Happily Afloat in the
Dead Sea...
Dead Sea...
May 15, 2006
It’s funny because today I started thinking back to the days of being a kid. Back when I loved rainy days. As adults, we come
to dread rainy days. One day can be okay because it’s nice to be lazy every now and then. But to have to go to work in it?
Forget it.
Way back when, rainy days were special because a) I would get to wear my rubber galoshes; b) I would get to wear a shiny
raincoat; c) I would get to bring my pink umbrella (with the wooden pig on the end of it) to school with me and d) we would
play fun games during indoor recess. There was one other thing that made rainy days great for me: there was this little area
in front of our house with some dirt. When it rained, that dirt became mud. And when there was mud, there was stuff for my
sister and I to use to make mud castles, mudpies and just simply to squish through our fingers.
Today, I was reminded a bit of those good ol’ childhood days. I was given all of the mud I could want to slush through my
hands. And this time the mud even served another purpose: lathering it all over my body.
Where could somebody actually get so lucky???
Welcome to the Dead Sea! The home of do-it-yourself mud treatments. It’s great because you slather it on, sit out in the sun
while it dries and then it flakes right off leaving your skin feeling like a baby’s bottom.
And, of course, the Dead Sea is not just known for their killer mud. It’s also the home of becoming your own personal
floatation device. All you do is walk into the water and sit back and enjoy the ride. Or the float, in this case. Floating on your
stomach is pretty darn cool, too. Just put your hands under your chin and it feels as if you’re on a lounge chair at a pool.
I also have to put a piece of information out there…
The Dead Sea beach is so much more beautiful than I imagined. The water was an icy blue color—just a shade or two darker.
For some reason, I was thinking it wouldn’t be as colorful as it was. I also have to be honest when I say that the water didn’t
feel that much different than ocean water. I was expecting film to form on my body the minute I entered and that was not
the case. It is true that there is a salty layer on your skin once you get out and the sun shines down for a few minutes.
Because of the salt factor (33%) you better hope that you don't have any cuts or scratches because that is known to make for
quite a painful Dead Sea experience.
While there are many resorts out there (and I’m sure a sunset would be simply amazing to see from one of them), I opted for
the 5 JD beach access pass (and more importantly, shower and bathroom access). I went with a German couple that I met at
my hotel and my transportation costs were another 5 JD. You can’t really stay too long. Three hours was our limit. And I
have to announce that the pasty white Jen that came out here in late April is slowly giving way to a slightly tan Jen. Amazing.
It’s funny because today I started thinking back to the days of being a kid. Back when I loved rainy days. As adults, we come
to dread rainy days. One day can be okay because it’s nice to be lazy every now and then. But to have to go to work in it?
Forget it.
Way back when, rainy days were special because a) I would get to wear my rubber galoshes; b) I would get to wear a shiny
raincoat; c) I would get to bring my pink umbrella (with the wooden pig on the end of it) to school with me and d) we would
play fun games during indoor recess. There was one other thing that made rainy days great for me: there was this little area
in front of our house with some dirt. When it rained, that dirt became mud. And when there was mud, there was stuff for my
sister and I to use to make mud castles, mudpies and just simply to squish through our fingers.
Today, I was reminded a bit of those good ol’ childhood days. I was given all of the mud I could want to slush through my
hands. And this time the mud even served another purpose: lathering it all over my body.
Where could somebody actually get so lucky???
Welcome to the Dead Sea! The home of do-it-yourself mud treatments. It’s great because you slather it on, sit out in the sun
while it dries and then it flakes right off leaving your skin feeling like a baby’s bottom.
And, of course, the Dead Sea is not just known for their killer mud. It’s also the home of becoming your own personal
floatation device. All you do is walk into the water and sit back and enjoy the ride. Or the float, in this case. Floating on your
stomach is pretty darn cool, too. Just put your hands under your chin and it feels as if you’re on a lounge chair at a pool.
I also have to put a piece of information out there…
The Dead Sea beach is so much more beautiful than I imagined. The water was an icy blue color—just a shade or two darker.
For some reason, I was thinking it wouldn’t be as colorful as it was. I also have to be honest when I say that the water didn’t
feel that much different than ocean water. I was expecting film to form on my body the minute I entered and that was not
the case. It is true that there is a salty layer on your skin once you get out and the sun shines down for a few minutes.
Because of the salt factor (33%) you better hope that you don't have any cuts or scratches because that is known to make for
quite a painful Dead Sea experience.
While there are many resorts out there (and I’m sure a sunset would be simply amazing to see from one of them), I opted for
the 5 JD beach access pass (and more importantly, shower and bathroom access). I went with a German couple that I met at
my hotel and my transportation costs were another 5 JD. You can’t really stay too long. Three hours was our limit. And I
have to announce that the pasty white Jen that came out here in late April is slowly giving way to a slightly tan Jen. Amazing.
Floating and reading in the Dead Sea.
The Dead Sea beach.