Surreal...
I'll doing it like those LJ people.
Mood: Beyond exhaustion tinged with nostalgia and an urge to go back to the simplicity in the States.
I think it's the sleep deprivation talking because in all honesty I've had a wonderful last day or so. Last night I climbed up Mt. Sinai, about 12 km roundtrip--2,285 meters high (the second highest mountain in the Sinai after Mt. Saint Catherine). We started at about 11 p.m. in a car ride that took two hours...before we reached the site. Then, around 1:30 a.m., we started to hike. Not only was I horridly out of shape, but exhausted from the "microbus ride from hell"--they must make these car rides as torturous as possible on purpose because there is no other excuse: no AC, blistering winds (as a result), psychotic driving, the most uncomfortable seats known to man, plus awful music. Agh.
Anyway, when we first got there we were all told we "had" to have a guide, for which we'd have to pay five Egyptian pounds. I was a bit peeved because I knew this was not the case, from my own sources of information. I challenged the guide on the point, and he started yelling at me, and told me to ask the police. So I did.
The policeman was much more diplomatic, and he did acquiese...saying, yes indeed, there is no Egyptian law for a guide (contrary to what we'd been told), but that it was "for our safety, because it is dark, and we could fall off the mountain." Now, let me say, not only did I have a torch with me (flashlight, sorry I've adopted the Brit word for it here, oddly enough), but also, the moon was so bright extra light was unecessary and a hindrance. Plus, the path was very well demarcated and quite large in many places (camel rides up were offered, I'm assuming only part way).
And so, I told the guide I didn't appreciate being lied to, but, with the rest of the group was herded along after him. It was rather annoying because I would have preferred the peace and quiet of a hike, myself and a few friends in the desert, in such a historical spot...the chance to take it all in. But this guide business quite overshadowed it...at least until we lost him (and that took some finesse on our parts...and a willingness to let him yell us into submission before we silently took off later--what a control freak!).
Then...after...the hike was just supremely amazing. No words describe it. It's one of my favorite things I've done here in Egypt, despite the fact that I feel like walking death right now. There are two paths up Mt. Sinai, one that is called the "Steps of Repentance"--it's 3,750 steps up the mountain, or you can take a path up (recommended) and the steps down--which is what we did. The last part of the path up includes 750 of those steps, and they definitely live up to their name. When we finally got to the top it was damn cold...and I ended up splurging for a blanket up there to add to the fleece one I'd pilfered and brought along with me from Royal Air Maroc airlines. I was finally able to doze for about an hour (we were about three hours too early, it'd taken up three hours to walk up)...and then I caught the sunrise at around 6:25 a.m....before starting back down the mountain using those steps.
At the bottom was a Greek-Orthodox monastery that finally opened after about a 45-minute wait (we'd hiked down in about two hours, and were half an hour too early for the opening of the monastery at 9 a.m., supposedly. Our microbus was leaving at 9:30 a.m., so when it finally opened at 9:20 a.m. we were able to just dash in and take a look at the descendant of the burning bush and the chapel, before dashing out. The ride back was torture yet again, then I came back to Dahab, took a shower, and briefly fell in and out of sleep on (what I found out to be) my ant-infested mattress. I couldn't really doze, and after three hours of just lying there annoyed despite a bad headache, I decided to take out my dive book--lessons start tomorrow and per usual I haven't started studying yet--178 pages need to be read by 10 a.m. tomorrow, and I must also find time to sleep...still, kinda nice to be back in the grind, I was missing it a bit.
On another note--I would just like to remember the memory of all those who died today, Sept. 11. It's hard being far away from home and in a place like this one a day like today. And damn al-qaeda and their cowardly strategies and attacks. Apparently their new number one targets as released today are the Gulf states--Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia...and then Israel (of course).
Too tired to comment further, but we'll leave it at that. For now. Just got some pictures burned and the net is quite fast here, so I'll see if I can post them
Mood: Beyond exhaustion tinged with nostalgia and an urge to go back to the simplicity in the States.
