Egyptian Nights

Mt. Sinai
A trip to Egypt was the perfect opportunity to contemplate life and my purpose. We started our excursion by flying into Cairo. Course it was dark and we couldn’t really see much of anything. We checked into our hotel, which seemed to take forever to get to. We had been traveling for hours and the lack of sleep was taking its toll. I kept optimistic though, because it was an adventure and I knew it was going to be the trip of a lifetime.

To my surprise, the hotel was not that different from the ones in the US. I was just so happy to be in a bed and able to lay down flat. The next morning the sun beamed through the window waking us from the glow. As I rose up and looked out the window, I was astounded to see the Great Pyramid perfectly framed in my view. I rushed to the window to take it all in and there to the left I saw the Sphinx jutting out in its glory. How awesome!!!!

We had breakfast out on the lawn with this same spectacular view. Wow!! We really were in Egypt. This was only a mere stopover point; we were to catch another plane to Sharm El Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula, for our journey was to begin there. We would end our trip back here in Cairo nine days later.

Once in Sharm El Sheikh, we were taken to a luxurious hotel. It was just amazing to see these grand hotels in the middle of the desert in such an impoverished country. We looked out of our hotel and stretched for miles was the Red Sea with white sand beaches. Stunning.

The next morning we decided to go snorkeling in the Red Sea. It was truly magnificent, decorated with vibrant colored coral and tons of fish. Everything was just right there. You could almost reach out and touch it. I never knew that I would find such beauty in this terrain.

Later that evening we planned a hike up Mt. Sinai. The bus picks us up that evening. We drove a few hours through the desolate desert and reached St. Catherine’s Monastery. It was pitch black, with only a few twinkling stars above. Our guide led us up the trail to the top of Mt. Sinai, the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments.

The trail was dusty and dry. It reeked of thousand year layers of camel dung. Our guide would constantly tell us that we were almost half way there, I guess to encourage us to continue. It was definitely a different way to approach managing people. After hours of walking, I questioned his knowledge. We got to a point where the trail turns from being a winding road up the mountain to tiny uneven stairs. Again, I hear, “You are half way there”.

I continued to plug up the mountain. It was still dark and I could only see the steps in front of me. I was really tired and my weak back was aching. I questioned if I was going to be able to make it the whole way. My friends on the journey were very supportive. They cheered me on, held my hand, and pushed me forward. I felt so much love. That in itself was a huge breakthrough.

We walked the whole night and finally reached the top at dawn. Things started to take form. We could see the path that we had just traveled. I had made it. It was beautiful. With renewed energy, we scurry to find a place on the ledge on top and watch the sunrise. It was breathtaking. St. Catherine’s Monastery was so tiny down below. It seemed like a charm in a monopoly game. We were in the heavens, 7496’ up.

Here is the video that I took from there:

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