Sinai
desert trek:
by
Hélène Ryles
In
the early hours of the 8th of may, I hugged farewell to my faithful guide dog
Bruce, for what I thought may be the very last time. I was very nervous by the
time I headed for Gatwick airport. Imagining
the desert as rather a flat formidable place. If the heat didn't burn me I
perceived the desert to be swarming with terrorists and deadly insects. Would
anybody (as well as Conrad) be able to communicate with me? As it happened, the
Bedwin’s we met couldn't have been more welcoming. Most of my fears were
groundless. I learnt a lot, and had
a really wonderful holiday.
It
was a pleasant surprise to discover some of the group had already taught
themselves the manual when I met them at the airport.
I was further reassured when our plane did not crash on the way, and
their wasn't a mob of armed terrorists waiting for us at the airport. Only our
guides, Tamsin and Mohammed. As far
as I could tell, the only Egyptians to carry guns were the police.
Fortunately, the temperature on landing at Sharma el Sheik was not
unbearably hot. It cooled down during our 45-minute journey in the jeeps.
I was surprised to hear that there were camels wondering about on their
own. Mohammed, our native guide had to explain that camels were intelligent
animals that knew their way back.
On arrival at camp I was further
surprised to feel how course the sand was.
Not just that but there were prickly little plants and a very dry tree
with spiky branches. I had a highly
enjoyable time sitting with the others round a bonfire, eating spicy vegetarian
food. That was followed by a night sleeping on the course sand, having rolled
off my sleeping mat. My 1st 5 days
were all sleeping on the sand.
The following morning started well. As we left for a walk along a rocky
path, by the sea, we were met by some young goat minder’s selling their
beadwork. Apparently the Sinai
bedwins specialize in beadwork, which many young Bedwin girls try to sell to
tourists. I bought some really nice examples of this.
The walk itself was highly enjoyable, although not at all what I
expected. On the way I met an Egyptian cat.
Unlike my own, it was very small and thin.
About the size of a kitten. The
walk was followed by a cool enjoyable swim, in the salty water.
This helped me cool down in the scorching midday sun. I had another swim
on the last day, in a beach occupied by a dolphin. The dolphin did not care to meet me. However, I did meet his
friend, a deaf Bedwin. I actually managed to communicate with him, with the help
of Mohammed who had learnt the manual. He said he’d swam a lot with the
dolphin, and it was a shame I hadn't swam with her too.
The biggest surprise, for me
was when, sitting by our camp fire,
Tamsin had to explain to me that the
next few days would be spent walking on rock, not sand. some how I saw the
desert as all being sand (rather like a beach) so felt somewhat cheated. I must
have seemed a real idiot. What I did actually experience was so much better.
We
went up and down mount Sinai, then along a rocky path to a Bedwin village.
The trek was tiring but great fun. Our leader Conrad must have had a
fright when he thought he lost his camera.
A Bedwin went back up mount Sinai for it to no avail.
Luckily, the camera was found. Climbing
down mount Sinai, I’d exchanged backpacks with Conrad so a rope could be
attached to it, which Mohammed held. Conrad swapped rucksacks because mine was
held together with safety pins. To make his pack lighter he gave some of his
gear to Ann, forgetting the camera was there too.
Unfortunately I was unable to complete the trek late on Monday night I
was sick. I was impressed with the way my guide hazel handled it. In fact being
sick had its advantages. The
following day I was the envy of the rest of the group by having a days camel
ride along a rocky path.
I
was quite moved by the loving relationship between camel and camel driver.
The camel’s saddle was heavily decorated in wool, fur and leather.
For mounting, the camel knelt, and I had to swing a leg over.
Next the camel rose in 2 big jolts, and we were off.
It was very different from pony trekking. A camel does not have a bit in
its mouth, and the camel’s vibes were good. It sometimes stopped for food.
Knowing which shrubs to eat, and which to leave.
As the route was extremely rocky the camel driver had to move away some
of the rocks while coaxing his camel forward.
It was really nice to pet the camel, at the end of the journey. I was
told it liked having behind its ears rubbed. Just like my guide dog Bruce.
After being sick again, I had to leave the group.
Tamsin made it up to me by taking me to see some of her Bedwin friends.
These Bedwin’s lived in a small village. In a house they built
themselves. While the women tend to
the goats, the men and boys look after the camels.
I
was really moved by how hospitable they all were.
As well as being offered frequent cups of tea, we were made a really nice
meal. The Bedwin eat together from 1 big metal plate. There were many women and
girls. 1 sweet little girl kept spelling her name on my palm. A young lady
showed me how the Bedwin women put their scarves on so they cover the nose and
mouth. This is something all Bedwin women do, over the age of 12.
She also showed me some of her beadwork, and made me a present of a really nice
bracelet. People keep telling me how pretty it is.
The best part of the holiday was when I did some sand dune walking.
The dunes were very high. As we scrambled up, the sand blew in our faces.
Near the top of the dune, it became necessary to dig my hands and feet in
as I kept sliding down. I stayed at
the top of the dune for some time, enjoying the sun and sand on my face. I could
have stayed there all day. We ran
down the other side. It felt like flying.
I was rather sorry to leave this holiday. Despite being sick, I had a really great time! I hope to return as soon as I can.