Tuesday, July 1, 2008

alive in the dead sea

I know what you're thinking: "Nice legs." To focus on those, though, is to miss our Dead Sea story, so stop staring and keep reading. Here's the story: We went to the Dead Sea. Not enough of a story? Let's review, then, some of the fun facts that make the Dead Sea quite an interesting and unique place. From Amman, its shores are only about 30 minutes away by car, and doing the drive involves descending from an altitude of about 2,500 feet to the lowest point on the surface of Earth, 1,378 feet below sea level. The waters of the Dead Sea are the second saltiest in the world with approximately 30 percent salinity, making it about eight and a half times saltier than the ocean. What this means is that floating on the surface is probably like no other swimming experience you've ever had; bring a book, bring a drink, but don't bother bringing a raft. Bobbing in the water is a strange sensation, especially because the water itself feels different--slimy and slippery like baby oil. Everything about the Dead Sea and the climate of the region, from the minerals to the sunshine to the temperature to the humidity to the barometric pressure, is supposed to be therapeutic and beneficial to the human body. It should come as no surprise, then, that the two of us have been transformed by our visit into superhumans with many new and unnatural powers. Now that's a good story!

8 comments:

Whimsique said...

Nice legs!

Story? what story?

zanoh and co. said...

wa-moose...you need joe to paint your toe nails. now that would be the ultimate spa treatment!

Hillary said...

Hi Maertzes (is that how you spell the plural of Maertz?),

I just love reading about your adventures, thanks again for sharing!

kristy said...

did you also know that you would DIE from ingesting just 1 tablespoon of that salty salty sea water? that's what they told me when i was there!

anjuli paschall said...

so fun! wish i could bob around with you!

Wichit Maneevone said...

This place will be one of the place i like to visit in the near future.

Kelli said...

Oooh fun. What powers do you have now? I've heard that about the Dead Sea. What a cool experience!

Corrie said...

Loved seeing the new photos and hearing some more stories. Miss you and love you, wanoodleation. Can't wait to have you home. Can't wait to hear the stories from you without a computer in between us.

Love!