Dead Sea dirt

Out of this trip, this is undoubtedly the experience I’m less happy to share.

We’d done the drive from Amman and the Siq trail in that day but despite the fact that time was running short and that it would surely mean driving through sunset and at night (more on that later on), I simply had to have a dip in the Dead Sea.

For those of you who are not aware, since the Dead Sea is part of the border between Jordan and Israel, it is heavily guarded and has land and sea mines at unmarked places so just walking in was definitely not an option. Thus, the first thing we needed to find was a place where it was safe to access it and which was preferably for free.

A had found a blog that spoke of a place just like that and which apparently had no tourists. It seemed perfect but the directions for it were… shady. Armed with a kind of treasure map with instructions from the blog, we parked the car near an abandoned road check and across what seemed to be a kind of border look out where a Toyota Hilux could be seen with a mounted machine gun on it. It was a bit ominous but well… the nearest paid beach was like 20 minutes away so we figured it was worth it. As we walked out and around to try and find the way down to access the lake I had the distinct sensation that the troops on the lookout were now looking out to us. It was a weird feeling, being near a wondrous and tranquil lake and feeling like a sniper might take me out at any time. A really wanted to find a way down and we walked around a bit aimlessly for a few minutes. I was, well, as I tend to be: tense.

At that point we realized that the only way down was near the army lookout and begrudgingly decided that this was a treasure we were not finding and moved on to try and go to the paid beach. In hindsight I am disappointed but I sure was happy to leave that place then!

Not being the easiest place to find, we eventually did make it to the nearest (we think) beach and attempted to enter. It looked empty and as we approached the gate to enter and asked if we could, the guy at the reception did a spectacular display of not understanding what customer experience is and simply pointed us to the beach next door as it was cheaper. Charming.

At the next beach we did manage to enter and what we found was a mix of both overwhelming and underwhelming feelings at the same time. The beach was a mix of summer resort meets carnival attractions and it was eerily empty. 

Sunset was approaching, the colors were astonishing and the experience of floating in all kinds of different positions was spectacular! Usually calm waters bore me but knowing that I am floating in a lifeless pool of salt filled with mines which separates two countries, which might as well be two different worlds, was unforgettable.

The above being said, I also left with a very disappointing impression of the beach grounds since they were filthy. There were bottle caps, pieces of plastic, ice cream wooden sticks, food leftovers and other far less sanitary things all over the shore and as I walked back without flip flops I was hoping that my tetanus shot was still valid. It really is a shame that Jordanians seem insensitive to these things.

With entirely mixed feelings, we decided to hit the road and go down to Petra just after the sun was over the horizon. While leaving the beach we encountered a group of men just sharing their Iftar dinner and they invited us to join them. We were in a hurry to move on and respectfully declined but looking back, I think we should have taken that opportunity to know those people better. Maybe next time.

Because it was Ramadan, we had been recommended to try not to drive around sunset time as people would be rushing home and the roads become hazardous. Unfortunately, we were running late and not driving through sunset was not an option but we really did not find too many issues and the drive was quite alright. The only moment when things became a bit trickier were when driving through small villages at night since during Ramadan people gather in groups outside, sometimes in the middle of the road, in places without a lot of lighting. 

Regardless of all of the above, I really do recommend visiting the Dead Sea if you get the chance, even if just to see how oily it is and to rub yourself in its mud. That is definitely something to remember!