Lynn, I sent you a picture of the black iris. I don't know how to post it...so look at your email.

I remember all this information at the expense of people's names...I can never remember them. And, in order to learn something new, I have to empty out my head of a lot of old facts to remember these new facts. I guess I have a unique learning style. LOL.

We are finally home. We separated sadly from Susan this morning about 6am at JFK. She was going home to Canada through Detroit. We are all unpacked and visited with my daughter and fiancee already. It's nice to be home to celebrate Easter dinner later with family, but will have to face the grim reality of work tomorrow.

I already wrote to Ngaire about the Dead Sea, but would like to share our experiences there with you. The Dead Sea is about a 45 minute trip from the airport. Susan and I decided to end our trip with an adventure to the Dead Sea, since our Delta flight had been cancelled. It was supposedly a tourist attraction not to be missed because of the chemical composition of its water, the filtered sunrays and oxygen-rich air, the mineral-rich black mud along the shoreline, thermal mineral springs which make the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea even more special.

Since it was Friday, we passed tons of families by the roadside having picnics and barbecues on our way to our hotel. The views at certain points were breathtaking as we looked out onto the deep valleys that stretched out to Palestine and Israel. The Dead Sea is the lowest body of water on earth, the lowest point on earth, and the world's richest source of natural salts. En route a stone marker indicates "Sea Level", but the Dead Sea itself is not reached before descending another 400 meters below this sign. As its name evokes, the Dead Sea is devoid of life due to an extremely high content of salts and minerals which gives its waters the renowned curative powers, therapeutic qualities, and its buoyancy.

And because the salt content is four times that of most world's oceans, you can float in the Dead Sea without even trying, which was supposed to make swimming here a truly unique experience not to be missed: here is the only place in the world where you can recline on the water to read a newspaper. I just don't swim well and wanted to be in one body of water, that wasn't a bathtub, where I would feel somewhat safe.

Scientifically speaking, its water contains more than 35 different types of minerals that are essential for the health and care of the body skin including Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Bromine, Sulfur, and Iodine. They are well known for relieving pains and sufferings caused by arthritis, rheumatism, psoriasis, eczema, headache and foot-ache, while nourishing and softening the skin.

As the sea came into view, first we came up to the convention center, which was holding a car race (Jerash to the Dead Sea) that the prince was attending. We found out at the airport, that we could have even had a photo op with the prince if we had known that it was open to all. Then, there was a hotel road leading to a Movenpick, then a Marriott and last, our hotel, the Kempinski. Tripadvisor folks said it was the best of all the hotels and I took their word. The gentleman who drove our car told us it was the best as well. The hotel was huge and beautifully landscaped with 7 pools, ranging from two infinity pools to a meandering river. Some pools were heated and some were not. There were adult only pools, family pools and children's' pools. The hotel itself is huge and on a hill. We upgraded to the two-three story villas called the Ishtar Wing. The most basic room in this wing is equivalent to that in the hotel, but it is closer to the water. The superior king rooms on the bottom floor do not always offer sea views as they could be obstructed, but they are larger than the superior kings on the higher levels and have large patios. Susan and I changed into our bathing suits and decided to try out the mud and walk in the the Dead Sea. The salt is so thick, you can see it swirling in the water. Don't get it in your mouth...it is vile. And it really stings if you get it in your eyes. We thought we found the right mud and covered ourselves and found the salt content stung a bit. The floor of the sea is very rocky and you are issued special shoes so you can walk comfortably. There was no floating experience that night, though, because it was already getting dark and we were hungry. We had drinks looking out to Palestine and Israel, looking at the bright lights of Jericho directly across the water. If this were any other lake, it would have been a 15 minute boat ride to get to the other shore and investigate what was there, but this was a more complex area and there were borders even through the middle of the lake. It was hard to believe that this beautiful body of water is going down a meter a year and could disappear by 2050. What is making the Dead Sea die? The Jordan Basin is being sucked dry to supply the farms and cities of Israel, Jordan and Syria with water.

As we sat looking at the sunset, Doug and Susan tried the Jordan River white wine and I enjoyed a mint lemonade. We then went into dinner at 9:15 at the Thai restaurant, Codes. The food there was every bit as good as anything we ate in Thailand. The restaurant was almost empty and, given that the hotel was fully packed--not a room to be had--we wondered where everyone was. There was a corporate party outside of Susan's room, and we saw some folks at the Italian restaurant, and there was also a buffet...so perhaps they were there?

We were exhausted and went back to our rooms at about 11pm, as Susan had an early start the next morning, as she was going to Bethany. The rooms included free internet and minibar and Doug and I went back to enjoy our accommodations. The hotel had a pillow menu, Dead Sea Mineral Products and dropped off some bath salts for me to use. Pure luxury. The bed was really comfortable.

The next day, we thoroughly enjoyed the included breakfast buffet overlooking the sea and then Doug and I decided to go for a float. It is really an unusual feeling, as the strong buoyancy pushes against you as you try to change positions. I was afraid I was going to float across to Israel. It was a hoot seeing folks all covered with the black mud from head to toe, with pockadot bathing suits peeking up from underneath the mud. Overly large older women were everywhere in the teeniest of bikinis and obese men wandered the beach in their speedos. Covered in black mud, they looked liked beached whales as they walked around waiting for it to dry and cure whatever ailments they had.

Susan came back all exhilarated from her morning in Bethany. She had taken back water from the Jordan River and had been about 20 feet from the Israeli border. So close, but yet so far.

We all acted like slugs for the rest of the day...alternatively sunning, floating in the sea, swimming in the infinity pool...being fed apples, given refreshing drinks or cool towels. We ate lunch by the pool and had dinner at the Italian restaurant. All the restaurants were excellent. At 8pm, our van picked us up to go to the airport. Everything went like clockwork. We were met by the travel company rep who ushered us through security...two checkpoints (and there was another where they went through all of our luggage before we got on the plane). The lounge was very nice...there were plenty of beverages, food, private tvs, and magazines or newspapers. Susan and I made some final purchases at the duty free before boarding the plane home.

We discussed how we really hadn't allowed enough time to do everything you could do in this country. Petra could be two days instead of one if you wanted to hike. Wadi Rum could have been a whole day. Amman could fill a full day instead of a 1/2 day tour. Then there was Jerash about 30 minutes north of Amman, which is supposed to be an extremely complete, early Roman city that is even larger than Kusadasi. We never made it to the Red Sea and we could have spent several days at the Dead Sea--at least. Then, we could have tacked on Israel and Damascus. What a wealth of things to do and see in the Mid-East! We loved the people we met and never were afraid for our safety. Doug and I will certainly return and recommend this wonderful trip to all. I think it may have been the best trip I have ever taken.