Old albums (digital photos)

Jordan 01

This picture was taken at the lowest point on earth -- the beach at the Dead Sea, about 400 metres below sea level. At night, when it is cooler, bathers sit around these electric lamps on the sand, a few metres from the water's edge. It is easy to float but very difficult to swim in the Dead Sea. The water has an oily feel to it (supposed to be good for the skin) but if you swallow it you are likely to choke and drown

Jordan 02

Apart from a couple of five star resorts (the Marriott is very nice), the Jordan side of the Dead Sea is surprisingly undeveloped -- just a few roadside hawkers selling drinks and camel rides. (I haven't been to the Israeli side so can't comment on that). Most of the area is given over to quarries, excavating the various mineral salts left by the receding waters of the Dead Sea.

Jordan 03

This sunset is seen through the Church of John Paul II on Elijah's Hill, at Bethany, on the east bank of the Jordan River, where John the Baptist lived in the early 1^st century. The church today comprises just one reconstructed arch of the original church which was built in the 5^th or 6^th century. The setting sun is actually right over the top of the city of Jerusalem, about 35 kms away on top of the distant hills. It's hard to see in the photograph but could just be seen with the naked eye.

Jordan 04

Amman, the capital of Jordan, is a sprawling city of over a million people build over seven hills. Although it is only 40 kms away from the Dead Sea, the difference in temperature is quite noticeable as Amman is at an elevation of 900 metres -- 1,300 metres (over 4,000 feet) higher than the Dead Sea. In the winter, Amman residents drive the 40 minutes down into the Dead Sea valley for the warm weather, but in the summer they stay away because it is unbearably hot.