Mel's Trip, Day 3

Today we went to the Dead Sea. It was about a 2 hour drive from Tel Aviv. Nick wanted to take a different route to the Dead Sea than the one he had traveled before - as his company told him to avoid the West Bank, he drove all the way around the West Bank the last time and this took 3-4 hours. He's no longer afraid of driving through the West Bank, and for that I am glad that we could save some time. To get to the Dead Sea via the West Bank you must first drive through Jerusalem and across the border into the West Bank. Once across the border the scenery changes as you are entering the Judean Desert. This is the desert where Jesus wandered for 40 days and 40 nights. It's typical desert scenery - big sand/rock dunes, sparse vegetation. We also saw some small villages here and there in the hills, with fragile homes made of wood and tin. What was ironic was that several of these homes also had satellite dishes mounted on top. Go figure. I wanted to stop on the side of the road and take some pictures of these villages as you don't see this every day, but I was worried that I would get shot at, so I refrained from the picture-taking. We also saw some camels in the desert, another thing you don't see every day, so that was interesting. My goal before I leave Israel is to ride a camel - I hope I can work that out somehow!

En route to the Dead Sea we left the West Bank and crossed back into Israel, which meant a stop at the border. We got to the border and weren't sure what to do, as we saw a guard (armed, of course) and a rope tied across the road prohibiting us from crossing. So we told the guard where we wanted to go and he let us through. Basically he untied the rope from the post and let us go past, and that was it. The border checkpoints seem to just be a formality - there really isn't much difficulty going in and out of the West Bank for non-Israelis and non-Palestinians, but the Israelis want to make it seem like a daunting task.

Shortly after the border we made it to Ein Gedi, a city on the Dead Sea that has a park with access to the sea and also a spa down the road. We got to the park and made our way toward the water. We set our stuff down on the rocks by the sea and got in. I was so careful not to get any water on my face or in my mouth as I had heard that it was pretty darn salty and tasted horrible. Once in the water we were floating! It was definitely a different feeling than swimming in the ocean. The Dead Sea is so dense that when you float on top, much of your body is above the water. We floated in the water for a bit and then got out. Nick went off to find some mud to put on me - apparently the mud in and around the sea has healing properties and is very good for your skin. Lots of people around us were slathering this stinky mud on them, so I figured why not? Nick also went to look for some salt crystals as our friend Ali requested that we take more close-up pictures of them. I wanted to try taking some home to her so she could see them in person. Unfortunately, the place we were at didn't really have any of the cool salt crystals, so that was a bust. Nick did find some mud, though, and had fun putting it on my arms. He didn't have enough for my whole body, so just the arms. We went back in the water one last time, since we didn't know if or when we'd ever be back to the Dead Sea. Then we showered off the salty water and got dressed, and ate lunch at the little cafeteria that was on site. I must say it wasn't our most fabulous meal, but we were hungry and there was nothing else to eat. After eating we got in the car and drove home. And we (or maybe just me) smelled like mineral mud all the way back to the hotel.

For dinner we ate at a steak place near the hotel. Nick and I shared a small filet (portions are rather large here, so sharing is common) and let me tell you, it was probably the best steak I have ever had. Nick has eaten here once or twice already before taking me here, so he had a chance to meet the owner and learn a little more about the beef. The owner goes out to local farms and personally chooses the cattle that he wants for meat. He then ages the beef on site. It was absolutely delicious. The meat was so good that I was able to eat it medium-rare - I usually order my steak medium. It was truly an enjoyable meal. After dinner we went back to the hotel, our bellies full. Today was another memorable and fun day.