From the Himalayas to the Dead Sea

FROM ISSUE # 162 (June 2009) | IN THIS ISSUE
	REFER TO FRIEND		PRINT THIS ARTICLE

It was my dream to visit the world's lowest spot, the Dead Sea, which also is the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. Two years ago, when I was in Israel, I missed it but my dream came true. I finally got the chance to visit the Dead Sea.

Dead Sea is all the way down hill to Jordan's capital, Amman. As I saw the Dead Sea, I felt my dream of visiting it was turning into a reality. Located in Syro-African Rift, 4000 miles fault line in the Earth's crust, the Dead Sea is the deepest place in the world. The lowest point of dry land on earth is the shoreline, which is 390 metres below from sea level. The lake at the lowest point means that water does not drain from this lake. Seven million tons of water evaporates daily but the minerals remain, causing the salt content to increase. In the present context, the saltiness of the sea ranges from 26-35 per cent. The reason behind naming it Dead Sea is that the salt in the water makes it impossible for anything to survive in it. It is the saltiest water in the world, almost six times saltier than the ocean.

The Dead Sea is completely landlocked and it tends to get saltier as the depth increases. There's no seaweed or plants of any kind in or around the lake and aquatic animals are nil. Due to the extremely high concentration of dissolved mineral salts in the water, its density is more than that of plain old fresh water. People can't really swim in the Dead Sea - they just float in it. So it doesn't matter if you don't know how to swim.

Many tourists come to experience this spectacular natural landscape. I took my bike near the sea and I dived in. I didn't know the sea was so salty. My eyes, nose and mouth started burning. The water in the Dead Sea is very curative, its unique concentration has long been known to have medicinal value. Aristotle, Queen of Sheba, King Solomon and Cleopatra were all familiar with this and even modern doctors often advise patients with skin ailments to soak in its water. Merchants use the salt and minerals from the Dead Sea to create cosmetics and herbal sachets. People rub the black soil on their body and dry it for smooth skin. I did the same too.

I came from the Himalayas, the highest place in the world to the Dead Sea, the lowest place in the world. Now I head back to the Himalayas. In spring of 2010, I will climb up Mount Everest with all the flags of the countries I have visited. I started this journey one day dreaming to climb the highest peak in the work and hopefully this will come true.

Pushkar

Journey started: Nov 29, 1998
Aim: To cycle around the world to spread the message of peace and hope within 11 years.
Countries travelled: 144
Total mileage: 217600 KM
Next leg: Greece, Albania