The Israeli south side was completely calm, very shallow (at least where we met her in person) and the waters were very hot – like a hot spring or outdoor Jacuzzi tub. There was fine salt under her waters and to the right of the floating area we found (due to my diligence & persistence!) the ‘Black Gold’ or Miracle Mud. There were salt bars everywhere on the South side. It was a vast area and I could understand why it was called a sea, but she did not act like a sea to me. There was no wave movement and the color of the water was a very light/pale blue-green. There were salt bars everywhere with sink holes and I was able to walk out over 900ft with the water level being only to my knees.
In Jordan on the North side this was not the case at all. This side was a deep aqua almost cobalt blue. She had constant movement – like mini waves and a small current. Her shoreline was full of various colored rocks ranging from 1cm pebbles to giant boulders. The colors of rocks varied from yellows (heavy sulfur content) to reds (heavy iron content). The steps we descended down to the incredible briny water were made from the rock found there on the shore line. The sad thing to see was the stacks of burlap bags that had been added at the bottom of the stairs to create more descending steps to the water due to the shrinkage of the Dead Sea. As I beheld her vast beauty once again – this time in an entire different area, I did not feel as sad about the shrinkage. The reason being – this side of the Dead Sea was over 1100ft deep and acted like a sea. This area is extremely vast. We could see Israel on the other side, but the distance to the other side appeared to be miles. I could see that she would remain a miracle sea not only in my life time but even my great, great grand children’s life time.
In our meetings we found out that our company actually imports the highest quality materials from Jordan as well as the most – even compared to the 10 active Jordanian Dead Sea companies (there are over 60 registered companies, most are inactive) that make and sell Dead Sea products. We met with one small manufacturer that brought us samples of his products. I was handed a bottle of facial mud and just by holding the bottle in my hand (with the lid and seal still in place) I could feel that it was not a pure product. It contained fillers and fragrance oils. I told this to the man before opening the bottle. This blew my DH’s mind as well as the vendor! (To tell the truth, it caught me off guard too! I’m certain that the owner of a Jordanian Dead Sea product company had no clue that he would be talking to an American woman that knew more about the Dead Sea and Dead Sea products than he ever would. At that moment I realized I am in fact a Dead Sea Mud Expert!) I began to ask questions that he did not know the answers to. I found out that all of the Dead Sea soaps coming out of Jordan are not made by the companies that sell them, but by one company that manufactures soaps for all of them. They don’t even mix their own masques, nor do they really know the contents of their facial products! It turns out that most of the Jordanian Dead Sea companies are merely packaging and marketing facades, masquerading as manufacturers.
We found out that the ‘facial mud’ created for the companies that sell the Dead Sea products actually contains various fillers such as kaolin, talc, sands; glycerin, harmful fragrances (actually used in commercial cleaning) alcohols and strong animal product preservatives. Yet their products do not mention any of these ingredients! They are labeled to appear to be all natural and completely safe. Fortunately, I know what I want to work/formulate with and our company has always insisted on our Dead Sea Mud being a pure product and not a pre-blended & finished facial product. We also want our customers to have the option to make their own cosmetic products with the highest quality Dead Sea ingredients.
In our question/answer session we discovered that the main reason they add various fillers to the raw Dead Sea Mud is due to the ‘powerful’ impact the mud has on the skin. Most people are unable to handle it in its pure form. That’s fine, but my opinion is – don’t lie to the people about the ingredients in your product! If it’s a blended masque – don’t call it 100% Pure Dead Sea Mud Masque! And in reality, to get the raw mud to glide properly on the skin – you must thin it down with something – such as a hydrosol, aloe juice, milks, yogurts, distilled/sterilized or reverse osmosis water. I know for a fact that some spas use plain ole tap water to keep their costs down. (that fact does bother me some – because it only costs a few more cents to add a lovely hydrosol to the mud and make a very nice, natural Dead Sea Mud Masque!)
