Asia

[Visited: August 1999]

For quite some time, I have been convinced that while I am from a country without mountains, at least my country had the lowest places on earth, below sea level. Then, I found out that the lowest point is actually more than 400 metres below sea level, in a country which also has real mountains. Because of its special geographical location, this sea-lake is also substantially more salty than any normal sea.
So it was definitely worth the trip from Tel Aviv to explore this odd place. After having walked around in a nature park nearby and having enjoyed lunch at a typical kibbutz, it was time to "dive" into the waters of the sea. Already the coastline looked different, with strange salt formations.
First of all, you cannot enter the water in a conventional way, but you are strongly advised to enter bottom-first. After that, there is no real swimming, rather floating around. The high temperature of the water added to a general feeling of laziness. A mud bath seemed a perfect way to end this healthy day, although I was very happy that I could not really see myself...

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Israeli Dead Sea (Israel). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Israeli Dead Sea.
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