Jordan: The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is surely the place all lifeguards aspire to a posting at; Eurotrash in skimpy swimwear and a straight up inability to sink. If you drown here, it's because you're trying. Of course, the harsh part of this reality is the middle aged, over weight, ghost white Russkis in speedos whose behaviour is akin to kindergartners in a playground... but that can be kind of funny too.

Good...

... good god.

It's a strange sensation, bobbing around in water that seems to want to foist you out. In five feet of water it was a struggle to put any part of my foot down, the second my center of gravity moved ever so slightly outside of straight down I would tumble up, rolling forwards or backwards depending on which direction I lost my balance.

I need a newspaper.

The hotels and government have the racket here sussed. 20JD is the starting price for access to a developed beach. It goes as high as 100JD (roughly $200AUD). The undeveloped beaches are accessible but come with no fresh water, something you need for a shower later. Paying somewhere proximal to forty dollars to go to the beach is something a little bizarre for me, and to also have access to three decadent pools atop the shore seemed a little... ridiculous? Whatever the case, it's very much the norm here.

Halite crystals are washed up on the shore, beds of halite are apparent as you walk out, indicating past shorelines and the retreating nature of the Dead Sea. It's super saturated salt water and it sets all my mosquito bites on my legs and arms absolutely alight. Once out of the water it cakes all over and after a brief time feels really quite terrible, like you're being eaten. I guess that's where people get touched up by the masseurs with the organic mud... but instead I had my 20JD shower.

In all honesty, it was more interesting driving along the coast and just looking at the cliffs from within the rift, so that's what we did. Went a little way past Wadi Mujib (a freshwater gorge that feeds into the Dead Sea). Checked out some bedding in the cliff faces then turned around and did it all over again looking the other way...

Still hazy!

... much better than being eaten alive and dried out by salt!