The Dead Sea with salty water let's you float so you can not drown...
OK, I have heard about this place earlier, but nothing else matters when you actually go to Israel and plan your trip to the Dead Sea. It is so salty, that there is no life in it – well, actually some bacteria only. The good thing is that you can not drown – you just keep walking and when your head reaches the water level, you keep always above the water, so there is no chance of getting underwater.
You can walk so (not reaching the land with your legs) till you reach the other shore, but that would not be so wise, because you would cross the border. Other thing – there are so called healthy-mud beaches, where you can put that sh*t on your body, pretend its funny (it is actually, if you have a camera nearby) and dry out in the sun. After that you will have to clean yourself, and as the locals say, feel the difference of your skin and so on.
It feels actually good – like baby-skin on your body. The problem is how to clean yourself – you can go to a shower place, which has got only cold water, or you could go right into the Dead Sea (which is salty). Taking your camera inside the water is risky. I did this, then I had to clean it from salt and other bad stuff, because it is everywhere: on your fingers, in the air and so on. The people keep floating, you can lie down, read a newspaper, or take images – everything is done with your hands, as you do not need them to stay on top of the sea.
The bad thing is the salty water, which is something like science chemicals – if you catch the smallest dip of water with your lips, you go straight out of the sea and clean your mouth for 5 minutes. If you get water into your eyes, there’s the major problem – wave your hands, keep eyes shut, and ask someone to guide you out of the water straight to the showers. Trust me, that hurts. Well, if everything goes smooth, you and your camera will get the best possible shots. By the way, I remember one Russian tourist, who entered the sea and made a dive underwater.
Trust me, I was shocked, everyone was shocked – even my camera which refused to catch this suicidal act. After this dive, he was lead to the medical care center… anyway, the DEAD SEA is a wonder on earth – I believe it now. It is 422 meters above the sea level (maybe that’s why it’s so salty? actually it is 8,6 times as salty as the ocean), and it is the deepest hypersaline lake in the world (378 m). Well, as it was said, this sea is good for health therapy, so that’s what I did – mainly for my cameras, which were dying to take those funny shots of muddy people!
10 comments
Cool, a mud bath!!!!
Wow ! Wonderful location and terrible pics !
We don't image that it hurts so much to be in intimate contact with the salted waters.
I've read a sad new in a magazine : the dead sea is apparently dying ! In few decades, it won't exist anymore, because of irrigation in the desert.
so cool!!! great shots
shalom :)
actually it's 422 _below_ sea level :) besides, I think that your Horizon was among the first ones in the country :)
great description great place...great location great
That's surely an unique place to visit!! And Jogintas, you look so great covered by mud, ha ha ha ha!!! :))))))
liuks vietele :)
interesting!
Excellent lomolocation ! The gallery is awesome ! And I would bet it is so salty because evaporation is stronger than precipitation and freshwater riverine input ... And maybe the dead sea is getting saltier every day... but maybe I'm wrong...
Please login to comment this article. If you don't have an account yet register one – additionally you can sign in with Twitter or Facebook. Opinion is free and discussion is encouraged on lomography.com, however, neither the content nor the ideas expressed in the comments are supported by or representative of the Lomographic Society International.