After a morning ferry ride of 3 hours and then a 2 hour bus ride we arrived at the Tropitel Resort at Dahab in the Sinai Peninsular. This was to be our home for the last 3 nights of our Eqypt trip. 

The next morning we signed up for a camel and snorkel tour and it turned out to be a fabulous experience. First we were taken into town to get fitted with our snorkel gear and then taken to a spot on the beach where camels were waiting. We had a leisurely lurch along the beach atop our camels for about 1/2 hour then arrived at the Blue Hole. 

There were Bedouin style tents set up for our belongings and then we walked to the spot to start our snorkel. The first jump into the water off the rocks completely took our breathe away - it was soooo beautiful. We snorkeled through a gap in the Coral full of coloured fish mixing with bubbles from the scuba divers way below. It was quite deep (80 meters) and very clear. 

We could see the divers way below and a huge coral cliff face was to our right as we snorkeled with the current. We just didn't want to get out it was so good. Eventually hunger got the better of us and we bought a meal from the Bedouin tent, then went straight back in for another snorkel. This time the sunlight caught the bubbles from the divers below and it was like being in an enchanted world of colourful coral, sunlit bubbles and beautiful multicoloured fish.

The Blue Hole is also infamous for loss of life claiming on average about 1 diver a year. One walks past 11 commemorative plaques to the start of the snorkel/ dive entry place. If you were a bit inexperienced you think you would get the message? 

Reluctantly we left the Blue Hole but we needed some rest before our next big adventure which was to start at midnight - climbing Mt Sinai.

Mt Sinai was where Moses saw the burning bush and was told by God to climb up and there he received the ten commandments. Well I hope Moses was pretty fit because it was one hell of a climb! 

At midnight we left the resort and had about a 2 hour bus ride to the starting place. Then it was up, up up for the next 2&1/2 hours or so. We reached the top just as the sky was lightening and saw the sun rise. Atop the mountain it was about 0 degrees - we were freezing! 

Then it was the long haul down which was incredibly hard on the legs. St Catherine's Monastery is at the base but didn't open until 9.00am and we were all down by 8.00am so elected not to wait another hour as everyone was totally knackered and wanting to get back to the resort. 

On the way back to to resort we saw a road accident that had just happened with people not moving and looking rather deceased. It was a sober reminder that travel is dangerous at times.

Footnote: Saint Catherine Area (Mt Sinai) is a UNESCO World Heritage listing.