The Dead Sea was a very fun experience. The Dead Sea is situated in between Israel and Jordan. On our drive back from Jerusalem, our plan was to stop at the Dead Sea on the Jordanian side. When we got there, there were some people walking around covered in black mud. It is thought that Dead Sea mud is really good for your skin. We all decided that we wanted to try it out. When in Rome? At first the mud felt weird, but then I got used to it and it actually felt good. My mom, on the other hand, did not love the feeling, but thought it would make her look 20 again. My dad looked hilarious in the mud- he somehow got some on his teeth. I don’t even know how that happened. Once the mud dried, it felt like cement, so we all hopped in the cold Dead Sea. It was so salty that we could float! It was similar to the Laguna Cajar in Chile, but much saltier and much, much bigger. At one point, I decided it would be a good idea to hug my knees, but I by accident rolled over and dunked my face. Good one, Anna! It was stinging my eyes like crazy. The pictures were funny and so were we. Near the end, we got given newspapers so it looked like we were reading in the sea. Did you know that the Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth? It is 450m below sea level. Swimming in the Dead Sea had been something I’d wanted to do for a long time.

Petra is a city of ancient ruins in Jordan. It was built as early as 2,500yrs ago. First, the Nabataeans lived there. Then, the Romans took over. Later, the Christians came. Petra was damaged by 363 earthquakes.

Petra was spectacular and so different from all the places we had been so far. Even our accommodation was different. We stayed at a Bedouin camp in little Petra (just outside of Petra). The first night, we stayed in a little igloo-like house. The second night, we stayed in little circus tent with one bed and no bathroom (we had two tents). On the first day, we had a day trip to Petra to see the old Monastery, Treasury and a couple other beautiful ruins. People believe that a God has left a treasure in the top of the Treasury. On the way to the Monastery, which was a two hour walk, there were so many camels. On our way back, we even got ride one! At the Monastery, there was a beautiful view point of all the rock formations. The Monastery was a beautiful tomb built for one of the Nabataean Kings. On our way back from the Monastery, we had a lovely walk through all the markets and through the Sik. The Sik is similar to a long hallway that was used as an entrance to Petra. The Treasury is at the end of the Sik. We went back to the the Bedouin camp and had a not-so-good sleep in the circus tent. The next day we had to leave. We had a half day in Petra and did a side trail up to a view of the Treasury and past all the tombs. It was so beautiful! After that, we had a Shawarma (a chicken rap) and drove up to Wadi Rum, my next post.