I think it's the sleep deprivation talking because in all honesty I've had a wonderful last day or so. Last night I climbed up Mt. Sinai, about 12 km roundtrip--2,285 meters high (the second highest mountain in the Sinai after Mt. Saint Catherine). We started at about 11 p.m. in a car ride that took two hours...before we reached the site. Then, around 1:30 a.m., we started to hike. Not only was I horridly out of shape, but exhausted from the "microbus ride from hell"--they must make these car rides as torturous as possible on purpose because there is no other excuse: no AC, blistering winds (as a result), psychotic driving, the most uncomfortable seats known to man, plus awful music. Agh.
Anyway, when we first got there we were all told we "had" to have a guide, for which we'd have to pay five Egyptian pounds. I was a bit peeved because I knew this was not the case, from my own sources of information. I challenged the guide on the point, and he started yelling at me, and told me to ask the police. So I did.
The policeman was much more diplomatic, and he did acquiese...saying, yes indeed, there is no Egyptian law for a guide (contrary to what we'd been told), but that it was "for our safety, because it is dark, and we could fall off the mountain." Now, let me say, not only did I have a torch with me (flashlight, sorry I've adopted the Brit word for it here, oddly enough), but also, the moon was so bright extra light was unecessary and a hindrance. Plus, the path was very well demarcated and quite large in many places (camel rides up were offered, I'm assuming only part way).
And so, I told the guide I didn't appreciate being lied to, but, with the rest of the group was herded along after him. It was rather annoying because I would have preferred the peace and quiet of a hike, myself and a few friends in the desert, in such a historical spot...the chance to take it all in. But this guide business quite overshadowed it...at least until we lost him (and that took some finesse on our parts...and a willingness to let him yell us into submission before we silently took off later--what a control freak!).
Then...after...the hike was just supremely amazing. No words describe it. It's one of my favorite things I've done here in Egypt, despite the fact that I feel like walking death right now. There are two paths up Mt. Sinai, one that is called the "Steps of Repentance"--it's 3,750 steps up the mountain, or you can take a path up (recommended) and the steps down--which is what we did. The last part of the path up includes 750 of those steps, and they definitely live up to their name. When we finally got to the top it was damn cold...and I ended up splurging for a blanket up there to add to the fleece one I'd pilfered and brought along with me from Royal Air Maroc airlines. I was finally able to doze for about an hour (we were about three hours too early, it'd taken up three hours to walk up)...and then I caught the sunrise at around 6:25 a.m....before starting back down the mountain using those steps.
At the bottom was a Greek-Orthodox monastery that finally opened after about a 45-minute wait (we'd hiked down in about two hours, and were half an hour too early for the opening of the monastery at 9 a.m., supposedly. Our microbus was leaving at 9:30 a.m., so when it finally opened at 9:20 a.m. we were able to just dash in and take a look at the descendant of the burning bush and the chapel, before dashing out. The ride back was torture yet again, then I came back to Dahab, took a shower, and briefly fell in and out of sleep on (what I found out to be) my ant-infested mattress. I couldn't really doze, and after three hours of just lying there annoyed despite a bad headache, I decided to take out my dive book--lessons start tomorrow and per usual I haven't started studying yet--178 pages need to be read by 10 a.m. tomorrow, and I must also find time to sleep...still, kinda nice to be back in the grind, I was missing it a bit.
On another note--I would just like to remember the memory of all those who died today, Sept. 11. It's hard being far away from home and in a place like this one a day like today. And damn al-qaeda and their cowardly strategies and attacks. Apparently their new number one targets as released today are the Gulf states--Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia...and then Israel (of course).
Too tired to comment further, but we'll leave it at that. For now. Just got some pictures burned and the net is quite fast here, so I'll see if I can post them
posted by IJW at 9:57 PM
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