2011 08 17 My 60th birthday

I have had my 60th birthday and it was fabulous. The day started here in Sharm El Sheik with Angie and I taking the free hotel bus from our hotel, Luna Sharm to the hotels beach with friends. Angie decided to stay at the local beach while I walked along the beach for around 20 mins, past a Police point to a beach where we were able to swim through a small gap in the reef into open water. I was with a friend Jane,( http://www.lizzybus.com ) who is an experienced diver and had been looking at this reef for 2 months. Jane took me along the reef to an area where there are 3 pinnacles and fabulous fish. After 2.5 hours we came back to Angie and after a cold drink we took the bus back to our hotel for lunch, which was part of our all inclusive package. After an afternoon by the pool we prepared for our trip to Jabel Musa (Mount Sainai). We were picked up at 9pm and drove for 2 hours to the national park where the mountain is located. Once at the base of the mountain we were introduced to a Bedouin guide called Hassan; a 25 year old who was very slim, handsome and spoke good English, Russian and Italian. We set off at 23.30 with a group of 7 in complete darkness, lit only by moonlight. It was hard going and after 2km I took the option of a camel to take me part of the way. The camel owner walked alongside and behind his camel giving commands in Arabic. After about an hour we arrived at a point where camels could go no further. I waited in darkness for Angie and Hassan to arrive. Eventually after some time they arrived and after a brief rest we set off for the hardest and last part of the climb to the 7400ft summit. This was very hard for me and I stopped to rest at regular points trying to keep my heartrate down. We arrived at the summit at 04.45 and found a rock we could sit on facing East. At 05.08 the sun poked its head over the horizon. A cheer went up from the other people who had made the climb. I tried to film the period while the sun made its appearance and by 05.30 we started our descent. Angie found the descent much more difficult than the ascent, while I found it easier.

We arrived at the base and the Monastery of St Catherine at around 07.30 where Hassan guided us to a cafe for Egyptian tea, although he would not join as as we still had 11 days of Ramadan. Our tour guide then arrived at 08.30 and took us to a local hotel for breazkfast which was pretty basic. We then loaded back into the minibus and went back to have a guided tour of the Monastery. Although it is arguably the oldest monastery (AD30) on the site of the burning bush, I was not hugely impressed.

The highlight had to be seeing the sun rise from Jabel Musa. A fantastically memorable experience. Pictures to follow