Salt Sea

Arab people call it "Dead Sea", but the original name is "Salt Sea" (FB group). It is an amazing experience going there. I had been looking forward to swim there since I was a little kid, because my grandparents told me about it, and I had been very curious for more than 20 years. I finally went there, and swam there. More than swimming, I just floated.

You have to be very careful about the water coming into your eyes or mouth or nose. Just a few drops of water reached my lips, and that was enough to be very thirsty the whole night. I touched my eyes with dried hands after swimming, and that was enough to wake up next morning with an itchy pain in them.

Other tourists were doing the typical photo of reading a newspaper while floating, but I was too happy to be there, that I just wanted to enjoy the experience without being distracted by a camera. There is no sand or soil or whatsoever, but just salt. Freakies put mud on their bodies to get good vibes.

I spent the whole night at the beach, perfect windy weather (refreshing wind in the middle of the desert), slept in my sleeping bag, and woke up on time: it was already clear, but there was still no sun in the sky. In front of me, the mountains of Jordania. Very slowly they became on fire, till the sun was there. One more sunny day in this desert, the lowest point on Earth.

Now I am really curious about going to Lac Assal, in Djibouti, the lake with the highest salinity: up to 50% (Salt Sea's is "just" 33%). One sunny day!