Day 26 - The Dead Sea

After the Panorama, we went to the Amman Beach Resort on the Dead Sea.  It costs 16JD for foreigners, which seemed a little pricy, but there wasn't really a choice.  Everything here has a tiered pricing system.  Jordanians get in free or pay 1-2JD at places.  Arabs pay 5-6JD.  "Foreigners" pay 10+.  I suppose we have that in the US to an extent, but it's pretty blatant in Jordan.

The girls and I went right to the water to try it out.

Dead Sea beach.

Scottish girls trying to read the newspaper.

The water is really weird.  First, it's really hot.  That means it's really not pleasant to get in since the air temperature is so high.  Second, it's unbelievably salty, so the tiniest cut burns horribly.  I have a few knicks and scrapes from all my walking and I felt it burning pretty bad.  After a little while, your fingernails start burning because the salt seeps into your fingertips somehow.

Still, it's pretty entertaining to be able to float so well.  Sinking is impossible.  I grabbed my knees and held them to my chest.  My shoulders stayed out of the water.  It's like wearing a life jacket at all times.

There are chunks of salt everywhere, so that's pretty strange as well.  The girls collected bottles of mud to take with them back to Scotland.  I think mud qualifies as a liquid for airport security, but I'm not totally sure.  It does make your skin really soft.  There was a random guy on the beach offering to coat people for 5JD, but it just as easy to dig it up yourself.  Many Muslim women in full dress were putting it on their faces even though the rest of their body was covered.  That was sort of funny.

As I said, the water is hot, so your head (and anything other parts above water) sweat.  But you can't wipe the sweat off because your hands are salty.  I was splashed by a single drop that landed on my lip.  Even though I was careful to let it drip off, I tasted a bit on my lips.  WOW.  You do NOT want to drink the Dead Sea.  It would be a particularly cruel way to execute someone.  Two boys were trying to dunk each other down the beach from me.  The loser (the younger brother) ran screaming up the beach towards the shower.  Apparently Dead Sea water in the eyes is unpleasant.

I needed fresh water to get the salt out of my mouth, so I headed to the pool area.  It was nice, though a little strange because everyone wears their clothes while swimming.  Young children look normal, but adult females swim in outfits that I am sure often drown them.

Pool area.

Don't fall in!  You will drown in that thing!

Islamic pool party.

I ate lunch after cooling off in the pool.  It was an overpriced buffet, but again, there was no alternative.

The driver told me that UV rays from the sun cannot reach the Dead Sea.  I didn't believe him, but the Scottish girls said the same thing.  I forgot to bring sunscreen, so I had planned to only swim for 20 minutes or so, but they reassured me.  But...they lied.  After a few hours, I was pretty crispy.  In fact, I found myself with the worst sunburn of my life.  I look like a tomato.  I can't take a picture of my shoulders on my own, but this is what I look like.

Not me, but same skin tone.

So wearing a shirt hurts.  Wearing a backpack really hurts.  Actually, sitting still hurts.  I have no aloe vera, but hopefully some Tylenol will help.