We woke up early-ish and grabbed some breakfast. I tried mudammas, which is basically just beans with different spices. It was pretty tasty, but it was a bit much for breakfast due to the onions and garlicky flavors. Also I thought maybe it was wise to go easy on the beans, as I had a long car ride with Nicole. She should be happy I didn’t get the falafel.
Next we wanted to hit up Petra once more in the early morning light. This is what the guidebooks tell you to do anyway, since it looks “best.” We trekked on down through the siq . . .again. Though it was early, it was already feeling quite hot out. The bedouin hawkers swarmed on us . . .again, and were just as annoying the second time around. When the siq finally opened up to reveal the Treasury, it was almost as isolated as the previous afternoon.
The lighting, which had yet to cover the entire treasury, was almost a bit too harsh, even at this hour. Nicole thinks that it was actually better in the shadows the previous day — a bit more moody looking. We took our pictures, got harassed by some more hawkers, and made our way back up the siq (it’s uphill going back you see).
We checked out of the Marriott and started our journey north on the King’s Highway toward the Dead Sea. We had between 1/4 and 1/2 a tank of gas, so I plugged in a gas station just outside the Petra environs as I figured A) They would speak English reasonably well and B) they would accept credit card. Neither of these were true, and we continued our drive. We tried a larger gas station off a traffic circle 10km later and had the same issue. This then became a bit of a concern when it dropped below 1/4 of a tank, but I made one last attempt before turning off the A/C and attempting to make it all the way to the Dead Sea without a fill-up. On this third attempt, he also would not accept credit card, but he would accept U.S. dollars. I showed him on my currency app the current conversion rate for $20, which almost filled us up. I guess we have a 6 gallon tank or something.
After three hours of driving, we arrived at the Hilton Dead Sea Resort. Unlike our previous hotels, where we were nearly the only guests, the Hilton was a bit more lively. Like the others, however, it was also incredibly confusing to navigate. With all three different properties we have stayed at in Jordan, the lobby is on the third floor, which is also somehow ground level. All three have had multiple buildings, where the elevators do not always get you to where you want to go, and have numbering systems that are illogical . . .at least to us.
After taking a breather, we walked down to the beach next to the Dead Sea. Whereas the hotel pool was blasting reggaeton music and was filled with bodies (living ones to be clear), the beach was almost as dead as the sea it abutted. At most, there were seven people there at once. The bar at that level was closed, so perhaps this was part of the reason. Most partook in the mud bath ritual. I did not. We did however float ourselves in its salty waters.
It is a whopping 1400 feet below sea level. There was a sign that suggested that people shouldn’t be in the water more than 20 minutes because their skin might get too soft and brittle and rip to shreds on the rocks that lead to the water.
We frolicked for a bit, struggling at times to maneuver due to such high levels of salinity. I had technically been in the Dead Sea before, but on the Israeli side. Presumably the Israeli side is a bit saltier, given recent international affairs. On our way up from the beach (which either involved four different elevators, or 300 meandering steps) we got certificates of achievement for visiting the Dead Sea. I hope our parents are proud.
We cooled down back in the room for a bit before going back down to an Italian restaurant. We were the only patrons. After a pizza, some pasta, and two large bottles of San Pellegrino, we were satiated and somewhat hydrated after our day in the hot sun and salt.
The sun eventually set and the temperature finally dropped below 90º to give us some reprieve and enabled us to chill out on the balcony. Tomorrow we have another travel day — made somewhat more complicated by more canceled flights #cancelculture! Aegean used to run a flight from Amman direct to Athens, but they claim they won’t renew it until November. Ok . . .so that’s that. Wish us luck.
passports & pepto bismol 