424. The Dead Sea

Where: The Dead Sea, Israel
When: September 15, 2012
With: Dave, Dad and coworkers

After leaving Masada, we were all hot, sweaty, and tired. Before throwing us right into the saltiest body of water on earth, our tour guide took pity on us and made a pit stop at an ancient oasis, Ein Gedi. We knew that if there was wildlife there, it had to be somewhat refreshing. 

The ancient springs were hidden in a rift between two mountains. The bleak, hot stone around you made these waterfalls and springs an extra welcome respite. 

We were wall very eager to jump right in.

As we continued walking through the mountain pass, small bridges took us on narrow pathways along the springs. We continued along, stopping at various waterfalls along the way.

After an hours worth of waterfall stops, it was time to turn back. When we turned to head back, we realised what a magnificent view of the Dead Sea we had behind us. 

We piled back in the car feeling cooled and refreshed to make the drive to the Dead Sea. Along the way we saw two interesting sites. First, we saw a rock with black lines and PEP etched onto it. This showed where the Dead Sea used to come up when the Palestinian Ecological team measured it in the early 1900s. This was on the opposite side of the highway from the Dead Sea. It is evaporating at an alarming rate!

The next site we saw from our car were small holes in the side of the mountain faces. These are the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by an unassuming shepherd in the 1940s. Eleven years later, a collection of 972 texts of the Old Testament dating from 400BC were found among these twelve different caves. 

At this point, we reached a parking lot that was distinctly resorty and realised we had made it to the Dead Sea. It felt like we were on a tropical island as we sat in the warm sun with a cold beer before making our descent into the water. Our beer was appropriately Macabees.

Descending the steps towards the water, you could feel the temperature rising. The heat rose up out of the ground and the rocks under your feet were coated in white crystals where the water had evaporated, leaving some heavy amounts of salt behind.

Getting into the water was surreal. At first, it felt perfectly normal, except the water was really hot (in the mid-80s). As I waded in, I could feel my skin pruning and shriveling in the salty water and every minor scrape and cut on my body started to burn like it was on fire. Then I lifted my feet up to lean back...and they came flying up to the surface. It was nearly impossible to get them down again. The closest thing I could equate it to is trying to push a cork underwater. 

Due to the high concentration of salt in the water, it is a really, really bad idea to put your face in the water. To prevent this accidentally happening, they insist that you only float on your back. However, Dave thoroughly enjoyed breaking this rule, even when the Israeli lifeguards screamed at him through megaphones. 

The silt at the bottom of the Dead Sea is basically like a giant mud pack and is really good for your skin. We proceeded to slather ourselves (whether Dave liked it or not). 

You can cover your whole body, if you wish. Please see Exhibits A and B in the background. 

We all had a lot of fun playing around in the water. 

However, after not too long, the burning on my skin could no longer be handled. Plus, the heat of the air and water made me feel like I was the chicken in a very brothy soup. So we headed out for a much needed fresh water shower. 

On our way back to Jerusalem, we made one more pit stop at what appeared to just be a giant canyon in the middle of a desert. Nothing was there aside from a small donkey and long trail down the side. 

However, when we walked to the edge of the canyon, we say this old church built right into the side. This has supposedly been hidden away here for hundreds of years. 

The Dead Sea and it's surrounding areas were amazing. A once-in-a-lifetime experience. And if it is evaporating, go there as quickly as you can!