I decided to drink beer instead of swimming in the Dead Sea this time. The last time, I dove in. As I was in midair, our tour guide shouted, "Joe, don't!" But I did. It's too late to turn back when you're midair in a dive. When I hit the water, everything stung - my eyes, my ears, my lips, every little cut, and every place where I had shaved. As a matter of fact, I've grown a beard ever since and shave just my neck. Luckily, there were freshwater showers on the beach. I went back into the water again, but kept my head above water. I found I could raise my arms and feet out of the water, too. The water felt slimy to me, but I guess that was chemicals because I don't think any slime can live in the Dead Sea. That was 1999. In 2017, I had no desire to go back into the waters of the Dead Sea. But the beer was good.
-Joe-