Mt Sinai & St Katherine's

I had the most deeply moving and spiritual morning and I can't really describe why. In a change for me I didn't rue the crowds. The chance to share the majestic sunrise with nearly 500 of my closest friends merely added to the atmosphere. As did the Brazilian christian group, whose music and songs were a fitting compliment to the breathtaking scenery and whole experience.

In the end there were only two of us in the mini bus that left Dahab around midnight. My fellow climber was Samuel, a slightly crazy Polish guy who (for a while) seemed more intent on sharing his whiskey and scoring some hash from every camel driver and kiosk operator we passed. He was fun though.

After a 2 hour drive in which my passport was checked three times and a distinct lack of clarity as to whether a guide had been arranged for us, we set off up the trail by ourselves. The three-quarter moon cast a pale glow over the near landscape and allowed for the towering peaks to be dramatically silhouetted aginst the clear starry sky. We followed the almost ghoastly line of flashlights that snaked its way up the mountain, and managed to pick our way from tour group to tour group. Two and half hours later, my legs burning and my shirt saturated, we secured are positions atop the 2285m peak and awaited the coming dawn. Whether you choose to believe in the biblical significance of Mt Sinai, or not, it is truly an experience that everybody should have.

We chose to descend via the 3750 Steps of Repentance, which were laid by a monk as a form of penance. Just walking down them was penance enough for me. It occurred to me on the way down that I hope Moses had a good donkey, because stuffed if I know how an octagenarian would be able to carry two stone tablets down off that mountain!

The steps afford some spectacular views of St Katherin's Monastery, where we arrived just in time for its opening at 9. I could not escape the feeling that we were imposing on this community of monks, as every morning hoards of visitors shatter their otherwise peaceful existence. It was indeed a privelage to wandering through the ornately decorated chapel, pass by the burning bush and marvel at the collection thousand year old manuscripts and a cross dating from the 6th century.

For those Cooinda-ites reading this; I think, had Wowassa lived in the digital age, when he returned from the mountain he would have been clasping the memory card from his camera! Try as they might, the photos will never do it justice; it is a place and a moment that must be experienced.