I imagined myself exploring these regions in ancient times

I imagined myself exploring these regions in ancient times. Endless expanses of dried mud and salt, crushing heat and mirages in the distance. Suddenly, your are convinced you heard water noises, and this hellish sight is what you come across. The situation is not technically life threatening, because the Afar will probably kill you before thirst will, but it explains why National Geographic called the Danakil "The most cruel place on Earth". Of course, this is not the ancient times, so I just went back to my air conditioned Land Cruiser.