I asked for a seat next
to the exit, but the lady clearly misunderstood me or maybe she’s never seen
the inside of an aeroplane before. I found myself in a seat that could not
recline in front of the toilet. Luckily the aeroplane was not full and I moved
the second the safety belt sign went off.
I now found myself behind a guy who occupied the 4 seats in front of
me. He was clearly an ADD sufferer – and
on a scale from 1 to 10 – I would definitely rate him as at least an 8. He did not sit still for a second – and every
now and again I had to duck and dive as his arms would come flying to the back,
missing my face by inches.
The guy occupying the 4
seats behind me had a broken leg and every time (which was way more than the
average person would) he got up to get something from his bag – he would bump
my seat. I was stuck between a rock and
a hard place. Most of the passengers claimed 4 seats and I was definitely not
going back to the seat that could not recline.
I have just found a
position to avoid being hit in the face and kicked in the back when I was
served my vegetarian meal. I do not consider
myself a vegetarian. I just don’t eat
meat. Announcing that you are a
vegetarian, they will serve you mushrooms, onions, garlic the works, which I do
not eat. But I have forgotten about this
– and lo and behold – there was my meal and mushrooms were the main ingredient.
At 4:00 we were woken
and breakfast was served. Since I asked for a vegetarian meal, I got 2 dry buns
and fruit salad. The rest of the
passengers got a fresh croissant and fruit salad.
Day 2: I knew about
airports and being harassed – but I have done some googling and was adamant to
take a taxi (No more than EP100) to the bus depot where I would wait for 6
hours before getting on the only bus going daily to St Catherine’s which would
take eight hours. I was going to see the
sun rise on Egypt’s highest peak, Jebel Katerina and nothing was going to stop
me.
Whilst waiting patiently
for my luggage, I was approached by a guy who worked for the tourism board. He said
he could get me a taxi for EP300 which will include a trip to the pyramids
before the depot drop off. He also said that I was misinformed and that there
were regular busses to St Catherin’s. I was going to pay EG100 for the taxi
plus spend 6 hours waiting for a bus so it seemed reasonable to pay EG200 extra
for some serious site seeing.
It was all legal – I got a receipt and was introduced to Safat, my driver. I stopped in a shop at the airport to buy some water, but it turned out that the owner did not have change, so Safat paid for it. A full EP20. Just before we left, Carlos, his friend jumped in the car. It turned out that Safat could not speak one word of English and needed a translator.
It was all legal – I got a receipt and was introduced to Safat, my driver. I stopped in a shop at the airport to buy some water, but it turned out that the owner did not have change, so Safat paid for it. A full EP20. Just before we left, Carlos, his friend jumped in the car. It turned out that Safat could not speak one word of English and needed a translator.
The first question asked
was: How old are you?
Second one: Where is your husband?
Carlos fell head over
heels in love with me for some bizarre reason.
 |
| Unexpected visit to the pyramids |
Once at the pyramids, I was told that it would cost EP150 for a horse cart. I objected, saying that I was under the impression that the EP300 included everything. The price came down to EP80. The gates only opened at 08:00 and I was taken to a balcony to admire the view. By now, Carlos has told me that I was very cute and that he can’t believe I am not married.
Finally the gates
opened. I paid the EP 80 to the guy who
organised the horse cart discount and although I am not a big fan of history,
it was a nice trip in the horse buggy driving around the pyramids. At one stage, we stopped and the driver said
he will take a picture but I must put my arm in a certain position. It came out brilliantly – and seemed as if I
was holding the pyramid in my hand. I
was then asked by an elderly
gentleman if I wanted my picture taken on a camel with some local clothes on –
it was after all for free. I did not
fall for that one – although in hind sight – maybe I should have had one taken.
But then maybe not.
After 30 minutes, we were back at the gates and the horse guy asked for his EP80. I sort of exploded and said I was under the impression that was what I was paying for at the gate.
