Floating Away The Stresses of All The Hard Work

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Today is the first morning that we did not need to be up excessively early, so we left it as late as possible before going to breakfast. Unfortunately, so did everyone else, so, like the meal last night, it was over-run with noisy and energetic children (see Yalla Yalla) who don't know how to queue. It was a buffet, so, as usual, I hit the pastries in a big way. So much so that even the Dead Sea would struggle to keep me afloat. The same probably applied to all of us as my cravings for pastries were matched by the others' various breakfast related cravings.

I were a bit naughty as just before the breakfast closed, some women arrived with their faces fully covered. We were fascinated to see how they were going to be able to eat with the veils over their mouths, so we hung around for a while and discretely watched. Once they had collected their food and gone back to their table, they removed their veils.

We decided we would let our food settle for a while before going for a swim - something that we frequently nagged the kids about when they were younger. For once, following our own rules. We sat by the pool for a while. My daughter will be appalled as, sadly, the squashy has returned (see From Looking Like an Influencer to a "Squashie").

The hotel had a number of pools. Two were for families. One was for adults only. One appeared to be for Muslim women, who were all sitting and swimming fully clothed. Obviously, we picked the adult only one. There were no sunbeds, but after a few Dinars changed hands, some sunbeds were moved about into a prime position by a little private section of the main pool, as was a huge, heavy umbrella.

We noticed that people happily leave their wallets and phones laying around with no worries about them being taken. Their sunbeds were a different matter though.

The pool has a pool-side bar. Sadly, the beer tap was not working, but, no problem, we're not addicts.

Once the breakfast cravings had been adequately digested (it was about 4.00 in the afternoon) we went down to the Dead Sea. Actually, and going completely off topic, we think it was 4.00 as our phones have been getting very confused about our location. For some reason (maybe the fact that we are so far below sea-level) they keep showing our location as in Cairo and adjusting the time zone accordingly. Perhaps someone who understands the physics of satellite positioning can explain?

We're just hoping we don't arrive at the airport on Cairo time and miss or flights.

Apparently the best experience is to cover yourselves in the mud (which has been conveniently collected into some huge pots on the beach) and wait for it to dry before then going into the water to wash it off. We didn't realise and did it in completely the opposite order and then washing the mud off in the showers. I say "we", but Mr Unadventurous stuck to my "there's no way I'm covering myself in that stuff" stubbornness.

It was a really strange experience floating in the Dead Sea. The best way to do it is laying flat on your back. We all tried to turn over on to our fronts, which was extremely difficult to do and also meant that your legs were unnaturally high. This tended to push your face into the sea, which tasted unbelievably salty, as you would expect, but also really, really stung your eyes. It was also really strange as the waves passed, as they really lifted you up each time, more than even bigger waves in the sea normally would.

Our friends said it was great to relax after all the hard work of the last few days. Sadly, it seems that travelling with us is considered to be 'work' rather than a holiday. To be fair, they're probably right!?

We had booked a different restaurant for the evening as we couldn't face all the noise and children running around again. However, it seemed that most of the families had checked out and gone, as it was almost deserted this evening. It's such a shame how quiet everywhere is at the moment. We don't mind it so much in these big international hotels, but we feel really sorry for the small family owned businesses, such as the desert camp (see Forget The Photography, Just Relax and Enjoy It).

Sorry about the Donald Trump style shouty all-caps capital letters, but JORDAN IS SAFE TO VISIT, despite everything going on next door. The people are unbelievably friendly, hotel staff could not be more attentive and there are fantastic places to see and experience.

We went to another restaurant and we all chose what were the biggest burgers we have ever eaten and that's no exaggeration. Even the Cheesecake Factory would be proud of these (see Drama Inside and Outside The Cheesecake Factory for one of our many visits there). The one we ordered was a 220g burger and they did an even bigger one at 330g. Finishing it was hard work.

When we asked for some drinks to go with our meals, we were asked whether we would like to try the local beer or the local wine. Now in a dry, Muslim country like Jordon, how exactly can there be a locally made beer or a locally made wine?

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Photos

Swimming Area
The marked off area of the sea that we are able to swim in.

Dead Sea Rules
They are quite strict.

Mud Pot
To cover yourself if you want to.

Floating
My feet whilst I'm careful to avoid getting any salty water on my phone.

Private Pool Area
Somewhere to sit if you don't want to swim in the main pool.

Huge Burgers
Forget the McDonalds quarter pounder, here there's the quarter kilogramer.