November 16, 2006 Sawa Beach Camp – St. Katherine’s, Egypt

November 16, 2006
Sawa Beach Camp – St. Katherine’s, Egypt

Happy Birthday MOM!! You are the greatest and I wish I could have talked to you on the phone today!

This morning I woke up naturally at 6:00. I wandered around camp and got some good pictures during the sunrise. I then started packing up all my stuff and cleaning up my little hut. By the time I was done it was almost 7:00 and time for breakfast.

After breakfast we hung around the camp and waited for our bus to arrive. It was somewhat late and much smaller than expected. I spent the two hour drive cramped in the back…

Eventually, we made it to St. Katherine’s monastery. I am told that it is the oldest Christian monastery in the world. Before heading to the historical sight B and I visited the bathroom. On the way in a woman got mad at us for not paying her to use the toilet. Even so, once we were inside we saw a large sign that read: toilet is free, do NOT pay.

Once we had relieved ourselves we started the short walk to the monastery. When we arrived at the outerwall we were told that we would not be allowed in because we were wearing shorts. We discussed the matter with the guard for several minutes before being allowed in.

The inside was very crowded. Many people make the trip there to see a bush that some guy named Moses supposedly saw burn without being consumed. While very popular, the bush was not that impressive. It was large and scraggly.

I left the monastery after a very short time because of the crowds and because most of the rooms with historical art were an additional charge. Instead I climbed a nearby hill to get a good picture of the entire structure.

Once the monastery closed (12:00) we headed for our hotel. Luckily, it was just around the corner and we were only crammed in our minivan for a few minutes.

The hotel was surprisingly nice. We unpacked and had a quick shower and then grabbed some lunch (a large buffet). Once everyone was done eating we headed back to St. Katherine’s to climb Mt. Sinai (14:00). It is the same mountain Moses is said to have climbed many years ago while forging the Ten Commandments.

The entire area was much less crowded in the afternoon. We reached the base of the mountain and then separated into two groups. I chose to go with the group that was going up the more difficult route, the steps (which were much more like boulders than steps). NOTE: I later learned that these were the steps (or stairs) of repentance. I am told that I have now been forgiven for all my sins…

The hike was awesome. Though there was almost no vegetation and absolutely no wildlife, the rock formations were spectacular. In all, it took about an hour of strenuous hiking to reach the top (more than 7000 feet!).

The view from the top was absolutely spectacular. While we waited for the pack (B and I got way ahead of the others) we took a bunch of photos and relaxed. As everyone else turned up it got more and more cold. By the time the entire group was assembled I was freezing. Even so, we waited for the sunset before heading down. Unfortunately, the sunset was less than spectucular…

Though the walk back down (in the dark) took about the same amount of time as the way up, it was much easier. There were only a few stumbles on the dark trail.

We arrived back at the hotel at around 18:00. Everyone was hungry and very tired. After a light dinner everyone retired to his or her rooms. I made an unsuccessful attempt to call my mom and wish her a happy birthday…

By 21:00 everyone in the group was in bed and fast asleep.