By popular demand, here's some more info on the Dead Sea:


First off, I didn't notice my iron ring rusting any more than usual, actually. There may be a very good reason for this though. I had a small cut on my right hand, so I was actively avoiding putting that hand into the water as much as I could. When I did, it would sting a bit... the salt managed to get through the bandaid.

As for other forms of stinging... I managed to not get any in my eyes by making sure I kept my head above water. The tiniest drop still managed to make into onto my lips, and the salt taste was intense. Apparently there are a host of other nasties in there like Bromine and Iodine, and swallowing a mouthful could make you end up spending the rest of the day face-down in a toilet. After a few minutes with the mud on my face, my face actually started to tingle and sting a bit. That was when I decided it was time to rinse off and hop under one of the fresh water showers not far from shore. Art and Jenny were directing, to help point out the spots I had still missed.

One sensation that was totally surprising... My swimsuit has a few pockets on the sides. When I stood up out of the water, they felt like they were stuffed with something. Upon inspection, turned out they were full of water. The density and viscosity of the stuff made it take forever to drain out of my pockets... quite weird.