Jordan - Sunday May 25th - The Dead Sea

After a very early start, and negotiating Cairo airport again, we have arrived in Jordan. 

We were given Jordanian flags at the airport and had a group photo taken by the tourist board. Its  Jordan's national day! They are so pleased to see a tour groups as so many tourists have cancelled due to the unrest in the Middle East and tourism is the main industry of Jordan. Poor Jordan... it's only going to get worse but they don't know it yet.

Anyway on the 25th of May they were very pleased to see us! Folks were shouting out "welcome tourists" from their cars.

 

 This above is on the outskirts of Annam the capital city and these is the first Bedouin camp that we saw.

 

Our guide in Jordan is Muhannad, "Call me Mo". His Grandfather had an incredible number of children, I suspect from more than one wife, so it seems everyone in Jordan is Mo's cousin. 

 

So, we stopped the coach and one of Mo's cousins delivered our lunch, which were the most delicious falafel wraps. Warm beautiful bread and soft and delicious falafel. Then there were sesame biscuits YUM. (I've tried to make the sesame biscuits since we've been home, got close but not as crisp, I suspect Mo's ones had honey in them).

Here is the dead sea, and that on the other shore is Israel.

That photo Dear Readers is the closest you will get to Israel for a very long time. This trip would have been cancelled if it was a week later.

 Apparently on the horizon are Jerusalem and Jericho. 

 

 

The Dead Sea is shrinking in size every year.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea

Then it was down to 440 metres below sea level. The lowest place on the earth.

Its so beautiful, the sky is so blue. 

 

Tonight we are staying at the Movenpick resort which is very fancy. Its on the northern edge of the Sea.

 

Its so big that you need to ride in a golf cart to get to the beach and tip the driver... 

 

 

 

 The sand and stone were sooooooo hot. We burnt our feet!

Never thought to pack cozzies or thongs! Great Aussies we are!

The water is so salty that you can't sink and nothing lives in the dead sea. 

 After washing our burnt feet! It was time for happy hour.

View from our room, sunset over the Dead Sea.