Swimming in the Dead Sea

When I saw that the Dead Sea was going to be the last destination in the day-trip we booked through Farah Hotel in Amman, I didn't want to swim. I thought I would just sit and watch the rest of the people do so. Moreover I didn't bring my bikini.

But Audrey convinced me that since we were already there, might as well take a dip. After all, not many people can say they have swam in the Dead Sea.

So I went searching for a bikini the day before our trip. After much bargaining and drinking coffee with a friendly Palestinian shopkeeper in Amman, I managed to get a made-in-Italy bikini and pair of shorts for JD 6.

After visiting Madaba, Mount Nebo and Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan, we headed for one of the public beaches in the Dead Sea called Amman Beach Tourist Resort.

Entrance to the Amman Beach Tourist Resort is JD 15, which is freaking expensive. Moreoever we spent only 3 hours there. If you want to make your money's worth, spend an entire day there! But the risk is coming out looking like a prune, hehehe.

 

For the cut throat entrance fee of 15 JD, you also get to swim in a pool, and enjoy facililites like showers and changing rooms, which were quite clean.

Nice palm trees, don't you think?

The shore opposite is Israel. If I had the stamina I would have swam across the Dead Sea into Israel. But I would get arrested couse I wouldn't have my passport. And even if I had my passport, it's not valid in Israel :-) 

Now let's talk about swimming in the Dead Sea.

First of all, you've got to remember the 4 important instructions when swimming in the Dead Sea.

These instructions are extremely important that the authorities put them up at the entrance of the resort. Points number 3 and 4 are essential, trust me.

Because the salinity of the Dead Sea is extremely high, the water feels "thick" like sugar water - the kind that Starbucks serves in a small jug for you to add to coffee or whatever beverage you wish. 

You also can't possibly sink and drown. The only way you can drown is when someone holds your head down in the water.

If you have any cuts or open wounds, you will feel a stinging sensation.

And it's extremely painful when water gets into your eyes. If that happens, quickly come out of the water and shower. That is why I underscored Points 3 and 4 on the notice board - protect eyes and mouth from the water, and swim on your back.

That's me literally standing in deep waters. Only in the Dead Sea can I do that.

When I first entered the waters, it took me some time to get use to its thick consistency. And then I started wondering deeper into the middle of the lake (the Dead Sea is a lake, not a sea as its name suggests). Suddenly my feet couldn't feel the bottom and I started to panic!

But somehow I didn't sink. I looked down and could see that I was literally standing in deep waters like in the photo above. So imagine how salty the waters are.

Before we headed home I collected salt rocks which can be found along the shore. These made good souvenirs, and they are free. I always love free souvenirs!

The white powder are salt deposits on the shore of the Dead Sea.



Now I can cross off "Swim in the Dead Sea" from my "been-there-done-that" list.

Petra and the Movies

You must be wondering why did I name this blog post "Petra and the Movies".

Well, for starts, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was partly filmed in Petra.

And recently, even Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was also filmed there.

Those 2 movies probably created more awareness about this ancient Nabatean city. But what catapulted its popularity is because Petra has been voted as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007. So everyone wants to see a world wonder since the previous seven wonders (with the exception of the Pyramids at Giza) has all been destroyed one way or another.

Now coming back to the movies. Since Petra has Indy to thank for letting the world know of its existence, the people pay homage to Indy by naming their shops after him a.k.a. jumping on the business bandwagon. Take a look at these shops:

They even sell hats ala Indy for visitors who want to feel like the famous archeologist approaching the Treasury:

I didn't see anyone wearing any of these hats in Petra though. Maybe they didn't want the other visitors to laugh at them.

And amidst all the hype about Indy, the people have not forgotten to pay homage to other movies as well, like the most popular ship:

But my all time favourite has got to be this:

Guess who? Captain Jack Sparrow on a camel - in Petra!

If you don't know who Captain Jack Sparrow is, you must either:

1) not love movies; or

2) you were living on Planet Mars for the past decade

So now you know why I named this blog post "Petra and the Movies".

If you visit Petra, remember to keep your eyes open and notice all these popular movies, characters and memorabilia. They are all around you; you just need to be observant.

