Can't tread water in the Dead Sea

Friday, Nov. 20 -- Several in the group took a dip in the Dead Sea today. Maybe taking a dip isn't the right description -- it was more like bobbing like a cork. It's hard to swim because you're so buoyant. I just lay on my back and floated. Some folks were getting mud baths since the mud apparently has magic powers. Lots of eastern Europeans visit, looking for a cure for various skin diseases, including psoriasis.

The Dead Sea is about the size of Lake Tahoe and is some seven times saltier than any other body of water in the world. It's also the lowest point on earth, 400 meters below sea level, and is shared by Jordan, Israel and Palestine, which we could see across the water. No boats allowed for security reasons. In fact, the road to the Dead Sea is the only road in Jordan with military checkpoints, although we weren't stopped anywhere. Its southern shore is pretty ugly, with potash and magnesium oxide plants abutting acre after acre of tomato and eggplant farms. But the farther north one travels, the prettier it gets. As pretty as it can be without any trees, that is. We were at Amman Beach, which boasts a Crowne Plaza, Marriott and the Kampinski Dead Sea Spa, where we "swam."

We also visited Shoback Castle, an imposing edifice built by the Crusaders around 1100 BC, and the Dana nature reserve, now protected by the government as a safe place for a variety of birds, butterflies, animals (hyena, porcupine) flowers and trees.