Charles at hot springs

As my friend Anouk writes: Lake Assal (Bahr al Assal) in Djibouti is Africa's lowest geographic point, it lies 515 feet (155m) below sea level. It's a fascinating salt water lake, with beaches literally made of pure salt. Some of the salt banks are over 200 feet (65 m) deep. Lake Assal is saltier than the Dead Sea, you don't have to swim a single stroke - you can just float and read a book. Salt cakes everything along the shores of this lake, loose vegetation that has been blown here from far away, dead birds -- everything is crystallized in salt. And not surprisingly, no vegetation grows here. It's a very bright and very hot place.