OK! Sorry for the delay with posting, finding a reliable internet cafe has been a bit difficult. The government firewall here in Syria makes it a bit difficult to connect to sites we want (including Facebook for some reason).
The last time we wrote, we described our traveling through Egypt. Since then, we met up with our new Intrepid group, with five new members replacing the ones who were with us for just the Egypt part. We also acquired a new leader, Julie. She is an Australian who was an accountant for the last few decades, then deciding to drop it all and become a tour guide.
After exploring Coptic Cairo and eating a pigeon or two we departed for the Sinai Peninsula, crossing over (under actually!) the Suez Canal. We then made our way to our desert hotel near Mt. Sinai and St. Katherine's monestary. After a quick change of clothes, we headed out as a group to Mt. Sinai. This is where Moses brought down the 10 Commandments, for those not biblically-inclined. It was about a 1-hour hike to the bottom of the Steps of Repentance, 800 in all. There was a small church at the top, where we sat to enjoy the sunset and a pack of cookies. As the sun went down, it began to get quite cold, so we headed down. We pulled out our headlamps halfway down, to see our way to the bottom. A dinner and backgammon at the hotel finished up the day.
The next day we went back to St. Katherine's monastary, which is located at the bottom of Mt. Sinai. We walked through the ornate church, with about 50 hanging silver lamps and a large mosaic at the rear. Outside was the famous burning bush, sprawling over a fence about 8 feet in the air, so that you actually walk underneath it. It seemed to be a currant bush, or some kind of blackberry (expensive jam!). After getting the obligatory photo, we made our way back to the hotel to head to the coast.
Our lodging at the coast was at a site called Sawa Camp, which consisted of about 30 grass huts set up around a common area, with low set couches and tables. They rented snorkeling gear, so we were able to go out to the coral reef. There were many more types of coral than you would find in say, Hawaii, with pufferfish and lion fish swimming among the smaller ones. To dry off, we would just lie in the sun, no towel needed. This bit of relaxation was necessary before we headed to the ferry to catch a ride to Jordan...
We began taking bets on when our ferry would leave, as it is notoriously late. For a 2pm departure, our leader has had it leave at midnight. The majority of the bets were around 5-6, and our good energy must have helped it leave at 5:30. Before we did though, we had to wait in the dirtiest departure area I have ever been in. Cats ran among the piles of garbage, which you could just make out with the light filtering in through the holes in the ceiling. The police there would slap the (local) passengers if they tried to push, and would knock the luggage off their shoulders. We were thankfully separated, and allowed to get on as a group, away from the pushing. Once on the ferry, we only had to wait a small time before we headed to Aqaba!
