The wonders of Sinai's wadis offer an entrancing weekend After spending 40 hours wandering through the wadis of the high Sinai Mountains, I have a new appreciation for the geographically challenged Israelites. Because if it wasn't for my Bedouin guide Mohamed Darwish, I might too have been wandering for 40 years. Over the weekend I hiked for two days in the shadow of Gabal Umm Shomer, Sinai's second highest peak, its battlements towering over me at 2,586 m. Wow, I thought, why aren't these spectacular mountain valleys full of trekkers or day-trippers, out enjoying the crisp air and biblical vistas? Darwish, aged 31, laments the loss of the Israelis who used to come to these mountains in droves before the Intifada. "Every weekend, there would be 80 or 90 hikers here, mostly Israeli tourists trekking the mountains. But now, no one comes. Only the tourists who visit St. Katherine's Monastery and climb Gabal Mousa (Mount Sinai), Darwish explained. After a stop at one of the two Mantra Road Houses, Cairenes head for Sharm El-Sheikh. The road sweeps along a wide bay, where oilrigs clutter the horizon. The turn off for St. Katherine's Protectorate is here, at Abu Ridese, the road to peace, if not salvation. It is a lost secret. Like the lost tribe of Israel, the mountain wadis with their high walls and serrated cliffs are deserted except for occasional Bedouins tending a garden or maintaining a well. From St. Katherine's village a guide and camel will cost around LE 75 per day and then it is a short transfer to one of the many trailheads. But the best part of the secret is that you do the hiking and the camel carries your water, bedding, bottles of wine and the kitchen sink if you so desire. With this type of haulage company, you and your party can cook up a feast, sleep amongst the boulders and enjoy the hike unencumbered by a weighty pack and aching back. At the El-Nahy Saleh checkpoint leading into the St. Katherine's Protectorate, walking trail guides for Mount Sinai, Gabal Abbas Pasha, Wadi Arbaein and Shrayj and Wadis I'tlah and Tala can be purchased with your entrance fee which is LE 5 for Egyptians and residents or $3 for tourists. If you think that a day or two is not your style, Darwish also can help you book into an eco-lodge. You will get the same stylish Bedouin hospitality and have a base from which to take short walks, explore the monastery and learn the customs and history of the mountain tribes. It is another country out amongst the red granite and one where you need your passport. Much has been written of late about the mountain tribes' possible links to bombings along the west coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, but with tea in hand around the campfire your guide is more than happy to speak of Bedouin traditions and culture. In fact, Darwish speaks English, Hebrew and Greek, which he learned growing up around the monastery. It is great fun careering along the wadi. Scrambling over boulders and down drops, which during a storm, must make for spectacular waterfalls? In Austria tourists pay big money to go canyoning, but here you don't need a wet suit, only a sense of adventure and your weekend fix will be well satisfied. It is amazing what the Bedouin grow in their gardens. At one point I came across a lush crop of what I presumed was a type of lettuce. With the occasional palm tree you ask the inevitable question, where does the water come from? The wadis are studded with wells, dug by hand, 10 or 12 m deep that tap into the water table. PVC piping carries the water, with the help of gravity, as far as El-Tor, I was told. When not skipping over boulders, much of the day is spent at a leisurely stroll, staring in awe at the perfect "Windows 2000 blue sky. So, dare I say it, get away from the computer screen and drop out for 40 hours along a Sinai wadi and you too will understand why those Israelites never wanted to leave. Of course he is not the only guide, and Sheikh Mousa at St. Katherine's village will also arrange guides, camels and an itinerary for you. But if at first Mohamed doesn't answer, try again later, as he may just be tending his garden or getting ready for his wedding next month, which I might just have to get back for.
