Survive Cairo! (the rest of the world is easy)

Many of my fondest Egyptian experiences dealt with sunrises or sunsets. Watch the sunset over the Nile at Grand Cafe Maadi. Watch sunrises over Cairo at the Pyramids before anyone else is there. Climb Mt. Sinai in the dead of night and watch the sun rise over Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea. Dive the coral labyrinths of the Gulf of Aqaba. Give a nice tip to a Pyramids guard and he might show you a locked tomb with mummies still inside!

Quick Tips:

Have small bills! The economy in Egypt is in such a crisis that a 1 pound note (about .20US) can get you almost anything, and asking a cab driver to make change for a 100L note is futile. Be friendly. When people ask where you're from, chat with them. When people ask you into their home for tea, do so. Egyptian muslims are not out to get you, even in light of the current world events. People here are friendly and hospitable despite their extreme poverty. Never tip someone for giving you tea. This is an insult. Take toilet paper with you, as it is unheard of in Egypt. Don't throw TP in the toilet, as it will clog it. There will be a trash can next to the toilet for you to deposit your gift.

Best Way To Get Around:

You've got two options for getting around Cairo: the metro, or cabs. The metro is cheap and clean, but trying to figure out the cost is practically impossible, so just tell the ticket-man the station you're going to and he'll tell you how much to pay. It's usually less than .10.
When taking a cab, if you're a Cairo newbie, it's best to agree on the price before you step into the cab. Bargain hard, and walk away if he won't budge. Trust me, he'll come after you and accept your price. If you hadn't agreed on a price beforehand, when you arrive the cabbie will demand an outrageous sum. It's best to hand him half what he asks (plus a small tip) and get out of the cab and walk away. He will normally yell at you for awhile, in extreme circumstances he may get out of his cab and walk after you a few paces, but ignore him and walk on. Cabbies make better money than most Egyptians and they WILL demand extremely inflated prices from foreigners. The method I've described above is actually the common and accepted method of dealing with such cabbies.

If you're going to stay at a hostel in a foreign city as insane as Cairo, you might benefit from the piece of mind that staying in an HI hostel provides.
Besides being a bit hard to find and a bit out of the way, HI Manial is a nice place to stay. Plus, it's right down the road from the place where you can get an International Student ID Card, which gets you discounts all over Egypt and Jordan.
They have two kinds of rooms, 3 person (15LE or $3.00US) and 6 person (10LE or $2.00US). They also have 10 private rooms with bath, and you must call for rates on these as they were just being built while I was there.
Bring your own sheets or sleeping bag if you stay here, and make SURE you bring toilet paper, as you will find none at the hostel.
The hostel says it recommends reservations year-round, but if you're going in off-season (winter) you'll have no trouble, especially these days since the Middle East is not high on everyone's travel-priority list.
By far the easiest way to get here is to take a cab. Tell the cabbie "Abdel Aziz el-Saud at Al Gamaa" and he'll drop you off at a big square at the intersection of these two streets. Face the Nile, and turn left down Abdel Aziz and the hostel will be shortly on your left.
You're on your own if you want to try to bus it here from the airport. I'd shell out the extra $5 and do the cab.
Your cabbie from the airport may tell you that the hostel has closed, or that it is a dump and he can take you to a place that is nicer for less money. Don't believe him, insist that he take you there regardless. This hostel isn't going anywhere.
For a more central location, try Garden City Hostel.

Garden City is a more centralized (though more expensive) place to stay in Cairo. It's right in the middle of downtown behind the Intercontinental Semiramis hotel.
Private room with bath will run you 70LE ($14US) for a single or 110LE ($22US) for double. They also have dorm rooms available starting at 20LE ($4).

Tell your cabbie to take you to the Semiramis Intercontinental (he won't balk at taking you there since he'll think you're rich) and ask around once you're there for the Garden City House.

You'll shell out a few more bucks, but you're steps from the Sadat Metro station, the American University (best English bookstore in Cairo), Midan Tahrir (the central square of the city), and the Egyptian Museum.

The Hilton Dahab is a spectacular, sprawling resort on the Red Sea near the funky hippie beach colony of Dahab.

