Dead Sea Resort

After the short trip, coasting downhill from Amman, we arrived at the Marriott Dead Sea Resort. How to describe it, other than it lives up to what we expect from Marriott. Very nice quality, very friendly staff, nice rooms and accessories, etc. It’s a lovely place, not that we spent much time exploring the facilities. As soon as we dumped our bags in our room, we grabbed our swim stuff and headed off to the water. It was quite the hike.

Just when you think you can’t possibly go downhill any further… there will be another set of stairs come into your view in the distance…

At least it was a pleasant walk. The resort is nicely laid out. I mean, if you must walk for a long hot distance, and it really is needed… how else to get down to the water?? This isn’t a pool, it’s a nature area! Well then, when the hike must be hiked, it’s nice to have a pleasant area to meander through.

Stop and admire the flowers, then more downhill…

Why am I so fussy about the hike? I don’t really mind the walking, and it was, like I said, nicely laid out for walking… it really is… paths, stairs, ramps, etc. It really didn’t feel like we were walking that far. But. This was about 3-4pm, the temps were at least 104F (which was the last temp I saw on the car thermometer before the valet took it, and it tends to be pretty accurate), and this was not a minor slope to the beach. The hotel is at –383 elevation. The sign on the shore is at –423. That’s 40 meters to descend and ascend in the heat. 40 meters is about 131ft. If you estimate a single story of a building to be 10ft, then we’re talking a 13 storey building. No elevator. In 100+F heat. Sorry to be a wimp, but excuse me while I pause by the waterfall!

More stairs.

And even after reaching the beach, there’s still a bit more ‘down’ to go.

Yay! We’re almost there!

Brian was ready to hop right in, but had to stop for sunscreen. We almost didn’t need to bother. One of the brochures claimed that, because of the very low elevation and perhaps thermal inversion, there’s an extra atmosphere layer here and therefore, extra protection from the sun. From this website http://www.deadseatourist.com/climate.htm

“Sunlight at the Dead Sea is high in therapeutic UVA rays and low in burning UVB, so extended exposure is safe and low-risk. The filtering effect comes from a thick atmosphere: the Dead Sea is about 1,200 feet below sea level and the ozone layer above it has minimal depletion.

The Dead Sea is the only place on earth where you can sunbathe for long periods with little or no sunburn because harmful ultraviolet rays are filtered through three natural layers: an extra atmospheric layer, an evaporation layer that exists above the Dead Sea, and a rather thick ozone layer.”

Two days in the sun there and I don’t think I tanned or anything. Compared to Amman. On Sunday, Honor’s class had a pool party. It was only 2 hours and I spent most of it in the shade… and I used sunscreen… and I still got slightly burnt.

No worry about sunburn, but the light was still bright!
And now is the part where you have to imagine photos of us floating effortlessly in the Dead Sea water. Yes, I failed to get family floaty photos. Why? Because it was 100+F and it was HOT!!! There was no way I was going to stay on the beach taking photos when there was a sea full of refreshing cool water to swim in.

We were glad that we wore hiking/water sandals. The ‘beach’ is all rock and hard to maneuver, even with shoes, but totally worth it to get into the water. You really do float… whether you want to or not.

You definitely do NOT want to get water in your eyes or mouth, but of course, you’ll likely manage to do both. We did. Fortunately, there are showers on the beach! There were signs warning folk to ‘swim at your own risk’ because there are no lifeguards, but seriously, you aren’t going to sink… even our skinny bones kids floated. It was funny watching them try to get their feet back down under water to stand up!

After a good soak, Honor and I went up to try the mud.

We only lathered up our arms. Again, remember those temps I told you about?? The thought of smearing hot mud on thickly, anymore than we did, was simply not that appealing. It was fun to play with a little bit though.

Enough’s enough… we went back into the water! With and without mud, we all ended up with super soft skin and hair. It was very nice. Extremely relaxing too.

