I must say that I love Jordan; it is very pretty and the weather is perfect right now! Nice sunny mornings and a cool breeze at night; doesn't get much better weather wise. So I managed to sneak away for a day to the dead sea which is about 45 minutes from Amman. What a funny experience! First off Rhona and I got pulled over for speeding at which point the police officer did not speak any English so it was alot of pointing and eventually they just let us go. Then we were stopped twice at check points they have before you enter the dead sea area. Both times the cops asked us where we were from and said Welcome to Jordan very enthusiastic. People here are so welcoming and friendly; they really want people to experience Jordan.
So the sign above was all around right as you enter the hotel area of the dead sea. It is pretty classic and as you can imagine it is pretty impossible to drown in the dead sea given that you immediately float in the water. It is a strange experience to be standing in the water but not touching the bottom of the ocean, just kind of bobbing around. The only issue is if you move the slightest bit you legs automatically float to the surface; so it is pretty difficult to keep yourself from floating to the surface.
That is dried up salt on the rocks near the shore of the dead sea.
Word to the wise; do not shave your legs prior to going into the dead sea or get the water anywhere near your eyes, it could be painful!! Rhona and I stayed at the
dead sea for dinner and to watch the sun set over Israel which made for a great day!
For those not familiar with Jordan, Amman is in the North East and Petra is about a 2.5 - 3hour drive south from Amman. It is past the dead sea but north of Aqaba (which is on the red sea/Gulf of Aqaba).
So Petra was amazing; it's difficult to believe the city was built out of rock back in ~7000 BC. At one point it was home to approximately 20,000 people. Some other interesting facts are that only 5% has been excavated. Also Petra means 'rock' in Greek.
Enjoy!
