Thou Shalt Not...

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Sinai And Across The Gulf

First thing in the morning I joined up with the other Gecko's tour group and we piled into the bus and left Cairo for the last time. Apart from the history and the wondrous sights, Cairo will leave the impression that it's a city on the verge of getting out of the third world, if only it could pull the population along with it. A massive metropolis with dirty streets and hagglers in all the markets, but also a thriving business district for fashion and electronics as well as all the resources it needs to be sustained.

Heading East, we spent the next three hours watching the landscape get slowly more arid (I didn't think it was possible but it does), until we finally reached the border between Africa and Asia, the Suez Canal. Carving a path from Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea to Suez in the Red Sea, it stretches over 190 kilometres and is dredged to a depth of 22 metres. This is enough to cater for the largest ships in the world and if anyone builds a bigger one then they can go deeper still. All ships passing through the canal do so in convoy as there are only certain places that can handle having two pass side by side. Because of this, the Captain relinquishes command of the vessel to a trained pilot for the crossing which can take up to 14 hours due to the speed limit of 13-14 km/h. This process is standard for every ship including military, and the defence forces have to live with it or go around the whole of Africa. This is also the reason that the Suez Canal is the biggest income that the government receives, more than agriculture, industry and tourism.

We passed underneath the canal through a tunnel over 1.5 kilometres long and emerged on the other side in Asia. Although still in Egypt, there are snipers lining the road on this side and when asked, our tour leader informed us that citizens of Israel are allowed on to the Sinai Peninsula without any visas due to the conditions of the peace treaty after Egypt took the land back. Once you cross the canal towards Cairo though, if you don't have a visa, there'll be hell to pay!!

Heading down the coast of the Red Sea the landscape changed dramatically. Still dry and hot, but now there was suddenly large limestone and granite mountains covering the horizon. Pushing on for another four hours, we eventually reach of stop for the night, St Katherine. Really the name of the Prefecture as there isn't a town in sight, our hotel is solely supported by the fact that it sits a mere five minutes from the base of Mt Sinai and the Monastery of St Katherine.

Early to bed and early to rise (1.30am), we equipped ourselves with warm clothes and torches and set off in pursuit of one of the holiest sites on the planet. Mt Sinai is the place where, at the age of 40, Moses was shown the burning bush and given the Ten Commandments by God to pass out to the people. I tell you what... he must have been one very fit guy as even with a trail to follow it was a hell of a climb (and he didn't have any kind of path). The trail starts out easy enough and you glide passed St Katherine's Monastery at about 2am, being guided by a local Bedouin. Before long that trail gets steeper and steeper and the group is using the rest stops situated along the way every time they come up. The trail itself is about 7 kilometres long and starts at about 400 metres above sea level. By the time we were nearing the top the sky was starting to get light and I pushed on, leaving the group behind. Buggered if I was coming all this way and arriving after the sun had already risen!!! The real kicker... after climbing for 7 kilometres, the final push is a gruelling 750 stairs to the summit of over 2800 metres above sea level. Being able to sit down has never felt so good!!! As the crowd behind us slowly grew, we settled into position on the roof af a small church and waited. As the darkness slowly gave way to the new day, first silhouettes of the surrounding mountains form below, then slowly take shape as ravines begin to appear. Even for a non-religious person like myself, the view alone is worth the hike. Every time you look around it's slightly different as the light changes and when the sun pokes it's head over the horizon there is a stark beauty that words can't describe. The only downfall... that at that moment, all you can hear is the clicking of cameras as everyone goes nuts!!!

The way down is supposed to be easier right??? Not when your given a choice!! There are actually two paths that lead up to the base of the 750 stairs... the 7 kilometres, winding trail that we took on the way up... and the Steps Of Redemption!!! 3000 stairs roughly put together to form a staircase that goes straight down the middle of a ravine to meet up with the other trail at the monastery at the bottom. Built by a single monk, it was his life's work and like the name suggests, not an easy life!! Put a proposition like that in front of me though and it's always a challenge to be accepted. With some parts barely able to be distinguished from the surrounding rocks and uneven and often erratically placed stones, there was definitely three distinct good points about this way down...
1) the view was amazing as the mountain fell away in front of me,
2) the majority of it was in the shade because even at 6.30am it packs a punch, and
3) I couldn't help thinking... thank God I'm not going up these.... in the dark!!!
Worth every bit of the lack of sleep and sore, stiff legs. Definitely glad I did it!!!

Back on to the bus and we picked up our gear and were off again, this time to the town of Nuweiba, a port on the second arm of the Red Sea and our final place in Egypt. Leaving the tour leader at customs and passport control meant we were on our own until we reached Aqaba in Southern Jordan. When that will be, we had no idea. The ferry service between the two ports has a schedule... they just don't stick to it, that's all. Not to mention the fact that you don't know if the ferry is going to be late (or coming at all) until after you clear customs and are left waiting in the holding area. I've heard stories about traveller's being left there for over 10 hours with very little in the way of amenities and sustenance and absolutely nothing to occupy the time. We were lucky though... we only waited for about three hours before being ushered onto a bus that should only carry about 30 people (we managed around 60 plus all the luggage) and being taken to the ferry all with no idea if it was the right one or not. Passports are taken from you by the Jordanian customs and your left to fight over the seats for the two and a half hour trip. Stressful, but just the way it works.

Arriving in Aqaba, things go smoothly and we meet our new tour leader and have our passports returned to us. The first things we notice about Jordan as we make our way into town is that the people seem to have a lot more pride in their country. The streets are cleaner, people drive within their lanes, the standard of accommodation far surpasses that of Egypt, and you don't take your life in your hands when eating or crossing the road. Jordan is a developing nation that has a finger on the pulse in finance and business. It is definitely a lot more expensive though!!! The Jordanian Dinnar is worth more than the British Pound and prices are what you expect in western countries, just in Dinnars instead of Dollars. Besides this, I knew I was going to like Jordan from the word go.

"Embrace the detours." - Kevin Charbonneau

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Amazing
We'd love to see this. The beauty in this part of the world seems breath taking. Loved this blog.