Then, if you remember, dear reader, life was a little different, although the country for several years wandering on the Oslo minefield to which drove its "progressive humanity" by bribing the Nobel Prize blinded by ambition of our leaders, imagines himself to Don Quixote . And we, for the most part blind, just by ear perceive their sugary nonsense, go dumb herd these selfish blind on mines, placed discreetly and cleverly, so that the density of the location and strength of the charges increase as our movement like an avalanche ... So, looking back from today, do you see in those times almost quiet and smooth, almost idyllic ...?

in May in Jerusalem was already the summer heat, in the afternoon at the mill before, to forty-odd degrees, good though that last week before we leave with a partner, Jacob worked the night shift. I can hardly wait for the end of the night, after which the coming weeks in the relatively inexpensively five-star "Hilton on the Red Sea. Early in the morning on Friday, as soon as we stopped the machines predshabatnogo nikayona, I dashed off to the bus station, where his wife was waiting with things and butt had the care of Eilat bus, and at two o'clock in the afternoon an Egyptian taxi already was taking us to the south of Taba, adjacent to the Eilat.?

In Egypt, we enter the third time, and no longer surprised or confused, eaten a lot of time fussing Egyptian officials at the border crossing, no dirt in a posh building custom, no broken, devoid of the usual amenities Bedouin minibus on which we rode, nor the society of our satellites - some dirty English hipparey, as I understood their conversation, the Australian students. One pleasure that ride was not far away, about an hour and was worth it to Israeli standards, insanely cheap.?

Until Nuveyby road meandered around the sandy beaches of Coral Bay Gulf of Eilat, we actually drove along a continuous construction: variegated hotels, inns and hotels. Are a large number of primitive sites such as "bungalows," but in the process of construction and many large hotels. The Egyptians, apparently trying to turn their allotted at Camp David dvuhsotkilometrovoe Gulf Coast in the World resort.?

And around the desert, where sand, where the stone, the air is grilled and dry, as the "prehistoric" homeland, Uzbekistan, and breathe in it, despite the heat as easily.?

"Hilton" was the oasis of green, suddenly emerged among the scorched desert. Its courtyard is built up three-story buildings and very well-groomed, he partitioned enclosures at two sectors in the center of each - the pool. All day beds and lawns on all fours crawling many workers gardening and just cherishing every bush, every blade of grass. Room with balcony is completely dragged by European standards, the "three stars", there was a complete gentleman's set: phone, on which it was impossible to make calls anywhere, refrigerator with soft drinks (extra charge), air conditioning, bathroom with shower and toilet, TV: Two Israeli channels, two Italian, French, German, Neyshnl Geographic, movie channels thrillers, soap operas, sports, some Arabian ... Two bed, chair, bedside tables, table lamps, wardrobes, dressing table. Furniture, old equipment is not in the best condition, but the bed is a good, clean, every day in your room cleaned, bed linen and towels are changed regularly.?

at the Hilton, unexpectedly for us, it was a lot of Israelis, families with children. I then explained that Nuveyba, located 70 km from the border, lets go from Israel to Eilat refueling, and on her return at once. Gasoline in Sinai, although almost much cheaper than ours, but he is so dirty that only one gas station spoil the carburetor. That is why, as the year before in Dahab, which is twice as far from the border, we met only a few horseless Israelis like us ...?

further relaxation would be boring even if it did not want to just relax physically. The rise at seven, somewhere up to half past eight swimming in the sea, then - the morning toilet in the room and breakfast in the hotel restaurant, by the way, say, a very good, then - an hour chatter over the green yard, and then - doing nothing in the room: a dream or only entertainment - television. Somehow the whole morning watching the ceremony at the Vatican at the Cathedral of St.. Peter. In general, for the Italian channels were completely transfer of grub: housewives and professional chefs to show off as they could.?

three o'clock in the heading for lunch, which, unlike the breakfast was not included in the paid program. Most often dined at the Grill House near the port Nuveyby, it was twenty minutes of the highway through the yellow desert. If it was cool, the breeze, then go easy. Sometimes take a taxi, it is inexpensive, 10 lire = 13 shekels round trip. District nuveybskogo port - is the "City Center" where are the police, post office, bank, school, mosque and bus station, in general, everything that is considered necessary in the first place to capture, Vladimir Ilyich.?

food in barbecue was very inexpensive, 20 lire for two halves of a chicken "al-ah-el," with a salad, and hummus pitami. Once dined at a cafe in the hotel, it was cleaner, but much more expensive ... Once went to place called Tarabin, where along the coast stretches bazaar. There, the fish tasted freshly roasted on an open fire (20 lire). They sat on cushions at a low table under a canopy on the beach. In Tarabini seen many young people, including Israelis, who for a small fee roost right under these canopies ... Unhygienic, but it is - not $ 125 per night at the Hilton. To each his own!?

