After my day of snorkling on the Red Sea, I packed up all my junk and left it with Ben and Roland to bring on the shuttle, then we hung out until 11:30, when the bus came to pick me up for Sinai.
We arrived at the foot of the mountain around 2AM and started climbing in the dark. The moon was full, so it was easy to see most of the way without a torch (er, that's flashlight to Americans). Our guide was intent on going as slowly as possible so that we'd stop at every rest stop and buy something to eat or drink (earning him a tidy little commission), so these two Brits and I decided to ditch the group and just charge up. Perhaps a mistake on my part, because these guys were butt-kickers, but I managed to keep up for the most part, so I was pretty proud of myself.
The climb itself wasn't all I'd hoped it would be. There were a lot of people, which wasn't bad in and of itself, but wherever there are lots of tourists, there are lots of people trying to make money off of tourists, and every 100 yards some dude offered me a camel ride, which really kills one's contemplation of the religious and historic significance of the place.
The last part of the mountain is a set of 700 stairs put in as penance by a monk. I can personally assure you that that is a lot of stairs. But you would not believe some of the people climbing them. Elderly nuns with canes were everywhere. They would do one step, take a deep breath, lean on their cane, then do another one. Even without religious convictions of my own, I can see the beauty of that kind of devotion, and it was really moving to watch them.
At the summit, it was pandemonium. Thousands of people waiting for the sunrise, including a very musical group from Africa, who sang songs about Jesus all night long. Rather tunelessly, but how can you begrudge them their music on what was, I'm sure, the religious experience of a lifetime for them?
I managed to find myself a little crack in the rocks to drag my pack into and wrap up in my blanket. I was hoping it would be a little out of the wind, but it wasn't much help - it was cold. Fortunately by the time I got up there, there was really only about two hours left until sunrise. Not long to wait. Plus, it was a primo spot with an unobstructed view of the sunrise. I caught a few winks between gusts of icy wind, and when I woke up, the pale glow of sunrise was already creeping over the horizon.
It was a good thing I was awake, because some guy with the African delegation had a shofar and started blowing it...and blowing it...and blowing it. And more singing. An Orthodox priest got really mad because he didn't realize that they were praying through song, and thought they were just hippies rocking out, so he yelled at them to be quiet and more respectful of the people who had come for religious observance. One of his flock had to point out to him why they were singing, and he looked kind of sheepish after that, but he was still mad that his group couldn't hear his sermon.
But no time for drama - the sun was rising! It was really beautiful, and I just know my camera didn't do it justice (alas, this computer doesn't have USB for my pics, but they'll be up soon). Mt. Sinai was revealed as the light grew stronger, and it is ruggedly beautiful. I couldn't quite figure out the geology of it, but the view was really impressive, however it was formed.
All too soon it was time to descend, and I ended up chatting with a woman who was a former middle school geography teacher, which was really cool. I got a few tips on places I should see. Then down at the St. Katherine's monastery I met an American who was on R&R after working for the UN in Sudan trying to demobilize and professionalize their military (a.k.a. teach the people with guns how to use them only for the greater good, not personal vendettas and tribal rivalries, and then take the guns away from everyone else). He's also a big history buff, so we had a good time trying to decipher the icons in the chapel and checking out the relatives of the burning bush that are reported to grow inside the cloisters.
Then it was off to meet the bus for Jordan - and all on less than 2 hours of sleep!
We arrived at the foot of the mountain around 2AM and started climbing in the dark. The moon was full, so it was easy to see most of the way without a torch (er, that's flashlight to Americans). Our guide was intent on going as slowly as possible so that we'd stop at every rest stop and buy something to eat or drink (earning him a tidy little commission), so these two Brits and I decided to ditch the group and just charge up. Perhaps a mistake on my part, because these guys were butt-kickers, but I managed to keep up for the most part, so I was pretty proud of myself.
The climb itself wasn't all I'd hoped it would be. There were a lot of people, which wasn't bad in and of itself, but wherever there are lots of tourists, there are lots of people trying to make money off of tourists, and every 100 yards some dude offered me a camel ride, which really kills one's contemplation of the religious and historic significance of the place.
The last part of the mountain is a set of 700 stairs put in as penance by a monk. I can personally assure you that that is a lot of stairs. But you would not believe some of the people climbing them. Elderly nuns with canes were everywhere. They would do one step, take a deep breath, lean on their cane, then do another one. Even without religious convictions of my own, I can see the beauty of that kind of devotion, and it was really moving to watch them.
At the summit, it was pandemonium. Thousands of people waiting for the sunrise, including a very musical group from Africa, who sang songs about Jesus all night long. Rather tunelessly, but how can you begrudge them their music on what was, I'm sure, the religious experience of a lifetime for them?
I managed to find myself a little crack in the rocks to drag my pack into and wrap up in my blanket. I was hoping it would be a little out of the wind, but it wasn't much help - it was cold. Fortunately by the time I got up there, there was really only about two hours left until sunrise. Not long to wait. Plus, it was a primo spot with an unobstructed view of the sunrise. I caught a few winks between gusts of icy wind, and when I woke up, the pale glow of sunrise was already creeping over the horizon.
It was a good thing I was awake, because some guy with the African delegation had a shofar and started blowing it...and blowing it...and blowing it. And more singing. An Orthodox priest got really mad because he didn't realize that they were praying through song, and thought they were just hippies rocking out, so he yelled at them to be quiet and more respectful of the people who had come for religious observance. One of his flock had to point out to him why they were singing, and he looked kind of sheepish after that, but he was still mad that his group couldn't hear his sermon.
But no time for drama - the sun was rising! It was really beautiful, and I just know my camera didn't do it justice (alas, this computer doesn't have USB for my pics, but they'll be up soon). Mt. Sinai was revealed as the light grew stronger, and it is ruggedly beautiful. I couldn't quite figure out the geology of it, but the view was really impressive, however it was formed.
All too soon it was time to descend, and I ended up chatting with a woman who was a former middle school geography teacher, which was really cool. I got a few tips on places I should see. Then down at the St. Katherine's monastery I met an American who was on R&R after working for the UN in Sudan trying to demobilize and professionalize their military (a.k.a. teach the people with guns how to use them only for the greater good, not personal vendettas and tribal rivalries, and then take the guns away from everyone else). He's also a big history buff, so we had a good time trying to decipher the icons in the chapel and checking out the relatives of the burning bush that are reported to grow inside the cloisters.
Then it was off to meet the bus for Jordan - and all on less than 2 hours of sleep!
No comments:
Post a Comment