We also learned that different areas of the Dead Sea yield different materials. The South side has more of the fine salts & salt bars for various salt grain sizes. Further up the bank you will find the raw, rich mineral mud. The powdered mud is created by drying the mud and evaporating the H2O out of the mud, thus creating a much stronger mud product. The powdered mud is used in various body scrubs in the spas. Many spas are now moving to using the powdered mud and blending it with various liquids due to the shelf life of this product being indefinite – in their opinion. In actuality, both the ready to use mud and the powdered mud have an indefinite shelf life. You just need to understand the changes the ready to use mud can go through. If you keep the ready mud completely contained in a gasket lined container, the organic matter will drop to the bottom of the bucket and become very thick. The briny water will rise to the top. Over time, the natural sulfur in the mud will find its way to the top and create brown/rust colored areas. Depending on the area the mud has been mined from, the sulfur could have a very strong scent. This is not a bad mud product – it just means that it has been mined from an area where high sulfur springs run off the mountains into the Dead Sea. As we drove along the shore line we could actually see the changes in the water colors based on the different types of waters that entered the Dead Sea. Where the high sulfur waters entered the Dead Sea, there were different colors in the water with a visible line where the different waters met but did not mix. The longer Dead Sea mud sits, the more likely the minerals will do their ‘natural thing’ and move around and create various colors in your raw product. In my decade of working with this incredible mud, I personally blend the minerals back in and move on. If you understand sulfur, (get over the ‘aroma’) it’s very beneficial for all sorts of ailments from aches and pains to acne & Rosacea. Think about the hot sulfur springs all over the world and what sort of miracles people experience at them. They always talk about the ‘aroma’ but the benefits ALWAYS out weigh the scent to everyone that encounters their healing waters. Keep this in mind when you work with any natural ingredient. If you don’t like the way a natural ingredient smells, learn how to blend or find a company that blends 100% aromatic essential oils. Essential oils will offer a natural, skin beneficial method of masking any undesired odor.
My next question was about understanding how our High Magnesium Brine was created. Talk about super cool! I was mesmerized by the story behind this! One thing you need to understand about the mining of the Dead Sea salts is the need to concentrate the Dead Sea water until the minerals begin to precipitate out as a substance called Carnelite. The Carnelite is then dredged and sent off for further processing to seperate out Potash and Magnesium that are necessary for fertilizers for crops. The Jordanians have discovered that creating a process of 7 pools by lining it with Dead Sea salts, then filling them with Dead Sea Brine and allowing them to sit and become concentrated and moving the brine a total of 7 times will help create a process where the Carnelite will drop out of the brine. The only Dead Sea brine that we import is the 7x concentrated brine, just before the minerals are removed as Carnelite. Due to the fact that I personally deal with the battle of psoriasis I have always insisted that our company import the highest magnesium content ingredients we can get our hands on for our products and bulk materials.
When I told our partners that I have created a way to infuse the High Magnesium Dead Sea Brine with Certified Organic, Organic or Wild Harvested Herbs they were astounded. They said that for years all of the Jordanian Dead Sea companies had been trying to accomplish this but had failed and given up. This just put another notch in my belt for being the 'true' Mud Queen! ;o) That just made my day!!!
Well. I'm completely exhausted. Better sign off for now!
Luv~N~Hugs!!!
Tammy D.
The Mud Queen™
Monday, September 22, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
At the Dead Sea!
Our First Day at the Dead Sea in Jordan
Our partners/guides drove us from Amman down to the Dead Sea. It was about an hour and a half drive by car. We arrived at the Marriot Resort on the Dead Sea around noontime. The gates were blocked and security guards came out to check our vehicle and make sure we were registered to stay at the resort (and scan the car for explosives). When we pulled up to the hotel entrance, I knew I was going to be in heaven! There were two giant black marble rectangle wall fountains on either side of the entrance doors. I was already at peace. (I’m not only The Mud Queen, but I’m a fountain/water junkie too!)
We entered the automatic doors to find a full security check and x-ray machine ready to scan our belongings.
Security @ The Mariott
Once we cleared security we checked into our ‘honeymoon suite’. Jim and I had renewed our wedding vows after being baptized in the Jordan River back in July, but did not have a ‘honeymoon’ at that time due to our daughter staying in our little room! So we took advantage of this trip and upgraded our room to a view of the pool & Dead Sea. It was their junior suite room. And I must say – it was worth every cent we paid for it! The room had a private balcony overlooking the 3 levels of luxury pools and my second earthly love - the Dead Sea.
View from our balcony
Pools over looking the Dead Sea
Our room also had a sitting area with full couch and chairs, study/computer desk, TWO King size beds, a full wall solid wood closet, and the granite & m able bathroom had a full tub with a shower as well as a very large glass shower. The room was very luxurious, roomy and comfortable.
King Sized Beds in our Luxury Suite
Once we were checked in – my heart was screaming inside – “Run to the Dead Sea! She’s waiting for you!” Having already been to the Dead Sea in Israel back in July, I have to tell you I did not expect to ‘fall in love’ with her all over again. After all, it was already love at first site when I beheld her splendor for the first time after having studied her for an entire decade. The hold she had on my heart in July, I thought could never be replaced – after all – it’s her – The Dead Sea!
But oh how incorrect I was! There are multiple sides to her! (Just like a woman, huh!?) Where we went in Israel was the South side of the Dead Sea – it was completely different from our encounter in Jordan on the North side. The Israeli south side was completely calm, very shallow (at least where we met her in person) and the waters were very hot – like a hot spring or outdoor Jacuzzi tub. There was fine salt under her waters and to the right of the floating area we found (due to my diligence & persistence!) the ‘Black Gold’ or Miracle Mud. There were salt bars everywhere on the South side. It was a vast area and I could see why it was called a sea, but in my personal opinion, she did not act like a sea to me. There was no wave movement and the color of the water was a very light/pale blue-green. There were salt bars everywhere with sink holes and I was able to walk out over 900ft with the water level being only to my knees.
