Friday, October 31, 2014

Israel Trip - Swimming in the Dead Sea



The day for our swim in the Dead Sea was overcast and cool.  Not my idea of fun, but the others were willing.  The swimming area location was just so beautiful.  In the above photo, I'm looking toward the sea from a patio area.  The descent from this point is quite steep, so I decided to stay up on the hill.  Some of the others in our group stayed behind, too, and we enjoyed a bit of relaxing after our busy schedule that morning.  We had a couple of very nice kitty cats to keep us company, too.



Swimming in the Dead Sea is not like any where else on earth.  Because of the salt content in the water, one can float without effort.  As a matter of fact, it takes effort to avoid floating.  

As we sat on the patio, enjoying the view, a guy in a golf cart came by and offered to take us down to the water.  I was excited and hopped on!    The beach was not like the sandy white beaches I'm used to in Florida, as you can see below.

Not appealing...but it was great fun watching Shelby and the others doing the Dead Sea float.

It's also part of the experience to cover yourself with the black Dead Sea mud.  


There are outdoor showers nearby to rinse off the mud. The minerals in it are very good for the skin.  As a matter of fact, there is an Ahava factory nearby that sells body and beauty products made from Dead Sea dirt.  Ahava is wonderful and I highly recommend it because it makes your skin silky soft.  






While we were at the factory parking lot, we saw what I thought was a deer walk by.  It was a Nubian ibex -- a desert-dwelling goat found in mountainous areas of Israel.  It was a very large, beautiful animal, and I got some great photos.  You can't tell how tall it is by the photo, but I'd estimate it was the size of a large deer, and the top of the horns was probably five or six feet.  He trotted across the parking lot, up the embankment, across the road and into the bushes on the other side.  





The photo below is of another ibex.  I took this shot from the bus as we were heading toward Masada.  Our tour guide said the ibex rest on the ground like this to absorb the warmth of the sand.  (I told you it was cold that day.)

Tomorrow, I'll post about our visit to Masada, a truly amazing place.  I hope you'll stop by again.




10 comments:

  1. Great pictures, especially of that ibex! I can't wait to go back to Israel. Thanks for sharing your trip!

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    1. Thanks, Robyn. I want to go back, too....in the spring or summer .

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  2. I've not been to Israel - would like to someday! Love the photos, they are very good.

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    1. Thanks, Susan. Pray about that trip. I did and as you can see, He answered my prayer - twice!

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  3. Great pictures. I would love to see an Ibex someday...and Israel. My inlaws are there right now, actually, but I wasn't ready to take my two year old over there, tho she is already somewhat of a globe trotter. We'll save that destination for when she's older.

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    1. Thank you Tiffiny. It was a very exciting trip, and I hope you get to take your daughter one day. I agree, wait till she's older so she'll remember it, especially when she reads her Bible. It's a life-changing trip, like no other.

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  4. So enjoying your trip posts. There seem to be a plethora of kitties in Israel and they look really healthy. That makes me smile. Praying for peace for Israel.

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    1. Yes, there were stray cats everywhere we went in Israel. But, not one dog. Interesting, huh? And, yes, the kitties make me smile, too. Thanks for stopping by today.
      Blessings,
      GiGi

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  5. Hi Gail! I know so many people in Israel this month - my FB feed is flooded with images. I love your blog journal of all the personal details and experiences at the many holy sites there. You're creating a wonderful primary source document I know I can refer to when I'm working on an article where I'd need such details. So glad you do longhand journaling, too. LOL - I'm all about the binders and three holed paper, too, but I do like my pretty journal books. But, when I have too much to say - I type it out, print it out, put three holes in it and store it in a binder. After all - what happens to our words and works when we lose the infrastructure of the computer hard-drive - and can't access the cloud? Backing it up in a binder!
    Joy!
    Kathy

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  6. love your pictures! I've heard about the floating thing, but not the mud. Interesting. Visiting from All Things Bright & Beautiful

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Thank you so much for stopping by today and taking the time to leave a comment! I read each one of them and love to respond back to those who visit! Blessings to you.