11/30/12 – Childhood revisited provides a fitting end

I’ll admit that I jumped into the vat of mud.  A local told me that you’re actually not supposed to do that, but in my defence I was only following the lead of some crazy Germans that had gone before me.

The shuttle was on its way to us so I skipped the step where you’re supposed to let the mud dry on you and went straight to the salt water shower.  That was a terrible idea.  True, the powerful stream of water quickly washed the mud off me, but the water was the same as that in the Dead Sea and it dripped down my forehead and into my eyes.  Commence intense burning sensation and acute blindness.

Mud proves to have a slimming effect

The calm before the burn

Through the pain I heard a voice calling me over to the fresh water showers that I hadn’t noticed before, but by the time I had opened my eyes, the person was gone.  Dad and I collected our things and went to the water’s edge where we realized how big of a mistake dad had made by not bringing his sandals.  Unlike other lakes, the Dead Sea doesn’t have a sandy or rocky bottom; the spot where we were was completely made up of jagged salt crystals that are painful to walk on and can actually cut you.

Dad and I had the wonderful opportunity to experience something completely new and unique at exactly the same time.  Since the water in the Dead Sea is over 30% salt, it provides you with a high degree of buoyancy; you literally float on the surface.  There was no need for my hands to go in the water so I brought my camera with me to take some photos and they turned out to be my favourite of the whole trip.  They capture dad being transported back to his childhood.  I have literally never seen him have so much childlike fun; amazing for a man with such a serious disposition. 

Our faces hurt from smiling so much and dad had quickly become acclimatized to his new found and unnatural tendency to float.  So much so, that he had a hard time keeping his balance when he stood up.  I kept feeling him leaning back as I held on to him with one hand.  And in a case of reversing roles it was I who lead my unsteady father out of the water…much like he would have done when I was a child.  The sight of us was enough to bring the ladies from our group to tears after having watched dad and I playing in the water like a couple of kids.

With his feet on terra firma, dad quickly regained his balance and was strong on his feet.  We had come a long way to walk in the shadows of the bible and while much of it was amazing and memorable in its own way, none of it can touch what dad and I shared today.  It was the perfect way to end this trip; it was profound and real and will be etched in my memory for the rest of my days.

Thanks for reading,

John