Sinai Peninsula, Egypt - Ten Commandments

"Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him. The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up"  - Exodus 19:18-20 (NIV)

Sinai Peninsula, Egypt Slide Show

Our arrival at the top of Mount Sinai was not quite as dramatic as the above passage describes, but very memorable. The Bible goes on in Exodus to describe how Moses received the Ten Commandments at the top of Mount Sinai. Having the Bible loaded on Jennifer's Kindle allowed us to read the Book of Exodus while waiting for the sun to set. Noah had already completed his reading, paying special attention to the "Honor Thy Father and Mother" Commandment. It was a humbling experience to climb and sit on top of this famous mountaintop.
When you last heard from us in Egypt, we were dealing with the hustle and bustle of Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor. Needing a break from the touts and temples, we took a short flight to the Sinai Peninsula. We stayed in Dahab, an ultra, ultra, laid-back, laid-back town on the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea. The town is a budget backpackers dream with inexpensive lodging, diving, kite surfing, wind surfing, snorkeling, and outdoor cafes, bars and restaurants lining the seafront. The only negative to the town is the amount of flies that hang around you, especially if you are eating outside during daylight hours.
Besides relaxing in the seafront cafes and having Noah catch up on homework, we visited St. Katherine's Monastery, climbed Mount Sinai, and took a desert safari, which included visits to 3 canyons. St. Katherine's Monastery is built beside what is believed to be the burning bush from which God spoke to Moses. The Roman Empress Helena had a chapel built on this spot around AD 330 and the fortress around the chapel was built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian. All three of us stood under and touched a descendant of the burning bush. According to the Monastery monks, this bush was transplanted from the nearby chapel in the 10th century and continues to thrive today.
After visiting the monastery, we climbed to the top of Mount Sinai. Many visitors take camels, but we decided to climb. After spending 4 days climbing up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, we felt that we could climb for 3 hours up Mount Sinai. It wasn't too difficult of a climb and we reached the top in plenty of time to catch the sunset. Before making the final ascent, we stopped to look at the surrounding landscape and have some tea and hot chocolate. During this break, our Muslim Bedouin guide read the book of Exodus on Jennifer's Kindle. Faith, culture, history and technology aligned to make this deeply meaningful. The Chapel at the top of Mount Sinai captured the golden sunset.
Our safari across the Sinai desert and canyons showed us a stark beauty not found in our native land of Minnesota. The endless amounts of sand, rock, wind and sun produce little to no vegetation except for the occasional oasis in the desert. We stopped for lunch at a Bedouin community in an oasis. It gave us a chance to get out of the sun and eat a good meal cooked by the desert natives. We visited 3 different canyons that varied in size and color and provided some great hiking. We were not able to visit the Colored Canyon due to a recent rain (the first rain in 4 years) that moved the sand, which moved the land mines. It was a reminder of the not too distant battles over the Sinai Peninsula between Egypt and Israel.
Hanging out in Dahab and the Sinai Peninsula was a great finish to our time in Egypt. After staying for 5 nights, which seemed like 2, we left wondering where the time went and why we didn't do more while we were here.
To see our slide show of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, click on the following link ==> Sinai Peninsula, Egypt Slide Show.