MAY 23 : TABA - SINAI - CAIRO, EYGPT

MAY 23^RD, THURS : TABA – SINAI – CAIRO

After checking out, we proceeded to Sinai, viewing the beautiful and historic Sinai Mountain, where on the burning bush, Moses spoke to God and later received the Ten Commandments.  We were taken by car from our bus, to steep hill where St. Catherine Monastery has been founded.  Here we saw the bush, which has been encircled and all go there to respect it.  We walked in the Abbey and saw also a mosque and church in it.  Here they show the old well where the Moses family drew water.  Around the wall panels showing the life of Moses.  Then we walked into beautiful Orthodox Church.  In this Abbey, there is Church (Christian, a Mosque (Muslims) and burning bush (Jews). Hence all Muslims, Jews and Christians come on a pilgrimage to visit this Citadel with imposing walls, incredibly rich in important religious and structures.

We returned to our bus via taxi and drove from Sinai to Cairo, 7 hours drive, along the Gulf of Suez, also underground tunnel of 4 kms through Suez Canal from Asia to Africa.  Had  Egyptian lunch at a restaurant, which was like previous lunches, of varieties of salads, hummus and fried brinjal in olive oil, herbs and chicken and sweet deserts.  Then drove to the city of Cairo, it was terrible watching unfinished buildings (not to pay taxes) and chawls, felt like Dharavi and Madanpura Road. In the city, there were modern buildings and checked into Move-n-Pick Hotel.  Beautiful rooms facing the pools.