If you're coming to Dahab, chances are it's to take part in the pot-drenched beach lounging (in which case you should stay at Nesima or Sphinx, or grungier yet, one of the simple beach camps), but if you'd like a little R&R away from the chaos of Cairo, stay at the Hilton.

You can book the Hilton Dahab on www.hilton.com but you'll be charged an overly inflated rate. Your best bet is to visit a travel agent in Cairo and negotiate the rate there. You can get it downright cheap, especially if you're a student.

Most rates include breakfast and dinner, which consist of sumptuously prepared Arabic food, served buffet-style. Our rate over New Year's Eve, including a massive 2,000 foot long buffet and entertainment, was $52US per night. Of course, that was an Egyptian Resident rate, since my friend lives there. You can expect to pay $60-$75 in off season (winter), more in the summer.

The resort is simply amazing, consisting of whitewashed domed buildings with superfluous amounts of space. Our patio was larger than the average hotel room.

Throughout the grounds are shallow reflecting pools, which contrast dramatically with the harsh red granite of the barren Sinai mountains that surround the resort.

There is a large pool with windscreens all around (you'll thank them for this once you arrive to this wind-blasted coast), and the resort fronts the Dahab beach. Free lounge chairs and thatched umbrellas for guests.

Windsurfing and diving/snorkelling equipment can be rented on-site.

This is definitely a place to enjoy a $300 per night experience for only $60. Give it a try.

Any time of the year, Grand Cafe is an exquisite place to sit back, relax, and enjoy the Nile scenery, especially at sunset.

The Cafe has a modest menu of traditional Arabic food, but I usually don't eat here. I come here to drink tea, chat with friends, watch people walk by on the street, and watch felucas sailing on the Nile. It makes a great place for a pre-dinner drink.

Spring through Fall the cafe is mostly an open air terrace with comfortable tables and booths. In the winter, they screen the whole thing in and bring propane heaters to warm you if it's chilly.

Service (as usual in Egypt) is exponentially slower than in the U.S., so be patient!

This place is popular with expats living in Maadi (the expat center of Cairo), as well as with tourists and well-to-do locals.

To get to Grand Cafe (most cabbies do not know it), have your cabbie drive south on the Corniche, and once you enter Maadi and pass the big gas station on your left, have him slow down and you'll see Grand Cafe on your right a few hundred feet later. Or, take the Metro to Al Maadi station, exit and walk west towards the Nile. When you hit the Cornice (last street before the Nile), turn left and you'll reach the cafe shortly after.

Best known of all ancient monuments, and the only surviving of the "7 Wonders of the Ancient World," The Great Pyramids are deservedly Egypt's top attraction.

Alas, their popularity is becoming their downfall, and a much-anticipated visit to the Pyramids can often be a bit of a letdown if not done properly, so take heed:

1. GO INDEPENDENTLY. No one wants to drive to the Pyramids on a crowded bus with a hundred other camcorder-toting tourists, and then be herded hurriedly through the main sights before being whisked back onto the bus.

2. GO EARLY. Depending on the season, the Pyramids open about an hour before the tourist buses start to arrive, sometimes earlier. Take advantage of this. As a rule of thumb, they open at 7am during summer, and 9am during winter.

3. SEE THE GREAT PYRAMID of Cheops first. The tour buses drive right up to its base, so it becomes swarmed before anything else.

4. See the other 2 pyramids afterwards, then spend some time in the valley of tombs below Chephren's pyramid (the one with the cap). See if you can find a guard to take you into locked tombs.

5. Walk past the Sphinx on your way out. The Sphinx is under restoration and you can't actually get close to it (bummer).

There are two options for getting to the Pyramids independently. The cheapest is to take the metro to the Giza station, get out, and have a cab take you to the gates. The cab should be no more than 5LE for the short ride. You can also take a cab from Cairo all the way, which will be 15LE-20LE. Coming back is a different story, as the cabbies know you're in the middle of nowhere and don't have much of an option. Just walk down the street into Giza away from the gates and you'll find the cabbies there more willing to negotiate. And remember, if all else fails, just walk away!

Your first stop will be the ticket booth, where you should purchase admission (20LE, half of that for students with an International Student ID card), camera ticket (10LE which lets you take pictures with your camera), admission to the Great Pyramid burial chamber (20LE, half for students), and a camera ticket for the Great Pyramid if your camera has a flash (10LE).