He left a bit grumpy and Carlos and myself walked around the place a bit. By now, I was starting to feel really uncomfortable. He was looking at me as if I was an apparition telling me that I was so cute and that he would like to get married to me and do whatever I wanted him to do. It could have been my imagination but he looked quite sad when I declined his offer. He tried one last time by asking me what it was exactly that I was looking for in a husband.
I expected the hike down
through a valley with no distinct path to be a walk in the park but it turned
out to be a huge park. Except for scree,
the first stretch was easy. Then came the huge boulders. It took me 30 minutes to get over the fear of
falling down whilst just walking down most of the boulders and my hiking sticks
remained in my backpack. After an hour, I was convinced that I was going to lose
a toe-nail or two. I also got over confident – jumped to the next boulder and
excruciating pain followed my landing.
Day 5: I got a lift to the monastery and felt really special not to be treated like a tourist. I have a problem with too many choices so choosing which crystals to buy turned into a
nightmare but I was more than happy to get a lift on a camel back to the
camp.
Day 6: I was waiting patiently for the bus when I discovered
I still had the key to my room. I ran
back and a guy passing me asked me what I was waiting for? When I said the bus – he grabbed my bag and
we ran to the “real” bus depot and I made it just in time. Watching the sun set
on top of Mt Mousa, I considered staying – but here I was, sitting on a bus I
almost missed, on my way back to crazy Cairo. I felt blessed and happy after
deciding to follow Salah’s advice to live with my heart.
Day 10: After another
lovely omelette for breakfast, I walked to the monastery and after my sleeping
pattern of only sleeping for two hours at a time, I was pleasantly surprised to
find myself napping from 9:00 till14:00.
I then set of to buy some fruit and I was greeted by the surprised
shopkeepers who saw me leaving a couple of days before. I was restless and
started to talk about a clean-up of Jebel Moesah. The rest of the day I sat
around chatting to Omar and Higase.
After 30 minutes, we were back at the gates and the horse guy asked for his EP80. I sort of exploded and said I was under the impression that was what I was paying for at the gate.
He left a bit grumpy and Carlos and myself walked around the place a bit. By now, I was starting to feel really uncomfortable. He was looking at me as if I was an apparition telling me that I was so cute and that he would like to get married to me and do whatever I wanted him to do. It could have been my imagination but he looked quite sad when I declined his offer. He tried one last time by asking me what it was exactly that I was looking for in a husband.
Outside, my taxi driver
was having a small argument with a shop owner who wanted him to pay EP20 for
parking in front of his store. After
getting some water from a shop, the fun started. I discovered that the taxi driver had no clue
where the bus station I was supposed to get the bus to St Catherina, was.
He drove around smoking
all the time for what seemed like hours stopping at places asking for
directions. I was getting quite agitated.
How could he not know where the place was? The clock was ticking and
luckily I did not fall for Mr Tourism guy’s story that there was a bus to St Catherin’s
every hour. I did not consider myself a
tourist, see historical places and buy souvenirs. I wanted to get to the
mountains.
We finally got there 20
minutes before the bus left. When the taxi driver asked for EP20, I just about
exploded. A lack of sleep, the knowledge
that I was not ‘your normal tourist and that I was most probably being ripped
off”, I do suffer from this fear of having a full bladder whilst having to
drive for hours. I knew this trip would
take 8 hours. The bus driver confirmed
my fear. No toilet on board.
By the time the bus
arrived, I have been up and down the stairs 3 times to visit the loo. On my 3rd
visit, I was accosted by a very hostile looking ‘toilet’ attendant. I hurriedly
explained my irrational fear to her in Afrikaans and gave her a hefty tip.
Just before the bus turned
the corner I looked back and there she was standing at the exit – a perplexed
but not unhappy expression on her face.
 |
| The Bedouin Camp |
Sitting in a bus I now noticed that there was not one scratch free car on
the road. 8 Hours later, after a brief
stop for lunch, we arrived in St Katherina’s. I had no clue what awaited but
followed a fellow travelers advice. I
got in a taxi – and was dropped a full 50 m further at the Bedouin camp!
At first I thought it was
crazy to keep extra blankets in a room but it did turn chilly.
