Mount Sinai at Sunrise

I am so miserable right now. I woke up at 2am this morning to hike Mount Sinai. My throat was hurting and I felt like I was losing my voice. (Left - In the morning, we got some hot chocolate, which was more like hot water, and we waited for everyone to be ready. This kitten climbed on my lap while we were waiting. What can I say, animals love me!) That should have warned me off, but I was determined to hike Mt. Sinai and watch the sunrise.
Lyle was my hiking buddy and I am grateful for him because he was willing to stop with me. My cough got worse and worse as we climbed higher and higher and my throat really began to hurt. By the time they stopped offering camels, I was ready to give in, but I kept trudging on. The “stairs,” which are really boulders of unequal sizes and uneven shapes, were easier at first. Towards the end, I didn’t think I would make it. I was so glad when I did but that gave the cold a chance to seep in while waiting for the sun to rise! It rose around 6:30 which is 9:30pm MT, too late for our sunrise to be their sunset. (Right - singing on Mount Sinai). That would have been really cool.
Anyway, people sang hymns while we sat on top. I couldn’t sing because my voice was pretty well gone, but I listened. The coolest thing was when a group of Koreans joined in singing a couple of hymns. They got really excited when they recognized Nearer My God to Thee. Going down was a lot easier, but I still went slowly. People kept passing me and asking me how I was doing. I guess I looked pretty sick. (Left - sunrise on Mount Sinai). We had a devotional at the bottom that was hard for me to sit through. We then went back to the hotel to pack up, eat brunch and head for the border.
I was miserable the entire way. It didn’t help that when we got there I had to stand in a long line. We didn’t have too many problems except the guy at the border into Israel put a sticker on the back of my passport. That meant that they kept my passport for a while. (Right - watching the sunrise). Plus, they searched my backpack, too. I swear that they singled me out to make me even more miserable. The truth be told, I probably looked so bad that the guy thought I was a terrorist because they checked my passport for residues.
Finally I got across, put my stuff on the bus, and went down to the Gulf of Aqabah to sit on the beach and throw stones in the water. I was glad to leave, though. Our next stop was Kibbutz Yotvata for a break. I was freezing and Meghan determined that I had a slight fever. I slept fitfully and woke up in a sweat. I couldn’t seem to regulate my body temperature. (Left - the mountainous area near Mount Sinai). I was miserable.
Next we stopped at a place along the Dead Sea. It was dark by this time, so I couldn’t really see the Dead Sea, but I did touch it. I guess there are a lot of Russians in that area because all the signs were in Russian. I was so glad to get on the bus and get back home! We had to come in through the garage so as not to disturb the concert which was going on upstairs. Claire carried my suitcase to my room and I lay down for 2 hours. I am exhausted, sick, and cold. I hope I will feel better tomorrow.

Toilet atop Mt. Sinai Hiking down from the top Showing where we came from St. Catharine's Monastery The Gulf of Aqabah