D19 - Saturday 4-10-08 Dead Sea & Madaba

Last year in July 07, eight travellers including myself hired a jeep from Leh, Ladakh ( Northern India) to the world's 3rd highest motorable pass, Changla Pass in Himalayas. The highest point we reached was 5,700m (

17,800ft above sea level) . Today, I visited Dead Sea , which is at the lowest point of the earth (400m below sea level). How not to get low altitude sickness !!!!!

From Amman to Dead Sea , I took a bus (1JOD=Rm5.30) and arrived at Suweimah village junction - a 55 mins bus ride. From there, I took a microbus (2JOD=Rm10.60) to Dead Sea , about 5km away. The bus dropped me off in Amman Beach - a private owned property with shower facility. I took a short walk to a public beach next to Amman Beach and saw a few local guys having their swims there. These guys told me it was alright to swim here. So, I put on my swimming trunk and took a dip into the Dead Sea. Due to the high salinity of the water, ( very salty) my body floated easily. A big difference compares to swimming in a normal beach. After a 20 mins swim, I had a wash out on my body with two bottles of cold water which I brought along from my hostel.

Due to a lack of public transport near the Amman Beach area, I had to resort to hitch hiking. After walking for 20 mins , I got a lift from a private car to Suweimah Village. I offered to pay the driver 1 JOD but he declined to accept the money.

From the village junction, I took a bus to Madaba, a town well known for its Byzantine era mosaics. I paid 1JOD to enter a 19th century Greek Orthodox St George's Church , which is famous for its floor mosaic map marked with all the biblical sites from Lebanon to Egypt. The mosaic dated back to AD560 and was discovered in 1864.

After spending 2 hours in Madaba, I took a bus (1JOD) back to Amman.

"I come to Egypt to see Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea & Dead Sea. You get a great great feeling swimming in the Dead Sea - a real natural wonder"