Day 3: Group of extremely
loud volunteers + they arrived at midnight + they left at 04:00 slamming doors
+ gravel = maximum of 2 hours sleep for me. Since the kitchen was still closed,
I settled for a breakfast I won’t recommend:
Muesli in cold water. I do,
however lose my appetite when it is so hot so it was not a problem. I was an
eager beaver and went exploring – and discovered after taking my 4th
picture that I left my camera’s sim card at home but luckily I was able to buy
one. Note to myself: Get more organised!
Things moved at a slow
pace but I was finally informed that I would start my hike to Egypt’s highest
peak – St Katherins at midnight – which will enable me to see the sun rise on
an African Peak. The camp is not the
quietest of places. The lounge was a
popular place and people kept on dropping by – unfortunately, it was very close
to my room. But I drifted in and out of sleep.
I just love hiking at night and was eagerly waiting outside the camp for
my guide (Farham). Salah, the owner of
the camp who seemed to never sleep, was also sitting outside the gate and told
me to make a wish before I start the hike. I made two: I wanted to stop the
anger inside me after being emotionally abused two years ago and I wanted to
start trusting people again.
 |
| My guide on Jebel Katherina |
Day 4: Our hike officially
started at 00:30. My guide, Farham
smoked and coughed non-stop and I must admit, I got quite a fright when I saw
his yellow teeth. The 6 hour hike turned
into a 4 hour hike so it was still dark when we arrived on top. My guide lit a
candle in the hut on top and whilst I waited for the sun to rise, he took a
nap. It was freezing on top, but when he started to make a fire inside the hut
whilst smoking non-stop, I decided to wait outside the hut. It was not long before I was offered 2 cups
of tea and a cup of very welcome coffee.
The next stretch was
through a river bed and every time I had to bend my left knee, I was in
agony. Trying not to put strain on my
left knee left me with an aching bum muscle after 20 minutes and trying to be
positive, I reminded myself that at least I am not just going to focus on my
aching knee. I started to count to 3 –
one two three and imagined myself dancing.
It helped a bit.
When Farham asked me if I
was okay – I pointed to my knee before giving him the thumbs up. According to
him, the next stretch to the village would take about an hour. It turned out to
be stairs and a nightmare but I made it.
When we passed his house, he ran inside and came out with some
anti-inflammatory for my knee. I was
also invited to his house for supper.
After a siesta, my knee
felt a lot better. I was planning to see
the sunrise on Mt Sinai the following morning, which meant I would have to
start hiking at 01:00 – but common sense told me to take a break. I had, after all still a lot of mountains to
climb. At 18:00, I went to Farham’s place where I met his family and had some
very sweet tea. I declined supper and on
my way back, I bumped into Salah, who said we can go and watch the stars at
22:00. I dozed off and when my alarm
went off, I got up reluctantly.
Day 5: I got a lift to the monastery and felt really special not to be treated like a tourist. I have a problem with too many choices so choosing which crystals to buy turned into a
 |
| The crystal shop |
At 13:30, I started hiking to Mt
Mousa with Fahar. I have a terrible
sense of direction and when he told me at the basin to hike up on my own, I got
a bit pissed off but I found the steps eventually and started to cry almost immediately.
This was the holiest of all the holy mountains yet it was covered with litter. I was mesmerized by her and very
emotional. I was unsure of where I was
supposed to go with my life and when I asked God what I was supposed to do – I
got the answer: You don’t have to do
anything.
 |
| A shop on Mt Sinai |
I did not want to leave, but I
was scared of getting lost in the dark and after a while, I reluctantly
followed two tourists going down to the basin. There are shops along the stairs
to the top but because of a decline in tourists, most of the shops were closed.
