Middle East Magic: Sunrise on Sinai

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Trekking up Mt Sinai late at night to see the sunrise was really something.....We arrived at the bottom of the mountain around 8pm...then it was all hands to work to cook tea, clean up and set off for the top of the mountain. Finally, housework all done, w set forth. It was 10:30pm (or thereabouts) before we finally got underway for the 2-3 hour trek...... To camel or not to camel??? That was the question. Would our knees and thigh muscle manage unaided??

Being determined to do it under my own steam I decided not to camel it. I think that perhaps that decision, will turn out to be one of the best ones I have made, for that experience - the walk up in the moonlight, on those bare narrow ledges, stripped back to the essentials, surrounded by a sea of rocks, truly sits as one of the top highlights of all my travels. The feel, the presence and the sounds that surrounded the pilgrimage....the passing pilgrims, old and young, singing psalms, in all manner of dress and from all sorts of places, far and wide across the globe; the smell of the camels, the swishng of their tails, the gentle nudging as they moved me aside when the ledges became to narrow for both of us, took the experience from the simple and powerful to the sublime and somewhat surreal.

Our overnight camp at the top was pretty basic....but luxury of comfort is not exactly something that computes with the history of that sacred site. As you can see from pix... it was a cold and bare camp for the night.

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Photos

Mt Sinai Magic
The rest stop just below the top....a very welcome place for a hot coffee, and also where we could hire sleeping mats...A mecca of commercialism in the midst of the spiritual sanctity. (PS Photo taken the morning after..on the journey back)

Sleeping at Sinai
Like sardines in can, we tucked up til dawn

The trek back
Coming down the mountain after a long night on the rocks!! The sound of psalms pierced the silence; solitary it asn't!! And the pain in the knees a reminder of our penance!!

The eternal timelessness
Looking over the Aral Mountains as the sun rose

On the Edge: huddled up and happy
Yes, we survived the night! This was the premier balcony room!! The only sleepsite with safety . For those of us who slept on the roof, the drop was a bit more staggering......one rollover and it could have been curtains???

The Pilgrimage
Following in the footsteps of Moses