You know I really mean KEG LIST but that wouldn’t make much sense to outsiders, so you know. Gross. Bucket list.
Anyway!
While I was in Quebec, I spent some time at Nordik-Spa, a Scandinavian Spa with its very own Kalla saltwater pool. I was told the experience was like the Dead Sea, where the salt content is so high your body rises to the surface. So the experience was fun and unique and entertaining, But in reality, it was NOTHING like the Dead Sea.
On my trip to Jordan with the Jordan Tourism Board, our final destination was the Kempinksi Ishtar on the Dead Sea. It’s now my favourite hotel of all time. If you ever get the opportunity to stay there, you should.
Anyway. So I wasn’t super enthused about the Dea Sea experience because I thought, well, I’ve already sorta done that. I know that sensation. You’re supposed to cover yourself head to toe in mud from the sea, which is provided at the hotel in giant pots. Because the Sea is filled with all kinds of minerals that make your skin all soft and sensual. And then you submerge yourself into the water (not with your head underwater – are you nuts?), and you float.
But I didn’t just float, I BOBBED to the surface like a catapulting beach ball. Like, rocketed. And then there was I suspended on the surface, looking for all the world like I weighed as much as a feather. I felt like I did.
Warning: If your lips are dry (Jordan has the tendency to do that, especially after spending a night in the desert), DO NOT GET YOUR FACE WET. Holy hell.
It seems so simple, I realize. Just floating at the surface of this gorgeous sea-not-sea. But there are few times in my life when the awesome power of nature literally lifted me off my feet. You can take in all the sunsets and mountain vistas you like, but THIS interaction with the world? One of my absolute favourites. You can watch the sunset from here, too. The hotel also had a bowl-shaped infinity pool looking out onto the horizon. It’s the kind of experience I live for.
Additionally cool facts about the Dead Sea:
-The shores of the Dead Sea are 423 metres below sea level, making it Earth’s lowest elevation on land.
-Thanks to the low sea level, temperatures here can be drastically warmer than elsewhere in Jordan, like Amman which is only a short drive away.
-Fish, mammals, and aquatic plants cannot live here. Hence the name. Dur.