We went down the easy way via the monastery and I could not help but laugh when
I saw some tourists wearing masks, going up to the top on camels. I did not think the camel I was given a lift
on the morning was smelly at all. Fahar
was supposed to arrange a lift back, but I guess all the smoking got to him. Luckily someone took pity on us and we got a
lift back to the camp, where I declined his supper invitation.
 |
| Mt Sinai |
 |
| The view from the top of Mt Sinai |
 |
| Sunset on Mt Sinai |
I was not even aware of
any conflict in Egypt until I got to Mt Sinai and on our way back to Cairo, there
were army guys all along the road – some sitting in canons but I did not ask
any questions. The bus driver dropped me
just before the station after I explained that I was going to a hotel close to
the airport. I then showed a taxi driver
the address of the hotel. Driving in
Cairo is past crazy but as soon as I looked worried, the driver would shake my
hand and say ‘Fish Kabal’ and laugh. He
did not even stop when he bumped into a car in front of us. When we stopped in front of the airport, I
showed him once again the address of the “Helioppis” hotel. He looked shocked, said ‘Fish kabal’ and off
we sped – to the wrong hotel. I was tired
and stranded with only 17 EP on me.
Luckily the receptionist took pity on me and explained to Mohammed,
another taxi driver that I only had 15 EP on me and that he must take me to the
Helioppis hotel. It was yet again
another misunderstanding and he only calmed down after I told him he could take
me to the airport early the next morning and that I would have enough money on
me. Since my flight was at 5:15, he would pick me up in front of the hotel at
2:30 to take me to the airport. Before
he screeched off – he shouted that I must be in front of the hotel by 2:30.
Day 7: I discovered that I
had to be at to the airport earlier and because I did not have my slightly
aggressive taxi driver’s phone number, I took another taxi to terminal 3 at the
airport. He did not know a lot of
English words and kept on saying: " No
worry, Your’re welcome and I love you, I’m sorry"
The airport, however was
humongous and after driving around for 20 minutes, he said “I’m sorry, don’t
know the place. I love you. At one stage I said I love you too. He stopped, turned around and said I love you
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7!!!!
I got there in time. The guy in front of me refused to take his
shoes off before going through the x-ray machine but his friends persuaded him
after 15 very long minutes. At the check
in counter they said there was a problem with my ticket but 20 minutes, everything
was cleared by the manager. And then
they discovered that my Morrocan visa has expired before I even left South Africa. It was 2:30 and I was devastated. I got a taxi back and at the hotel, a fuming
Mohammed was waiting. I explained to him
about the change in my flight time and it was only after the door man explained
to him that he cooled down.
I explained to him that I had to be at the bus shelter at 11:00 and that he can pick me up at 10:00. I had no choice; the universe has decided that I was going back to Sinai. By now, I could not sleep for more than two hours. I was up at 5:00 and started looking for a sim card. Cairo was no walk in the park and traffic was hectic so I walked alongside an elderly couple whilst crossing the road, praying that I won’t be hit by a car. I was waiting anxiously outside the hotel but when Mohammed was not there by 10:10, I jumped into another taxi – and I could just imagine Mohammed swearing when he arrived finally. But it turned out to be a good decision. The traffic was crazy as usual and I got to the bus station just in time. This time, I was greeted very friendly by the loo lady and the bus crew.
I explained to him that I had to be at the bus shelter at 11:00 and that he can pick me up at 10:00. I had no choice; the universe has decided that I was going back to Sinai. By now, I could not sleep for more than two hours. I was up at 5:00 and started looking for a sim card. Cairo was no walk in the park and traffic was hectic so I walked alongside an elderly couple whilst crossing the road, praying that I won’t be hit by a car. I was waiting anxiously outside the hotel but when Mohammed was not there by 10:10, I jumped into another taxi – and I could just imagine Mohammed swearing when he arrived finally. But it turned out to be a good decision. The traffic was crazy as usual and I got to the bus station just in time. This time, I was greeted very friendly by the loo lady and the bus crew.
Back at the camp, I was
welcomed like a lost daughter and I was told that they knew I would be back. It
is what it is and I slept for 8 hours straight.
