So after our quick and rapid tour of Cairo and Luxor we decided to head out on a Nile dinner cruise to view the sites at night and watch the belly dancer. It ended up being a hilarious experience with the "cheesiest" belly dancer we have ever seen, and a room blue with second hand smoke. After a few laughs and continual attempts not to make eye contact with the dancer (we didn't want her to come over to our table and try to get us dancing with her like the other tourists) we went up to the top of the boat and watched Cairo at night. I do have to say, Cairo seems much more peaceful at night, and the city is really "alive" and vibrant.
The next day we met up with our tour and did a quick visit of Coptic Cairo and then off to the Sinai.

Shawn and I at the top of Mt. Sinai

We met our group at the Victoria Hotel in Cairo, which was really nice. It seemed like a palace after hostelling it for a few days. After quick introductions and some lunch we headed off to Coptic Cairo. A few of us opted to stay with the guide and get a tour of the oldest Mosque in Africa, and we learned a lot about Islam. It was really interesting. Of course, I hadn't bought a headscarf yet, so the Mosque kindly supplied these huge green cloaks with pointed hoods which made me look like a goblin. (We did go back to the market in Cairo and purchase a scarf for me).
Our trip out to the Sinai was quite nice, we had a roomy air conditioned private bus. As you can see from the photos the landscape is stark and incredibly beautiful. We opted to hike up Mt. Sinai in the evening to watch the sunset. Some people rode camels, some took the pathway, and a few of us opted to take the "Steps of Redemption" 3700 steps up Mt. Sinai to the top. It was a beautiful hike. Shawn was of course bounding to the top like the energizer bunny with our guide Moses or Mosa in Arabic (how appropriate). We made it to the top in an hour and 20 minutes, found good seats to view the sunset and settled in. It was a beautiful sunset, and Mt. Sinai truly feels like a holy place, if only for its' splendor. We hiked back down in the dark, trying to stop at the local vendors on the way down to purchase different drinks and snacks. We all decided it was important to support these guys as they are camped out at the top of the Mountain and there aren't a lot of tourists who actually venture to the top right now (low season for tourists).
The next day we toured St. Katherines monastery with a tonne of other tourists. We did get to see the burning bush, and supposedly it does burn a couple times of the year. Scientifically it can be explained, as the seed pods are full of oil, and at different times of the year they get hot enough to spontaneously combust and burn, releasing the seed, but as with everything, people believe what they want. Interesting though.
We then headed to the red sea to a great little spot called Sawa Camp, where we stayed in rustic beach huts and went snorkeling. Shawn of course probably could have spent all day in the water, but I was somewhat chicken of the eels and other unknown sea creatures (yes, I am a wimp) We did go for a few hours in between sun bathing. The snorkeling was the best snorkeling that Shawn has ever done, and it was like a tropical fish tank.
Today we left Sawa Camp, and left Egypt. We are now in Jordan in their port city of Aquaba. So far my impressions of Jordan are that it is much cleaner and more modern then Egypt. Tomorrow we head off to Wadi Rum, where Lawrence of Arabia was filmed, and then we head to Petra the next day. There are apparently some great hikes to do around Petra that give amazing views, so stay tuned, we have been told there is internet there!

Paula, Allison, Courtney, and Laura at the top of Mt. Sinai

Shawn at the top of Mt. Sinai sunset

Paula and Ryan Howard watching the sunset on Mt. Sinai

The Burning Bush at St. Katherines Monastery (Look in the Rt. corner)

View of St. Katherines Monastery at the bottom of Mt. Sinai

Camel walking in front of Sawa Camp on the Red Sea

Fresh fish at Sawa Camp on the Red Sea in Egypt

Sunrise on the Red Sea. The hills in the background are Saudi Arabia