Thursday, October 28, 2010

Jordan : The Dead Sea, Which Tasted Most Foul

Ever since I saw Ian Wright and other TV travellers floating in the Dead Sea, I have always imagined what that would feel like.

On the Jordan side, you can access the Dead Sea through the private beaches fronting the resorts; or you can go to the public beach like we did. We were brought to the Amman Beach, a 'public beach' that has all the facilities, with an entrance fee of JD15 *vomit blood*

From top of the slope. The other side is Israel.

Plastic chairs are available to sit and rest on the beach.

The beachside is actually on a gentle slope. Up there as you enter they have all the facilities - showers, lockers, nice swimming pools, restaurants, souvenir shops - the usual.

It was quite shallow until about 20 metres out.

Yeay! I am floating! Try as you may you can't sink. Erm, in the beginning I floated around and then managed to splash the water onto my face - waaaaa, it stung like crazy! And when I tried to wipe the seawater off my face some went inside my eyes and that was horrible. A little bit of water got into my mouth as well and boy, it tasted AWFUL. Undescribable taste, but undeniably foul. I got out of the water and went to stand under the shower for a while. What a relief! So yeah, do float gently and elegantly to avoid what I experienced.

With friends Sue and Bachlan, who pretended to be reading something; we should have had some props. Oh, if you have cuts or nicks on your body they sting 100x so if possible make sure your skin is flawless when you bathe in the Dead Sea. Afterwards, your skin feels like it has a very light, almost slimy film clinging on it. We later got out and continued swimming in the pool; refreshing and lovely on a hot day, and after all that saltwater!

Other bathers. Men can go topless and ladies can wear bikinis here; no biggie.

To cover yourself in the black mud costs JD3.

Crystallised salt on the beach. I took some for souvenir :). No need to buy dead sea salt.

Feet Shot.

One more to-do ticked off the list.

Except maybe, one day, to float there again on the Israel side.

4 comments:

  1. Love to float on the dead sea someday.For an "almost similar" floating experience near here, try Pulau Tiga's mud volcano. Well, maybe not quite the same. :)

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  2. Jason LT - (hey, where have you been?)Can you believe I have not been to Pulau Tiga? I want to do that soon. Yeah they won't be the same but I bet both taste just as foul :P.

    Good to see you back in a new home.

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  3. wow. so, people can really float at the dead sea. I bet it must be salty. It looks burning hot there.

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  4. JIPP - Salty like no other taste. Yes, it was very hot; heat-wise it was bearable because it wasn't humid like here. But, brightness-wise, wow, have to bring your darkest Raybans!

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