Birthday at the Dead Sea

Two posts in one night! I have to take advantage of the broadband while I have it.

July 5th was Brett's 20th birthday. Excited by the irony, we decided to celebrate his birth at the Dead Sea. A French girl I met in class with family in Jordan negotiated a good price for a cab to take us down. The drivers were probably willing to accept such a low price because they get into the Dead Sea beach for free when they bring tourists, so they just chilled at the beach while waiting to take us back.

The water at the Dead Sea is different than any other water on earth. Ocean water has is about 3% salt. The Dead Sea is 30% salt. This makes sinking in this water impossible. As you walk into the sea, you feet stop being able to touch the ocean floor when the water is about at your shoulders, because the water holds your shoulders above water even when you are holding still. If you don't make a conscious effort to keep your lower body under water, it will also force that up, making laying on top of the water the easiest position to maintain. Joe, a tall athletic guy in our group, tried to dive to the bottom, but couldn't get his knees beneath the surface as he tried to swim down.

The mud at the Dead Sea is supposed to be very good for your skin, so we found some under a rock and rubbed at all over ourselves. After we washed the mud off our skin was so soft we all spent the next ten minutes rubbing our own skin.

More stunning than the water at the Dead Sea, may be the view across realizing that you can see Israel. It looks as if you could swim across, if you were both an Olympic swimmer and unafraid of the darts Israel supposedly shoots at you if you attempt such a feet.

After we swam in the sea and the swimming pools that are provided at our beach, we returned to our apartments slightly sunburned and in possession of a great birthday story Brett can tell. Now when someone tries to brag about their birthday Brett, always a showman, can confidently one up them.