Desert Camp - Desert Camp – 130 km ^39
Spectacular desert mountain landscapes greeted us as we pedalled along, stopping
ever so often to enjoy a cup of tea. Eventually, the route left the ocean and turned
inland, soon reaching the turnoff to St Catherine.
Interestingly, Bedouins still lived in the area and wouldn’t be offended if one
sought shelter with them. This was, after all, the Sinai Desert. They were generally
honoured to offer hospitality to travellers. If you do, don’t overstay your welcome.
Bedouins believe a reasonable stay is three days. The first day is for greeting, the
second day for eating, and the third day for speaking.
Desert camp – Saint Catherine – 106 km
St Catherine is situated 1,570 metres above sea level, and the 106 kilometres
were almost all uphill. We barely noticed as the landscape was unique, and the
mountains changed colour from white, red, blue, black and purple.
En route, the way led past Ferrin Oasis, Sinai’s largest and broadest wadi covered
by plenty of palm trees. The uphill ride made reaching St Catherine, located at the
foot of biblical Mt Sinai, long beyond sunset.
Being winter and at altitude, the weather was understandably freezing by the time
we pulled into Fox Camp, and tents were pitched in a tremendous hurry. Ernest
made food, while I remained curled up in the sleeping bag.
There was no getting out of bed the next day before the sun warmed the air, and it
was 9h30 before we surfaced. Instead, the day was spent lazing around, solely
leaving camp to visit nearby St Catherine’s Monastery, constructed between 527–
565 AD. Saint Catherine has an old and fascinating history, important to all three
major Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism). It’s rumoured to be
the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments as well as the site the
Prophet Mohamad wrote about in his Letter to the Monks.
Fox Camp was fascinating, and by evening, we joined the other travellers in a
massive Bedouin tent where a fire was lit and it turned out surprisingly warm
inside.