Red Sea Bumming

Yesterday we rode into Dahab on the Red Sea. What a nice break it has been so far, too! Dahab is full of foreigners here for diving, snorkeling, wind surfing and just hanging out eating/drinking and smoking a sheesha (water pipe). We are staying in a hotel that is really like a series of cabins, some connected, in an enclosed area. It isn't luxury, but by the standards we've had thus far, it is very nice and spacious. I share a room with two guys who have been my regular roommates on much of the trip, Rich and John, both really nice guys. In our previous places, we've often been crammed together with three single beds in a rooms as small as about 10x10.
Our room here in Dahab has four beds and plenty of space between them. Most of the features (sink, lights, A/C - which costs extra to turn on) seem to function and occasionally there is hot water! All water in the bathroom is salt water, so hopefully I won't run into any camels looking for a good salt lick.
The two days previous to arriving in Dahab were very adenturous. We parted the nasty seaside resort of Hurghada (it was just a stop-over to give us a rest on the trip from Luxor to Mt. Sinai) at 6 a.m. We arrived at Mt. Sinai after several hours in the truck. It was early evening when we stopped. Most of the group opted to climb the mountain and spend the night on top, then climb back down the next day. I don't thnk any of us knew what we were in for! The walk to the top took about 3 hours. We had a local guide by the name of Salem. The climb was exhausting! Jennifer wisely chose to ride a camel as far was possible, which was to a set of "steps" (uneven rocks that had been put in place by monks some time ago). Supposedly there were 700 or so of them, but I'm not sure how they counted. At the top, I think that most of us were expecting a flat camping area where we would all sleep in a group until sunrise. Instead, what we found was a construction of some sort with random steps leading here and there. There was also a WC, which was probably not the most disgusting in the word, but most likely in the lower 10% range. Jennifer braved it, being hardened by the toilets she's experienced in West Africa. I decided to refrain until our descent.
So Salem allotted us each a sleeping space. Jenn and I ended up on a slab of rock about the size of a king-size mattress and perched over a sheer drop of a few thousand feet. Each time the wind blew, we dirt blew into our faces. It was absolutely terrifying. When we woke up after about 3 hours of sleep, we found that hundreds of pilgrims and tourists had climbed up that morning to watch the sunrise with us. Jenn and I packed up our sleeping bags and other belongings and got the hell off of our little condor's roost to find a spot to watch the big event. The sun came up, we took pictures, and then the descent began. Salem watched over the group as we climbed down. This time we took a different route, which consisted entirely of "stairs" (using the say rough definition as those we used to ascent). This time there were 3,000 or so of them (again, how do you count?) It was beautiful, but with the sun up and the heat taking hold, plus the fact that I hadn't used a restroom in about 12 hours or so, made me more focused on just getting my wobbly legs off the mountain and to flag group where I made a direct line to the nearest toilet.
Back down at the bottom, we had breakfast, then Jenn, Rich and I went to St. Katherine's Monastery, which is at the base of the mountain. It is quite a tourist destination and supposedly contains Moses' burning bush (yeah, right - anyone want to buy a bridge?) The place was packed with tourists and though listed as a 'must see' in most tour book, it was a major pain in the patoot.
So here in Dahab we are having a fee day today. Tomorrow most of the group will go snorkeling at the Blue Hole (a first snorkeling experience for me!). On Friday, Jenn and I will go with a couple of others in the group to see the Coloured and White canyons by Jeep. We will also have a Bedoin lunch.
More later!