So, I was picked up at the hotel at 10:40 pm, with a van full of folks who spoke other languages. . . There were five Russians, and five folks who were from somewhere in the Middle East maybe. We took a two hour bus ride to the town of St. Catherine, home of St. Catherine's Monastery. We all got out and waited for a few minutes, while our guide for the moment gave us all flashlights to use for the hike. Somewhere around 2:15 am, we were then paired up with another guide, who would lead us all the way up to the top.
We started our climb, and passed by St. Catherine's Monastery after a few minutes. Then the camels started appearing everywhere. For those who don't like somewhat strenuous hikes, or may be not be able to go all the way due to medical conditions, you can rent a camel to take you 3/4 of the way up. From there you take the rough steps up. I think there were 700 steps, I can't remember.
The hike before the steps was wonderful, I even broke a little sweat. The downfall was my being in shape and others in our group needing to stop. . . So our tour guide, told myself and another guy to just go on our own, which was so much better. The rest stops consisted of candy bars, water, juices, coffee and tea. There were still plenty of camels to be seen as well. I thought it was great getting through the hike so easily, until the steps that lead to the top. . . These steps weren't too bad (yes, they were), but they were also not spaced out so well. The camels did have to stop at the steps and the riders would then have to take the steps up.
Anyway, I think once I got to the top, I just wanted to stay there for a good while. There were probably a hundred of us sitting there watching the sunrise. First you could just see lines across the sky and then you could finally see this big ball of light slowly rising -- what an amazing experience.
The walk down was nice. I joined three Russians, a couple, Vladimir and Riana, (sp), and Tanya, who was alone. I didn't understand much of what they were saying, since they couldn't speak English, and I couldn't speak Russian. We did have a great time together walking down though. I had to help Tanya down during one instance, and the she slipped which almost pulled me to the ground. We got down to the bottom of the mountain about 7 am. We still had an hour until we were supposed meet with our guides at the St. Catherine Monastery for some brief history about what we were going to see. The monastery opened at 9, and by that time I was struggling to stay awake, much less stand and walk some more.
The monastery itself was an impressive piece of work. . Even Napoleon Bonaparte made a few key contributions to the safety of it. The well of Moses is there, and the burning bush from the bible stories. You can even see the elbow of St. Catherine herself. Sounds kinds of odd, but it's cool to see something that old. There is even some art work that dates back the 2nd and 3rd centuries as well.
I was quite impressed, but too tired to really be enthused at the monastery. I just wanted some food and a bed after that hike. We did stop at a little joint where we ate our breakfast. It was food, and I was hungry, so that's all that mattered. I enjoyed some hibiscus tea, which I've grown to like in my time here in Egypt. Once we got to the van again, I somehow fell asleep in that little vehicle.
Camel anyone??
I didn't see any Koreans this time
I took many pictures of the Sun
It was a little cool at the top
On the way down
The Burning Bush
A cat guarding Moses' well
We started our climb, and passed by St. Catherine's Monastery after a few minutes. Then the camels started appearing everywhere. For those who don't like somewhat strenuous hikes, or may be not be able to go all the way due to medical conditions, you can rent a camel to take you 3/4 of the way up. From there you take the rough steps up. I think there were 700 steps, I can't remember.
The hike before the steps was wonderful, I even broke a little sweat. The downfall was my being in shape and others in our group needing to stop. . . So our tour guide, told myself and another guy to just go on our own, which was so much better. The rest stops consisted of candy bars, water, juices, coffee and tea. There were still plenty of camels to be seen as well. I thought it was great getting through the hike so easily, until the steps that lead to the top. . . These steps weren't too bad (yes, they were), but they were also not spaced out so well. The camels did have to stop at the steps and the riders would then have to take the steps up.
Anyway, I think once I got to the top, I just wanted to stay there for a good while. There were probably a hundred of us sitting there watching the sunrise. First you could just see lines across the sky and then you could finally see this big ball of light slowly rising -- what an amazing experience.
The walk down was nice. I joined three Russians, a couple, Vladimir and Riana, (sp), and Tanya, who was alone. I didn't understand much of what they were saying, since they couldn't speak English, and I couldn't speak Russian. We did have a great time together walking down though. I had to help Tanya down during one instance, and the she slipped which almost pulled me to the ground. We got down to the bottom of the mountain about 7 am. We still had an hour until we were supposed meet with our guides at the St. Catherine Monastery for some brief history about what we were going to see. The monastery opened at 9, and by that time I was struggling to stay awake, much less stand and walk some more.
The monastery itself was an impressive piece of work. . Even Napoleon Bonaparte made a few key contributions to the safety of it. The well of Moses is there, and the burning bush from the bible stories. You can even see the elbow of St. Catherine herself. Sounds kinds of odd, but it's cool to see something that old. There is even some art work that dates back the 2nd and 3rd centuries as well.
I was quite impressed, but too tired to really be enthused at the monastery. I just wanted some food and a bed after that hike. We did stop at a little joint where we ate our breakfast. It was food, and I was hungry, so that's all that mattered. I enjoyed some hibiscus tea, which I've grown to like in my time here in Egypt. Once we got to the van again, I somehow fell asleep in that little vehicle.
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