Dead Sea and Wadi Rum in Jordan
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After leaving Petra, I drove further south to #Wadi Rum, planning to wander the desert in search of #Spice from Arrakis. Today's plan is to pass through Aqaba (#Aqaba) on the north side of the Red Sea, and then head north to tonight's accommodation #Dead Sea. 2,300 years ago, Wadi Rum was the territory of ancient cultures such as the Nabataean Kingdom. Now the climate there is hot and dry, and it is where the Bedouins roam. During the Arab Revolt of 1917, British officer Thomas Edward Lawrence led the Arab tribes in their rebellion against the Ottoman Empire from here. Later, in 1962, it was made into the famous movie "Lawrence of Arabia". Later, Wadi Rum became the filming location for many movies due to its Mars-like landscape, such as: Prometheus, The Last Jedi, and even the recently released Dune. I stayed here for a while and tried to walk in the desert, trying to explore along the Bedouin route. In the endless desert, the soul also drifts in all directions along with the spices. After leaving Wadi Rum, continue south through Akaba and then north towards the Dead Sea. Driving on Highway 65, I passed through several checkpoints along the way. I don’t know if it was because of the war in the neighboring country, but I guess it was because of the war in the neighboring country. Across Highway 65 is Israel/Palestine. Driving in Jordan and looking at the traffic from different countries, I can't help but wonder, in this area where Arabs and Jews live, many years ago, they hated and were hostile to each other because of their religious beliefs. Why do their descendants have to bear the same thorns thousands of years later? Before dark, I finally arrived at the Dead Sea. It is called the "Dead Sea" because its high salinity makes it impossible for fish to survive in the water, but there are bacteria and plankton, and the Dead Sea is called "Salt Sea" in Hebrew. In addition, although it is called a sea, it is actually an inland lake. The salinity of the lake water is extremely high, and the salinity increases as you go down to the bottom of the lake. At the deepest part, the water has already fossilized. The salt content of general seawater is 3.5%, while the salt content of the Dead Sea is around 23% to 30%. It is also the lowest lake in the world. I also tried to dive here, but I couldn't get down at all. It was a very special feeling. I jumped into the water and floated up, but it was very salty. I had some abrasions on my body due to walking too much in the previous few days. It felt like soaking in concentrated saline solution after being injured, very salty. Finally, you can also experience applying Dead Sea mud all over your body. It also helps me find a place to rest my tired body these days.