We spent the day at the Amman Beach Resort on the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is a curious place. It is part of the Great Rift Valley that cuts through the earth's crust from Mozambique to Turkey and divides the African and Arabian plates. The Jordan River runs into it and dies a salty death, 8.6 times the salinity of the ocean. The Dead Sea has no outlet. The only life in it is small quantities of bacteria and fungi.

At 1,385 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest place on the earth's land surface. It is 42 miles long and 11 miles wide and divides Israel and Jordan. It is 1,240 feet deep and getting shallower by about three inches a year due to water being taken out of the Jordan River. As the level drops, the sea has divided into two parts separated by dry land.

There are many historic places around the Dead Sea - Jericho, Sodom & Gomorra, Masada (where Jewish Zealots were annihilated by Romans), and Qumran (of Dead Sea Scrolls fame). Nearby cities are Amman, Jordan, and Jerusalem, Israel.

As foreboding as it is, the Dead Sea has valuable natural resources - potash, bromine, soda, magnesium, mud for skin products, and, of course, salt. A flourishing tourism industry has sprung up around the Dead Sea with health spas, swimming areas, golf courses, resort hotels, and convention centers.

This sign graphically displays the depth and location of the Dead Sea. Our OAT Group of 23 arrived at the Amman Beach Resort on the Dead Sea for a day of sun, fun, salt, and mud. Linda and I watched and photographed from a cabana as our friends played in the surf.

A most interesting thing was how the bouyancy of the 33% salt water affected those walking into the surf. When the water reached above their knees, they were flipped on their back in a roar of embarrassed laughter. And when they tried to get up, they thrashed around like beached fish unable to get traction on the bottom.

Some yielded to mud baths and massages, others fled to the bar for a much- needed drink. Because of the low altitude and heavy air pressure, no one got sunburned, another curiosity.

That night we dined with a wonderful Jordanian family in Amman. The father was a stock broker, the mother a college- educated homemaker, a daughter about to graduate from college, and a son in high school. The daughter explained why she chose to cover her head with the traditional keffiyeh. "It is not required by the Koran, but I chose to cover because it shows I am a traditional woman with strong beliefs. No man would dare try to take advantage of me." …I believe it, too.

Mud from the Dead Sea is said to have medicinal and healing qualities. It made this man look like the Creature f rom the Black Lagoon. Next week:

Jerash, Pompeii of the East

Nancy floats and reads in the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on ear th. This marker was made years ago and is out of date. The Dead Sea is now 1,385 feet below sea level. One would be wise to obey these instructions. A Muslim woman tests the water.