Lac Assal

Today some of us officers from the EMF took a field trip to Lac Assal.  It's the lowest point in Africa with a salt lake that lies 156 meters below sea level.  It is said that the lake has a salt content of 35%. 

But first off, we stopped to buy some souvenirs along the way.  I bought a hand-crafted helicopter from this man, Abdullah.  Even though we questioned what the souvenirs were made out of, they couldn't tell us.  No, literally, they did not know the correct English word.  We bought them anyway.

And after a two hour drive, we made it to Lac Assal.  It was so peaceful, serene, and absolutely beautiful!

We're here!!!!

The shore was made of huge salt clumps, no sand.  And it sounded like popcorn as you stepped on it.

Here's a salt crystal that I collected

And this is what the salt floor looked like for miles and miles

Here's a pic of me floating.  As soon as you lay in, you float.  I don't think there are any drowning stories at this lake.

And here's a better pic of the internal medicine doc, LT Harrell

Here's a pic of how I looked after a dip.  All salt, no sand.  It took four bottled waters to rinse off with to look halfway presentable.

After that, we went to the hot springs.  Here we found boiling hot water, which is heated by geothermal activity.  It was REALLY hot!

I found some fish that can survive the heat

And of course, while trying to get the perfect shot, LT Harrell lost his shoe in the boiling water

Luckily, the OIC (officer-in-charge) of our clinic, CDR Brenner, "manned up" and walked into the water to retrieve his shoe...He then requested anesthesia from me for his burned foot.  All in all a great trip!