Dahab

As part of our tour of Egypt we had booked some beach time on the Red Sea on the Sinai Peninsula in a small resort town called Dahab. In order to get us from Luxor in central Egypt to our resort accommodation we took an 18 hour bus ride through the desert and across the Suez Canal. This long bus ride was a test of our patience but the scenery along the way and the ultimate destination made it all worthwhile.

The word Dahab means gold in Arabic and the name comes from its golden beaches along the Red Sea. Here we stayed in a massive Mercure resort complex with a large pool, amazing views of the sea and a private beach. It was here we got to unwind and enjoy the sun and the company of our new friends or as our tour guide called it the “family”, our travel companions. There is nothing like laying on the beach while watching a small camel family walk only feet from your sun chair.

Every night we headed into the small town of Dahab and toured the countless shops and enjoyed wonderful meals at seaside restaurants. Here we were treated to sheesha pipes, dancing by the waiters and of course great Bedouin style meals.

One of the great assets of this desert area is of course the magnificent Red Sea with its brightly colored coral reefs teaming with a wide variety of tropical fish. It was here we took some jeeps through a camel track to a famous diving area called the Blue Hole. The snorkelling in this area was amazing with brightly colored fish and, a very unique coral reef surrounded by a deep clear blue ocean. And between dives we rested in a very unique Bedouin style restaurant overlooking the Red Sea.

The Blue Hole

But the highlight of our journey to the peninsula was without a doubt the night we climbed Mount Sinai. Rising to a height of over 7500 feet Mount Sinai is thought to be the mountain where Moses spent 40 days and nights before receiving the Ten Commandments. So there is a nightly pilgrimage to climb the mountain to the peak starting at 1:00 AM to catch the sunrise. So after a 2 hour bus ride in the middle of the night through countless Egyptian check stops we arrived at the base of Mount Sinai. And Laurence and I took on the challenge and climbed the famed Camel Path to the crest of the mountain where we rented a mattress and slept for one hour while awaiting the sunrise with over 700 other climbers. The views at day break were amazing as you could see sheer cliffs and the distant mountain ranges of the Sinai Peninsula. The hike down was actually harder as it was done in the heat of the early morning sun, which is about 35 degrees Celsius, on its way to hitting the average temperature in this part of the world which is 40 degrees every day and it never rains.

Maphew on Mount Sinai

Church on top of Mount Sinai

Sunrise at Mount Sinai

Our Group making our way down the mountian

At the base of the mountain sits St. Catherine’s Monastery, a Greek Orthodox monastery, thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited Christian Monastery in the world, built in 527 AD. It is believed the chapel is built on the site that Moses saw the Burning Bush. Here we toured in silence the Basilica of Transfiguration with its gold icons and gilded chandeliers, and visited the Burning Bush evergreen, which is said to be from the same stock as the bush from which God instructed Moses to lead his people out of Egypt and to the promised land.

St. Catherine’s Monastery

The Burning Bush

Our days in Dahab will be remembered by good friends (our tour family), Bedouin meals, climbing the mountain and just enjoying this amazing area of Egypt.

Maphew gets friendly with Bedouin Guide