How Low Can You Go?
A trip to the Dead Sea

One Saturday morning I woke up and felt like I needed urgent replenishing: My shoulders were numb from all the long hours of sitting in front of computer screens, acting like I knew what I was doing.

And then it hit me: I must go swimming. Must soak. And there's the perfect place for that, even in Winter: The Dead Sea. Woke the kids up, grabbed some swim suits, some food- and we were off.

The Dead Sea is only almost dead. Sure, nothing can live in such concentrated brine, but there's plenty of life all around it.

The Dead Sea is the last puddle left by the great body of water which once, many thousands of years ago, covered the whole region. And it's going rather quickly: The water level falls steadily, since more water evaporates in the hot desert sun than can be replenished by the dwindling Jordan river and the meager winter flash floods. Picture this: There's a giant crack on the face of our planet, and a rift is steadily widening: The great Syrian-African Rift. Starting in the north of Israel, through the See of Galilee and the Jordan River Valley, hitting the lowest point on earth at the Dead Sea, at Minus 400 Meters. South into the Red Sea and on into East Africa.

I always think of the Dead Sea as the Gravy: All that ancient Dinosaur soup condensed into this concentrated stock. The heavy waters of the Dead Sea, and the mud at its shores, were always considered to be great natural remedies for all forms of skin disease and rheumatic pains.

Getting to the Dead Sea is easy: Less than an hour's drive from Jerusalem, passed Jericho and you hit the northern shore of the lake. But if you want the unique experience of fresh water flowing and mixing with the condensed brine don't stop. A short drive further south brings you to the nature reserve of En Fashkha, and that is where we went.

Here you have a choice: You can swim (well, actually float) in the sea, and later bathe in the fresh springs, or you can find the right mix by moving closer or farther from the stream's mouth. Here you will notice the waters don't mix like in a bath, but rather form distinct layers, like oil and water, since the sweet (light) water forms a layer on top of the heavy salt water. The weirdest thing is the top level is cooler than the bottom. The springs form small pools, connected by small streams running under beautiful trees, with stone picnic tables placed right in mid stream.

Rather than take the same road back home we decided to head further South to visit one of our favorite spots, the Oasis of Nahal Arugot. Here the spring forms a lovely waterfall, and the stream rolls through a deep canyon towards the Dead Sea. The walk through the Nature Reserve is beautiful, and takes about an hour each way. And if you are quiet you are likely to meet Ibex ("Ya'el" in Hebrew, wild desert goats) and even Hyrax ("Shafan Ha'sela", a kind of plump prairie-dog-like creature, closely related to the Elephant. No kidding).

The whole area, at the edge of the Judean Desert, was the site of great events in ancient times. The fortress of Massada is near by, as are the caves of Kumeran where the Bible scrolls written 2,000 years ago were found. But all this merits a separate article!

The photos:

• The specific gravity of the Dead Sea's water is so high, you can float sitting up. Avigail smeared her face with cosmetic mud.
• On the road from Jerusalem to Jericho a herd of black goats grazes on the barren hills of the Judean Desert.
• Some picnic tables were put in mid stream in the sweet water pools of Ein Fashkha.
• The entrance to Nahal Arugot reserve. Palm trees against the backdrop of the Judean Mountains.
• Young Ibex kids seem to show off their amazing skills.

Video producer and educator Ilan Bernet lives near Tel Aviv, Israel and previously wrote about vacationing the Sinai in the August issue of Get Lost Magazine. He plans to celebrate new years eve in the Judean Desert, waiting for the sun to rise over the Dead sea.