In Jordan, on the North side this was not the case at all. This side had a deep aqua, almost cobalt blue color. She looked like a precious jewel to me. I was mezmerized by her beautiful colors. She had constant movement – like mini waves and a small current. Her shoreline was full of various colored rocks ranging from 1cm pebbles to giant boulders. The colors of rocks varied from yellows (heavy sulfur content) to reds (heavy iron content). The steps we descended down to the incredible briny water were made from the rock found there on the shore line. The sad thing to see was the stacks of burlap bags of sand that had been added at the bottom of the stairs to create more descending steps to the water due to the shrinkage of the Dead Sea. As I beheld her vast beauty once again – this time in an entire different area, I did not feel as sad about the shrinkage. The reason being – this side of the Dead Sea was over 1100ft deep and acted like a sea! This area is extremely vast. We could see Israel on the other side, but the distance to the other side appeared to be miles. I could see that she would remain a miracle sea not only in my life time but even my great, great grand children’s life time.
We did our introductions then we left her (only for a few hours) to travel south to a different destination to understand the mining of our Miracle Mud, powdered mud & salts.
My eyes are getting weary! I'll post more later!
Luv~N~Hugs!!!
Tammy D.
The Mud Queen™
Our partners/guides drove us from Amman down to the Dead Sea. It was about an hour and a half drive by car. We arrived at the Marriot Resort on the Dead Sea around noontime. The gates were blocked and security guards came out to check our vehicle and make sure we were registered to stay at the resort (and scan the car for explosives). When we pulled up to the hotel entrance, I knew I was going to be in heaven! There were two giant black marble rectangle wall fountains on either side of the entrance doors. I was already at peace. (I’m not only The Mud Queen, but I’m a fountain/water junkie too!)
We entered the automatic doors to find a full security check and x-ray machine ready to scan our belongings.
Security @ The MariottOnce we cleared security we checked into our ‘honeymoon suite’. Jim and I had renewed our wedding vows after being baptized in the Jordan River back in July, but did not have a ‘honeymoon’ at that time due to our daughter staying in our little room! So we took advantage of this trip and upgraded our room to a view of the pool & Dead Sea. It was their junior suite room. And I must say – it was worth every cent we paid for it! The room had a private balcony overlooking the 3 levels of luxury pools and my second earthly love - the Dead Sea.
View from our balcony
Pools over looking the Dead Sea
King Sized Beds in our Luxury Suite
Once we were checked in – my heart was screaming inside – “Run to the Dead Sea! She’s waiting for you!” Having already been to the Dead Sea in Israel back in July, I have to tell you I did not expect to ‘fall in love’ with her all over again. After all, it was already love at first site when I beheld her splendor for the first time after having studied her for an entire decade. The hold she had on my heart in July, I thought could never be replaced – after all – it’s her – The Dead Sea!
But oh how incorrect I was! There are multiple sides to her! (Just like a woman, huh!?) Where we went in Israel was the South side of the Dead Sea – it was completely different from our encounter in Jordan on the North side. The Israeli south side was completely calm, very shallow (at least where we met her in person) and the waters were very hot – like a hot spring or outdoor Jacuzzi tub. There was fine salt under her waters and to the right of the floating area we found (due to my diligence & persistence!) the ‘Black Gold’ or Miracle Mud. There were salt bars everywhere on the South side. It was a vast area and I could see why it was called a sea, but in my personal opinion, she did not act like a sea to me. There was no wave movement and the color of the water was a very light/pale blue-green. There were salt bars everywhere with sink holes and I was able to walk out over 900ft with the water level being only to my knees.
In Jordan, on the North side this was not the case at all. This side had a deep aqua, almost cobalt blue color. She looked like a precious jewel to me. I was mezmerized by her beautiful colors. She had constant movement – like mini waves and a small current. Her shoreline was full of various colored rocks ranging from 1cm pebbles to giant boulders. The colors of rocks varied from yellows (heavy sulfur content) to reds (heavy iron content). The steps we descended down to the incredible briny water were made from the rock found there on the shore line. The sad thing to see was the stacks of burlap bags of sand that had been added at the bottom of the stairs to create more descending steps to the water due to the shrinkage of the Dead Sea. As I beheld her vast beauty once again – this time in an entire different area, I did not feel as sad about the shrinkage. The reason being – this side of the Dead Sea was over 1100ft deep and acted like a sea! This area is extremely vast. We could see Israel on the other side, but the distance to the other side appeared to be miles. I could see that she would remain a miracle sea not only in my life time but even my great, great grand children’s life time.
