The magic of the Dead Sea

I have never seen anything like it in my life - dozens of people floating in the sea, looking calm and relaxed as they let the minerals from the Dead Sea penetrate their skin. From the road higher up on a hill, the people looked tiny. It looked like as if a boat had had an accident and the passengers had ended up in the sea. 

As we approach the holiday resort by the sea, we could see Bethlehem on the other side of the sea. According to Christians, Jews and Muslims, we were in a very Holy part of the world. Shortly before, we had driven over the Sinai mountain, on which Moses is believed to have died. The trip from Amman to the Dead Sea passed a number of religious sites. We had stopped at one, at the Jordan river, in which Jesus is believed to have been baptized. The security in the area had been very tight. We were escorted in a group that was not allowed to disperse even the slightest bit. The two guides had been extremely strict about this. After visiting the church in which the baptism ceremony of Jesus had been conducted, we got the river. The river was surprisingly narrow - the side of Israel was only a few metres away. On both banks, you could see military personnel with guns, guarding their land and ensuring that no trespassers were allowed to get over the border without their permission. Our group left the site with bottles of Holy Water from the river. 

Arriving to the Dead Sea Resort was a total contrast to this experience. The resort was full of happy tourist, enjoying the beach and the restaurants and bars that the resort contained. Even Muslim women were sun bathing and swimming in the sea, covered in their Halal swimming suits that did not expose any of their flesh. Westerners were digging up the mud from the sea and spreading it all over their bodies. 

For some, arriving in Jordan meant arriving in their religious paradise; for some, it meant arriving in their holiday heaven.

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For anyone interested in visiting the Dead Sea, here is a useful link:

http://www.moevenpick-hotels.com/en/pub/your_hotels/worldmap/dead_sea/overview.cfm