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Published: October 24th 2008
For the Eid Holiday, six out of the seven interns planned a trip to St. Catherine’s monastery and an eco-lodge resort on the Sinai Peninsula. We hired a personal driver because it would have been a logistical mess taking a public bus from one destination to the other and back to Cairo. We were supposed to depart 6:00am sharp, but the driver did not show up. We called him and he finally arrived at around 7:00am. This should be expected because in Egyptian culture, time is very loose, unlike in the States. Nagy, our driver, got us to St. Catherine’s in five and a half hours, but not without a couple scary turns and stopping at many checkpoints. The city near St. Catherine’s is small, mostly filled with hotels, souvenir shops, and a few restaurants. After dinner at the hotel, we decided to call it a night and go to bed, only to wake up three hours later - 1:00am - to ascend to the top of Mount Sinai and witness the sunrise.
The reason for such an early morning call was to get the best position to see the sunrise on the top and avoid the sun. Almost everyone who visits St. Catherine’s participates in the hike up the mountain, which takes around two hours. At the beginning of the trail there are vendors trying to entice you to take a camel up the mountain, but you will be confronted by them many times along the trail. It was a good idea to buy a flashlight for the trip, because it was needed for the dark and long hike up Mount Sinai. Along the trail there are several tea shops that sell tea, water, pop, and snack foods for hikers who wish to stop and take a break. Once we reached the top, we were able to snag one of the best spots. Although I was warned to dress warm, I thought the three layers that I was wearing would suffice, but I was wrong. The weather is much cooler at the top of the mountain, especially before the sunrise. There are many vendors that rent blankets at the top for those who weren’t prepared for the chilly weather. It became evident to me that the long hike and the cold weather were worth it after seeing the magnificent sunrise. Once we reached the bottom it was only 7:00am, and went to breakfast before we got back on the road to head to Rock Sea eco-lodge.
Rock Sea lodge is called an eco-lodge, because most of the beach huts don’t have electricity. There was running water but in communal bathrooms and showers. The lodge is located behind a large rock/mountain, eliminating the noise of the main road that runs along the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba (part of the Red Sea). When we first arrived at the resort, we unpacked quickly and jumped into the bright blue water. Originally, we were planning on staying for two nights, but since we were enjoying our relaxing time at the lodge and since Rock Sea had two beach huts available for an extra day, we decided to stay. Most of our days were spent lounging on the beach, swimming, and snorkeling. I was able to read and finish the book I was reading, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. It became one of my favorite books, if not my favorite. It presents many topics and I would recommend it to anyone. Snorkeling was an amazing experience because there were large coral reefs where the resort is located. There were many different species of fish, some swimming inches away from you. Overall, it was an amazing vacation because it helped me relax and forget about all the work I had ahead of me for the Conference.
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Teri Swan
non-member comment
St Catherines Monastery
Hello I agree the climb up the mountain is beautiful, did you not think the Monastery was also peaceful and beautiful, you did not mention the Church. I was there in the beginning of Dec. found the area breath taking. Enjoy your travels Teri swan