We did our introductions then we left her (only for a few hours) to travel south to a different destination to understand the mining of our Miracle Mud, powdered mud & salts.
My eyes are getting weary! I'll post more later!
Luv~N~Hugs!!!
Tammy D.
The Mud Queen™
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Our second day in Amman, Jordan
Our second day in Amman, Jordan
Ah, business meetings! What a joy! ;o) OK, maybe not – but they are necessary in order to do business the right way! We spent many hours discussing the needs of our company with our Jordanian Dead Sea business partners.
One of our biggest concerns is the shipping of an order. In the past we have opened a 20ft container to find an enormous mess. Our last shipment we lost over 1000 pounds of the Miracle Dead Sea Mud! I was in tears as I watched it being washed away down the street. The hired help we had could not understand my sadness until I explained how it hurt my heart so because that incredible mud would not be able to help people.
Our other concern was shipping time of an order. We have had a shipment take as long as 6 months to arrive at our facility. This is something we can not accept. We had to come up with strategies on how to avoid this problem. It really has nothing to do with us placing an order or the container being filled, it has to do with the shipping yard where the container is delivered to.
During our meetings, jet lag began to set in on me and I did not feel good at all. I had to get up and move around many times. Feeling nauseous during a business meeting is not an enjoyable experience by any means!
After long discussions ranging from shipping to ‘the money factor’ we all agreed to work together. Our company will become the USA distributor for Dead Sea Bulk Materials. (Hey, what a Great company name! LOL!) All inquiries placed within the USA to the DeadSea-Jordan Independent company will be referred to us. And that’s what we came here to accomplish.
Around 6:00pm we began to discuss dinner options. I was quite dizzy by this time due to the jet lag. They asked if we liked BBQ. I cracked up and said, “Guys, if I wanted to eat BBQ, I would have stayed at home!”. They did not understand. They were not talking about Southern BBQ they were talking about Jordanian BBQ. They took us to a local, very quaint restaurant that specialized in Lamb BBQ also called Shish-ka-bobs! When we pulled up in the parking lot I saw a large pen full of sheep. It blew my mind! Jim later went on the tell them about restaurants like Red Lobster where you pick the lobster you want for dinner. He was joking about picking out our own sheep for our meal. Turned out they did raise those sheep for the meals they prepared. There was a local butcher they took them to for preparation of the meat to cook.
BBQ Restaurant
Ah, business meetings! What a joy! ;o) OK, maybe not – but they are necessary in order to do business the right way! We spent many hours discussing the needs of our company with our Jordanian Dead Sea business partners.
One of our biggest concerns is the shipping of an order. In the past we have opened a 20ft container to find an enormous mess. Our last shipment we lost over 1000 pounds of the Miracle Dead Sea Mud! I was in tears as I watched it being washed away down the street. The hired help we had could not understand my sadness until I explained how it hurt my heart so because that incredible mud would not be able to help people.
Our other concern was shipping time of an order. We have had a shipment take as long as 6 months to arrive at our facility. This is something we can not accept. We had to come up with strategies on how to avoid this problem. It really has nothing to do with us placing an order or the container being filled, it has to do with the shipping yard where the container is delivered to.
During our meetings, jet lag began to set in on me and I did not feel good at all. I had to get up and move around many times. Feeling nauseous during a business meeting is not an enjoyable experience by any means!
After long discussions ranging from shipping to ‘the money factor’ we all agreed to work together. Our company will become the USA distributor for Dead Sea Bulk Materials. (Hey, what a Great company name! LOL!) All inquiries placed within the USA to the DeadSea-Jordan Independent company will be referred to us. And that’s what we came here to accomplish.
Around 6:00pm we began to discuss dinner options. I was quite dizzy by this time due to the jet lag. They asked if we liked BBQ. I cracked up and said, “Guys, if I wanted to eat BBQ, I would have stayed at home!”. They did not understand. They were not talking about Southern BBQ they were talking about Jordanian BBQ. They took us to a local, very quaint restaurant that specialized in Lamb BBQ also called Shish-ka-bobs! When we pulled up in the parking lot I saw a large pen full of sheep. It blew my mind! Jim later went on the tell them about restaurants like Red Lobster where you pick the lobster you want for dinner. He was joking about picking out our own sheep for our meal. Turned out they did raise those sheep for the meals they prepared. There was a local butcher they took them to for preparation of the meat to cook.
BBQ Restaurant
Dinner SelectionThe meat was very savory and delicious. As I ate it I thought about my recent Bible study when Jacob sent Esau out to hunt for venison to prepare him the savory meat he loved so much. Even though I was eating lamb and not venison, I still could not help but wonder about the herbs that were used for their meals back then.
