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Dusty Masada stones against the clear Dead Sea.

DEAD SEA--After hours of baking in the heat of a very mild day on the great Mount of Masada, I could not imagine the contrast that would come next. The Dead Sea. Cool blues balance warm desert yellows. A lightness filled my heart in this place that holds much weight.

Literally.

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. The feeling of gravity is strong; the salt content high. Water does not drain here at 1300 feet below sea level. It evaporates leaving behind extreme concentrations of minerals. The result: easy floating. No matter your size, the Dead Sea acts as a natural life preserver.

With such buoyancy I figured it was a rare opportunity to do water ballet. I felt very adept until a clever spin gave me a soft scrape across the face. Near the shore the sea floor is covered with salt deposits hard and sharp like rock candy.

Wear your shoes. And maybe a face mask for tricks.

Recovering from my stint as a water ballerina.

Smiles abound in the Dead Sea. Everyone enjoys floating without a raft until oops- a splash. Accidental of course. No one splashes in the Dead Sea on purpose. The sting of the salt teaches that lesson fast. As much as 35% saline saturation. Now those spickets make sense. Fresh water is pumped in for rinsing salt from affected eyes.

But what is bad for the eyes is good for the skin. Emerging from the Dead Sea I noticed how moisturized, even plump my skin felt as if I'd taken a paraffin bath. Mud would have been next logical step in my new skincare regime but the sun was setting and the bus was leaving.

Still it was great fun watching others mud up and rinse off.

Covered in thick brown goop humans tend to resemble gorillas. Even body language changed as the mud people shed their human form. Full-grown adults hunched over and chased each other like jungle animals, blinding white bouncing from their mouths as their heads fell back in wild laughs.

Common ancestor indeed.

At the Dead Sea the people come alive.