New Air Jordans Just Dropped
The Dead Sea
The rumors are true. There are a lot of annoying flies around the Dead Sea. Oh and also you definitely can float. I’m a pretty terrible swimmer and lack basic buoyancy. This was a breeze. We woke up to lightning and thunder and thought that we weren’t going to have an opportunity, but once the green flag was flown, we bolted across the beautiful Kimpinski Hotel grounds for the beach (I definitely recommend this hotel, knowing nothing about other hotels, but coming off of Dubai, this was an affordable and luxurious accommodation). Past the multiple tiered infinity pools, as we descended the hillside, we realized we were the only ones apparently interested.
The water is warmer than it looks / we thought it would be. It is incredibly relaxing to simply float with no risk of sinking. I’m forever envious of people who can do this normally. I could easily keep my hair and hands out of the water the entire time. Should have brought some fun props. Being at a fancy spa-esque hotel. The attendant on hand waved us back in and said it was time for mud. Which was weirdly fun, to just get incredibly messy and covered in mud. Brought back a childhood sense of messy that I haven’t had since… well I was a child. And even then, I probably wasn’t this messy. Heads up, the mud stains white things… so keep that in mind. Also something about being covered in mud makes me feel like your tongue needs to be sticking out. Not sure why.
Washing it off in the sea, followed by a salt exfoliation, a shower, then a swim in a heated basin swimming pool, was serene. It’s quite quiet, only a construction project nearby made any noise. There aren’t any boats on this sea? I guess? Is that a rule? No idea. It was comparable to the very enjoyable Blue Lagoon in Iceland that I went to in January. This was far less developed, and felt much more rugged (despite the fact that we were at a nice hotel). Definitely worth the trip, but I think Iceland’s was just a tad cooler. It might be the fact that it’s heated and they serve alcohol in the body of water.
Zoe in the heated infinity pool that is designed to be a basin, which makes it hard to get to the edges, as you just slide back towards the center. Bit of a Sims game nightmare.
Now I’ve tried to understand the history and science behind the Dead Sea, and I can’t figure it out. It’s the lowest elevation of land on Earth. Which is a weird stat. The general gist of it is that basically ocean got caught there a long time ago and was isolated, and slowly evaporated and shrank over time, eventually becoming too salty and making it very difficult for any life to thrive there, hence the name. What I can’t understand is that it’s only slightly saltier than the Great Salt Lake in Utah. And they seem to have life around it? At least for now…
Driving along the east bank was beautiful. The swirling blue leading into salty white shores is fascinating. Keep in mind if you do drive, keep an eye out for pesky speed bumps. They have little to no consistent warning, and could easily ruin your vehicle. Eventually the sea ends, also annually receding at a meter a year. And we start driving towards the mountains.
Lower Jordanian Highlands
Along narrow roads, winding paths through this otherworldly landscape, I was thoroughly enjoying myself. Rising from the low depths of the Dead Sea our ears popped as we jammed out to some tunes. A perfect road trip leg, in retrospect, the road is barely marked on the map. Definitely not the recommended route, but I picked shortest. As you can see by the map below, we somehow skipped the highways, and went through a mountain pass that definitely is the path less taken. It takes a keen eye and zooming in quite deep to even see the road on Google Maps. I wish I had pictures, but I was too enthralled driving through this mountain range, nor would any pictures do it justice.
Fun weird bubble glamp, they lit some electric lights on the rock faces that surround the camp. I took my work call there on that coffee table.
We’re staying on the outside of Petra, at a glamping ground. I thought it’d be a nice to have a unique quieter accommodation before we deal with the crowds and headache that Petra / Wadi Musa will be. Plus, I’m a sucker for a starry night. Don’t get many of those in Astoria or Connecticut. Similarly to mountains, stars are helpful for humans to have around. Modern people should use them as a type of psychological wayfinding, being reminded how small humanity is. Living in a large developed city, one can subliminally get the idea that mankind is our own moral compass and dominant. A vast natural starry night can both be deeply humbling and awe inspiring. It is crucial to any progress this century to respect the natural order and believe in grand exploration. But why listen to me, when he said it right?
Oh right, the World Cup. Looks like we’re getting the Becks Derby. Netherlands v. USA this Saturday, along with a ton of college football. Sports all day. The American way.