The sands of time - Isreal - Adventures in Israel and Jordan October - November 2005 – Part 1 of 4

The sands of time
The red hot sun screamed over the horizon, shedding light on the sandy brown hills.  These desert mountains could tell a thousand tales of Babylonians, Romans and Crusaders...some of them would be of "Biblical Proportion". 
 
Today...on this chilly morning they would tell my story. 
 
This was no ordinary desert, this was Eretz Israel...the cradle of all three great monotheistic faiths. With all the devout believers that flock to this tiny country, who is to say that a fourth one isn't being born here today...
 
Upon first glance, the Judean desert appears harsh and barren. However, the life it sprouts isn't the kind that Biologists study. Every grain of sand, every rocky slope could have been where "IT" happened.  What is "IT" you ask?  Well, it depends on which of Israeli you ask, the Muslim, Christian or Jew.   

Photo. Marna and Josh enjoy themselves on the sandy ground by the salty Dead Sea. © Josh Cutler.

All three treasure this miniscule country making up less than 1/100th of a percent of the world's land mass. However, any newspaper headline or CNN blurb will tell you how much attention it deserves. So many faiths believe this tiny corner of desert is sacred and blessed. After spending a week here...I undoubtedly agree. 
 
Floating on by
One of the first stops on our Middle East adventure was the Dead Sea. A sharp contrast to the sandy hills of tan, these turquoise waters reside at the lowest point geographically on the planet! The waters dip so low into the earth that they reach layers of chemicals not found in any other body of water. The salt content is intense and an open wound immersed in the slimy water is excruciatingly painful.

The sea digs up bromide, and emits this tranquilizing chemical into the air. It soothes ones body physically, as the scenic view calms ones body aesthetically.  The Dead Sea has so much salt it sustains no life... not even bacteria have found ways of surviving its brutal toxicity. Despite these deathly conditions, the Dead Sea proves to be a fantastic vacation destination. 
 
To the Israeli's dismay, the Dead Sea is shrinking, and the spas that cropped up along the coast are now far from the water's edge. Tractor-pulled shuttles must transport tourists to the swimming dock. People flock to these waters for the healing properties of the water, and beauty benefits of the surrounding Dead Sea Mud. Though spas charge an arm and a leg to be bathed in the goop...we had much more fun applying it ourselves. 

Photo. The Dead Sea. Marna, the wife of the author of this article, Josh Cutler, is floating on the salty water (at the left photo). © Josh Cutler.

 
Marna and I inched into the bath-like water. Beds of dried up salt rocks, the size of watermelons, littered the coastline. Floating in the liquid is like swimming in space.  Then viscosity and salt content make moving a challenge. One finds themselves feeling like a weeble wobble, being thrown around like a toy with even the smallest wave. The Dead Sea is a unique experience, unreplicable by man or modern science.
 
Jerusalem Shel Zahav
The epicentre of three religions, Jerusalem, City of Gold, has always been my favourite city to explore.  It's one of those spiritual places one must immerse them self in both internally and externally. Externally, it is home to the Western Wall (the most sacred point for Jews), Dome of the Rock (where Mohammed ascended to heaven), and the Church of the Holy Seplechure (where Christ met his fate). Internally, Jerusalem sends one inward, often creating more questions than answering them. It touches the soul and frees the spirit. 

Photo. Dome of the Rock where Mohammed ascended to heaven. © Josh Cutler.

So many wars and so much blood have been spilled to capture the Golden City. Millions of people over thousands of years have struggled to control its sandy secrets. 

Photos. Armenian tile work around the Dome of the Rock © Josh Cutler.


Israelis joke that you can speak to G-d here... and it's a "local call". After experiencing the warmth of faith and spirit that permeates in its ancient streets, you start to wonder what His number is...

This story continues in Part 2 (click on the link): Read continuing story from Isreal .

Josh Cutler, 18 November 2005

Additional information

Presentation of the author:

Photo of Josh Cutler, a great adventure traveller from USA. © Photo Copyright for all photos in this article: Josh Cutler. E-mail address: NYCutler@aol.com

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