The second thing you will notice is that people will ACCOST you, offering camel rides. Unless you want to do this (don't pay more than 10LE) just give them a firm NO!

By far, the trick is to get there early, and you may notice that the grounds do not open until an hour or more after your arrival time. That's okay. Try holding some cash in your hand and asking the guard if you can go into the grounds and watch the sunrise. Usually, he'll say yes for a few pounds.

Please read Part 2 for detailed description of the grounds.

The Great Pyramid of Cheops is the largest pyramid in Egypt. There are enough massive 6-ton blocks in it to build a wall 10 feet high around all of France. Nothing can prepare you for the first up-close sight of this monument. It is mind boggling. If you've been a good traveller and gotten here early and purchased your ticket, you can climb up the narrow shaft to the burial chamber high up in the Pyramid. The climb is NOT for claustrophobes, as the shafts are narrow and the air is thin, hot, and dusty. But being inside the chamber within the pyramid is a DON'T MISS experience. It feels weird, too, kind of like you're inside a magnet.

The other two Pyramids are not as large as this one, but equally interesting, so spend some time clambering around them. Then head down into the valley between the middle pyramid and the Sphinx. Here archaeologists are excavating hundreds of tombs.

See if you can find a guard around and ask him if he will unlock some tombs for you. The recent finds are more pristine, so they are gated. In one tomb, we were allowed to venture behind two locked steel doors, through corridors richly decorated with hieroglyphics, and then to climb down a 10 foot shaft to view a burial chamber COMPLETE with a skeleton! It's much more exciting than seeing these things in a glass case inside a museum. Tip a guard 5-10LE if he allows you inside a locked tomb.

If there are no guards present, many of the tombs are not gated, and you can clamber around in them. Many of the gates are not effective, so you can squeeze around them (or climb up and through a high window) and still be able to see lots of interesting stuff. Being in this valley really excites the archaeologist in me.

The final sight at the Pyramids is the Sphinx, another famous monument.

The story of the Sphinx used to be one of mystery and riddles. Now, its story is one of sadness. Air pollution from Cairo is eating the Sphinx from the inside out, and its head is projected to fall off in the next few years. In effort to prevent this from happening, the Egyptian government is sparing no expense in the restoration of Egypt's most recognizable monument.

Consequently, half of the Sphinx already looks like it was built yesterday, from gleaming white limestone cut into cartoonish shapes. In a few years, the Sphinx will look more like Mickey Mouse than an ancient monument.

Thus the debate continues...do we let our ancient monuments crumble nobly to dust? Or do we rebuild them to resemble our image of their past grandeur?

At any rate, the lesson here is the same as anywhere: GO NOW. As human civilization burgeons out of control, many of our ancient or pristine locations will be compromised. Go now or you'll never have the chance to see them again.

It's common knowledge that next to the Great Barrier Reef, the Red Sea provides the best diving on earth. No rivers run into this warm and highly saline sea, making visibility practically unlimited, and supporting an amazing variety of corals, fish, and marine mammals.

The most popular place to dive is at the end of the peninsula off the resort village of Sharm al Sheik. There is a fantastic marine reserve called Ras Mohammad protecting some of the more fantastic dives and snorkelling spots, and Ras Mohammad limits the number of visitors per day, so go early. The drawback to diving here is that you'll be surrounded by hordes of tourists frolicking and snorkelling in the electric blue waters.

For better seclusion, try Dahab, a community on the beach about 2 hours north of Sharm. There is plenty of budget accomodation, and lots of dive shops (some more reputable than others, so ask other divers in town who they recommend) scattered along the main drag.

A very reputable place to rent is Sinai Divers, located in the Hilton Dahab hotel, though their prices will be a bit more than on the drag. Expect about $50-$80 a day for equipment and boat or shore dives.

For snorkellers, the most popular place is called Eel Garden. Walk north through the drag and you'll see a sign for the spot just north of town on your right.

