The Dead Sea

Oven-like temperatures the first night, then moderating

I'm talking night-time temps here...

The Spa Club Dead Sea Hotel 

Our OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel)  group was treated to all the amenities of a luxury spa - a beautiful fresh-water pool, every conceivable spa treatment and a buffet on steroids! And then there's the Dead Sea... AND the Russians. 

Russians apparently choose the Dead Sea area as a popular vacation location. The staff at the hotel and the guests were predominately Russian I was told by people who recognize the Russian language. In fact, there appeared to be only Russians and OAT travelers at the Spa and we got along famously!

We used the hotel as a jumping off spot for visiting En Gedi, Masada and Qumran. The Russians were there for the spa and the "health" benefits of the Dead Sea, I think.

The woman above, in the black hat, is floating in the Dead Sea.  No effort is required to float. None! It was amazing to me - it defied the laws of physics... Well, I guess the laws of physics that govern floating are changed when the water isn't water! 

The Dead Sea is 1,412  ft below sea level, Earth's lowest elevation on land. The maximum depth is 997 ft.  Almost 10 times as salty as the ocean, the salinity fluctuates around 31.5%. The Dead Sea was one of the first health spas, visited by Herod the Great. It supplies a wide variety of products, from potash for fertilizer to minerals for cosmetics. The Jordan river is the only major source of water flowing into the Dead Sea. There are no outlet streams. The harsh salt and mineral environment prevents the growth of marine life, thus the name of the sea - the Dead Sea.

HOT, HOT, HOT

The Nighttime's the Right Time

Because it's cooler

Flowing in the Dead Sea during the full moon was rather special! And kind of giggly. Floating on your back - no problem. Trying to stand up - problem. Pushing your feet down takes effort. If your feet aren't squarely under you, you can't push them down, or maybe you'll flip over. Beware of splashing "water" into your eyes! It burns!

 Full moon reflecting in the Dead Sea

 Porta-potties are deluxe, too

 A word of caution - if you flip onto your stomach and are unable to raise your head or are unable to roll over, you are in danger of drowning. Swallowing a lot of salt water can lead to hypernatremia, which has a high mortality rate and requires hospitalization. There are life-guards on duty during the day to prevent this.