Unsinkable Swim

Just got back from a great dinner in Jerusalem and don't have much time to blog. We had a great day today as we went to Masada, the Dead Sea, and the Garden Tomb. So what are these places? Masada is a very significant place for Jews here in the Middle East. It is the location of King Herod the Great's palace and where 950 Jews killed themselves rather than become slaves of the Roman Empire. It is built on top of a completely isolated mountain. The palace is huge and the way it is built on top of a mountain is truly surreal. I could type for a long time about the importance of this location for the Jewish people but it's really late here so on to the next thing.

After Mosada we headed over to a resort on the Dead Sea. I've heard many stories about the Dead Sea located between Jordan and Israel but all those stories couldn't prepare me for stepping in for the first time. The Dead Sea is appropriately named b/c no living organism can survive there as a result of the intense salt levels. It is located about 420 meters below sea level and is the lowest place on earth. The sea is fed primarily by the Jordan River (where Jesus was baptized) but there is no exit point so the water just sits there in the mineral rich basis. The ocean has about 17% salt concentration while the Dead Sea has over 32%. While that doesn't seem to be a huge difference it's completely different. When walking into the Dead Sea you can immediately feel your legs coming out from under you. The water is so buoyant it's difficult to stand up. When you let the water take it's course you begin to float as if you are on a raft. You can lay back floating, sit Indian style, or float like a buoy in the water. No matter what your choice you cannot believe how much you float in this body of water. It's as close to weightlessness as you will get without going to space. As good as that may sound you also cannot go under the water here. The water is so salty that if it gets in your eyes you immediately have to get out and rinse off (trust me we know). Additionally, when walking into the Dead Sea it feels very rocky on your feet unlike the beautiful beaches in Hawaii or Florida. However, when you reach down to grab some of the the sand under your feet in the water you realize it's not sand at all. Every handful you pull up under your feet is 100% salt. In some cases there are chunks of salt the size of golf balls. You cannot believe that the entire base of what you are standing in is not sand but salt. Truly incredible (see the attached picture for a handful I grabbed).

We spent about 3 hours at the Dead Sea and then started the 1 1/2 hour drive back to Jerusalem. Luckily our driver is a maniac and we made it back to Jerusalem very quickly b/c we had a unique stop in mind...the Garden Tomb. Fortunately we pulled into the Garden Tomb at 5:20 p.m. and it closes at 5:30 p.m. The Garden Tomb is the purported site where Jesus was buried. While it cannot be confirmed the Bible scripture lines up with the descriptions of this site and they believe this is where Jesus was buried and rose from the dead (at least the Christians believe this). There is a beautiful garden surrounding the tomb and the thought that Jesus was buried and rose from the dead at this exact location is an incredible thought. An absolutely amazing place and we're so lucky we got an opportunity to stop here.

Tomorrow we are heading into the Old City of Jerusalem and will be seeing many of the holy sites for Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Should be a fantastic day and can't wait to learn more about the incredible history here in the Holy Land.

Ryan