Since leaving Kenya, the weather has not been what we hoped. All the layers we packed “just in case” have been worn daily. The Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, was warmer than Petra, but that’s a low bar. Unfortunately, it was a lot windier on the sea and the Red Flag of Doom was flying on the beach. That didn’t stop us from changing into our suits and attempting to enjoy it, even without a proper swim.
The Dead Sea is so named because it is so salty (34%-ish) that nothing but bacteria can live in it. We were also warned that swallowing even a tablespoon of the water would send us to the hospital…or the grave. (This has not been verified with casual internet searches; I’m sure the tour agency and the hotel want to minimize liability).
The logistics: Our tour booked us an afternoon pass at the Holiday Inn, an oddly luxurious Dead Sea resort. We gained access to the changing rooms, fluffy towels, a large “heated” pool, and the life-guarded sea. We changed, hugged our bodies as we made it down to the rocky beach, and were able to go in almost to our knees before the lifeguards blew their whistles. Honestly, the water was awful. Between the wind and the waves, large rocks would crash into our shins and smash our toes and there was no chance of trying to do the famous float. We rinsed off in the outside showers, warmed up in the inside showers, jumped into the heated pool, discovered that the heated pool was too cold, and then returned to hot-showers-that-quickly-lost-their-heat. We turned our afternoon stopover into just an hour, and that was because we ordered warm drinks and played cards in the lobby once we were dressed again.
However, the Dead Sea was a highlight for me for one reason.
This hotel also had complimentary buckets of the miraculous dead mud guaranteed to take off years. Turns out, that was years of maturity, not wrinkles or cellulite. But I had heaps of fun playing in the mud. Even my hair got a mask. The Fam laughed, I frolicked, and the outing was rescued.
Maybe we’ll try it again someday!
Needopedia 