It was an exhausting day. We arrived in Sharm el Shiekh at 6pm and were met by our guide Said. We just had enough time to check in, eat dinner and have a look around Naama Bay before getting back to the hotel for our 10.15pm pick up. We drove for over 4 hours to reach St. Catherine's Monastery to begin the climb at 3am. Walking up a sandy rocky trail in complete darkness, except for a trail of flash lights dotted high up into the sky, and with camels passing on either side of the narrow trail, we followed the winding trail up to where Moses received the Ten Commandments. It was a very very long 3 hrs of walking (especially with my cold in full force), but seeing that sunrise was magical.
The way down via over 3000 steps was a lot easier. It was amazing to actually see the landscape which was hidden in darkness on the way up. At the bottom of the mountain was St. Catherine's Monastery, thought to be the oldest monastery in the world, home to the Burning Bush.
Luckily we brought a snack, as it wasn't until 11.30am that we stopped for breakfast before the very long drive back to Sharm el Shiekh (made even longer by a flat tyre). We eventually got back to the hotel at 4.30pm, so after that 18hr trip we where ready to pass out.
st catherine monastery
the burning bush
flat tyre in the middle of nowhere
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