Amman, Jordon, October 16, 2011
I have never considered myself much of a swimmer. I failed “Tadpoles” -- the beginner level -- twice and I'm much more accomplished at sinking than I am at floating. But a trip to the Dead Sea today changed all that.
I got away at 9 in the morning, with the day already shaping up to be hot, clear and dry. The taxi driver, Aeman, put his cheerful disregard for the rules of the road to good use, forcing his way through the clogged streets until we finally hit an open highway heading west. My initial impression of how dry and barren this country appears was reinforced by the view from the road. Rolling brown hills cut deep by erosion stretch off in the distance, occasionally spotted by the grey-green of olive groves. Here and there small determined trees are planted along the roadside and gather in the valleys, but it’s a dry, rocky land.
After a while, the road starts a steady drop down toward the Dead Sea. It’s a long way down. At 411 metres below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on the surface of the Earth.
Eventually, things flatten out a bit and we start to see signs of farming. We’re coming to the sea from the north end, where the Jordan River runs in. This is held to be the place where Jesus was baptized, and sure enough, a blue sign points the way to the site. But we head the other way, south, on a road running parallel to the water. We pass a few fancy seaside hotels (prices are apparently in the $300-a-night range) then turn in at Amman Beach. This is a lovely public beach complex. There’s a fresh water pool and patio and changing area on the upper level. Then you head down several steps to the beach. It’s free for Jordanians, but set me back 15 jay-dees (Jordanian Dinars, for the uninitiated).
It’s not at all crowded and it’s easy to find a chair to put my towel on. The beach is rough brown sand, mixed with what I first thought was white rock, but quickly realized was solid slabs of salt. The water is crystal clear with a sandy bottom, but near the shore the sand is covered with patches of loose salt, as if it was dumped there from some giant shaker.
I wade out to about waist deep and then comes the moment I was waiting for. I lay back in the water and float like a cork. So this is what's it's like to be a swimmer! It’s so buoyant that it’s practically impossible to keep your legs down, once you’re off your feet. That’s because about a third of the water is actually salts, including bromine, magnesium and iodine. You wouldn’t want to put your face in it, but they say all those salts are good for the skin and make you relax. I certainly felt pretty mellowby the time I left.
The Dead Sea is fed by the Jordan River and various springs. Once the water gets there, it has nowhere to go, except through evaporation, leaving behind the minerals. These days, though, the Dead Sea is in trouble because so much water is diverted from the Jordan for drinking and irrigation. As a result, the surface area has shrunk by 30% in the last three decades.
For a few jay-dees more, you can slather yourself with black mud from the region, which is supposed to clear up your skin, but it didn’t seem worth it. I tried floating a few more times, then went for a fresh water swim before climbing back in the taxi for the ride home.
I’m off to the Israeli Embassy first thing tomorrow to get a visa, and hoping they can issue it the same day so the first course can start on time.
John
No comments:
Post a Comment