Desert Adventures

Once again, we took off and left Sunrise Lodge to our lovely guests (we’re totally full, of all totally wonderful people and that makes us feel fantastic!!) and of course Ahmed and we went into the desert for 28 hours.  We stayed a bit closer to home this time; with Yusef again as our driver, we headed in the direction of St Catherine stopping off at different places along the way.  We were invited for lunch at Yusef’s family’s house and then headed back out deeper into the desert, and stayed with Umm Rabia in an avenue of Bedouin tents.  As always, hospitality was second to none.

Personally, it was a pretty momentous trip for me as it was my dad’s first visit to Egypt – it’s always brilliant to share this country with people who are seeing it for the first time.  He was totally bowled over by the generosity and warmth of the people he met along the way, and baffled by the awesome geology of the area.

Whilst most tourists who visit Dahab pay an overnight visit to Mount Sinai, more should consider a longer adventure, taking in more of the local area and Bedouin culture.

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A portrait of Yusef as taken by Salma, aged three =)

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The transformation to Sheikh Suleiman begins....

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The Oasis at Ain Khudra in the background

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The view to the oasis -- without tourists

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Not a terribly good picture of the Bronze aged burial ground... there are many many tombs, and this just shows two. But it's interesting how well they blend into the scenery, almost emulating the natural scenery around them

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The obligatory frolic in the sand dune

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Exploring the "Zigzag Canyon"

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One of the tastiest lunches ever eaten, prepared for us by Yusef's family at his house in St Catherine

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And the transformation to Sheikh Suleiman is completed

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Our very considerately quiet neighbours for the night!

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Our tent for the night - very spacious, superbly equipped and great views!

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Umm Rabia preparing the morning tea

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Some traditional flute music before we left

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Time for a quick visit to the monastery at St Catherine

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The beautiful gardens at Fox Camp