A BETTER place for snorkellers is called Three Pools. To reach it, drive or taxi (or walk) about 2 miles south of town on the dirt road past the last hotel. Just before the dirt road becomes more of a track, you'll see some bedouin tea shacks on the beach. Park here and walk just up the mountain a few feet. You'll see three deep blue pools of water just offshore. These are holes in the reef that are filled with fish. Snorkel out to them (you'll be snorkelling in VERY shallow water over prolific coral, so be careful!) and once inside you're in for hours of great snorkelling. Also try continuing out into deeper water where the coral falls off into the sea for larger coral and fish. If it's winter, even snorkellers must wear wetsuits.

(This is a wordy entry, but the end contains some very important and practical information, so bear with my wordiness at first! Thanks...)

There are two Egypts.

The first is the Egypt of ancient tombs and stone monuments. Of mummies and pharoahs. Of great sand seas and lush oases and the ever-flowing Nile.

This is the Egypt you experience when you visit with a well-planned and expensive tour group. You are whisked effortlessly between ancient sights, only coming into contact with a hand-selected portion of the culture that hints at the charm and mystery of the Arabic peoples.

This is NOT the real Egypt.

The other Egypt is the one you experience travelling independently. The chaotic and wretchedly poor Egypt. The polluted and politically corrupt Egypt. The Egypt that is overpopulated by a race of people who are passionate in their hospitality, welcoming to strangers regardless of their race or religion, and impeccably devout in their own creed.

Every independent traveller to Egypt leaves after having developed a healthy love-hate relationship for the country and its people. For perhaps no other industrialized country on earth presents a culture and lifestyle so dramatically different from Western civilization, not even in the Far East.

Things just WORK differently here, and the people THINK differently. For those of us accustomed to the efficiency of the West, having to sit down and have tea followed by half an hour of "Thank You's and "God willing's JUST to pick up some film you dropped off or to pick up your laundry can be a bit frustrating. Virtually every aspect of life in Egypt is AGONIZINGLY inefficient, thus the city never sleeps. There is traffic and commerce 24 hours a day in Cairo, though there isn't the frenetic pace of places like New York or Las Vegas or Tokyo. It just takes longer to get everything done.

The first thing to pack on a trip to Egypt is PATIENCE. An abundance of patience. The people here are not stupid or incompetent, as one might think from the rampant inefficiency of a culture that has descended from the most vastly intelligent and competent civilization in all of history. This is simply the way they have done life for thousands of years, and they don't CONCEIVE of anything different.

Example: Upon arrival at the Cairo airport, you exit the plane, stop by a bank window to purchase an Egyptian visa for $15US, then proceed through immigration and customs.

Arriving at the seaport in Nuweiba on a boat from Jordan, I expected the same.

NOT!

Upon arrival at the port I was herded into the immigration line, and I approached the officer brandishing my $15US to buy my visa. He took my passport, looked at it, and asked me where my visa was. I informed him that I didn't see a visa window and I was ready to purchase one.

"We don't sell visas here."

"Uh...okay. Where can I get one?"

"At the bank."

"Where is the bank?"

"In town."

".....okay."

So I got directions to the bank and walked to the exit which was guarded by a large man with a large gun. The door was locked.

"Excuse me, I need to go to the bank to buy a visa."

"Door is locked."

"Yes, I see that.... When does the door open?"

"Two o'clock."

I glance at my watch... It is one oclock. So I take a seat and patiently wait an hour along with the rest of the boat passengers who have finished clearing immigration. Finally, at 2 oclock the guard pulls out keys and unlocks the door and 200 people try to be the first person out. Finally, it is my turn to walk through the door.

"Passport please."

"Uh...the immigration officer has my passport."

"Cannot go through door without passport."

So I march over to the immigration desk (of course there's no one there) and finally locate the man who has my passport. He argues heatedly with the doorman and finally they agree to let me go buy my visa.

I stroll a mile into town and into the bank.

"I'd like to buy a visa, please."

"I need to see your passport."

*frustration building*

"Immigration has my passport."

"I cannot sell you a visa without your passport."

Basically more of the same went on for two hours, and when I FINALLY secured my visa and went back to Immigration I posed this question to the chief Immigration Officer:

"Does this happen every day?"

"Oh, yes."

"Do you think it would be good to invite the bank man to sit at an empty window for one hour a day when the boat arrives, so that passengers can buy their visa stamp BEFORE they go through customs?"

