No, this is not the long-anticipated “swimsuit issue” of my blog. It was during our four-day field trip to southern Israel (to include the desert) that we took a brief swimming stop at the Dead Sea. Now, as you might have heard before, the Dead Sea has a very high concentration of salt and mineral deposits. For this reason, a person will float in the Dead Sea. In the first picture, you see that I am floating. In fact, it was very comfortable. I wish that I had had a pillow, because if I had, I could easily have drifted off and taken a nap.
You will notice that I am wearing flip-flops in these pictures. This is because it is difficult to walk barefoot in the Dead Sea. The bottom is covered with at least several inches of what I call “salt cubes,” that is, small chunks of salt that vary in size from that of a sugar cube to about the size of a golf ball. I did not retrieve any of this salt to bring home. However, if you look at the second picture closely, you will notice that on the left hand side, one of the students in our group was collecting some of these salt cubes. He is holding a handful of them.
We went swimming in the Dead Sea for about an hour, which was a much-welcomed break from our days in the desert region. I believe it was later on this day that we asked our bus driver what the temperature was. He said he heard on the radio that it was forty-five. Doing the quick conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, I realized that it was 113 degrees!
Shortly after we hit the road from the Dead Sea, we stopped on the side of the road for a picture stop, where I took the last photo that you see. The natural structure that you see is a common sight along the mountains by the Dead Sea. The structure is known as “Mrs. Lot,” because it is formed from the salt-dense water and moisture of the area. The reference is to Lot’s wife, who in the book of Genesis was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah during her family’s escape from the destruction of those cities. Scholars don’t know for sure if Lot’s wife turned into something that looks like one of these “Mrs. Lots,” but it is plausible. In fact, since I have been home from Israel, I was watching a History Channel show that claimed that she did in fact turn into a “Mrs. Lot” pillar like those near the Dead Sea.
No, this is not the long-anticipated “swimsuit issue” of my blog. It was during our four-day field trip to southern Israel (to include the desert) that we took a brief swimming stop at the Dead Sea. Now, as you might have heard before, the Dead Sea has a very high concentration of salt and mineral deposits. For this reason, a person will float in the Dead Sea. In the first picture, you see that I am floating. In fact, it was very comfortable. I wish that I had had a pillow, because if I had, I could easily have drifted off and taken a nap.
You will notice that I am wearing flip-flops in these pictures. This is because it is difficult to walk barefoot in the Dead Sea. The bottom is covered with at least several inches of what I call “salt cubes,” that is, small chunks of salt that vary in size from that of a sugar cube to about the size of a golf ball. I did not retrieve any of this salt to bring home. However, if you look at the second picture closely, you will notice that on the left hand side, one of the students in our group was collecting some of these salt cubes. He is holding a handful of them.
We went swimming in the Dead Sea for about an hour, which was a much-welcomed break from our days in the desert region. I believe it was later on this day that we asked our bus driver what the temperature was. He said he heard on the radio that it was forty-five. Doing the quick conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, I realized that it was 113 degrees!
Shortly after we hit the road from the Dead Sea, we stopped on the side of the road for a picture stop, where I took the last photo that you see. The natural structure that you see is a common sight along the mountains by the Dead Sea. The structure is known as “Mrs. Lot,” because it is formed from the salt-dense water and moisture of the area. The reference is to Lot’s wife, who in the book of Genesis was turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah during her family’s escape from the destruction of those cities. Scholars don’t know for sure if Lot’s wife turned into something that looks like one of these “Mrs. Lots,” but it is plausible. In fact, since I have been home from Israel, I was watching a History Channel show that claimed that she did in fact turn into a “Mrs. Lot” pillar like those near the Dead Sea.
I'd hate to swallow a mouthful of that Dead Sea water!!
ReplyDeleteDid you have to take a thorough shower after getting out? I would imagine so!
So it was you who brought the heat to us here. I was wondering. Just kidding of course. Great photos! Looks like a nice relief from the heat.
ReplyDeletethanks all. swimming in the dead sea was very relaxing, kind of like taking an epsom salt bath or something like that. getting out of the water, i felt a slightly salty, oily kind of residue on my body. they had showers there for swimmers to use after their swim in the sea. by the way, i was also told that since i shaved that morning, that the water would sting my face, which it did a little.
ReplyDelete