The Lowest Place on Earth

---

This is the lowest I have ever been. Consider, when you are swimming in the ocean, you are, at most, a few feet below sea level. Well the surface of the Dead Sea is 1,378 feet below sea level. It is more than 8 times more salty than ocean water. and it tastes terrible. I mean, really really bad. You bob in it like a cork, which is fun for about 15 minutes. Then the salt begins to burn your eyes, burn your nose, and mildly sting your skin. You get out thinking 'That was fun, and I feel great, but I don't ever feel the need to do it again."

In caves nearby, ancient scrolls were discovered which included fragments of every book of the Bible except Esther (and Nehemiah, depending on who you believe). Some ancient group of scholars, perhaps the Essenes, preserved these scrolls, and they were only discovered in 1947.

---

Comments

[mom]

the pictures of the sea of galilee look so inviting! Even more so when the churches are gone for good. I hope you gathered up some of the dead sea salt- in smaller amounts it's really good for the skin. Dad and I have enjoyed following your journey. Thanks so much for the daily updates. They have also made all of us worry less . Still we'll feel much better when you're back. Looking foward to your return-I have news. Love Mom

[Laura]

Dead Sea
I've always been curious about what it's like to foalt in the dead sea. It must be fun to feel weightless in water. :) Did you actually go up to the Dead Sea Caves? Did you see the actual Scrolls at a museum near by, or something? It's amazing how Jehovah has always provided enough ancheological findings to prove that his Word the Bible is historically acurate and that it has not changed in centuries of new copies and translations.

[Yolonda]

I have always wanted to float in the Dead Sea.