*blank stare*

"Don't you think it would be EASIER that way?"

He stared back at me with a look that indicated that the Immigration Officer was aghast at my stupidity. How dare I QUESTION the way things are? Things ARE the way they ARE and you DEAL with it.

This is a minor example of situations you will encounter at EVERY TURN in this country. It's best to keep an open mind and a great deal of patience. NOTHING in Egypt can be accomplished quickly. Just be patient. The only thing that happens fast is the speed at which the cab drivers in Cairo drive, ignoring all stoplights, dodging donkey-drawn carts and pedestrians, seemingly driving with a death-wish.

That said, if you travel independently, you will likely take home more fantastic memories of your encounters with the people, rather than at the monuments or museums. Here are a few cultural hints...

If you are asked to share tea or a meal with a family (even one you meet on the street), refuse twice, and if they ask a third time, accept. Tea will likely take you a couple of hours, but getting to see Egyptian lifestyle from the inside is incredible.

If you visit the inside of an Egyptian's home, don't compliment or admire anything inside it. They will feel compelled to give it to you. Also, don't "tip" them as this is deeply offensive.

Don't show anyone the soles of your feet or shoes. This is an insult, similar to flipping someone off in the U.S. If you must cross your legs, make sure both soles are pointed toward the ground.

End any statements regarding the future with "Inshallah." This means "God willing" and the Egyptians use it liberally. "Tomorrow I go the Pyramids, inshallah."

Do not wear shorts anywhere but on the beach. Women should only wear shorts on beaches populated by other shorts-wearing western women.

Western women will find themselves the butt of much attention and jest in Egypt. Egyptian men's perception of eastern women comes from the few films that reach the black market there, and this means "whore." The men are very respectful of the Egyptian women's sexual repression, therefore, they don't "get it" until they are married, despite the fact that THEY are permitted sex before marriage and women aren't. So Western women are an easy outlet for them. Expect mostly jokes, catcalls, and offers to have sex. Some more pushy types, especially adolescent males, will actually pinch or touch you in vulgar ways. Be strong and vocal in your opposition with the following phrases, increasing in severity:

"La!" - no
"Aa tilmasni!" - go away
"Itirim nafsak!" - behave

Other helpful phrases for anyone are-
"Salam alekoom" - Hello
"Mas salama" - Good bye
"Shokran" - Thank you

You will use the above three phrases literally a hundred times a day, so learn them.

A note for western males visiting Egypt: Do not flirt with or attempt to seduce Egyptian females! You may find the sport fun, even easy, but if a female is seen with a Western male and it is determined by her family that she has been "naughty" it literally means death to her future. The religious laws concerning a female who is not found to be a virgin on her wedding night are cruel and severe.

You will leave Egypt READY to be back in the efficient comforts of home, but you will leave feeling like you've truly stepped back in time and away from Western Civilization. Egypt is THE most exotic and "different" country I've visited, and I've been to 28 countries on 6 continents.

Enjoy your visit!

When most well-traveled people think of Egyptian beach resorts, they either think of "Sharm al Sheik" or "Hurghada." But vacationing in either of these cities is more like visiting Las Vegas these days. They are overcrowded, overpriced, and over-neoned.

For the Cairo-weary adventurous spirit, there is a small town north of Sharm on the Gulf of Aqaba called Dahab that reminds one of a bizarre combination of Jamaica-meets-Lawrence-of-Arabia. You'll hear as much reggae as Arabic music. You'll smell as much pot as sheesa (the popular Egyptian tobacco soaked in fruit juices). And all the kids lying around the pit-restaurants on the beach have dreds in their hair.

For luxury, stay at the Hilton (it has its own entry in this journal). For atmosphere, stay at Sphinx House (30LE or $5US for shared bath, 120LE or $25US for private bath with a/c), or at Nesima (rooms from $50, more upscale with a pool on the beach). If you're strapped for cash, you'll have a more adventurous time staying at one of the many beach camps (huts from $2 per night) scattered along the main drag. None of these places take reservations, just show up and if they're full, walk down to the next one.

