Nov 25, 2010
Dahab, Egypt
Elevation: Sea Level

Egypt, the place of Pharaohs, mystery, and endless sand. Yet I made my travel memory in the uncommon moments far away from the pyramids.

I ride in an overnight bus to Dahab. The highway ahead is cloaked in the orange glow from the street light. We travel further and further away from the cities and fade into gray. The moon is full tonight. She guides us towards future time. I look out of my traveling window and the sand dunes undulate in blue tinted gray shadows. The bus rattles on. The blue gray is over taken by orange glow. We swerve left, right, stop. Police check points. Orange fades. Back into blue gray again. There is no one on the road tonight but us. I don’t sleep. I stare out of my traveling window at the sand stretched out ahead not wanting to close my eyes on the varying shades of gray. Left, right, another check point. I look out at the chain smoking police man and smile. He spots my uncommon face in the passing window and waves us on into the blue gray night.


2am and at elevation of 1500m ready to trek up Mt Sinai. I follow the camel path with all the faithful up the mountain. All of sudden there are Bedouin men standing around. Why are they loitering about? Oh wait, that is a camel he is standing next to, its not a rock. The camels blend into surrounding boulders, distinguished only by the tassels on their saddles. They give themselves away with the occasional shaking of heads. There is that undulating blue tinted gray again. More Bedouin men, more hidden camels.

Eventually some opt for a camel ride instead of making the 7km trek on foot. The caravan passes me by on the trail in blue gray shadows of the full moon. Time folds itself and suddenly this is a caravan traveling across the Sinai for treasure, trade and glory, not camels carrying those with weak knees and lazy tourists.

5am and I am on top of Mt Sinai. The sky starts to break with the first hint of orange. It will be another hour before the blue gray gives up its claim on the land. The hand over is a gradual process in these early hours. Orange red takes over incrementally with violets acting as agents in between. All of sudden sounds of hymns and prayers rise all around me. I don’t understand nor subscribe to the hymns nor the prayers. Yet this sunrise on top of Mt Sinai is made more significant by it. I fill my heart with the prayers I don’t understand and let the hope for a better future for us all rise with the sun.

What are some of uncommon moments and places you’ve made your travel memory?!

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