Post by SurreymanPost by a425couplePost by SurreymanPost by a425couplePost by SurreymanPost by SolomonWDid not impress me much.
Its high on my todo list.
The south/central Sinai has glorious desert scenery inland if you're with people who know where to go - including around Mount Sinai itself & St. Catherine's Monastery which must themselves attract as well as for the scenery?
Agreed that the northern areas are relatively uninteresting.
After an unexpected delay, we just got home.
Yes we went to Mount Sinai.
Just spectacular scenery and geologic formations.
Both I and my wife chose not to climb it
because it would have been in late afternoon
and descend in the dark.
Also, plenty earlier walking, and bus travel
had already depleted hydration and swollen
the feet.
Yep, something else, ain't it!
I would have loved to have spent more time at the monastery on the several occasions we've passed through that area - but without those coach crowds!
Due to Covid, nobody was being allowed in.
We just saw it from the outside.
You can view it on Google Maps,
st. catherine's monastery sinai
Post by SurreymanWorse - I hear there's a xxxxxxxx air strip there now, built since our last visit - correct?
No airstrip visible close by.
Go ahead and check it out for yourself on Google maps satellite view.
Oh,, well maybe -
St. Catherine International Airport (SKV)
Airport
but that is around 5 miles away.
Plenty of motel or residential building going on.
Try viewing this
Plenty of road block security heavy check points.
I swear if it was not for all the terror threats,
Egyptian employment would drop 20 %.
The idea of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood
just got our tour guide livid.
Post by SurreymanWe always trekked the Sinai (camel, not foot!) - just always seemed far more appropriate and meaningful for some reason.
Sounds neat. Personally, I did not care for the
short rides I had.
Thanks so much for your remarks.
Good God, it sounds like a world removed since we were last there - but that was the '90s!
We were always allowed in, but only tried once, and the heaving masses (literally) completely repelled us!
Motel and residential building? The whole area for some distance used to be pure desert apart from the (relatively new) tarmac road. Sounds horrible.
Re security, we loved the sign we saw somewhere in the Sinai saying "Please place found mines in box" !!!!!
We loved camel trekking. Our notable one was following Lawrence's (supposed!) route from Aqaba to Suez.
We always had in mind the mammoth (50-day) trek from Morocco to Timbuctu, but politics and age overtook us!
Sorry to carry on, but you've hit one of my buttons! :-))
Go ahead and "carry on" all you want to my friend.
The newsgroups have gotten either very thin,
or very thick and gibberish.
We have a right to visit and reminisce if we wish to,
and have the energy and attention span.
Our tour guide was a Muslim who nearly had a PhD
in comparative religions. Quite open especially to Coptics.
Very pro Camp David
Post by SurreymanPost by a425coupleThe idea of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood
just got our tour guide livid.
I had "Shifting Sands" in which one Egyptian author
bemoaned the fact the Egyptian military failed
at it's 'assigned' task, destroying Israel, and
'sadly' then turned to suppressing the populace
and prohibited democracy.
The guide's views were so strong, we did not get
to any discussion of military denying democracy.
He very strongly believed the military saved the
country by kicking out Morsi and keeping the
Muslim Brotherhood under firm observation.
I used to think 'democracy' was the best thing ever.
Now, I'm not convinced that we should fight to
spread it.
Afghanistain would tend to show,, not worth it.
Egypt's President Morsi (2012–2013) is also scary.
Who would win an election in Russia?
Who would win an election in Iran?
Who would win an election in Venezuela?
Egypt's President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi may not
have been elected by a citizen majority,,
but at least so far seems to be striving for
peace and spreading progress for most citizens.
By the way, the first several days it was just
my wife, I, our guide, and a driver, with out
assigned security. After about 10 more had joined
and we used a real bus, we had an Egyptian plain
close officer in the bus, and always one or two
guard vehicles.
Almost always one 'guard' vehicle was a police
4 door pick-up with canopy over rear end.
Back 'tailgate' had an opening with always one
officer with an automatic weapon pointing out
the slit in the window. Always driver, passenger,
and two officers in rear.