I was reading the sign at the Marriott gate waiting for the security guy to do the check. Check out where it mentions “hubbly bubbly”. My first question was why was champagne being mentioned specifically after already saying beverages were not allowed. And what is hubbly?

Learnt that hubbly bubbly is basically a hookah! That explains – no outside food, drinks or smoke.

According to the Bible, this is where Moses died and was granted a view of the promised land before he died.

Mahmud (محمود الرمامنة) told me that in the mornings, you could get a clear view of Jerusalem and Bethlehem from where we stood. There was a map nearby showing the direction of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Jerusalem was only 36 km (20 miles) from where we stood.

I took a picture from my phone in that direction (I am not carrying my DSLR), zoomed it and then edited to make it a little darker. And lo and behold! The silhouette of Jerusalem showed up!!

You see the end of the Dead Sea on North Side. And if you see on the western side, you can see where the Jordan river pours into the Sea.

You can see Dead Sea way down there and the road we traveled along the Sea. You can also see the salt crystal beaches.

Dry Rocks as far as the eyes can go. The peaks are all under sea level!!

A few steps up from the Ma’in Hot Spring is a cave. The inside is sweltering hot. The water on the ground is so hot that you cannot step in it. I did. And I scowled and jumped back immediately. There are mats laid there where you can step on and sit on the rocks.

I have not yet figured out what the rich green coloration comes from. They are not algae/lichen etc. It is too hot for that. That is the color of the rock itself. Perhaps copper oxide?

This place – Ma’in Hot Springs – has multiple Biblical reference (referred to as Belemounta). The Romans used to visit here. Herod the Great bathed here for medicinal purposes.

Let the records indicate that centuries later, one Rajib Roy came here to take a selfie!