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Published: July 17th 2007
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OK 9.5 hours with 70 people on a 55 seater bus through the desert without air-conditioning, with one vomit prone very bus sick nine year old isn’t the greatest, but what do you expect for $8 AU. Yet I arrived in the Sinai protectorate of St Katherina around 8:00pm and headed for the 'Fox of the Desert' (yes that’s right Chock) Bedouin camp, where I shared a room with Jose' a Peruvian I met on the journey up. So after negotiating a deal for accommodation and dinner for two, for the grand sum of $1.20 Au per head, we stowed our gear and tucked into some traditional Bedouin food. After a short walk which encompassed the entire St Katerina town, sleep was the prelude to out 2:15 am alarm, I was heading up all 2,285 meters of the Biblical Mt Sinai.
Rising out of the desert and jutting high above the other peaks surrounding St Katherine's Monastery id the biblically famous summit of Mt Sinai, towering 2,285 meters it is locally known as Gebel Musa. Although many including me, dispute the archaeological evidence that is Mt Sinai's claim to fame. It is still revered by all the supreme modern
day monotheistic religions of the world, all of whom believe firstly; that this is where Moses first heard gods voice within a burning bush, not such an exciting claim after Hollywood's 'lord of the rings' trilogy. OK 9.5 hours with 70 people on a 55 seater bus through the desert without air-conditioning, with one vomit prone very bus sick nine year old isn’t the greatest, but what do you expect for $8 AU. Yet I arrived in the Sinai protectorate of St Katherina around 8:00pm and headed for the 'Fox of the Desert' (yes that’s right Chock) Bedouin camp, where I shared a room with Jose' a Peruvian I met on the journey up. So after negotiating a deal for accommodation and dinner for two, for the grand sum of $1.20 Au per head, we stowed our gear and tucked into some traditional Bedouin food. After a short walk which encompassed the entire St Katerina town, sleep was the prelude to out 2:15 am alarm, I was heading up all 2,285 meters of the Biblical Mt Sinai.
Rising out of the desert and jutting high above the other peaks surrounding St Katherine's Monastery id the biblically famous summit of
Mt Sinai, towering 2,285 meters it is locally known as Gebel Musa. Although many including me, dispute the archaeological evidence that is Mt Sinai's claim to fame. It is still revered by all the supreme modern day monotheistic religions of the world, all of whom believe firstly; that this is where Moses first heard gods voice within a burning bush, not such an exciting claim after Hollywood's 'lord of the rings' trilogy, and secondly where he returned to transcribe Gods Ten Commandments at its summit.
So I set out at 2:15 with a forty minute walk from the Bedouin camp to St Katherine's monastery at the foot of Mt Sinai. Form there after a brief confrontation with a corrupt tourist police officer, I was summit bound.
It was tricky yet stunning to trek though this arid landscape, where much of the time the myriad of stars offered enough light to walk. But it the shadow of the larger peaks I truly felt like the Jedi Knight, that I claimed to be on last years Sensus form, as I walked through this martian landscape with my torch slash light saber in hand. But seriously, religious or not, this was
definitely the most spectacular natural monument I have ever seen. I set off along the well renowned camel path, leaving many a eighty year ol, walking stick endowed pilgrim in my dust. An hour and a quarter later and half way up I struck Elijah's Basin soon after this path amalgamated with the final grueling 750 steps of repentance leading to the summit. So After a solid three hour climb I was one of the first to reach the holy peak. I was greeted by and ancient chapel of the Holy Trinity, after surveying the rather small summit for a good spot, I settled down on a small and sheer ledge directly above the 2000 m descent. Wrapped in layers and sleeping bags I eagerly awaited those first warm and magical fingers of the sun reaching out upon the peaks of Sinai.
Shortly after I was not disappointed as the luminous crimson sun, speared the landscape with penetrating blows of light, the entire area, travelers and pilgrims alike were simultaneously hushed into a sense of awe as the full sun broke the horizon! This was a truly humbling experience, and whether you believe or not it is abundantly clear
why this place is so highly revered. After the sun was high and most of the small crown had dissipated I headed down the 'Steps of Repentance' repenting my choice of route the entire way. At the bottom I found Jose who had opted for a camel up and back, and we walked down to St Katherine's Monastery. Tucked into the barren foot of Mt Sinai is the oldest continually functioning Christian monastery in the world, operational since the early 4th centaury, erected on the spot of Moses burning bush. It still houses a bush which is said to be a descendant of the original biblical bush, but I am skeptical.
After some time in the monetary we trekked back to camp, with the intention of making our way to Dahab on the coast of the Red Sea. When we discovered that the once daily bus to Dahad had not been seen for almost two weeks, we decided to take pour chances in the back of a soft drink truck, for the two hour desert traverse to the coast. On the two hour desert traverse I was left contemplating the climb up Mt Sinai, and the complexities of all that Egypt has to offer. Essentially I resolved that it was one of the most special travel events so far, never to be forgotten.
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Paul Roberts
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Was it Called, 'Dubya'?
The bush, that is? I'm on a temporary platform for email so I'm hoping this gets through - let me know will you? Hmmm, Burning Bush. Believe it or not, I guess it was an incredible experience eh? Judging by the extent of the climb though, I'd say it was something that not too many folk would attempt, relatively speaking. In the movie, 'Jailhaouse Rock', Elvis sings about looking out of his window and seeing a bird (it was actually "way up in a tree" but that was merely for the purpose of rhyme) and I always thought about the extent of freedom that birds enjoy compared to us humans - incarcerated or not - and you, Luke, are way up there! Stay alive, Paul.