Jordan

It's my first trip to the Middle East, and although it will be brief and contained to a lovely sea-side resort (though I'm not complaining about that), the incredible mystique of this place is inescapable.  I'm here to attend a working session of regional disease surveillance networks that are working together as a community of practice to improve international infectious disease surveillance efforts.

Yesterday I hopped two planes and a continent and found myself sitting in the back of a taxi rolling through the hills of Amman, descending to the lowest place on earth.  Even in the dark it seemed beautiful; the tiny lights twinkling out from the city, the dry, pale, sand-swept looking vegetation breezing past me, the winding, steep hillsides.

After 18 hours of traveling, I arrived at the Kempinski Dead Sea Hotel, someone handed me some complimentary apple juice and I went outside to the patio to smell the sea.  Wandering down to literally the bottom of the face of the earth, even in the inky blackness it was breathtaking to behold.  The moon was out, but clouds partially obscured the light. So not being able to see much I just listened for a minute to the water lapping up on the beach.  Just be standing next to it, this strange and historic body of water seemed to impress upon me just how ancient it was.  I felt really small; really temporary next to it.

Despite my exceptionally luxurious digs, I've mostly been couped up in a small, windowless room with padded blue walls (not kidding).  But come 7am tomorrow morning...it's time for a float.

(actual picture of the Dead Sea I got to upload!!)