Mrs. Bowmick was the first one to introduce me to this place called the Dead Sea. She was our Geography teacher. It was 1980. My eigth grade. I was fascinated by the facts she had taken us thru. The lowest point of the earth. The saltiest water – so much so that you would float in it.

Every unsuccessful swimming attempts much later in my life would bring back wishful thoughts that all swimming pools were a Dead Sea for me.

Today, for the first time in my life, I saw what the Dead Sea looks like. Whatever the imaginations of that eighth grader was (I am too old to recollect) certainly met reality today. And what a great reality it is!!

This picture was taken when I was at the lowest land elevation on earth!! 1350+ feet below sea level.

That is me. Behind me is the Dead Sea. Behind that is the West Bank. And behind that is the sun!

Given the depth of the Dead Sea shores, the conflict in the West Bank and the beauty of it all, my friend Anusuya describes it best – “Swargo, Morto, Patal!” (Heaven, Hell and Earth!”