Journey to the Lowest Place on Earth

After our visit to Kerak, we travelled onwards to the lowest place on Earth - The Dead Sea.

The road is worthy of a Top Gear Special - I'm certain Jeremy, Richard and James would wax lyrical about it!

In the middle photo you might be able to spot some hand-woven rugs that were being sold by some of the local Bedouin folks. 

As the road dropped, so did the visibility.  We were in the middle of a Khamsin, a hot, dry wind that blows sand all the way from the Sahara.  We actually found out that some of the roads that day had to be closed to traffic, and the airport was closed for a while as well.  But we had good fortune on our side and were able to continue, albeit carefully.

As we dropped way, way below sea level our ears began to pop.  The weather closed in even more, which made the views seem very mysterious and melancholy...

...hardly surprising as we had arrived at the place which is said to be the historical setting of Sodom and Gemorrah.  The shining disc in the sky is the sun, not the moon:

Whatever beliefs one may hold, it is certain that the place has a real atmosphere to it that is very difficult to explain or describe. 

By the time we arrived at the Dead Sea the Khamsin was really doing its work, visibility had dropped even further -

 so we decided we had better head off back to base.

Hope to be back soon with some more photos of my trip!

Helenxx