Day 8: Around 11:00 I was
off to Abbas Bashe with a new guide. After
stopping for a very long tea-break, we got to the magnificent top. Coming down my new guide helped me to pick up
litter and back at the camp, another hike was arranged. I was then told that
tourist
stopped coming to Egypt and instead of the guides working one a week,
it was only once a month now.
 |
| My guide picking up litter |
Omar, a friend I met
there, bought me a very nice falafel. Pickled onions, feta, gherkins – but I
soon discovered that it was not the best meal to have before a hike.
I was flabbergasted when
one of the teenage boys asked me to tell him about sex. I tried to hide my discomfort and googled
‘how to make love’ and almost had a heart attack when I got onto what must have
been, a porno site. I then googled ‘how
to kiss’ – and got more or less the same video.
I was in shock and felt sorry for the poor boy, which surely must have
been traumatised. I was obviously not
the best sex educator and gave up.
I only brought one book to
read with me – and after reading it for the second time, I was ecstatic to find
another English one and started reading – only to discover that 100 pages were
missing – which was better than reading my book for the 3rd time I
guess.
Day 9: Normally I have
muesli in my coffee for breakfast. But the kitchen was closed so I used game mixed
with cold water instead and it turned out to be the worst breakfast I have had
in my entire life. But Africa is not for
sissies and I needed the energy.
My 3rd guide on
this trip arrived, he had the worst teeth I have seen on a human and snorted
the whole time. But he smiled a lot, sang
a couple of songs and once on top, he shared his bread and eggs with me.
Going down, he saw me pick
up a tin. The next moment he grabbed a
bag and started picking up litter. I
could sense his love of the mountains.
Once the bag was full, he would make a fire to burn the rubbish before
we started hiking.
 |
| The breathtaking view |
Back at the camp, I
decided that I have had enough of provitas, laughing cow & nuts and ordered
an omelette – which turned out to be fantastic and made up for the horrible
breakfast I had.
 |
| With the Minister of Environmental Affairs arranging the cleanup |
Day 11: It was just
another ‘normal’ evening where I would sleep for two hours, read my book with
the 100 missing pages and sleep another 2 hours. By 7:00 we were on our way to
another peak. Our driver turned out to
be the teenager I still felt guilty about corrupting but he could not wait to
show me what he has googled about sex on his phone. I just shouted “NOOOOOOO!” before setting off
at an incredible pace to the top of the mountain. At one stage, I stopped along a field of
lovely flowers and when I asked if I can take a picture, I was told no – and
only realised later that it was a poppy field. I can understand that people
don’t feel rushed and after not seeing their friends for days – or even months,
they would like to stop and chat. But at
every ‘stop’ – and there were many – I was basically forced to drink very sweet
tea (and I normally don’t drink sugar in my coffee). I got a bit impatient and
finally saw the pick-up car 30m away but no – there was one long last visit –
and yes, I felt obliged to drink the very, very sweet tea.
Omar and myself went for
supper and since I am on the extreme fussy side when it comes to food – I
ordered eggs, bread and tomatoes – which was not actually on the menu. The eggs turned out to be raw, but at least I
had bread and tomatoes.
Day 12: I spend the day in
the camp and started chatting to a Norwegian lady called Hilda. She was in St Katherins to see a doctor. 5
Minutes after meeting her, I was stunned when she told me that what I though
was anger inside me – was pain. I
accompanied her to the traditional healer and afterwards, I was taken to the
Parksboard, where I arranged a clean-up of Mt Moussa. I was given 9 big bags
and donkeys would be send up the next day to collect the rubbish and drop off
more bags.
Day 13: My guide and
myself started hiking at 5. There were
tons of litter along the way and
6 hours later, I was dead tired and dying of
thirst. We got to Elija’s basin where I
was forced to have terrible noodles and whilst my guide slept, I cleaned the
camp. Then I was off to the summit, and
bumped into a dog who followed me all the way.
