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 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

Dinner Selection

The 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™