On Top of Mt. Sinai

First off, let me apologize for not blogging yesterday. The internet was funky here for some reason, so that is why I'm behind. I'll do my best to get these out more quickly.
Anyway...
After two and exhausting days in Cairo, we traveled by bus (again) to an area called St. Katherine's. We had a short nap after dinner and got up at 1 in the morning to head to Mt. Sinai. Everything was pitch black and exceedingly cold. We were warned beforehand that it was going to be that way, but I can still feel the chill of the night. After bargaining with guides for camels, we were each placed on one of the massive animals, to take us up the first 3 miles of our 4 mile hike. Mine, of course, had a total attitude problem, took off without the guide and spent the entirety of the hike trying to play "chicken" with the other camels and people on the trail. Figures. Jacki and I were close together going up, and we enjoyed the darkened (or almost blackened) scenery and the immense nature of what we were doing. Soon enough, though, it was time to go up on foot. Our group was reinstated and up we went. Straight up a craggy mass of stairs leading to the top of the mountain. I thought several times of Frodo and Sam going up the treacherous stairs leading into Mordor, but kept that to myself. Our group barely made it to the top with enough time to find a spot to sit. Dawn was just breaking on the horizon and everyone was very quiet and still watching this amazing sight. There were throngs of people from all over the world and it was so interesting to see how we all reacted the same way. A lot of people starting singing, as there really weren't words to describe what we were seeing. As the songs progressed, others joined in, singing familiar tunes in different languages. Quite an experience. Soon enough, though, the sun was up in its full glory and it was time for us to head back down the mountain. Two things I neglected to mention were that 1. We had a guide and a guard keeping watch over our entire excursion. Neither of them were to my liking and 2. The camel jockeys had very specific ways of communicating with their wards, mostly by clicking at them, much the same way "that guy" at the bar clicks when he holds his hands like pistols and winks with an exaggerated smirk. Yeah, you get the picture. Anyway, our guide tried to keep the group together coming back down the mountain, but not only was there a mass exodus leaving the mountain at the same time, but we all finally saw the "stairs" we had climbed up in the pitch black. They were 100 times more scary going down, mostly unstable and not really stairs at all, but just rocks that have been worn into a path. All this to say, it was tough keeping the group together. Well, the guide and I had butted heads from the first (you know because I'm a white female infadel, and he's a pigheaded male camel herder), and I mostly tried to keep my distance from him. He eventually found me trying to sneak ahead of the group and wanted to hold me up until others had caught up (I wasn't about to explain to him that my bladder had reached full capacity after the 4.5 hour ordeal and that I was worried about the 4 mile hike ahead of me before there was an available bathroom). He responded to my "disobedience" by clicking at me like I was a camel and trying to herd me back into the group. Yeah, that was when my very thin rope tied to sanity completely snapped and I fumed the rest of the way down the mountain. Luckily, I wasn't alone in my grumblings. Lori and Mom were both suffering from similar bladder issues, so we took our own pace going down the mountain. We were all amazed at how the camels made it up in the dark as we slipped and tripped our way down the 4 mile trail. And of course, being the graceful entity that I am, I totally bit it and fell straight on my behind about halfway down. Yeah, that felt good after being up all night, muscles aching from exertion I'm not accustomed to, and being herded like a pack animal. I was in the best mood ever. The bruise became my first official souvenir from the trip and I was the only person to have one just like it (not that I was the only one who fell, but I was the only one who made mince meat out of my rear end). Side note: Pictures of the bruise cost extra. We were late (according to our guide) getting back from the adventure, so we had about 5 minutes to pack our things and get back on the bus. So much for breakfast. We were headed for the Red Sea and Jordan. Once we got to the water's edge, we had about an hour wait until it was time to go through customs and board the gorgeous ferry that would take us across the water. We were all entranced by the Red Sea, as it was the deepest blue we had ever seen. So concentrated and pure at the same time. We glided over the water while the sun set behind the mountains. Amazing to start the day on top of the mountains and finish it watching the sun drop behind them. As the sun set, the wind and water became much cooler, but we weren't too bad off as the boat captain played fun music and we really enjoyed our trip across the water. We docked in a little city called Acaba (Aladdin, anyone?), that was absolutely beautiful; set against the water with the clean white of the buildings (emphasis on clean) and the amazing (and horribly expensive) yachts docked everywhere. Most of us were sorely tempted to stay just where we were and not move a foot out of this amazing town. Alas, we were destined for another bus ride into the area outside Petra. As Acaba was my first experience in Jordan, I think I'll have to go back to get the full effect of it. I was too tired and grouchy to really appreciate just how spoiled someone could be in that little town. Next up: Petra and Jerash.