Of course, Marriott being the great resort/spa that it is, you don’t actually have to hike downhill, clamber over rocks, and deal with the heat. They have a full spa with, among other things, a Dead Sea water pool indoors. Sauna. Whirlpools, etc. But we went the ‘all natural’ route. Maybe, if we’d spent more time there, we might have checked out the spa. It looked very nice.

Eventually it was time to head back up… yea… all the way back up. Whew! But did I mention? Despite the heat, the air there is nice to breathe. Something about the atmosphere made it very easy.

A couple of signs on the beach, talking about the area and swimming.

Max depth is 377m (1200ft) Really? How’d they measure that?? How did they ‘sink’ anything that far! ;D We could barely reach under to pick up rocks! Of course, we did try to reach under to pick up rocks… which is how we got the water in our mouths and eyes! Live and learn.

Brad also forgot the rule about not shaving before swimming the next day. Ouchies.

Anyway, back up the hill…

By the time we got back to our room, we were STARVING! We’d had breakfast, but skipped lunch. There was only about an hour until the steakhouse opened for dinner, but we simply couldn’t wait that long. It was impossible. So, we wandered over to Champions for some TexMex. Fajitas and a margarita… Mmm!

We left dinner just in time to catch a lovely sunset from our room balcony.

After sunset, they guys wanted to relax and read, but Honor wanted to go swimming. I went down with her, but the pool was closed. Instead, she and I took another hike down to the shore of the Dead Sea. It was a much more tolerable hike after sunset!

The next morning, after a nice breakfast where we ran into some lovely friends of ours from Amman, and watched in awe as Brian ate enough breakfast for four kids, we went back down to the water.

It was so quiet and still and calm.

Peaceful.

These photos were taken from up on the path. Again, it was hot. I simply grabbed a few shots before tucking the camera away to go jump in the cool water with my family.

Brian and Brad weren’t waiting..

Honor did a little swimming, but all the wandering around had given her a blister. An open blister… and the salt water was NOT kind. She sat out and played with rocks and mud.

We didn’t stay long. We didn’t want our little girl to melt. Instead, we went back uphill to play in the pools.

A view from about mid-way to the top.

The pools were lovely too, and one had a water slide for the kids.

Brad had to go find Brian when it was time to go… that slide was too much fun.

I think they had a lot of fun!

I have some more photos of our road trip back to Amman, but they can wait until next time!

Dead Sea – Getting There

The Dead Sea is not far from Amman. About a 40 minute drive, and that’s driving at reasonable speeds… there were a lot of police out… so we just lazily mosied from the house to the hotel. Pretty much used no gas at all, except to run the AC in the truck. Amman is at an elevation of approximately 1000m above sea level, the hotel was around –380 meters below sea level. We simply backed out of the driveway, put it in neutral and coasted downhill the whole way there…  (almost).

I suppose you want to see some Dead Sea photos? Well, be patient. Half the fun is getting there.

I like photos of the scenery along the way. I think it’s one of those things you take for granted … until you’re gone and it’s too late. You may have your postcard copy photos of the sights, but the things you see along the way are equally interesting. At least in my opinion!

Growing up in a flat place means that I never get tired of the hills and valleys around here.

Brian looked out at this big open valley and said “I wish I could fly”… yea, I could see that! (Might want to wait until night time and cooler temps though!)

This tree seems to say “None shall pass!” and it would be good to listen to it… nothing but straight down beyond it…

Tropicana is one of the themes of the drive. As it was incredibly hot this weekend, these signs were very tempting!

Heading toward a small town along the way, still down hill.

Not sure why this little hill needs so much protection, but they weren’t taking any chances… retaining walls everywhere!

After the town, we get out towards very arid land.

Rocks and hills and sand and things… all we need is a horse with no name…

Rock rock rock sand sand rock house rock rock sand sand bush sand…

Jordan is good with signs. We found our way with no map or GPS. Just got in the car and drove.

We wondered who saw this barren hill of jaggedy rocks and thought it might be a good idea to climb up there and build a house?