Two boys joined me picking up litter and I had quite a fall when I tried
to take a picture of them. They went down with two bags – but I have run out of
litter bags. When I asked a shopkeeper whose dog it was, he just said “Free
dog”. Free, who looked a bit sick to me,
became my shadow and after getting some warm clothes at the camp,
we headed
back to spend more time admiring the majestical mountain. Elija’s basin is a ‘shelter’ surrounded by a 2
meter wall and although my guide forgot to get a key, we were able to get
inside by climbing over several ‘obstacles’. Once back at the camp, I ‘stole’
some of my food the guide tried to force me to eat and gave it to Free. One moment he was there and the next he was
running up a cliff like a wolf. It was
getting dark and he watched me from the top – all I could see was his
silhouette and his eyes.
 |
| It's impossible to stay clean when you pick up litter |
 |
| Free, the mountain dog |
My guide was visiting his
friends and I was more than happy on my own.
Just before I fell asleep, I suddenly saw Free lying in front of me,
staring at me. I gave him more bread and
started to worry that he might attack my guide when he climbs over the wall and
how I was going to get him over the wall.
Day 14: When I got up at 4
– Free was gone. He was, however waiting
with a smaller dog where the steps started.
I was so glad to see him. I
walked up and once down, he stayed. I
noticed that there were no bags and decided to go down the mountain to get him
some medicine. I felt terrible. When he followed me down the steps, I had to
throw a stone at him
= but I was not sure what the other dogs in the village
would do to him. When I told Salah about
it – he said I should not worry about him – he would come down if he needed
help and that he’s done it before. I
decided to hike back and find him
 |
| Going down the 3000 steps of repentance |
Day 15: I did not sleep a lot and we set off at
04:00. After hiking for an hour, I
started to feel dizzy. The previous
year, I had a couple of episodes and the doctors first said it was mini
strokes, then epileptic fits, anxiety attacks and finally – no one could tell
me what caused the episodes. I could not
speak properly and even walking 1 meter turned out to be a battle. I was totally disorientated. Mohammed, my guide phoned sheik Mousa – first
of all to inform the army that we would be coming down so we won’t get shot and
secondly to come and assist me getting down the mountain.
Salah finally arrived and
together with Mohamed they assisted me down the mountain. They all thought it
was because I did not eat properly, did not sleep enough and climbed too many
peaks. Salah said we would go and fetch
the dog later.
After sleeping for ten
hours, I was forced to have some veggie soup.
I then told Salah I wanted to go and see the doctor – but he drove past
the one I wanted to go to. When I
mentioned it – he said he was a quack. He took me to another wise man who told
Salah that I see too far and that I never stop thinking. I was given thick yellow medicine to squirt
up my nose. Salah then took me to the
monastery and we found Free. He was very
reluctant to get on the bakkie, but I managed to pick him up. We bribed him with chicken feet to get him inside
the compound. Then he was treated on a
nice chicken meal
Day 16: Free was still in
front of my door – but when I left, I had to lock him in the bathroom. I believed he escaped as soon as someone
opened the door. He is a mountain dog
after all. This time, I was a seasoned bus traveller and really made myself
comfortable on the bus.
As soon as we arrived in
Cairo, I took a taxi to the airport.
Once again, it was a ride out of hell.
I arrived at the airport 8 hours before my flight. I immediately bonded with a lady from Tunisia
and we spend 6 hours trying to spend E400 drinking coffee. I was told that I
could not exchange the money. Luckily,
my gal bladder survived the ordeal.
Once through the departure
gate, I was basically forced to buy E400’s Tobblerone! What a difficult
decision.
I never expected the magic
of the mountains, or the kindness of the people. This trip really changed my life and from the
bottom of my heart, I would like to thank the kind souls I met who
- told me to make a wish before climbing St Katherins
- told me that the past is gone and to look to the future
- took me to see the stars and told me fascinating stories
- cooked and always smiled
- told me 15 minutes after meeting me that it is not anger I felt, but pain
- and that I should go to the mountain and cry
- helped to clean the holy mountain
- helped me and carried me down the mountain
- told me that the reason I got sick was because my mind never stops
I would also like to thank the
Moroccan embassy who stuffed up my visa and to the crazy drivers in Cairo –
they showed me that getting lost is not the end of the world. As long as
you have a sense of humour.
