MOUNT SANAI - EGYPT

MOUNT SANAI

EGYPT

One of the best and scariest adventures of my life.  Going to Egypt and experiencing the heavy security, guns, military and police was eye opening for sure.  We had a great guides and driver who hand carried us across the border check and all through the Sanai region and multiple security checks.  We were stopped every 30 minutes or so it seemed.  Car was checked, Guide and Driver interviewed, passports checked and eye contact with all of us.  Our guide had a hand written paper that he showed at every checkpoint.  Don't know what it said but everyone read it first.  We were escorted the first few miles by police coming and going to Mount Sanai.  Our guide said this was protection against ISIS.  We were told that they try to keep the tourists traveling in convoys so they can protect them better and that if we did not leave Mount Sanai at a certain convoy time we would have to wait hours for the next one.  Bottom line is we made it to Mount Sanai and found it heavily fortified with military, machine guns and artillery.  We drove to a base camp where we parked the car and walked up a road to St. Katherine Monastery.  There we visited the chapel where photographs were not allowed.  We viewed the Well of Moses where he met his Wife.  Also the Burning Bush where God spoke to Moses.  Amazing.   Another walk up the road to where we met Bedouin Guides who matched us with camels and took us up the Mountain.  At what I thought was the top we left the camels and all the guides except one.  We began walking and then came to the 750 steps.  Oh my these fricken steps killed me.  I stopped 4-5 times to rest and pray that God would give me the strength to make it to the top.  Meanwhile our guide, my Wife and Daughter were moving fast and not feeling like me.  Made it to the top and WOW!!!!  Worth the trip!!!!   Yahoo!

MOUNT SANAI

PICKED UP AT 5:45 AM IN ELAIT FOR TRIP TO MOUNT SANAI IN EGYPT

3 HOUR DRIVE FROM BORDER TO MOUNT SANAI 

CROSSING BORDER INTO EGYPT

WE ARE NOW IN EGYPT 

WELCOME TO EGYPT!

MY SECOND TIME IN EGYPT

WAITED OVER AN HOUR FOR SECURITY CLEARANCE AND ESCORT

ON OUR WAY TO MOUNT SANAI

ANCIENT FORT ON ISLAND

SMALL SHOPS AND HOMES ALONG THE WAY

MILITARY AND POLICE ROAD BLOCKS CHECKING EVERY VEHICLE THROUGHOUT OR DRIVE

LOTS OF MILITARY CHECK POINTS HEAVILY FORTIFIED

BEDOUIN TRIBES LIVING IN THE DESERT

CAMELS

MORE SECURITY AND VEHICLE PLUS I.D. CHECKS

HOUSING IN SANAI

ANOTHER SECURITY CHECKPOINT

ST. KATHERINE IS NEAR

ENTRANCE TO ST. KATHERINE AND MOUNT SAINAI 

WE MADE IT TO MOUNT SAINAI KINDA.....LONG WAY TO GO.

ENTRANCE TO MOUNT SANAI SURROUNDED WITH SECURITY 

ARTILLERY AND GUARDS WATCHING OVER ENTRANCE

MORE ARTILLERY 

MOUNT SANAI!!!

ROAD TO ST. KATHERINE MONASTERY

BEGIN THE WALK UP TO THE MONASTERY

SHOULD OF TOOK THE VAN BUT WE WALKED

ST. KATHERINE MONASTERY

LETS GO INSIDE!

THE WELL WHERE MOSES MET HIS WIFE

 MOSES WELL

THE TREE WHERE GOD SPOKE TO MOSES

THE ROCKS IN THE AREA HAVE WHAT LOOKS LIKE THE TREE BRANCHES IN THEM

OUR GUIDE SET UP LUNCH PRIOR TO HIKING THE MOUNTAIN

SPAGHETTI WITH CHICKEN NUGGETS... THINK THEY ORDERED WESTERN LUNCH FOR US

LET THE WALK TO THE CAMELS BEGIN

BEDOUIN CAMP WHERE THE CAMEL GUIDES STAY

OUR BEDOUIN GUIDES MATCH US WITH CAMELS

READY TO GO UP MOUNT SANAI

GUIDES STAY WITH YOU AND YOUR CAMEL THE ENTIRE WAY

I GO THIS CAMEL RIDING DOWN!

UP THE WINDING ROAD

ROAD GETS ROUGHER AND SMALLER AS YOU GO UP

SEEMS LIKE FOREVER AND MY BUTT HURTS

HANG ON NOW!

LOOKING BACK AT ST. KATHERINE 

SEVERAL REST STOPS ALONG THE WAY FOR WATER, TEA AND SNACKS

CLOSE TO THE TOP AND WE LEAVE OUR CAMELS AND ALL GUIDES EXCEPT ONE

CAMELS GET A WELL DESERVED REST BUT WE HAVE A WAYS TO GO

NOW COMES THE HARD PART ....WALKING.

THE 750 STEPS TO THE TOP OF MOUNT SANAI KILLED ME

THESE STEPS HAD ME PRAYING FOR STRENGTH TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP

AFTER SEVERAL REST STOPS WE MADE IT TO THE TOP OF MOUNT SANAI

SMALL CHURCH ON TOP

WOW...IT WAS WORTH THE TRIP, CAMELS AND HIKE!