Special Sunrises

This morning, there was a really beautiful sunrise. That's one of the good things about Winter, the dawn is near the time we would get up. This one was all rosy and streaky , little White puffy clouds and clear blue sky. It seemed to take up the whole of the East, stretching all the way round to far off places.

Watching the sunrise, I remembered the most spectacular dawn seen from the top of Mount Sinai. It must be the best place in the world to watch the sun come up. We went there about 7 years ago, with an organised group. We drove by coach across the magnificent Sinai desert, marvelling at the beauty and the variety of colours of the sandstone. It seems remote and empty, but every so often we would stop and Bedouins would appear to sell us their wares. As the sun set, the scrubby bushes looked as though they were on fire. Our Egyptian guide, talked to us about his culture and history, with warmth and humour. He told us that yes, they are allowed to have lots of wives, but not many people can afford more than one!

We stayed at a base camp, where Bedouins gave us tea to drink, sitting on rugs, and showed us photos of their families on their mobile phones. They all liked Italian football and knew all the players. We had to go to bed very early so we could get up at 1 am. We drove to the bottom of Mount Sinai, in the dark.

As we started the climb, we could see a long, single file, trail of lights, winding it's way  into the distance.
It is not a difficult climb, but there were camels to ride for who preferred it. Every so often they'd charge past, often carrying tourists in flip-flops and beach clothes.

One thing I really liked, was that every so often there was a little kiosk selling refreshments, like hot chocolate and the ubiquitous mars bar (I know someone who ate one on the top of Kilimanjaro).
 They all had their permits displayed and were a very welcoming sight.

The night sky was just Amazing, awesome!  The stars so bright and hypnotic in their numbers. Vincent Van Gogh knew what he was talking about when he said, "I often think that the night is more alive and more richly coloured than the day". He Painted Starry Night when there wasn't all the light pollution there is now, and the night sky he looked at, was probably more like the one in Sinai.

As we neared the top of the mountain, the path was rockier and narrower. We were offered blankets to wrap round us while we waited for the sunrise. Standing there, surrounded by people of all nations, hearing a multitude of languages, everyone waited in awe. As the sun rose, everyone became silent, the mountains before us turned from pink to orange to gold. The vision before us was inspiring and exhilarating. The Red Sea could be seen in the distance. Very quickly, after that, everyone disappeared for the climb back down.
Our group lingered, wanting to reflect and savour the wonderful sight.

We slowly began our descent. We chatted with our guide, a young Bedouin. He told us about his family and friends. His English was excellent. He said he had been to Cairo once, but it was too busy and crowded for him. He loved living in the desert. Thinking of the vision of the star lit sky i could imagine how difficult it would be to leave .

Some years ago my Mum gave me this, she had typed it out specially:

"Lost,yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two Golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward, they are gone forever." (Advertisement in a newspaper)

Someone has said: "Yesterday is a cancelled cheque,Tomorrow is a promissory note. Today is the only cash you have. Spend it wisely."

It's a good thing to reflect on while you watch the dawn. Have a nice day!