Considering the previous sad experience of the Egyptian, Israeli when our stomachs, effeminate cleanliness and sterility kosher food (and I'll a miller, I know what it's worth!), Four days in Cairo and Alexandria disgracefully capitulated tamoshnih "haydakami" here, we went back to the hotel, took to disinfect for 50-70 grams of brandy, which, like beer, they brought in a soft, Egypt from Israel. Drank once a fact, to have time to visit all at least a dozen countries. Evenings on the balcony drinking tea with some biscuits, stuck in the morning in the restaurant.?

we bathed in the morning and after 4-5 pm until the sun goes down, so did not burn. As usual, the people on the beach used to little children and adults crowded around the pool. Early in the morning the beach was completely empty at all. Water, as in Eilat, just warm, 23-24 degrees. Bottom visible at a depth of several meters, are visible coral "bushes" and a lot of fish. In general, the Red Sea - is the Red Sea! ..?

When the sun is low, something made the fish jump out of the water. Brits flocks flew several meters above the water as silver insects. But it happened that the big fish jumped and two kilograms. At the coast, to the delight of children, spinning a healthy dolphin, who loved to swim with people. Malyshnya watched him from the dock: "Ima, Ima! Tiree Ayse Dolphin!"?

on the bank grew date palms hung with bunches of fruit, edible, but as they say, an amateur. If desired, you can rent bikes, Arabian horses, trainers, equipment for fishing, diving, volleyball, ride across the bay on the speedboat, boat or jet skiing. Evenings rumbled disco.?

Just before sunset on a voyage set off cargo ship at Aqaba (Jordan's port of Eilat, on the contrary). All this was very nicely against the backdrop of red rock mountains that frame on the opposite, the Saudi coast, the Arabian desert and the mountains of Sinai on our shore. In general, the port Nuveyby two runs: in the day at Aqaba walks passenger ship (I have not negotiated - indeed, the steamers with the smoke above the chimney, and not ships!), Who returns at night. In the morning look out onto the balcony, and he, Belenky, already standing on the dock! ..?

Thus, in idleness and nirvana, ran our days Sinai: swimming - breakfast, swimming - dinner at night - quiet hours by roaring air-conditioner (noise - almost like we have in the mill, I do not get used! ). And we wanted to romance, as in Sinai, about three and a half thousand years ago there were great events for our people. The Prophet Moses brought our ancestors out of Egypt, from slavery, and forty years the Jews wandered around the Sinai, where he received the Torah from God - a book of laws, which were taught to live by these laws and become a single free nation, not even squeezing out a drop by drop servile origin, just vaporizing it into an incredible heat and dryness of the Sinai. At the heart of the Sinai peninsula stands a mountain called Sinai in Russian cartography, in Hebrew - Har-Moshe, and in Arabic - Jabr al-Musa, the mountain is Moshe (2250 m). According to legend, it was her Moses communed with God, that's where it came down to waiting for him in the valley of the Jews with the Tablets of the Covenant ...?

One morning we saw an ad that offered trips to the Ar-Moshe and booked a place. Quite unexpectedly, in the evening we found the guy on the beach-organizer and said that the tour will be held tonight, the bus come for us at 11 pm and sunrise, we will meet on the mountain. Well, the night because at night - at least not hot. Dress warmly, - has warned the guy - it's very cold at night. Nothing but a pair of T-shirts we had decided that enough, but just in case grabbed large bath towels. At 11 o'clock at the gate we were met by the organizer. He provided us with a pair of electric lanterns and two cardboard boxes with dry rations, because we had just come back tomorrow at noon, when breakfast is over. At half-past eleven arrived minibus, which already had 11 tourists, and we went into the night and obscurity.?

Long Road (120 km) at night so we lunnoyu drove on mountain roads from the hotel to the center of Sinai - the village of Catarina. We rode almost all the time among some lifeless lunar landscape. On the road came across the place where the sand lay in the hollows of stone mountains. Sand beige, almost white, and moonlight - a complete illusion of snow. Passed through several checkpoint, where a very strictly checked documents in one place, even a passport was collected and copied all the data. In my opinion, this is one way to fight unemployment in Egypt - the fruit of the traffic police. Through these inspections revealed that, apart from us - two Israelis in a bus are citizens of Japan, Austria, Germany and the Palestinian Authority, all - boys and girls ...?