Getting Naked in Damascus - My Experience at Hammam Ammoonah

On our last day in Damascus, Audrey and I went to Hammam Ammoonah in the Old City of Damascus for some … well ... I'll tell you shortly.

Looking for the hammam was a test of our navigation skills as the map was insufficient to pilot our way through the confusing lanes in the souk. Moreover Hammam Ammoonah is located in a secluded lane with no signboards at all. The entrance is hidden behind a pink striped curtain.

We managed to locate it thanks to a guy who pointed it out. Otherwise we would have walked right past it and I won’t be telling you this story.

Entrance to Hammam Ammoonah looks like an entrance to a whore house, no?

When we entered the hammam, the lady in-charge welcomed us and answered our questions. She was dressed in a spaghetti strap top with a pair of black bikini and loincloth (cawat).

We took the package that consists of the sauna, body and leg scrub and massage thats costs 850 Syrian Pounds.

After locking our stuff in a drawer in the lobby area and strapping the key to my wrist, we were given a towel to change into. Initially I wanted to keep on my bra and panties on, but decided otherwise cause I know I’ll end up getting completely drenched in there. So I had on my disposable panties and left my bra in the drawer.

Then we were led into the bathing area which is essentially a common room with huge basins built into the wall containing warm water. Everything was wet and the atmosphere was steamy.

Without saying a word, the lady boss yanked off my towel and asked me to sit on the floor with the rest of the naked and semi-naked ladies. She poured a bucket of warm water over my head and told me to go into the sauna room where Audrey and two other ladies were already there.

That was my first experience of being exposed in public, or in a hammam at least. There was no room for being shy as most of us were clad only in our panties. Sitting in the sauna, I wonder whether women secretly check out each other’s boob size, just like how men check out each other’s you know what.

After about 10 minutes of oozing out toxins from our pores, one by one we were led out to another part of the bathing area where a burly lady was waiting to scrub us. She looked like a contestant from the WWF – WWF as in Women’s Wrestling Federation, and not the wildlife organization. Imagine the strength and power in those arms!

I was asked to lie down on the floor (!) and using a loofah, she scrubbed away really hard, asking me to lift my arms and to turn over after doing one side so that she could get to every spot on my body. It was probably the mother of all scrubs, but I was happy to see the black dirt and grime being scrubbed away.

There were a few other bathers who were getting scrubbed and massaged in the area. And the scrubbers and masseuses sang together in Arabic as their work their magic on the bathers. It was a pleasant sound that added to the warm temperature of the hammam.

After the scrub session, I was given a loofah, shampoo and a bar of soup in a white plastic container and told to return to the first area to wash away all the dirt that has been scrubbed off.

It was difficult bathing with panties on. So I removed them, faced the wall and bathe away in the nude. Who cares if other women were watching ;-) After finishing, I put them back on, sat on the floor and waited for the massage session.

Now, the massage session is nothing like the super relaxing Indonesian or Thai massages. This massage consists of merely rubbing oil all over the body with occasional applying of pressure on certain points. And that’s about it.

And then it was back to the bathing area to wash away the oil and we could then change back into our clothes and relax with a hot cup of tea in the lobby, compliments from Hammam Ammoonah.

Girl in towel must be saying, "Quickly hide, crazy tourists snapping photos of naked women! "

Ceiling in the lobby area.

A fellow traveller whom we met in Amman commented that the experience sounded like how prisoners are being treated in prison, and I think she may be right :-) But going to Hammam Ammoonah was indeed a one in a million experience which I'll gladly do again. After all, we all want soft and dirt free skin. And being naked in public could be liberating as well.

About Hammam Ammoonah

Hammam Ammoonah was built in the 12th Century AD and was it was classified amongst the cleanest public baths in the city of Damascus during the Ottoman period. However, it was probably neglected during later periods.

The owners of this hammam fully restored and renovated this historical place to provide bathers with an authentic bathing experience. Hammam Ammoonah was formerly known as “Hammam Shojaa” until the late 18th Century when it was renamed as its current name.

Address:

Damascus – Syria – Baghdad Street
Behind Al Dahdah – Bawabet Al Aass
Tel: +963 11 23 16 414

Opens daily from 8.00am – 8.00pm