With our dinner they ordered a local fruit drink made from dates. It was very sweet and we really liked it!
Once our meal was over, one of the men ordered a ‘smoke’ again. This time the smoke did not smell fruity. I inquired about the differences in the aroma and they explained that each provider made their own blend so they all varied. A ‘smoke’ cost about $5 USD. That seemed kind of high to me, until they explained that it could last as long as 2 hours. Fortunately we didn’t stay there that long.
Next we went to a local mall to look around. Lots of clothes and jewelry. We were looking for a particular item as a souvenir but were unsuccessful. From the mall we went to a local sweet shop. I could not believe all of the different products they made! From tiny to humongous! One of the partners purchased various sweets for us to try. One of our favorites was a local Jordanian specialty it was called, Kenaffa. It was amazing! It is made from sheep milk, Arabic honey and a crunchy topping that is sprinkled with what appeared to be pistachios. YUM!
Once we ate the sweets we headed back to the office to get our items we had left then back to our hotel. Jim and I packed our suitcases in preparation of departure in the early morning for the Marriot on the Dead Sea! I can hardly wait! Muddin’ and Floatin’ in the Dead Sea! Yeah!
Off to bed to try and sleep! I’m not doing to well in that department right now!
Luv~N~Hugs!!!
Tammy D.
The Mud Queen™
Our first day in Amman, Jordan
The flight was excruciating – 3 hours to JKK in NY then a several mile walk to the terminal (in 3” wedge heels!) that ‘appeared’ to be right by our landing flight based on the print out. When we boarded we expected a full plane – instead it was ¾ empty! This made it extremely handy when it came time to go to sleep! I located a 4 seat section – raised all of the arm rests and created my very own bed! I slept for 8 hours – fortunately. I was woken up by my husband letting me know we had one hour to go before landing. I asked for another 30 minutes rest so I could get acclimated to where I was and what was going on.
On the ground we entered into the Amman airport. A very quaint airport – larger than Anniston, Al. but smaller than Birmingham, Al. airport. This was a big relief because we did not know what our Jordanian cohort looked like! After walking around for several minutes, we thought we’d been stood up. I said a prayer under my breath and the next thing we heard was, “Mr Jim?, Ms Tammy?” and there he was - a well kempt Arabic gentleman with kind eyes and his assistant. They helped us outside with our baggage and away we went to the Regency Palace Hotel in downtown Amman. I have to say, this hotel is a class act! I’m very glad we stayed here and we would stay here again!
We took a several hour nap to over come the jet lag then we met for dinner. I had a fun encounter before our meal. We went into down town and our guide needed cigarettes. We walked a few blocks to a local store. While he crossed the street his assistant took us into a local outdoor food court to show us a vendor making falafels from scratch. The man was an Egyptian. Very interesting and quite quick with making his product. Next thing I know he’s gesturing for me to come and make one! I ran up to the cooking stage and made my very first falafel! It was a hoot! They were all so friendly, kind and courteous. What a wonderful memory!
Tammy making a Falafal
Then we went to a local restaurant named – Jerusalem Restaurant. We were served our meal 20 minutes before we could eat it.
Entrance to "Jerusalem" Restaurant
We’ve arrived during the month of Ramadan. The entire country fasts from everything – food, liquids, bad habits, etc. until 7:00pm every day. The meal we ordered is called,‘Mnsf’ translated it means – explosion or “The Bomb”! And that’s what the table looked like – like it had exploded or been bombed with food! We had it all – stewed lamb on a bed of saffron rice, a side sauce make of finely and meticulously heated yogurt (very smooth and creamy not lumpy and bumpy like yogurt usually becomes when heated). We had spicy olives, hummus, pureed eggplant sauce, a chunky garbanzo bean salad, a yogurt, cucumber & tomato salad, pita bread (which by the way is WONDERFUL over here & in Israel as well!), freshly squeezed Mango or Lemon juice (we got the Mango – it was divine!) and a chicken broth & herb Ramen soup. Like the name means – The Bomb! And man was it ever! We loved the entire experience – with the exception of the smoking allowed in the restaurant. Smoking is extremely prevalent over here – it makes me thankful for the non smoking areas at home for sure! J
After dinner we walked down town with our guides and viewed an ancient Roman Amphitheater – it seats around 5000 people. As we were walking around we had a local street vendor come up with large pot of hot tea and fresh mint. The men all purchased some. I tried a sip of my DH’s – it was very good. I was strolling around looking at the ruins and then next thing I know this adorable little boy ran up to me with a piece of candy. He had the most beautiful eyes – they were like giant chocolate drops! I instantly fell in love with him. His name was David. I met the mother, father, younger sister and older brother. They were so kind and friendly. We wished them good luck and best wishes and walked over to an outdoor after dinner smoking/coffee café. One of our guides ordered a smoke – it was a 4” water pipe/bong that contained a blended fruit & herb type tobacco. It smelled incredible! It made me want to smoke again! (Don’t worry – I’m not going there again! I’ve been smoke free for 15 years now! PTL!) We all had Turkish coffee and discussed our company’s future needs and growth desires.
