This Wadi reminded me of Wadi Shaab in Oman. There I had to trek thru rocks till we reached the spot where the water was.

Here you wade thru the river all the way up. So, you are going to be wet all the way… I wish I had left my backpack in the car.

Impressive face of the canyon

Apparently, there are no more wild camels left in Jordan. Most of them are owned by the Bedouins.

Started the journey to go down the east coast of Dead Sea and hit some spots. First stop – a local tea stall to have some karak chai. Missed my brother. In India, this is our common thing on drives – stop at roadside tea stalls for some tea.

With belly dancing and hookah-smoking. Well, I did not do the hookah thing. Coming from the US, the level of smoking here can be a little jarring. In fact, this is the first property in Jordan, they claimed, where you cannot smoke in your room!!

… Mahmoud promised me that if I came tomorrow morning and let him guide me thru the Dead Sea salt treatment, I will be a completely different person.

We will see about that!

Right in the middle of the water is the 1994 Treaty line. On the other side of the water is Israel.

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!”

“Mahmud, what are those plants? They look like banana trees”
“They are banana trees.”
“What? I thought Jordan is mostly a desert.”
“It is.”

Apparently, there is this area called the Central Jordan Valley that we were driving thru that is an exception to the rule. This valley grows banana, various citrus fruits, strawberries and what have you.

Bananas in a desert!! I had no idea!