The Dead (Sea) Healing

I had a great Sabbat this week on a trip to the Dead Sea organised by our volunteer leader, Yogev. We rode on camels in the middle of the desert and went for a float (not a swim) in the super salty sea. We were

meant to go on a short hike to a Roman fort too but, due to a football injury, Yogev didn't make it on to the trip to be our guide.

Almost everyone on the  bus from Ein Hashlosha (We went with a few other kibbutz volunteers in the area) was hungover from their partying at Mafia on Friday night.  Thanks to my antibiotics and managing to sleep through the night I was feeling pretty dandy on the bus while everyone else, apart from the two German girls who had stayed off the booze too, dealt with the morning after. In the kitchen we had also made some cookies to take with us so I went down the aisle offering biscuit to everyone on the bus. Although I had to do it discreetly cos supposedly we weren't meant to eat on the bus.  From the dirty look I got in the mirror from the driver I am pretty sure I was rumbled but he said nothing.

It took about two hours for our bus to reach the desert. By this point my bladder felt like it was about to

Such long eyelashes!

burst and my first thought as we drive on the winding road through the massive sand dunes with only a few goats frolicking about on them was I really hope this camel place has toilets.  Going to the loo in the middle of the desert would not be good.  There is no where to hide!  Tourists would see your arse for miles.

Of course being one of those must do tourist activities there were toilets.

Don't they look like they might bite?

I liked the camel ride. A lot of people didn't enjoy it too much as they thought it was pretty uncomfortable but I felt pretty good sitting on Lady Humperdink (we named our camel). Being on their backs was fine but when it came to standing anywhere near their faces I got pretty scared. They have big teeth and spit..  So much so when Rosie tried to take a picture of me with a camel I ran away as soon as it moved its head in my direction and kept looking at the camel not the camera out of paranoia that it would attack at any moment.  Hence the not so great photo.


At the Dead Sea I was also pretty fearful.  I still had the big cut I had got from snorkeling on my foot that wasn't fully healed and I new the Dead Sea with its

This is much safer. 

34% saltiness was going to hurt so much.  Lots of expletives came out of my mouth walking into that sea but I did manage to get in there and lets just say my foot wasn't the only thing that burned.  I wasn't in there very long as eventually the pain just gets too much but I was floating on the top in less than a meters worth of water.  It was crazy.

The cut on my foot is also now completely healed.  No more pain and the skin isn't red raw anymore. Magic of the Dead.

The Dead Sea