Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Orthodox icons at the Monastery of St. George are a reminder of how the meditation,
isolation, and hermetic way of life can all help the monks—and pilgrims—to better un-
derstand the message and will of Jesus.
I ascended the dramatic Wadi Qilt viewpoint for a thrilling panorama over the Judean
Desert. Then my ears popped as I dropped below sea level and passed through the ancient
city of Jericho. Dating back some 10,000 years, it's one of the oldest continuously in-
habited cities on earth. Locals claim that the thick air that comes with this low alti-
tude—nearly a thousand feet below sea level—makes their bananas, oranges, and dates
particularly tasty.
The road ends where the Jordan River does, at the lowest place on earth (about 1,400
feet below sea level): the fabled Dead Sea. The Jordan continually empties into this inland
sea. Because there's no outlet for the water, and the scalding sun—almost unbearable in
the summer—causes constant evaporation, the minerals concentrate. That's why the water
is more than one-third minerals (bromine, magnesium, and iodine).