Tammy with David
While we were talking I saw a small child coming near our table. It was David! He was holding out an envelope and walking to me with it. The father came up and let us know they had purchased post cards with the highlights of Jordan on them! The envelope read, “From David and Famey (obviously they meant family) with my best wishis (wishes) for you. Thank you.” I was soooo touched! I profusely thanked them and opened the envelope. We looked at the pictures and put them back in the envelope. It was dark outside, and we didn’t notice until later in the hotel that they had written something on the back of each post card! About 15 minutes after he brought me the envelope little David with the chocolate drop eyes showed up again to give me a kiss good night. How awesome is that! Definitely worth dealing with jet lag! J
We arrived back at the hotel in time for our 10:00pm appointment with the owner of an existing Dead Sea company here in Amman. He brought us product samples. I had requested raw, unfinished Dead Sea mud. He handed me the jar and I immediately knew without opening the container it was a finished product with fillers and perfumed fragrance. I even said it out loud before I opened the bottle. And I was correct! I asked numerous questions to find out that I know more about the Dead Sea than anyone here in Jordan knows, too!
Our guide told me I am actually more advanced with my products than anyone in Israel or Jordan. He called me a true pioneer of Dead Sea products. He said that we are doing things with the Dead Sea that they thought were impossible! How about that!? What a tremendous compliment! BTW, our guide has worked with the Dead Sea products and raw ingredients for 11 years now. That was the biggest compliment I could ever receive!
Well, it’s now 2:00am – past time for bed! Will write about our day tomorrow!
Luv~N~Hugs!!!
Tammy D.
THE Mud Queen™
On the ground we entered into the Amman airport. A very quaint airport – larger than Anniston, Al. but smaller than Birmingham, Al. airport. This was a big relief because we did not know what our Jordanian cohort looked like! After walking around for several minutes, we thought we’d been stood up. I said a prayer under my breath and the next thing we heard was, “Mr Jim?, Ms Tammy?” and there he was - a well kempt Arabic gentleman with kind eyes and his assistant. They helped us outside with our baggage and away we went to the Regency Palace Hotel in downtown Amman. I have to say, this hotel is a class act! I’m very glad we stayed here and we would stay here again!
We took a several hour nap to over come the jet lag then we met for dinner. I had a fun encounter before our meal. We went into down town and our guide needed cigarettes. We walked a few blocks to a local store. While he crossed the street his assistant took us into a local outdoor food court to show us a vendor making falafels from scratch. The man was an Egyptian. Very interesting and quite quick with making his product. Next thing I know he’s gesturing for me to come and make one! I ran up to the cooking stage and made my very first falafel! It was a hoot! They were all so friendly, kind and courteous. What a wonderful memory!
Tammy making a FalafalThen we went to a local restaurant named – Jerusalem Restaurant. We were served our meal 20 minutes before we could eat it.
Entrance to "Jerusalem" RestaurantAfter dinner we walked down town with our guides and viewed an ancient Roman Amphitheater – it seats around 5000 people. As we were walking around we had a local street vendor come up with large pot of hot tea and fresh mint. The men all purchased some. I tried a sip of my DH’s – it was very good. I was strolling around looking at the ruins and then next thing I know this adorable little boy ran up to me with a piece of candy. He had the most beautiful eyes – they were like giant chocolate drops! I instantly fell in love with him. His name was David. I met the mother, father, younger sister and older brother. They were so kind and friendly. We wished them good luck and best wishes and walked over to an outdoor after dinner smoking/coffee café. One of our guides ordered a smoke – it was a 4” water pipe/bong that contained a blended fruit & herb type tobacco. It smelled incredible! It made me want to smoke again! (Don’t worry – I’m not going there again! I’ve been smoke free for 15 years now! PTL!) We all had Turkish coffee and discussed our company’s future needs and growth desires.
Tammy with DavidWhile we were talking I saw a small child coming near our table. It was David! He was holding out an envelope and walking to me with it. The father came up and let us know they had purchased post cards with the highlights of Jordan on them! The envelope read, “From David and Famey (obviously they meant family) with my best wishis (wishes) for you. Thank you.” I was soooo touched! I profusely thanked them and opened the envelope. We looked at the pictures and put them back in the envelope. It was dark outside, and we didn’t notice until later in the hotel that they had written something on the back of each post card! About 15 minutes after he brought me the envelope little David with the chocolate drop eyes showed up again to give me a kiss good night. How awesome is that! Definitely worth dealing with jet lag! J
We arrived back at the hotel in time for our 10:00pm appointment with the owner of an existing Dead Sea company here in Amman. He brought us product samples. I had requested raw, unfinished Dead Sea mud. He handed me the jar and I immediately knew without opening the container it was a finished product with fillers and perfumed fragrance. I even said it out loud before I opened the bottle. And I was correct! I asked numerous questions to find out that I know more about the Dead Sea than anyone here in Jordan knows, too!
