2am in No-Man's Land

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Thursday, October 14, 2010 | 5 photos

I am a fit, healthy adventure traveller with a keen eye for detail and a desire to really experience a place - the sounds, smells, tastes, lighting, scenery and culture. I am an aspiring photographer and these snaps were taken on a basic digital camera. They are unedited in any way.

By way of explaining the sequence, here are some excerpts from my email journal of the trip:

"2am in No Man's Land. I’m with my Bedouin guide (Ramadan) and we’re ready for the 7km climb of successive switchbacks to the summit of Mt. Sinai. Camels surround us, huffing into the cold desert air. Looking up, there is a whole chain of fairy-lights winding back & forwards up the mountain - the torches of other climbers.

Sitting on old rugs in a corrugated tin shack, we have a quick cup of hot, sweet tea by kerosene lamp-light, then we’re off. During the climb, Ramadan explains how he carefully saves his guide fees towards a “dowry” (bride price) so he can marry his betrothed girl, Fatima. Life is simple, love is universal.

In the last kilometer, the terrain changes from a rocky path to stone steps, and with the first light of dawn we make like mountain goats so as not miss the sunrise. Legs aching, we watch the sun burn the last of the mist away and feel the sheer weight of history in this place.

An hour later we take the “fast way” down via the 3,700 rocky "Steps of Repentance" (so called by the monks who used this route as a form of penance). I certainly feel punished by the time I get to the bottom!

I don't think my socks have survived - seriously, they're radioactive. If you soaked them in water, you'd have the perfect bio-weapon.

What a fantastic way to end my odyssey!"