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Dahab
This was the last leg of my Egyptian experience and somehow the most relaxing, despite being incredibly sleep deprived. I arrived in Dahab after a 20-hour bus ride filled with a few sporadic periods of napping. Dahab is a breezy little coastal town next to the Red Sea. It has several world renown dive sites and a very chilled-out atmosphere. I grabbed a kabab, signed up for some dives, and booked a trip to mount Sinai all upon arrival. The trip to Sinai departed at 11:00 pm and required a 4-hour trek to reach the top. Hiking immediately after such a long bus journey isn't my idea of fun, but because of the mountain's altitude, I had to climb it before I went diving rather than after to avoid Nitrogen Narcosis. 11:00 pm rolled around and I was so tired that I almost called off the trip, but the appeal of climbing such a religiously important mountain won me over. When we reached the final security checkpoint the officers pulled 4 Egyptian guys out of the van. After 10 minutes of waiting, three of them returned. They explained in near-perfect American accents that the Egyptian security didn't like beards, and so their friend had been held for additional security checks. The van rolled forward until we had reached the base of Sinai. It was an impressively cold night, one that felt far more like Siberia than Egypt. The climb was long and steep at some points, but this misery was all buffered by conversation with the Egyptians from the van. They were all in their mid-twenties and could have passed as Americans with their accent. They worked for an IT help desk in Cairo and were enjoying a 4 day weekend. The guys were incredibly helpful and friendly and are a perfect example of why I love to meet people when I travel. 
Keeping ourselves entertained on the climb to Mt. Sinai's peak at 3:40 am.
* picture taken from Osama's facebook*
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After 4 hours we reached the top just in time to watch the sun rise. The sun rose slowly illuminated the misty crevices below the towering mountains. Religious pilgrimage groups sang familiar hymns in unfamiliar languages, further enhancing such an incredible experience. We stayed there until the crowds were gone and the sun was high. Walking down the mountain took another two hours, and a toll on the knees. My Egyptian friend, Osama, joked that he would have to buy a new left knee when he returned to Cairo. Yes, his name really was Osama, and one of the first things he said upon introducing himself was, “You know, just like the guy you all had some trouble with a while back.” 
A small church atop Mt. Sinai. *This picture was also stolen from Osama's Facebook*
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At the foot of a mountain was an old monastery that supposedly housed a descendant of the burning bush. The “bush” was more like a tree and it was not burning. I got a kick out of all the people going crazy when they saw it like it was something amazing. We're all descendants of Adam, but I didn't see these pilgrimage groups going crazy and taking photos when they met other people... We got back to Dahab around noon and I slept through my scheduled dive at 2:30 pm. I did manage, however to wake up in time to meet my new Egyptian friends for dinner. It sounds strangely odd, but it seemed as if I was hanging out with childhood buddies from back-in-the-day. They were all so genuine and friendly. It could have just as easily been Chris or Brad sitting at the table. We followed dinner up with coffee and shisha and discussed everything from the aching legs Sinai had blessed us with, to Islamic dating rules, to where exactly the Cinnabon in Cairo was at.
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