Stu's visit to Egypt. 

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10/20/01

Holy Moses!
Last weekend I followed in the footsteps of Moses himself.  These were not the footsteps across the Red Sea, but rather the footsteps up Mt. Sinai.  I must say how awestruck I was at the grandeur of the arid landscape, the rugged terrain, the vast array of stars and magnificent crescent moon in the predawn chilly air.  Not to mention dozens of Bedouin huts selling Coke, Snickers, Evian, and postcards along the way.  There was even hot tea and blankets available at the top (five pounds each).      

Camel rides were available up and down the trail (twenty pounds) as well as Bedouin guides (thirty-five pounds).  Welcome to the Egyptian economy.  Everything costs something and nothing is easy.  We "risked" it by not hiring a guide and hiking the trail without a camel.  It was easy to stay on the trail because it was twenty feet wide and covered entirely by German tourists.      

The last bit was steep, up 700 steps in fact, but on the whole it was a relatively easy walk.  People of all ages and shapes could be found among the crowd.  Luckily enough people had flashlights that the entire trail from valley to peak was illuminated like a ski slope.  I didn't have to use mine at all. We had to squeeze onto the summit with a couple hundred people and wait for an hour for the sun to rise.      

It was a six-hour drive to St. Catherine's, the monastery at the foot of Mt Sinai.  This is a monastery built in the 4th century by the Byzantine Empire.  It holds the world's largest collection of Christian icons outside of Vatican City.  They have biblical text dating to 84AD,  lots of paintings from the 4th and 5th centuries and a big wooden door with intricate carvings dating back to the 6th century.  Trust me, these were old.  If these artifacts are any indication, then these times were pretty depressing.  I can't think of a more morose, socially repressed, uninspired time in human history.  Then again, this was a monastery during the Dark Ages.  Not exactly Paris during the Renaissance.      

The burning bush is also kept here.  Luckily it is no longer engulfed in flame because they keep it indoors.  Clippings of it are located throughout the grounds though.  (Also not on fire.)  I couldn't help but think of the "Singing Bush" scene from Three Amigos.      

I returned from the trip with more than a festering, open blister on my heel.  I came back with a new understanding of Moses and his people.  Now I know why he was on the Mount for so long.  After spending hours climbing he was in no hurry to start walking again.  I also know what led his people to worship false idols.  It's a desert with thousands of meters of rock sticking up all over the place.  And Moses looked lost.  I think those forty years were just about a guy who didn't want to stop and ask directions.

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