All Fun and Games

Since Trish and I were able to visit Petra, we only had one more thing on our Jordan To-Do List: The Dead Sea. (Well, if we had more time, trust me, we would have had plenty to do. So keep that in mind when planning your Jordanian vacation.)

A friend at church claims that the Dead Sea is his favorite body of water, and it is the best place to be shipwrecked. First of all, it is so salty that no one drowns. And second, since the sea has no fish, there wouldn't be anything odd either nibbling or brushing up against one's legs. I think that makes it tops in my books, too.

My friend and I were the only ones who boarded a mini-tour bus to the sea. The bus drivers in Jordan must have some kind of deal going on with the tchochke shops along the way to each major destination. On the way to Petra, it was kind of nice because the shops have bathrooms (but without toilet paper, by the way). But the Dead Sea was maybe an hour away, so it wasn't necessary. We looked around to be nice, but even though it was obvious that we weren't pulling out the pocketbooks, we waited a long time for our driver to get done with whatever it was he was doing. However, soon as we announced that we were going back to the bus he mysteriously got done.

Here's some fun facts about the Dead Sea. It is below sea level. The Jordan River flows into it, but there aren't any tributaries leaving it. Thus it is a huge collection of minerals, sediment (and salt), and cannot support life. That's why it's called the Dead Sea.

My Jordanian friend recommended that Trish and I hang out at the Movenpick Hotel and Resort for the day. We had to pay a small fee but it came with towels lunch, and mud. The mud is very important; it's full of minerals and exfoliants and it helps makes skin smooth and pretty.

So, I bet the one question you have in your mind is: Do you really float? The answer is a resounding Heck Yeah! It is impossible to drown. While floating I tried to make myself "sink" up to my chin, but my shoulders obstinately stayed above the water line. The Dead Sea isn't so great for swimming, because when spreading the body out to swim, everything floats to the top. The best thing to do: just recline and relax.

One thing to keep in mind: don't get the water in your mouth, nose, and especially not the eyes. Poor Trish got water splashed in her eyes each of the times we went out to float. I got it in my eyes and nose just once. It burned like the dickens. The hotel has lifeguards, and I am pretty sure their only duty is to flush burning eyes with salt-free water.

We did get to relax on the beach as well. Most of the time I have whirlwind let's-see-everything-vacations, and it was kinda nice to sit on the beach and do nothing. Nothing, but try to avoid looking at the old heavy-set Russian man with his thong bikini and a t-shirt cut-off at the top of his belly. Yikes. No pictures of him, most fortunately.

Alas, we could not stay there all day; we did have to get back on that mini-bus (ice cream cones in hand) and head back to Amman. This time we were joined by a French couple, and we all stayed on the bus during the obligatory souvenir shop layover.

Once back in Amman, we got in a cab and headed directly to the Citadel. This site, gloriously situated on top of a hill, is a museum and archeological site containing artifacts and buildings from pretty much every civilization that moved through that part of the world. We arrived when the museum was closing, but were able to stick around to take photos. The light was perfect, and I am more than pleased about the results.