Ma’in Hot Springs

When they say hot, they mean hot! I had no idea that a hot spring could actually scald, but Ma’in Hot Springs is so hot I nearly blistered my feet on the rocks. As we approached the hot springs in the sweltering heat, I questioned our sanity! Why on earth were we going to a hot springs to soak in boiling hot water on an already hot day? But after soaking in the sulfurous waters, and standing under the hot, hot, waterfall, I sat on the rocks in the shade and I understood why humans have been doing this at Ma’in for centuries. For one thing, you are surprisingly cooled off when you get out because the breeze cools your wet skin. Of course, it may just be that it seems a lot cooler after the scorching heat of the water! Aside from feeling cooler after soaking in the springs, your muscles feel completely relaxed and like jelly. As I climbed up to the grotto behind the waterfall, and lowered myself in to the hottest pool yet with a yelp, I was reminded forcibly of the saying, “It hurts so bad it feels good”. That’s sort of Ma’in Springs in nut shell! That night we went to our final dinner at a really fabulous restaurant. There was a fellow outside pounding coffee beans in typical Bedouin fashion and inside we were entertained by a really talented oud player. An oud is a bit like a guitar and can be quite lovely, with inlaid wood and camel bone. The musician was very talented and played many traditional Jordanian songs. I was saddened to say goodbye to everyone, but excited to start the next leg of my journeys—to the Mediterranean.