We believed that the car will take us to the summit of the sacred mountain, and there we wait for dawn, singing pioneer songs, arranging, if you can find fuel at Stone Mountain, Pioneer fire ...?

In Santa Catarina the driver dropped us off at a deserted site, released a bright spot in the darkness, where, ahead of us, one minute before one arrived a minibus, and told us to return to half-past nine in the morning. What to do next, it was not clear: dark, two in the morning where to go? We have heard that somewhere there must be a monastery of Santa Catarina and went, motivated by the herd instinct, wherever Poper whole nation. Two hundred meters of us surrounded by a crowd of local Bedouins who vied with each offering their services as guides. We hired a 20 lire one of them, ivritogovoryaschego, on behalf of Ahmad. Badawi that warned us that before the summit of the mountain to go have an hour or two and a half - three, and led to a broad trodden path, rising serpentine uphill. In the moonlight, flashed wall and gates of the monastery, and then we passed through a courtyard, apparently, a caravanserai, because there were several dozen camels with mahouts, who vied with each other to persuade us to take a camel, saying that the road is hard, it's better to go than to walk. But we walked, or rather, ran for our Ahmad. Verblyuzhatniki same all the way to continually followed us, making it difficult to walk and at every overtaking persistently offering their services. When the trail was provided in the shadow of the mountain, had to cover her way flashlights. Shoes have been not very suitable for such a campaign: his wife was in a frivolous sandals, and I - in the new sandals that I have not managed to properly deliver.?

Nearly two hours we were so in the dusk on a mountain trail, well, that was a full moon and the moon was high; ups grew steeper and steeper and the trail - even rocky. Finally, not far from the top, I saw that his wife was sour, and we decided to stop the rise in the end, here besides us, there was virtually no elderly people, and the greatness of Moses, we do not qualify. Ahmad explained that the latest rise - it's 50 steps, as he showed his arms, height 60-70 inches, and that of his wife in her shoes when she climbs on them, then go down to be a problem, though, he said, there is still and trail, but there is to go much further. Knowing from the Jerusalem experience, as my wife goes down even by the usual steps, I settled with Ahmad and let him go and he ran down, hoping to make before dawn one more round. We passed on the last instruction of our guide, even half a kilometer ahead and saw there "kiosk" - a small tea-house, where each drank two cups of perfectly brewed tea. By this time, came complete darkness, the moon went behind the Har-Moshe, the owner teahouse, a Bedouin, was going to pray, and we left the "kiosk". During the hour that we sat in the tea-house, passing us by dense crowds of people poured, followed the chain of camels loaded with rider, the audience was mostly young, but still sometimes come across and the elderly, and children. Schley large tourist groups: French, Italians, Germans, Germans, Germans, Scandinavians, Chinese, Japanese ... That's what this pilgrimage! Among them, marched Bedouin guides and verblyuzhatniki in their long robes and kufiyah, though descended from the biblical etchings Dora ...?

Departing from the "kiosk", we settled it on the stone in the trail, covered with towels as much cold. Sky to the east, opposite the Har-Moshe beginning to give a pale green. Past we had a group of Indians, it seems, the last for this night, they sang and blyamkali on some drums ... Far below, have been observed flat valley, where, apparently, once our ancestors awaited the decision of his fate, until Moses on Mount communicated with big brass. At the top is continuously flashed blitz lucky photographers who managed to complete the climb, we suddenly felt ashamed, and we rested, decided nevertheless to reach the goal. Fifteen minutes before us arose a gigantic staircase - Ahmad told the truth! And slowly, often dropping to their knees, we began to climb up the huge steps ... I think the recovery has taken no more than five to seven minutes, but it seemed that no end to it. And finally, we are at the top, among the hundreds of pilgrims! At this time behind the chants were heard and blyamkanya Hindus, and they appeared on the opposite side of the mountain, rising along the serpentine path.?

At half past six, plenty naschelkavshis camera and to the east - to the dawn, and the west - to the red and gold cliffs of Har-Moshe, the only released this incredible color from the rest of the mountains, we went back. Down paths, slowly, an hour or two and a half, and only in the morning could see where we were devils night.?

We got to the monastery, he is in fact much farther from town than it seemed at night (well, as we drove Ahmad!). The monastery, as it turned out, the Orthodox, Greek, located in a narrow gorge that were joined to an almost vertical rock wall. On the opposite hill, are also very steep, there are a few skits.???????