Our guide told me I am actually more advanced with my products than anyone in Israel or Jordan. He called me a true pioneer of Dead Sea products. He said that we are doing things with the Dead Sea that they thought were impossible! How about that!? What a tremendous compliment! BTW, our guide has worked with the Dead Sea products and raw ingredients for 11 years now. That was the biggest compliment I could ever receive!
Well, it’s now 2:00am – past time for bed! Will write about our day tomorrow!
Luv~N~Hugs!!!
Tammy D.
THE Mud Queen™
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Going back to the Dead Sea!
Oh my goodness – we’re actually headed back to the Dead Sea in less than 24 hours! I can’t believe how truly blessed we are! I have to be honest, I’m NOT looking forward to dealing with a 14 hour one way plane ride and jet lag again! However, we are staying one full day and night at the Dead Sea (again!!!) so I can 'deal' with it! LOL!
This trip is for establishing a branch/division of our company here in the USA. We will be meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce, Shipping companies and various other Dead Sea companies located in Amman Jordan. Jim will begin studying for the Customs Broker test and take it in April. This will allow us to handle our own shipments from Jordan to the US.
We are very excited and VERY exhausted right now! Planning for a trip like this is very taxing on our family & business family. I want to thank everyone that has pitched in to allow us to do this. We were truly blessed to hear from everyone – “GO! Everything will be fine while you’re gone!” Grow your company! We support you. (Thanks everyone! We truly love you all!)
Please keep us in your prayers as we travel. We love you all!
God Bless,
Tammy D.
The Mud Queen
This trip is for establishing a branch/division of our company here in the USA. We will be meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce, Shipping companies and various other Dead Sea companies located in Amman Jordan. Jim will begin studying for the Customs Broker test and take it in April. This will allow us to handle our own shipments from Jordan to the US.
We are very excited and VERY exhausted right now! Planning for a trip like this is very taxing on our family & business family. I want to thank everyone that has pitched in to allow us to do this. We were truly blessed to hear from everyone – “GO! Everything will be fine while you’re gone!” Grow your company! We support you. (Thanks everyone! We truly love you all!)
Please keep us in your prayers as we travel. We love you all!
God Bless,
Tammy D.
The Mud Queen
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Body wrap experience at the Dead Sea
Our trip to the Dead Sea was incredible. Actually it was mind boggling to me to actually be there after 10 years of studying and working with its precious raw materials.
While we were at the hotel, we HAD to see if we could learn some hidden secrets from 'the experts'. Myself, Jim & Jessica all had a full mud body wrap and massage. We felt this would 'complete' our learning experience.
Much to our dismay the experience was less than we were expecting! They never had us fill out a consultation sheet - therefore they did not know if we had any allergies, body ailments or chonic issues (such as my Fibromyalgia). They wisked us all away to separate rooms that were fully tiled, no circulation and 'cold' feeling. They weren't 'spa' rooms by any means. My therapist could not speak much English at all. She pointed at a table that was covered with a blue tarp and had me change into disposable under clothes and lay down. A few minutes later she emerged with a gallon bucket of mud. I was quite hesitant for her to slather it on me. I could smell menthol and when I looked at the mud I could tell it wasn't 100% pure product. I asked her what other ingredients the mud contained - she blew me off with 'I don't understand' and proceded to take her glove covered hand and raised my right arm and in one fell swoop - slathered the warm, menthol Dead Sea 'wanna be' Mud on. She was so fast with the application it literally took her about 5 minutes to cover my entire body. Interestingly enough she left the abdomen & chest area open. I questioned why she didn't cover those areas - she told me it wasn't good for my heart. Then I realized what she meant - because she wrapped the blue tarp around me and left me in the room with no circulation. I literally felt mummified! I tried to get comfortable and think about being in the Dead Sea. Then I started to sweat profusely. The sweat came out of the chest & abdomen area and of course my face and scalp. I was burning up! There was a fan in the room (not turned on) but I could not get to it because I was packed in tight! In about 20 minutes the therapist appeared and wiped my forehead with a lukewarm cloth. What I would have given for it to be ice cold at that point! I asked if she would turn on the fan but she didn't hear me as she closed the door. So there I lay - sweating in a blue tarp wishing I was in the Dead Sea instead of that room! I could have done a much better job at the Dead Sea and would be mobile, in the sun and able to float in the silky water instead of being trapped up like Sushie in a blue tarp! Not to mention the exhorbadant amount of money it cost! Then came time for the 'unveiling'. She followed me into the shower and hosed my back and legs off with a high powered sprayer. I was slightly embarassed. I politely asked her if I could take care of it myself and she got the hint.
