Experience the magic of floating in the Dead Sea

On the way to Jerusalem, someone said, "Drive about half an hour further and you will reach the Dead Sea." Dead Sea! How can this not make you itch? We flew from our motherland to Israel and drove straight to Jerusalem. Look, the famous Dead Sea is only a stone's throw away, but it seems so far away. The feeling is really indescribable.

Fortunately, we were destined to visit the Dead Sea. During a cultural exchange event in Jerusalem, more than 20 scholars from China, South Korea and Mongolia got separated from the "main group" at the Western Wall. Without a tour guide and due to factors such as "language barriers", the "strayed" could only face the Western Wall with tears in their eyes. To make up for the regret, the organizer of the event arranged for us to go to Jerusalem again the next day and fulfilled our wish to experience the Dead Sea midway.

Finally, I came to the Dead Sea that I had longed for. The Dead Sea is so famous because of the high salt content in its water, so high that almost all creatures cannot survive. It is said that even on the land along the Dead Sea, there are few creatures, and there is no scene of "fish leaping in the vast sea". If there were no tourists, the "Dead Sea" would be worthy of its name.

The Dead Sea is not a sea, but an inland salt lake. It is the lowest point on the world's land surface and the lowest water area, and is known as the "navel of the world". The Dead Sea is about 67 kilometers long and 18 kilometers wide. It is located between Palestine and Jordan. At present, part of the southern half of the Dead Sea is actually controlled by Israel. I stood on the shore of the Dead Sea and looked at it. I didn't feel its vastness. There was no feeling of the sea. It was just a big lake. From the map, its shape is like an exclamation mark, as if I was standing on the dot of the exclamation mark. On the opposite side are mountains, desolate mountains. There are some trees, flowers and plants on the Israeli side, tall palm trees, and bougainvillea with red flowers, which contrast with the loneliness of the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea has now become one of the world's tourist attractions. If you don't go down to the Dead Sea to experience the feeling of floating and not sinking, it would be a waste of time. I didn't rush into the sea, but took a camera to observe first. I saw foreign tourists lying on the water, leisurely, so comfortable and magical. It seems that the legend of the Dead Sea is true.

The Dead Sea is not suitable for swimming, as there are too many salt and minerals in the seawater. If you accidentally splash into your eyes, you will not be able to bear it and must immediately return to shore to rinse with fresh water. After we entered the water, we saw some tourists were so excited that they ignored the advice and swam with their arms. They often returned to shore after swimming only a few meters, rushed under the shower head, and flushed with fresh water. This scene happened over and over again.

After entering the water, I found that the mud on the seabed was very thick. When I stepped in, my whole leg sank into it. There were also many potholes. A lady did not bring a swimsuit and planned to wet her feet and take some photos at the beach. Unexpectedly, she stepped into the pool at the bottom of the water, stumbled, and her clothes were all wet. She was happy and embarrassed.

I saw people applying the black mud from the shallows on their faces and even their whole bodies. I learned that the black mud of the Dead Sea is well-known and is a top-notch cosmetic product that has become a first-class brand. The Dead Sea salt is crystal clear and can be used for bathing. It is also a beauty product. It is expensive and buyers flock to it. I also reached out and grabbed a handful of black mud and applied it all over my body. I also asked my friends on the shore to take a photo as a souvenir.

The average depth of the Dead Sea is 300 meters, and the deepest is 415 meters. Most tourists are crowded on the beach 10 to 20 meters away. To experience the feeling of floating, I slowly moved to the depths. After about 30 meters, I stepped on a reef, which was hard and no longer mud. I began to lie on my back on the water with my face up, in the shape of a "big" character. As long as I didn't move, I could float steadily. It felt amazing. I heard that reading books while lying on the Dead Sea was a fairy tale, but it turned out to be true. The light skills in Chinese martial arts such as "floating on water", "walking on snow without leaving any traces", and "moving on the clear waves" are just like this.

I floated for a while, then lay down for a while. I couldn't resist the temptation and tried to swim. Unexpectedly, when I paddled my arm, the water swayed into my mouth. It was salty, bitter and astringent. It tasted so bad that I vomited it quickly. I swam a few meters and accidentally splashed sea water into my eyes. It was burning. I was afraid of hurting my eyes, so I went ashore to wash them. I don't know if it was because of the Dead Sea water or the black mud of the Dead Sea, but my skin was smooth and comfortable after washing. It seems that I had a high-end beauty treatment.

According to scientific research, the Dead Sea is drying up and dying. This is not an exaggeration. Just like the Crescent Moon Lake in Dunhuang, my country is shrinking and Qinghai Lake is getting smaller, it seems that this is a global problem. Saving the Dead Sea has been seriously put before contemporary scientists. I hope that our descendants can still see the Dead Sea and appreciate its unsinkable magic.

(The author is a member of the Chinese Writers Association)