Dead Sea – 10th January, 2006

One of the major attractions in Jordan is the Dead Sea, and it was our destination today. When we awoke, it was bright and sunny, which meant that we would have a nice warm day at the beach, as the Dead Sea is 418m below sea-level.

We left Amman when it was about 7ºC, so we were still bundled up in our fleecies, jackets, and scarves. When we stopped at the sea-level marker, it was warm enough to ditch the jacket and scarf, but not the fleece. When we hopped out of the minibus at the Dead Sea resort, it was warm enough to discard the fleece. There was much rejoicing!

The rejoicing didn’t last as we realised how cold the water was. However, it could not deter us from covering ourselves in black mud and floating around in the sea. It is quite a surreal experience, floating on top of the water. You can sit as though you are in an armchair - in fact you can maintain almost posture or position as long as you don’t attempt to be vertical.

After we had spent about an hour playing in the water and covering ourselves in mud (which is supposed to be therapeutic), we went into the resort’s aqua-land and played on the waterslides. We didn’t actually remain in the pool for very long, as it was very cold! However, time in the fresh water removed any remnants of mud and salt from our bodies, which meant that we could get dressed and go to lunch.

After lunch, which was a massive buffet, we started the drive to Wadi Musa, where we are staying tonight. The trip took about three hours and was regularly interrupted by security checkpoints along the highway. Jordan is on a heightened security alert this week, so the checks were a bit more frequent than usual. The minibus had to stop and be examined by soldiers and we had to give them a cherry wave before being allowed to pass on.

Unfortunately, as we have climbed about 2000m since leaving the Dead Sea, we’re back to wearing five layers of clothing. It was dark when we arrived in Wadi Musa (the Valley of Moses), so we haven’t been able to see anything. The reason we are here is to visit Petra, which we will be doing tomorrow. That promises to be a hard day’s walking (starting at 6am), so its off to bed for us. Our love to you all…

P.S. Thanks for all the comments and emails, it is great to know everyone is enjoying the diary.

Fletch’s tips for new travellers

If you ever find yourself needing to drive from the Dead Sea to Wadi Musa (don't we all) then make sure you pack your sports car of choice. The road goes for about 100kms and climbs 1,800m. It has a nice smooth surface, more twists and turns than Pike's Peak, and no speed cameras! And I'm sure that those Humvees with the 16mm machine guns couldn't catch you... I'm really glad that I was wearing my sunglasses as, being the passenger in a Torago for this ascent, it meant that nobody could see me cry. Its enough to make you go out and buy a 20 valve quattro...