Early start to get to the airport however on the bright side we missed a lot of the Cairo traffic which can be very intense. We flew from Cairo to Sharm El Sheik (known as The City of Peace). There is a lot of security here. There are issues mainly in North Sinai. We are in the Eastern area of Sinai which is further from the security problems than Cairo apparently. Sharm El Sheik is a resort town that was once a thriving hub of tourism and currently hosting all the heads of state from this region at a big conference. About ten years ago it was just full on with mostly Israeli tourists. The government started a fear campaign at the border with signs stating that Hep C was prevalent, you are at risk etc, which resulted in a drop in tourism by about 50%. Now it's a tiny percentage. We are the only tourists here (one German couple left yesterday), but that's it! Ten years ago Samir(owner) said you had to step over bodies to go for a walk along the beach. Walking on the beach, the camps/accom places look abandoned and are falling into disrepair.
The place we are staying at is very sweet
. Lovely cabins, lovely weather, nice people looking after us.
Anyway after arriving we had half an hour to get ourselves together for our trip to St Catherine's Monastery and the hike up Mt Sinai. It was hot, we were tired, most of us hadn't eaten because quite frankly, the breakfast boxes provided by the hotel were awful.
Think about it - 4am start, flight, bus through military checkpoints to get to our accommodation then a one and a half hour bus ride to get to the monastery with 5 or 6 more checkpoints, then a strenuous hike pretty much on an empty stomach. We didn't even start the hike till about 2.30, 3pm.
The hike itself was a bit of a surprise as it was an optional extra. I hadn't really thought about it and the travel warnings suggest not to go, but next minute Mike had us signed up for it! We could only see the monastery from the outside. It's not always open but worthwhile seeing if it is as it has a lot of religious significance and icons there. The hike up the mount starts from the monastery, it is strenuous, about 7 km each way
. Some sections are tougher than others but it is the last section that really is a challenge. There are stone steps that go up steeply. They are made from rocks placed along the way. The steps are uneven and a few are loose - it's quite treacherous. And they just seem to go on and on and on (just like Celine Dion). It was really tough. The ground is covered in rocks of all sizes which makes it very hard underfoot. It's a continuous zigzagging trail, up, up up. There are little rest spots along the way but I didn't stay at them long as I was pretty slow so I would get in last and leave first. It was also pretty darn hot with no shade. The end eventually appeared. There is a little chapel and a little mosque on top. This is where Moses supposedly was given the Ten Commandments however there is some conjecture that it may have been elsewhere.
The last kilometre was a bastard but we did it! Unfortunately there was some distant cloud so this obscured the sunset. Mike and I headed down a little earlier than the others because we wanted to come down those mongrel steps in the daylight
. It was a very challenging walk in the dark. Mike and I shared his torch. It was long and it was hard. After we finally finished, we had a very long drive back to Nuweiba. Mike was in agony. We were all starving and exhausted. There was a BBQ waiting for us. We were all so knackered we could barely speak. We all crashed. On the upside it meant we had a full day by the beach the next day.
Our little cabins were pretty comfortable and we slept well, but when I got up Mike had already been for a swim and a snorkel. He loved the water and the impact it had on his neck and arm. He was pain free! After breakfast we all swam out to the first lagoon and snorkelled. It was beautiful. There were so many different corals and fish. I started to get a bit freaked out in the deep water though so I came back to shore. On the beach there were a couple of ladies selling a few bits and pieces of handmade bead work. They were dressed in the full black garb while we were in our togs. They were quite sweet but I think I got a bit ripped off
. Never mind.
We had some lunch. The idea of fresh calamari sounded great but the dish we got was very disappointing. I opted for grilled over fried and mine was the better option. At 4pm Samir (the owner of Nakhil Inn - where we are staying) got us into kayaks and we paddled out to the second lagoon, known as the sea garden. Oh my! It was unreal. Even though we were further out and there was deep water, I was so distracted from my fear by what I was seeing that I didn't panic. The corals were amazing. Some were small and delicate, bright pink or purple. Some were like huge cauliflowers or clumps of giant asparagus. There were massive brain like corals. And the fish! All sorts and sizes from tiny to quite large. There were striped ones, bright blue ones, lots of yellow ones, pink ones and some beautiful spiked flamenco fish. There was also a little translucent purple jellyfish that Samir was playing with. You could tell who the Aussies were because we swam in the other direction, fast! Our jellyfish are not cute and harmless! It was a beautiful and unique experience. Then of course, I had to get back on the kayak. Well that was the most graceless embarkation you've ever seen! I ended up spread eagled on top of the kayak. But I did it! It really was the best water experience of my life and I can't imagine anything beating it.
It is wonderful having Mike free from pain. It truly would be miraculous if it stayed away.
We had our meal outside again. Lots of stray cats and unfortunately if you kicked sand the wrong way you could smell 'eu de cat poo'. We all sat and chatted for a couple of hours before heading off to bed.
The Red Sea and Miracles on the Mount
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Qesm Dahab, South Sinai Governorate, Egypt
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