From the Red Sea to Mount Sinai

Sharm el-Sheikh & Mount Sinai, Egypt 🇪🇬

This was not the plan.

That morning, we had been scuba diving in the Red Sea.
By sunset, we were about to climb Mount Sinai in ballerina shoes and flimsy tops, with half a Twix and one cup of tea between us.

To be fair we were the numpties who had booked both excursions in advance.
We just hadn’t entirely understood what we had booked, despite being two relatively well educated individuals.
We just wanted to cram everything in.

Our plan was: we’ll go back, have a nap, then hit St Catherine’s at night.
Off we’d go see the mountain, see where Moses got the commandments and come back. Simple.
We’d be back in time for our Renaissance buffet breakfast and a recovery day by the pool.

We got ready, as if we were going into Sharm El Sheikh centre for a wander.
Didn’t take too much money as it wasn’t needed as we’ll be back in a couple of hours.

Then our guide arrived to collect us.

Everyone else was dressed in proper hiking gear. Take it easy, we only going for a quick wander we thought.

Then the guide causally informed us that we wouldn’t be getting back until after midday the following day.
And as an added treat, there would be a visit to the Papyrus Museum.

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What did he just say?, nah that can’t be for real?
The reality began to sink in.
Oh crap, what have we done ?!

We started climbing, embracing it at first, chatting away.
Slowly the excitement wore off and it started to get very cold.

Somewhere on the way up, my friend and I got separated.
She was taking her sweet time; I had adopted a very different strategy – keep up with the guide and just get the bloody thing over with.

Eventually, I made it to the summit. Around me, everyone was having their beautiful Mount Sinai moment, gazing romantically at the sunrise. My friend was nowhere to be seen, I was freezing, legs shaking from exhaustion, and my stomach started gurgling.

Great there’s no bloody toilet paper.

Eventually my friend appeared. We took our own ‘romantic’ pics.
Amazed we had made it to the top and started making our way down.
At which point my ballerina shoes slipped and slid, taking me with them.
Grazed knee and palms, face like thunder I stormed down to the finish.

By the time we reached the bottom, the guide announced that it was time for the Papyrus Museum.

Nah you’re alright mate! We’ll wait this one out.

We had lost all interest in culture. We wanted our hotel, our beds, and preferably never to see another mountain again.
We sneaked on the bus and lay down on the back seats until everyone was done.
Wishing they would stop being blooming tourists and just hurry up.

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When we finally got back, we collapsed.
After a day that had taken us from scuba diving below sea level to the top of Mount Sina and back again,
we felt almost intoxicated with exhaustion.

At some point, housekeeping knocked. I stumbled over to open the door.
The poor man looked at us and asked, ‘Are you okay? Do you need me to call a Doctor?’

From somewhere behind me, my friend was calling out her brother’s name. He wasn’t there.
She was so exhausted she barely knew where she was. Housekeeping just looked at me slightly alarmed.

Amazingly we were fine. It just took sleeping for 24 hours straight.
Two supposedly sensible professionals who had booked scuba-diving and Mount Sinai back-to-back, climbed a mountain in ballerina shoes, shared half a Twix, and somehow thought the people wearing hiking boots were the dramatic ones.

Next time, definitely reading the excursion fine print.

Have you ever had a trip that went completely off-script?

I’d love to hear your story to -leave it below.