On the Penninsula

We spent this weekend on the Sinai Penninsula, and it was awesome! First the flight over to Sharm El-Sheik gave an excellent view of what the terrain in the Penninsula is like. I always found it astonishing that thousends of people could be lost in a "wilderness" for 40 years, as the children of isreal were. Now I am completely unsuprised, wilderness is an understatement. The Children of Isreal would surely of parished without divine intervention wondering around in that mountainus wasteland!

Mt. Sinai was about a 2.5 hr drive from Sharm El-Sheik, and when we arrived at 2 pm we could not see the mountain from our hotel, and we promptle went to sleep before climbing. We also played soccer at 9, and I discovered that you cannot play basketball style guarding in soccer. the rule made me relatively useless on the field... However the climb to the top of the Mountain was amazing!! The view was unbelieveable, and the clear night sky with a full moon soothing. I have decided that I do hate camels and tourists, they had a tendency to ruin the moment numerous times up the mountain. For some reason, people do not realize that if you turn you're flashlight off, you do actually see more than if you had it on. I did restrain myself, and all who envoked my wrath were spared. The 750 (not 3000) stairs of penatence leading to the top were the hardest part of the climb, particularly since I refused to stop and rest once as I made the ascension. I arrived first in my group to the top, and the summit beat out all other vantage points on the way up. After a hour and a half of waiting in the cold, yes it was freezing up there, the sunrise came, yet another spactacular sight that mere words cannot discribe as if rose over the peaks of the desolate desert mountains. The climb down was extremely more difficult than the asencsion, but we made it without incident.

Sharm El-sheik was were our resort was located. The place we stayed, the sofitel, was probably the best place I've stayed at for a vacation. Beautiful view, buffet breakfest and dinner, tons of stuff to do, all be it pricey. After resting the rest of the day after Sinai, and playing water polo for several hours, I experianced the buffet dinner. I had to make up for my relatively odd and inconsistant eatting habits I had back in Cairo. I at several plates of food, but the next days dinner topped that all. I had 2 full plates of food, a piece of cake, and 22 scoops of various kinds of ice cream. That ice cream was unbelieveable, and they were not about to stop me from getting my lions share!! While at the resort I also went snorkling along the reef, and it was quite an experiance!! The fish were exotic and beautiful, as well as the coral it self. At one point I was adjusting my mask, when Dr. Khater and Micah swam up to me underwater, I thought for sure they had plotted against me, but it was actually because about 50 fish had surrounded me! It was surely the highlight of my stay at the resort. The next day I also went horseback riding on the beach, my guide was excellent and I had a good time. I wish I had the oppertunity to ride much more, but it is an expensive sport in the States. While I am well, there is a girl in our group who got bite by some kind of spider, she has a huge black spot on the foot where she was bitten, I don't think it is a good thing.

Now we are back in messy, loud and smelly Cairo, but I really don't mind! Resorts are a bit too touristy to stay at for too long. We're back to the daily grind, and we are all coming to the realization that we have less than 2 weeks left, 11 days to be exact before be board the plane to return to the States. I miss everyone back home, and part of me is looking forward to returning to familiar people and familar thing, but Cairo is an exciting place. I probably wouldn't want to live if I lived in a more settled atmosphere, living out of a suitcase and dealing with the difficulties of loundry, taxies, and food grows tasking since it is extremely difficult to develop consistant patterns for unentertaining tasks. I hope everyone back home stays safe and, I must say, I am disappointed by the lack of comments this time around! But thats alright, I don't really respond to them so that may be my doing... Farewell, you'll hear from me in afew days!

Greg