Sinai

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We're a few days behind on this blog, but before describing Jordan I'll complete our time in Egypt . . .

After Luxor, we got the overnight train to Cairo. The train had seats only, no bunks, and was quite uncomfortable and all we got minimal sleep. The acrid smell of cigarete smoke left the carriage smelling stale, and the toilets were putrid. Needless to say we were all pleased to be in Cairo and have showers. We had a great day seeing the last sites on our list, exploring two mosques, a park and the upmarket area of Zamalek - home to embassies and colonial mansions and the expat community.
The next morning we left Cairo at 6 a.m., I think we were all glad to leave the smog and chaos behind. I read somewhere that breathing in Cairo is the equivalent of smoking 200 cigaretes a day, crazy if it's true!
We soon hit the lunar landscape of the desert of Sinai, a barren and dry land. We got a real sense of why the Children of Israel in the Old Testament wanted to return to Egypt to be slaves, rather than wander the desert! The most amazing thing on our trip was seeing The Suez Canal, and we saw a ship that looked as if it was sailing through the sand dunes!
After eight hours in a minivan, we arrived at Katherine where Mt Sinai stands. We had a brief rest and then began the arduous climb up Mt Sinai in the late afternoon. I think my Sweaty Betty running club paid dividends as I coped OK and wasn't sore in the following days. The climb took two and a half hours to reach the summit, and although difficult in places, was actually invigorating. The hardest part was the 750 Steps of Repentance, a steep rocky staircase reprutedly built by one monk as atonement for his sins! However, we were later told that one of the monks who still lives in St Katherine's Monastery built the last 400. The view from the top was marvellous, and we could clearly see the surrounding peaks as the sun set. Two groups at the top were having religious services - one mass in French and one group of burly African men singing harmoniously. Ironically when the mass finished, the priest drunk the last of the communion wine and then lit a cigarette!
We took just over one hour to climb down as the darkness descended. The funniest thing was that as we reached the end of the Steps of Repentance, Dan got a text message from Transport for London to say the District line was down! Oh, and I forgot to mention that our guide for climbing the mountain was called Moses!

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