The Sinai: Moses and Finding Nemo

The Sinai Peninsula

I took the overnight bus from Luxor to Dahab, a near 18 hour bus ride, and as you can imagine, it was a lot of fun... Dahab is small city on the Gulf of Aqaba on the Sinai peninsula, an hour north of its more famous neighbor Sharm el-Sheikh. It's perhaps the most un-Egyptian city I've been to--you can openly buy alcohol, the streets are clean (well, some streets), I have burgers, Indian food, Thai food, pizza all within reach (and trust me, it's extremely nice to have a break from Egyptian food) and there are mostly Europeans here, as well as Aussies and Kiwis.

My hostel, with a view of the water, is connected to "Churchill's Brit Bar & Grill" (I look for a poster of Winston holding a pint of Heineken [an irony in and of itself] when finding my way back). The Sinai coast is filled with resorts that Europeans flock to "on holiday," as they say, to go visit the beach and sun for a week. Sharm el-Sheikh is basically an Egyptian Puerto Vallarta or Cancun.

Dahab

Although Dahab is very touristy, it's stunningly beautiful. The water is blue and flanked by desert mountains, and a few kilometers across the Gulf of Aqaba is Saudi Arabia. It seems very ironic that I can enjoy a beer here with a woman in her a bikini within view of one of the most restrictive countries on Earth. Saudi Arabia itself doesn't look that interesting--just similar desert mountains across the water--but at night you can see a city lit up over and know that the people there live in a completely different world.

Saudi Arabia across the water

My second night in Dahab I took a night hike to the summit of Mount Sinai to see the sunrise. Mount Sinai is where, according to the book of Exodus, Moses received the Ten Commandments. Not to burst anyone's bubble, but the Biblical Mount Sinai and the modern mountain are likely not the same--the archaelogical evidence, as well as Biblical descriptions, don't match the modern location.

However, that hasn't stopped the Coptic Christians from building a monastery (open since the 6th Century) venerating the mountain as the place Moses ascended to receive the Commandments--and from modern Egyptian tour guides labelling it as "Moses Mountain" in broken English.

Sunrise from Mount Sinai

I hiked it with two Danish women from my hostel and a Brazilian and Portuguese guy I had met on the bus ride over. The hike began at 2 am in complete darkness, and took about two and half hours. It was odd hearing noises close by, shining my flashlight (called a torch by Europeans) to the side into the night and seeing hundred of camels sitting down next to the trail. The last hour we climbed 750 stairs that reminded me of the stairway to heaven in Yosemite. The 750 stairs were the last part of what is called the "Stairway of Repentance," some 3,000 steps built by a man wracked by guilt. Whatever his sin was, it must have been bad.

Scenery around Mt. Sinai

The sunrise itself was, well, a sunrise, but the desert-mountain landscape around the mountain was spectacular. I began to realize, though, that hiking a mountain and spending yet another night without sleep was the worst thing I could do for my cold--it got worse, and is only finally starting to feel better.

View to the top of Mt. Sinai

The other big think to do in Dahab is diving. While the land is barren desert, these waters contain some of the best coral reefs in the world. People come from everywhere to dive these waters. I took an introductory dive, in a wet suit with air tanks and everything, but where an instructor controlled all the technical aspects (I hadn't realized how involved diving was). I also just got some goggles and fins and went snorkeling out there myself, swimming to the reefs from shore. The reefs are amazing and I felt like Dr. Suess the entire time, seeing one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, yellow fish, black fish, puffer fish, reed fish, more fish...

Coral and Fish near Dahab

Tomorrow I leave for Jordan, crossing two international borders along the way. I have get into Israel and pass through the city of Eilat to reach the Arava crossing into Jordan, and find a taxi or bus to Petra.

And while I had fun in Egypt, to be honest, I'm not sorry about leaving! Egypt is a demanding country, and if I had to sum it up, it would be a sticker I saw on a window at a store in Cairo (that I failed to take a photo of) that said in English, "Best Price--Only for You!" If you like the feeling of being constanly ripped off, you'll like Egypt!