Well, if it’s your kinda thing, the one in the middle here is for rent.

Another theme of the day… brightly colored floaties!!! It was terribly hot and hazy as we drove down, and back for that matter, and these little roadside stores were happy shining bits of colorful fun!

A very lovely golden mosque.

We went through some agricultural land, believe it or not.

And saw camels parked randomly along the sidewalks.

There was a lot of green in many places, especially as we got closer to the Dead Sea.

More camels, loitering on the side of the road.

One of the first hotels we passed.

And another camel watching the world go by; a pretty white camel.

Signs of tourist things to come…

Not all camels were parked.

Like Amman, there is a lot of new construction in the area.

Overlooking the beach. Those tiny specks waaaaay down there are people in the water. And yes… still very hot.. still very hazy…

We stopped at a pull-out to look (way) down at the water. Looking out across the sea, it was very humid and hazy. (doesn’t help that the camera lens appears to be smudged… ooops!…)

 
But looking straight down at the water (we were quite high up), it was very clear blue! And yes, the white stuff on the rocks is salt and minerals. Amazing!

Me and my little band of intrepid adventurers. (Intrepid meaning ‘melting’ here…)

These photos were taken at a turn-out, south of the hotels quite a ways. A lovely view!

All around us, at this lowest point on earth, is nowhere to go but up.

Anyway… next time… photos of our stay, and some of the drive back as well.

Not Measles

Last week was a not good, very bad, really icky sort of week. Not horrible, not terrible, but not good or very fun.

 

First of all… to reassure my friends and family, who I spoke with on Facebook last night, the doctor agrees and says this is most likely an allergy, NOT, measles, nevermind what it looks like, and nevermind the outbreak at the school:

 

 

It’s on my neck, chest, back, and arms. Not painful or itching. Just red, bumpy, and scary looking. Rawr!

As lovely as this looks, this is really the least of what’s been after me these past 10 days or so.

 

I woke Friday (first day of our weekend) 25 May, with what I thought was an ear and headache.  It got worse through the day, with the pain spreading into my jaw, the side of my face, my neck, and even down into my arm. It seems that I discovered how to royally piss off my  temporomandibular joint (TMJ).  I admit that I have been very stressed lately. We are due to move this summer… and even though I really should be used to ‘the drill’ by now… there are certain aspects of moving that really get to me. My main stressor is having no dates on the calendar. No pack out, no inspection, no fly dates, etc. I can deal with all the other chaos just fine, but I want the WHENS! We’re starting to fill those in now, so I’m relaxing, but this stressor gets me every time! Anyway, I’ve been clenching my jaw too much … while awake and asleep… and it got me. It clenched back.

 

Have you ever had back problems with sciatica? I mean, I REALLY hope not, but if you know what I’m talking about. TMD is like sciatica in your EAR (which is why it feels like an ear infection, but it’s really that jaw joint). Severe pain in the joint, with pinching, pulling, tugging, numbing, and tingling radiating outwards from the central pain spot. By Friday night, I began to understand that I was dealing with a muscle problem, and not an ear infection, and took ibuprofen. No effect. I went to bed. No sleep. I tried cold compresses and hot compresses. After 4 hours I took more motrin. Tried to sleep. No. I tried deep breathing and meditation exercises. I tried everything that usually works with a bad back flare up, but I couldn’t even lay still due to the pain. By 530am, I gave up pacing the house, got a hot shower, and went to the emergency room.

The ER at the Arab Medical Center was great! They were really nice to me. After checking me for fever(no), and for an ear infection(no), and after an examination, the doctor pronounced ‘muscle spasm’ .. oh yea… that’s what it was alright! They also insisted on an ECG, simply because of the pain in my arm. The doctor wasn’t overly concerned, as the arm pain was on the same side of my body as the jaw and neck pain, but he wasn’t going to overlook something so important. The ECG was fine. The not so fun part was receiving an injection of muscle relaxer, and an IV of fluid/pain killer – basically, it was just tylenol, but the combo/amount given went right in and cracked that pain. I still hurt, but it relieved the extreme pull that it was doing to me. I left with a Rx for more tylenol and a muscle relaxant called Mydocalm. Both mild, but effective, and they even helped me to rest and sleep… although I had to sleep on the sofa. I read that sleeping on your back is good with TMD (keeps pressure off the jaw) and sleeping on the sofa is the only way I can do that.