I was shocked that the high end treatment did not do what our products do at home - which is firm, tone & tighten the skin while reducing the appearance of cellulite. (Sorry, it's not permanent - but it lasts for at least 24 hours!) Then came time for fresh disposable clothes and a robe. I was escorted to my massage room which had a very inexpensive treatment table and two plastic out door chairs in it. She turned around while I removed the robe and got under the sheet. I had a feelilng they were going to use cheap products on my skin - so I came prepared with my own Mud-Lite™ Mineral Creme and asked that she use it instead of her products. She opened a jar of pink cream and stuck it in my face to try and get me to let her use it. I could immediately smell the chemical fragrances in it and refused the product. She used my creme and I was soooo glad because I love the aroma I had created for this massage! It had Rosewood, Sandalwood, Jasmine, Geranium, Bulgarian Lavender, Ylang II and a few drops of Bulgarian Rose Oil. Decadent - Yep! And I deserved it! The only thing that was pleasant about the massage was the end of it! She didn't know I had Fibromyalgia so she rubbed me down like a race horse. At one point she took off her lab coat and layed on my back with her forearms and rubbed up and down on my back as if I were a 500 pound man. I let out a few grunts and she asked if she was hurting me. I told her yes. I tried to explain that you don't do deep tissue massage on Fibromyalgia patients, but she did not know what I was talking about. I made it through the massage and got back in my swim suit (I had come there directly from being in the Dead Sea!) and headed right back down to my precious mineral oasis. There I slathered on the pure Dead Sea Mud to detox the junk the body wrap had done and then I did a full body scrub with the mineral salts and floated away. That was heaven to me!
One thing I learned from the experience was - I really am The Mud Queen™! I really do know my stuff and how to implement it better than the people that live at that miraculously healing & therapeutic God-given resource. My next trip will be to stay at the Dead Sea and do my own body wraps. That was really sheer heaven to me! What can I say? I'm The Mud Queen™!!! :o)
Luv~N~Hugs!!!
Tammy D.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Scary Experience @ The Dead Sea
I LOVED floating in the Dead Sea! This was the most incredible sensation! The water felt like silk. I was quite amazed that there wasn’t an over powering sulfur odor in the air. I also enjoyed walking on the salt bars. I accidentally ended up about 3 foot ball fields out from the shore line. This actually became a dangerous situation and I didn’t like it at all! I was out there by myself in the early morning. There were only two people on the shore line and I did not know them at all. The sun was beating down and in July the Dead Sea feels like a hot tub. Of course as I was walking on the salt bar I would run my hands through the silky brine. I was looking down into the water admiring beautiful salt crystals and watching out for the occasional sink holes that had formed. I started talking to God and jokingly asked Him if Peter really walked on the Dead Sea instead of the Sea of Galilee – because I was quite sure it appeared as if I were walking on water back on the distant shore line! It was really getting hot and I started perspiring on my forehead. Not thinking anything about it I wiped my forehead with my hand. WRONG thing to do, because I wiped my forehead with Dead Sea Brine! I didn’t realize it until a few minutes later when the perspiration on my brow started to trickle the powerful mineral & salt laden water into my eyes! I was instantly blinded. There I was – about 900 feet out in the Dead Sea with no guide to get me back to the shore line, no one I knew within shouting distance to come and rescue me and I knew there were sink holes on my path back to the shoreline and the fresh water shower! I had to walk very slowly – due to the fact that the water was just below knee level and very ‘thick’ to walk through. I did a lot of praying while I made my journey back to the shoreline. It felt like it took an eternity! But PTL I made it to the fresh water shower – then I went right back out and floated again! This time I was very near the shoreline!
What an experience that was! I'm so thankful God took care of me during that situation. It's quite an unnerving feeling to be instantly blind out in the middle of the Dead Sea and not know where you're going. I had a lot of thoughts that went through my mind causing fear. But when I prayed the fear went away and it was almost as if an angel guided me to safety.
Well, that's my post for today. Hug and kiss 4 people today before you go to bed!
Luv~N~Hugs!!!
Tammy D.
The Mud Queen™
What an experience that was! I'm so thankful God took care of me during that situation. It's quite an unnerving feeling to be instantly blind out in the middle of the Dead Sea and not know where you're going. I had a lot of thoughts that went through my mind causing fear. But when I prayed the fear went away and it was almost as if an angel guided me to safety.
Well, that's my post for today. Hug and kiss 4 people today before you go to bed!
Luv~N~Hugs!!!
Tammy D.
The Mud Queen™
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