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October 19, 2010
A life lesson on the Dead Sea
While Edward and Charlotte were growing up, Alan and I tried to show them as much of the world as we could. After all, as a former teacher, I’ve always known that traveling is one of the best ways to educate people, both young and old, about other cultures. And some of our most simple life lessons—and favorite family memories—are from those vacations.
The first time we traveled to Israel as a family, Edward was about 13 and Charlotte about 11. Given Israel’s complex blend of cultures, religions, and history, some of the loftier moments we had there were lost on the kids, though they seemed to enjoy the trip overall. And thinking back, it was one of our lightest moments that taught us the most …
While staying in Jerusalem, we took a day trip to the Dead Sea, a wonder Alan and I had always wanted to experience and figured the kids would really enjoy. Traveling with friends who knew the area, we went to a sort of “beach” from which we could enter the infamously salty water—just as visitors have done for thousands of years. As the rest of us paused and readied ourselves to go in, Alan—ever the adventurous spirit and fully determined to defy the dense water's buoyancy—charged toward the water, diving in head first. Charlotte yelled at him to stop, but it was too late to heed the conspicuously posted signs that cautioned swimmers against submerging their heads. Almost as quickly as he went in, Alan jumped out of the water yelling in pain from the salt in his eyes. As we walked him to the freshwater showers nearby to wash out his eyes, the lesson couldn’t have been more clear: always read the warning signs.
Have you learned any simple life lessons during your travels? If so, I’d love to hear more about them. You can share your thoughts with others by posting your comments below this Journal entry, or you can email me directly at harriet@oattravel.com.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be spotlighting our adventures in Tunisia and Morocco, India and Nepal, and our Small Ship Adventures. If you’ve explored any—or all!—of these fascinating destinations with OAT, I hope you’ll send your stories and pictures to me at harriet@oattravel.com.
Harriet Lewis