Exodus

This is roughly the route we took from Egypt to Israel, except we started in Heliopolis, didn't do the
circle thing for 40 years, and ended in Jerusalem by traveling up the left side of the Dead Sea.

While we were in Egypt Christian taught the book of Exodus. It was neat to read it and think about it while in the land where it happened, but what really made come alive was our journey to Israel stopping at Mt. Sinai along the way. We left in the evening and drove through the night, arriving at the base of the mountain around 2 am. We began the long hike up the mountain in the dark with the moon (or headlamp) to guide us. This was probably my favorite experience in Egypt simply because I love hiking and sunrises. We arrived at the peak before 6 am and got to see a spectacular sunrise. Whether or not this was this was the actual mountain that Moses climbed up to meet with God and receive His law on tablets of stone, it was an incredible experience and put things into perspective. We rode camels down the mountain, which was not nearly as fun as it sounds. It was actually quite a painful experience because of the wooden parts of the saddle that dug into my front and back every time the camel took a step as well as my camera that kept swinging and hitting my hip bone. Needless to say I had black and purple bruises for over a week and it hurt to sit in some positions. At the base we saw a monastery that is located at the supposed place of the burning bush. Looking around I wasn’t sure why Moses would be herding sheep out in the middle of nowhere (unless they ate rocks). There was no water and practically no vegetation.

Long exposure in the middle of the night (probably around 3:30 am)

The long exposure lets you see the light trails from people's flash lights.

Walking in the desert, I began to sympathize with the Israelites. It was soo hot and there was no water as far as you could see. Even if I had seen God miraculously provide in the past, I think I would have still doubted and complained to Moses that I was going to die under the intense sun with no water to drink. Again my Bible story images of what this place looked like were incorrect. I imagined a vast sandy desert to wander around in forty years. In reality, as we drove though the desert to Israel, I saw very little sand. It is very rocky and mountainous. I cannot imagine walking through the area with a whole people group and carrying everyones possessions and dwellings. It was not easy terrain to take a hike in.

We finally arrived at the border and were welcomed by the beautiful Red Sea. It was such a refreshing sight after hours of nothing but rock. Our Muslim driver was very kind and dropped us off at Taba, the Egyptian border city. We carried our luggage through immigration and across the border. We then took a couple different busses and finally arrived in Jerusalem after dark. It was probably around 10 or 11pm when we made to our new home on the Mount of Olives. We stayed at the Jerusalem House of Prayer. It was a very nice place to spend our last week in the middle east.

Beautiful Red Sea.

Jerusalem House of Prayer