Dahab, Egypt

I spent Tuesday afternoon snorkeling at a place called Eel Garden on the north end of Dahab. Out beyond the beautiful reef is a deep sandy area with hundreds of eels anchored by their tails in the sand, swaying with the current in a hypnotic, serpentine fashion. It was mezmorizing, and creepy.

I have no idea what I did on Wednesday.

Yesterday (Thursday) I took a bus to St. Katherine's Greek Orthodox Monastery at the base of Mt. Sinai. After checking into the monastery guesthouse I took a short nap before climbing the mountain in the late afternoon. It took about 2 1/2 hours to get to the top, and an hour and a half to get back down. God told me to tell you that it's none of your damn business if He spoke to me or not.

This morning (Friday) I visited the monastery itself, which boasts the biblical Burning Bush in its courtyard. The bush was not aflame when I arrived, but with a little flick of my Bic that puppy lit right up!

I am back in Dahab tonight. When I arrived in the village this afternoon I was stunned to see a mountain range off the coast (it hadn't been there before, I swear). It turns out this is Saudi Arabia, a mere 17 kilometers across the Gulf of Aqaba.

The call to prayer is ringing out, so I must go (the local muezzin clearly smokes too much -- his raspy voice always sounds painfully strained).

(Photo by Eric: The view from atop Mt. Sinai, Egypt)