In the footsteps of Moses

10 PLACES TO SEE IN EGYPT

Many cultural wonders but also beautiful nature to visit!

1. Cairo - Mohammed Ali mosque & Hanging church
2. Aswan - Philae Temple
3. Kom Ombo Temple
4. Sinai - White Canyon And Coloured Canyon
5. Sinai - Mt. Sinai and St-Catherine monastery
6. Red Sea - Ras Abu Gallum NP
7. Luxor - Luxor Temple
8. Luxor - Karnak Temple
9. The mighty Nile by boat
10. The pyramids of Gizeh - just because nobody believes you have been in Egypt and not seen them

The reason many people climb this mountain at night is obviously to see the sunrise at the top, which is, I must admit, absolutely stunning, writes an incensed lady

We were staying for five days in Dahab in Sinai, on the Red Sea Coast. From Dahab, I made a trip to Sinai Mountain, an hour or so away, and climbed this holy mountain... at night! Some people tend to forget that it gets cold at night in the desert of Egypt, especially on top of a mountain.

Our trip started at the hotel at 11p.m; I had taken a short nap before I went to dinner, so we went shortly after, already in complete darkness, on the road with the small bus that would bring us to the base of the mountain. The temperature was a pleasant 27 degrees Celsius. When we arrived at the parking lot near the Saint-Catherine Monastery, we started walking the “camel route”, which is the easiest way to get on top of the mountain. There exist also “stairs”, some 3000 of them, which are not only the shortest but obviously the strenuous route and at night, a little bit dangerous.

After escaping from the camels (obviously someone taking the camel route wants a camel) we arrived after an hour or two at a small tea house nearly on the top, drank tea, ate a sandwich and were ready to go the last part - where you have to take the last of the stairs route for another half hour. We were the first people on the top this night, so we had a good spot to sit behind a rock, protected from the wind. I started to get dressed for the night, which means get out the gloves, woolen hat and down jacket. The temperature was near to zero degrees Celsius.

It was a clear night, and so quiet up here - till the masses arrived. Soon it got too crowdy stand as more people hired blankets from the Bedouins; some people were only dressed in T-shirts , shorts and slippers.

The wait till sunrise was still a couple of hours, but the spectacle during the last half hour when the sun slowly came from behind the mountains was spectacular. After the last stars were gone, the mountain silhouettes were becoming visible, but only faintly - it took quite some time till the sun appeared, first as a tiny dot and then in all its grandeur and brightness. The mountains were coloured in red now and only at this moment could one see how fantastic the point we were standing at was! Most people hurried down immediately, but I stayed a while to enjoy the feeling, and to go to the worst bathroom of my life - on top of Mt. Sinai (highly not recommended).

The road down was easy and not problematic at all for me with the hiking boots; the “hikers with the slippers” had the problems. And it was getting hot very soon! When we arrived at the parking lot again, we waited to be allowed inside the Saint-Catherine Monastery, an orthodox monastery with a nice collection of old icons - too bad the monks don’t allow one to look carefully and the lighting is really bad inside. Also inside is the burning bush of Moses, a great way to end the climb of a holy mountain.

By the way, after you have visited the monastery, there are some cafés around, so relax, have a drink and wait till your bus arrives. Another refreshing experience.