 

Anyway, like a back spasm or sprain, it took a few days for the ‘injury’ to chill out. I admit, the first few days I was watching the clock, counting down the seconds until I could take more pain pills. They wore off too fast :(  but through the week it got better. I had no appetite though, and could barely force myself to eat something with each dose, therefore, I wasn’t really surprised to end up with an upset stomach and diarrea… yay… I was happy, at least, to not be throwing up because I figured that would really hurt my jaw! Small blessing, but I was grateful for it. It had to be the meds, messing up my stomach, right? But Wednesday night, I started freezing … really, really, bundled up in sweats and still chilled, really cold, and my husband felt ill on Thursday too. Hmm? Maybe not the meds. I didn’t get the thermometer… I was taking tylenol already, so why bother, but it was definitely fever. Fortunately, the pain was mostly gone by this point, so I just slept. A lot. I assume that an evil virus decided to come in and kick me while I was down. Typical. Viruses are bullies.

So. Fever. Aches. Runny nose. Diarrea. Tiredness. Let’s add SPOTS!

And to make it even more fun… an email arrives warning of measles in the school. Super.

Now, I’ve been vaccinated. I believe in vaccinations. The flu vaccine and I have had some issues, but I believe in that too. I gave serious consideration, back when the kids were babies, to NOT believing in vaccines, but the reality is, while there are known proven RARE real side effects to vaccines (any medicine) … and there are likewise a bunch of rumored possible RARE maybe non-proven side effects … the actual diseases we vaccinate against have a long, irrefutable, recorded-on-countless-tombstones, terrible history. These diseases are proven to be highly contagious, and often very fatal. What’s there to consider?? We vaccinate. My decision for the kids, was to vaccinate, but to spread out their injections when they were tiny. Alter the timing and do only one at a time. Their doctors were happy to do this. The only concern was that they did get the shots. I actually had one lady tell me that the reason they do so many at once was because parents often won’t make the multiple visits.

MMR is a highly effective vaccine. Efficiency is about 95-99% immunity, for LIFE. However, measles are highly infectious, and even with a vaccinated population, there is still a small percentage of vaccinated people becoming ill (about 2%). In the unvaccinated, about 85% of those people exposed to the virus will become infected with it. About 95% of those people infected with the virus will develop the illness. It just doesn’t mess around. Not being vaccinated is simply foolish… not just for you and your children.. but for everyone you breathe on, including those very vulnerable individuals who truly CANNOT be vaccinated because of REAL medical reasons (as opposed to those who are unvaccinated because they are afraid of the internet vaccine bogey monsters).

Anyway. I’ve been vaccinated. My symptoms weren’t really ‘measle’-y, and even the rash, although it looks suspicious enough that everyone put on masks when I arrived at the clinic this morning, it started on my hands, and spread from there. With measles, it usually starts in the head/neck/torso and spreads out. After doing some research, we believe that my new ‘skin art’ is due to an allergic reaction to the muscle relaxant meds I had been taking and that it should clear up in a week or so. Btw - I went in to the clinic BEFORE the embassy notice to stay home and call first went out in email!.. oops!… if I’d actually had measles, they’d have had to lock up the clinic and bleach everything down. Sorry folks! I really did not think I had anything infectious though, but in general, that is a great idea. Call first… don’t bring cooties in unless it’s really needed.

Anyway. I’m a bit tired of this nonsense and hope these coming weeks are less medically ‘entertaining’. For a refreshing change of topic…  here’s a photo of a cat sitting on a window: