After coming down from Masada, we headed to the Dead Sea. Yes, commercialism has reached here -- as is evident from McDonald’s and a Minimarket near the shore ...
...and a Burger King not far down the road. After a quick lunch (from a local restaurant, NOT fast-food), we headed for the water.
People come from all over to the Dead Sea to be healed from skin and nerve problems where the sun and baramite are believed to contribute to the healing. I thought it was intriguing to float with such ease in the salt water. I’ve never been able to gracefully float -- in a pool or the ocean -- so this was absolutely amazing to me!
This is what’s on the sea floor -- huge rock crystals. It was very uncomfortable to step on them, hence just about everyone wearing flip-flops in the water. The further out from the water’s edge, the larger the rock crystals.
I’m holding some salt rocks while floating here. It was a rather strange sensation to “flip” over from floating on my back to floating on my stomach. Several times, I couldn’t stop myself and I kept spinning as if I were on a rotisserie! The hills in the background are in Jordan.
Some areas of the Dead Sea are known for their mud. Unfortunately, this area wasn’t. So, my roommate and I each bough a packet of Dead Sea mud and slathered it on ourselves and let it dry. The high concentration of salts and minerals in this mud is purported to have amazing health properties, including simple things such as cleansing, moisturizing and hydrating your skin and treating psoriasis, eczema, acne and wrinkles to improving blood circulation, and treating arthritis, rheumatism and joint inflammation. I can attest that my skin felt remarkably softer for several days after my visit to the Dead Sea.
Jennifer and I were somewhat of an oddity there, since no one else was slathered in mud. When we went into the water to rinse ourselves off, a group of girls approached us, wanting to get some of our mud for themselves. It seemed strange to “share” mud this way, but they enjoyed it, and we didn’t mind. On a side note, my hair remained slimy and damp for more than two hours -- until we returned to our hotel and I was able to thoroughly wash it!
I chuckled at these warning signs along the road. The signs were several hundred yards from the western shoreline of the Dead Sea, but nonetheless warned of the risk of drowning. Unfortunately, I suspect the signs were originally placed there when the shoreline was much closer -- more evidence of the shrinking of the Dead Sea.
Labels: Israel, Travel
After coming down from Masada, we headed to the Dead Sea. Yes, commercialism has reached here -- as is evident from McDonald’s and a Minimarket near the shore ...
...and a Burger King not far down the road. After a quick lunch (from a local restaurant, NOT fast-food), we headed for the water.
People come from all over to the Dead Sea to be healed from skin and nerve problems where the sun and baramite are believed to contribute to the healing. I thought it was intriguing to float with such ease in the salt water. I’ve never been able to gracefully float -- in a pool or the ocean -- so this was absolutely amazing to me!
This is what’s on the sea floor -- huge rock crystals. It was very uncomfortable to step on them, hence just about everyone wearing flip-flops in the water. The further out from the water’s edge, the larger the rock crystals.
I’m holding some salt rocks while floating here. It was a rather strange sensation to “flip” over from floating on my back to floating on my stomach. Several times, I couldn’t stop myself and I kept spinning as if I were on a rotisserie! The hills in the background are in Jordan.
Some areas of the Dead Sea are known for their mud. Unfortunately, this area wasn’t. So, my roommate and I each bough a packet of Dead Sea mud and slathered it on ourselves and let it dry. The high concentration of salts and minerals in this mud is purported to have amazing health properties, including simple things such as cleansing, moisturizing and hydrating your skin and treating psoriasis, eczema, acne and wrinkles to improving blood circulation, and treating arthritis, rheumatism and joint inflammation. I can attest that my skin felt remarkably softer for several days after my visit to the Dead Sea.
Jennifer and I were somewhat of an oddity there, since no one else was slathered in mud. When we went into the water to rinse ourselves off, a group of girls approached us, wanting to get some of our mud for themselves. It seemed strange to “share” mud this way, but they enjoyed it, and we didn’t mind. On a side note, my hair remained slimy and damp for more than two hours -- until we returned to our hotel and I was able to thoroughly wash it!
I chuckled at these warning signs along the road. The signs were several hundred yards from the western shoreline of the Dead Sea, but nonetheless warned of the risk of drowning. Unfortunately, I suspect the signs were originally placed there when the shoreline was much closer -- more evidence of the shrinking of the Dead Sea.