There are plenty of restaurants, but my recommendation is that you eat in the Sheesa pits along the beach. These are large dug-out areas matted with Egyptian tapestries. Each "table" area usually surrounds a small firepit, and the menu will usually consist of food from the nearby restaurants, though some of the larger pits cook their own. Best items are the catch-of-the-day, served however you like, for pennies.

A MUST-TRY here, if you didn't do it in Cairo, is to have a sheesha pipe. It looks like a HUGE ornate water pipe, but instead of smoking the unmentionable, you smoke a very mild tobacco soaked in fruit juice. I can't smoke ANYTHING because of my allergies, and sheesha actually didn't bother me at all. There are few things greater than sitting around a fire under the stars on a Red Sea Beach and passing a sheesha pipe around the circle. Sheesha costs about 2LE per pipe ($0.50) and it lasts about 15 minutes.

Getting to Dahab requires either driving here in a rental (not recommended, but I did it!), or taking the West Delta bus. This is 60LE ($12) each way, and the trip takes 9 hours. Your hotel in Cairo can help you get a ticket and get to the bus station. Once the bus arrives in Dahab, you're not near the beach strip. Take a cab (less than 2LE) to "Masraba" for the funky beach strip, or if you're staying at the Hilton or any of the other expensive places, they're just steps away or a cab for pennies.

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UPDATE 02/28/2002
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A message from a close friend in Cairo reads: "Dahab got a new govenor and he has decided to try increase tourism. He has torn down all the sheesa pits and started pouring concrete walls along the beach and build a promenade. The people who went last weekend for the Eid said there is no reason to ever go there again."

Of course, if you've never been to Dahab, you'll still find it charming, nonetheless, but this news saddens me. North along the coast from Dahab all the way up to Eilat in Israel are hippie beach camps scattered along the coastal road, so if Dahab doesn't suit you, try driving or hitching north.
Dahab a charming place, though it's fast-becoming a more upscale resort, and in 20 years this place will look like it's big brother Sharm. So go now.

Upon return from my trip, telling people excitedly about climbing Mt. Sinai frequently met with blank stares. I was aghast...

Do people really not know what Mt. Sinai is???

For those of you who slept through Bible school, Mt. Sinai is the mountain where God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and told him to go to Egypt and set his people free. Then, after he had done that, God handed the 10 Commandments to Moses on top of Mt. Sinai. (Remember Charlton Heston in that old movie???)

So Mt. Sinai is one of the oldest and most famous natural monuments on earth (Biblically speaking). Whether or not you believe in all that stuff, an ascent of Mt. Sinai is still a pretty spectacular event, and I heartily recommend it.

The first thing to consider is that you're in the middle of one of the driest, hottest, and most barren deserts on the planet. So it's a good idea to climb the mountain in the middle of the night.

Yes, you heard me right...in the middle of the night! Everyone does. You start the climb between 1am (weaker hikers) and 3am (strong hikers) which puts you to the top JUST in time for sunrise. The descent in the heat of the morning reminds you how smart you were to start in the cool of night.

I recommend doing the hike independently, which means either having your own car (not recommended, but I did it!) or taking the bus to St. Catherine from either Dahab (15LE and 2 hours) or Sharm al Sheik (20LE and 4 hours). You can also bus here from Cairo via Taba (wayyyy out of the way, but only 40LE) and it takes about 12 hours.

Your hike starts from the parking lot at the gated entry to the monastery, about 1km northwest of town. The parking lot (depending on the season) will either be deserted, or filled with large tour buses, and there will be a crowd of bedoins around a fire that will swarm around you as soon as you leave your car offering their services as guides. A polite "No, thank you" should turn them away, but they will make all sorts of excuses like "Many trails to mountain. I show you one that is faster," or "Climb mountain very dangerous. Need guide for protection." Any excuse they give you is unwarranted unless you're a lousy excuse for a hiker. Just stroll past them and through the vehicle gate and up towards the monastery.

At the fork in the road, stay to the left of the monastery, and you'll eventually be wandering through some camel yards. This is a bizarre sight, in the middle of a starry Sinai night, to see hundreds of camels lying on the ground, belching and growling at each other, with turban-wrapped Bedouins crouching around dying embers and whispering, "Camel...camel for you..." as you stroll past.

