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After too many days of nonstop sightseeing and visiting numerous UNESCO World Heritage sites, we were looking forward to three days of recovery while diving the Red Sea and relaxing at the Marriott Beach Resort in Sharm El Sheikh, the ninth stop on our world tour…

Turns out… Sharm El Sheikh is located on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula… which is also home of St. Catherine’s Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/954)… so, obviously, our plan to “rest” were quickly discarded as we shuffled around our schedule so that we could trek up Mount Sinai and see for ourselves the mountain that Moses may have once climbed to encounter God thousands of years ago!

Days 29 & 30

During our first two days in Sharm El Sheikh, we had originally intended to try to dive the Thistlegorm, a WWII wreck that was sunk by German submarines shortly after leaving port with a full cargo of troops and military hardware on board.

Instead, we spent our first day shore diving in Naama Bay followed by a local boat dive at Ras Umm Sid where we once again enjoyed the peaceful underwater world and encountered the diverse and colorful marine life of the Red Sea.

A few snapshots from beneath the surface of the Red Sea…

A massive grouper (almost 4 ft. long?) patrolling the reef

Closeup of the massive grouper

Bluespotted stingray swimming over the coral

Numerous lionfish were swimming around the reef

Porcupinefish hiding beneath some coral

Octopus resting on the reef

Colorful coral reef

Along with the typical beach resort areas, Sharm El Sheikh also had some interesting coastline with hotels built along the rocky shores and guests sunbathing beneath beach umbrellas overlooking the Red Sea. =)

Rocky coastline

After completing our fourth dive by around 11AM on our second day, we returned to hang out by the pools at the Marriott Beach Resort where we were staying.

Our first “real” hotel of the trip! =)

While we were ALMOST able to relax and enjoy the resort… our trip to visit St. Catherine’s Monastery and climb Mount Sinai departed at 11:30PM on our second night… so we checked out of our room after the first night and just bummed around the hotel property until our mini-bus came to pick us up! =)

Day 31

After we were picked up by our driver, guide and armed security officer (who was packing an MP5K submachinegun on his belt), we tried to get a little bit of sleep on the drive up to Mount Sinai…

A few hours and a few hundred kilometers later, we awoke at 2AM at the base of Mount Sinai where we would begin our 7 kilometer trek up to the peak of “Jebel Musa” (or “Moses Mountain”), where it is believed that Moses received the Ten Commandments from God! Over the next 2-3 hours, we climbed from an altitude of approximately 1,500 meters to the peak at around 2,285 meters.

Upon arriving at the peak, we waited to watch the sun rise over the horizon before climbing back down the path that Moses may have taken during his 40 days on Mount Sinai.

Sunrise on the peak of Moses Mountain, Mount Sinai

Once daylight unveiled the mountainous landscape, we admired the spectacular views before making our way down the mountain towards St. Catherine’s Monastery.

View of the Mount Sinai area

Trekking down the mountain

As we hiked down the mountain, I wondered what it must have been like for Moses to have been walking on this very ground leading the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt… and that possibly, on this very mountain, he encountered the glory of God? There were numerous places that could have been the “cleft in the rock” where God may have put Moses? =)

Perhaps, God placed Moses in a cleft like this when He revealed His glory to Moses?

From the peak of Mount Sinai, we returned to St. Catherine’s Monastery, the world’s oldest working monastery that was constructed during the 6th century A.D.

St. Catherine’s Monastery

 
St. Catherine’s Monastery with Mt. Sinai in the background

In addition to preserving the second largest collection of early codices and manuscripts in the world (outnumbered only by the Vatican Library), St. Catherine’s Monastery also is home to what is believed to be the burning bush that Moses encountered in Exodus 3:2… if it’s true… craziness!

The burning bush

Not only that, just a few meters away from the burning bush… is Moses’ well… which is supposedly the well by which Moses sat in Exodus 2:15 and where he helped the daughters of Jethro water their flock.

Moses’ Well

Whether the mountain, the bush or the well are actually those mentioned in the bible or not, our day on Mount Sinai was a reminder of who God is and how He met Moses and formed him into the leader who would lead God’s people out of Egypt and towards the Promised Land .

The last thing that we saw before leaving St. Catherine’s Monastery was the ossuary where the skeletal remains of the monks who have devoted their lives to the monastic lifestyle over the centuries are kept…

Skulls in the ossuary

Our guide informed us that the monks want the ossuary to serve as a reminder to all who visit the monastery that life is fleeting and that ALL will face death sooner or later… And indeed, I think that I often forget how short this life truly is and that I have but a limited time on this earth to complete the tasks for which I was created… deeper thoughts that may follow in another post at a later date? For now, the ossuary was a stark contrast to the memorials left behind by those who created the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the various stupas in Thailand, etc.

So, after a long and reflective day trekking up and down Mt. Sinai and visiting St. Catherine’s Monastery, we returned back to Sharm El Sheikh where we concluded our Egyptian experience with a 2-hour horse ride across the Sinai desert…

Ready for a 2-hour desert trek

Riding off into the desert

Shadow cast by the hot, desert sun


After a long, long day in Sharm El Sheikh, our day would conclude with a flight back to Cairo where we would spend the evening in the airport before catching our flight to our 10th destination… London, England!