The
Dead Sea is a giant salt lake lying between Israel on the west, and Jordan on
the east. The Dead Sea is 1,412 feet
below sea level, the lowest point on earth.
The Dead Sea is almost 10 times saltier than the ocean.
The
Dead Sea is in actuality, two lakes. The
northern lake is almost 1,000 feet deep, but is losing water at a rate of
almost 3 feet a year. The southern lake
is just a few feet deep and is actually supplied by a canal bringing water from
the northern lake. The southern lake is
where you can find resorts on both the Israeli and Jordanian sides, and where
most of the industrial work is done in drawing minerals out of the water for
use in cosmetics, detergents, and fertilizers.
Both Israel and
Jordan have built up a small tourism industry along their respective sides of
the Dead Sea. Tourists come to the Dead
Sea not only to float in the salty sea and enjoy the warm temperatures, dry air, and
nearly year-round sunshine; but also for the health benefits. The climate of the Dead Sea is said to help
those with sinus issues, and floating in the sea, or enjoying the famous mud
pack therapy, is said to help with skin and arthritis issues. It is quite an odd sensation trying to walk through
the water, and an even stranger feeling trying to stand up after floating in
the Dead Sea!
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| Not a sandy beach, a salty beach! |
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| Icebergs in the Dead Sea? No, that's salt! |
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| Traveling to the town of Ein Bokek, where we spent the night, you pass by the bridge that will take you to the Kingdom of Jordan |
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| Coming up on an Israeli checkpoint. The road to Ein Bokek runs along the West Bank. |
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| Checkpoint |
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| Looking about 7 miles east at a Jordanian resort on the Dead Sea. |
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| A panorama of the town of Ein Bokek at night |
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| Dusk on the Dead Sea |
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| Sunrise |
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| The mountain directly behind our hotel with the rising sun (behind me) reflecting on it. This is the same mountain range in which Masada (see posts below) is a part of, only about 10 miles north. |
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| You can see how close the mountains are to Ein Bokek, and Mickey D's is even closer :-( |
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| The Hod Hotel |
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