms weren't exactly clean. Oh oh, I thought; I don't want it to end in messy rooms. What can we do? Then more word came to me through the children of parents too polite and determined to have a good time. The rooms stink, the carpet is matted, the bathrooms are filthy, the bedding is stained, the electric kettle is in pieces... etc.


(The rooms didn't look like this -- and neither did the people)

Now I'm not a confrontational kind of guy. And even though it's high season in Eilat I was urged by my wife to demand what we should have: clean rooms. So I made the calls, I asked and cajoled and 3 hours later we moved out to the Dan Panorama, a really nice 3 1/2 star hotel. Compared to the other place, it's the Ritz and the 4 Seasons all in one. That was Monday!

PS In keeping with TBA tradition, the group had new year's eve dinner at the Boston Fish Restaurant! The food was great. But sadly, there was no live music. But there were incredible fireworks.