Trekking in Sinai Mountains

sinai

Ok, after 12 days trekking in the mountains of sinai i finally found my way back to civilication, to write my first blog entry. rather i had the opportunity on my first day in dahab, but somehow it was already past midnight after i finished my last preparations for the tour, and i wanted to start very early in the morning on the next day.

I was a very exciting tour. before i started i was pretty worried about 2 obstacles: first i had to manage not to be seen by the military when i walk through the mountains, as it is required to take a guide here. some told me that they are patrolling quite freqently and everywhere. the other challange was to find water. but both turned out not to be a problem.

I met people only once during the first 4 days, because i avoided to walk through wadis (valleys) accessible by car (military). afterwards i didn't have to cross any single dirt road but met plenty of beduins everyday. everywhere i was cordially received and invited to drink shay. i returned the favor with gifts like postcards from austria, medicaments, food (muesli and pumpernickel bread is something exotic here),etc., and sometimes with cash, when i stayed overnight.

They talked very open about their occupation: 100% of the people i met in the remote mountain valleys were opium farmers, occasionally they also plant marihuana. it's not a high risk to do so here, the police is very easy to bribe, they told me. their traditional activity, to raise camels, seems to have almost vanished, though the camel is still the most important means of transport, at least here in the mountains. in a way they are still nomads, as they frequently have to return to their principal residence, to stock up with food and to visit their families. some of them have 3 or more houses in different places, if one calls these simple constructions a house.

the sinai mountains seem to have an endless groundwater reservoir. i supplied myself with very clear water from wells, not deeper than 4 or 5 meters. once i also found an open spring. one should consider that there was no rain since 25 years, and the beduins pump plenty of water to harvest opium twice a year.

the few women i met were not shy at all but very curious, bombing me with questions like their male relatives. their job is - of course - the household and to lead the goats (if they have some) to their grazing plains. somehow, here only the eldery women hide their faces entirely, except the eyes, the younger ones did so only in the cities i passed by on the way to suez.

all together there was only one unpleasant encounter, when some kids in a beduin village demanded money from me, threatening to throw stones on me. i gave them, what they claimed (about 35 euro) but soon received it back after i told my host(who knew the boys) about it.

i haven't seen much mammals on the way, besides the domestic ones. only some wild donkeys, and once the horn of a capricorn. the lattern one might become extinct here soon. many beduins told me they wouldn't hesitate to shoot a capricorn, if in sight, as their food is very expensive here.

now i still have 1 week, to go from suez, where i'm writing write now, to asswan. there are a lot of monuments on the way, but i have no motivation to visit them. i even passed by the saint kathrin monastery without a visit. some people might not understand this, but if i want to make a sight seeing tour nowadays, i make it on google earth. i prefer to walk through untouched landscape, and get to know the life of the local people.

ok,only for those who know the sinai and are interested about my itinery:

i started about 5 km north of the shahira pass between sharm and dahab. from there it took me 2 days to wadi kid, another 2 days to wadi tarfa (east of djebel tellot al djamal), then climbed on djebel umm shomer, descended through wadi seraikia, chareita and mear to the beduin village abu gedda where i arrived after 1 week. then through wadi hebran, kabrin, barabug to djebel tarbush, down to wadi slaf untill wadi feyran, where my tour ended. would be easier to show it on map, but they have no scanner here.