You will likely attract a small following of bedoins and camels that may trail you for a mile or so. I think it's best to turn politely but firmly and say, "NO CAMEL, NO GUIDE" but it rarely works. The bedoin child dragging his camel behind him will no doubt reply, "I follow you. If you tired and need camel, I here. If not, no problem!"

RIGHT! Like he won't expect a tip for following your derrier up the mountain just IN CASE you needed the camel!

The climb is on a broad sandy path, and you'll see many forks in the path, but they all lead to the same place so just follow the tiny spots of light you see high up the mountain above you and you'll be going in the right direction. These spots of light are actually bedouin tea-shacks, and you'll be glad they're there by the time you reach the first one. The climb is VERY steep and it gets cold here regardless of season. In the winter, it drops below freezing well before midnight, so dress accordingly.

You'll be given numerous opportunities to ride a camel throughout your climb, and if the going gets too steep, you can always get on. During winter, a camel ride will run you 50LE ($10), or 40LE if you bargain hard. During the peak of summer, count on 150LE.

After about 2 hours of relentless climbing, you'll reach the end of the camel path. If you gave in, much to your distress you'll be told you have to get off and walk the rest of the way, but don't worry, it's only 800 steps to the top! A 5LE tip for your camel is standard, and politely refuse your guides services for the rest of the climb unless you NEED his help getting up those 800 steps.

After a glass of hot tea to warm your chilled bones, continue up the trail, which now consists of hand-hewn steps in the rock, each about 3 inches shorter than a conventional step which gets annoying after awhile.

An hour or two later, depending on your climbing strength, you'll reach the top, where you can rent blankets and mattresses from the tea shack (4LE each). In winter, you'll want them.

Find a flat place (there are more on the other side of the chapel if the first area you come to is already crowded), and settle in for the sunrise. It will start with a gradual lightening of the sky, which will reveal a sea of fog-shrouded peaks far below you, and reveal to your delight (or dismay) just HOW HIGH you climbed.

Finally the sun will poke its red head above the mountains in distant Saudi Arabia and it will be welcomed with cheers and applause from the weary hikers, usually followed by religious hymns in a handful of languages. Religious or not, there is not likely to be a dry eye on top of the mountain at this point.

Shockingly, many people just turn around and leave after the sun rises. I recommend that you stay and scramble around the peak and it's slightly lower alternate peak. Once full light comes to the mountains, you'll be shocked at how barren and rugged they are. I've never seen mountains like this anywhere.

There are two options for descending. You can descend the way you climbed, or you can take the better alternative, "The Steps of Penance." Sound a bit dismal? On the contrary, this spectacular descent via 3,000 stone steps to the monastery is delightful, if only because it keeps you off the dusty, camel-infested main path.

Descend to the valley with the trees in it. (You'll know what that means when you see it.) There will be a sign pointing down into the valley where you plainly see the trail crossing it. Follow the trail down and into this valley (called Elijah's Basin) and under the fragrant 500-year-old Cypress trees. Then you'll pass beneath a stone arch and begin your sharp descent through a rugged canyon to the monastery. It should take about 2 hours for this descent, none of which is hazardous.

The monastery itself makes an interesting place to poke around once you reach the bottom. It was founded in 400 AD as a refuge for Christians in the Muslim Sinai at the site where a bush was discovered that is believed to be the legendary Burning Bush. That may seem far-fetched, but at the time it was literally the ONLY living thing on the mountain, and it has since survived over 1,600 years and still lives and grows prolifically inside the walls of the monastery. The chapel is a must-see, as its carved wooden doors are over 1,200 years old, and the spectacular (but slightly creepy) interior contains a collection of icons rivalled only by the Vatican. Impressive stuff.

You can grab a cheap bite to eat in the town of St. Catherine at The Restaurant for Friends (on the left past the post office). This is where other hikers meet to share the cost of a service taxi to Dahab or Cairo.

The hike is 6 miles roundtrip, with an elevation gain in excess of 5,000 feet. It's no walk in the park, but the path is so well maintained that I have to say it's suitable for anyone. DO THIS HIKE, it will leave you with the exhileration experienced only by climbers summitting major peaks with major equipment...not to mention a funny tingle about walking across rocks where Moses recieved the 10 Commandments from the hand of God.

Cool stuff...