Sunrise Mission : Sinai

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Ever since I was in high school, I had dreamt of travelling to Sinai Mountain that located in Sinai Peninsula of Egypt that is a possible location of the biblical Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai was the place where Prophet Moses received Ten Commandments.

 I wanted to see the mountain that I learned in the books, the mountain that received numerous attentions because of its unique histories. It was, thus, incredible - surreal even when I found myself woke up at 1 am in the morning and hiked the humongous mountain, hours away to witness the beautiful sunrise I had always wanted to see.

 My first day in Sinai, I woke up in a dust bowl. Far away from the metropolitan city of Cairo, Sinai's historic hub most often seen by tourists, I'd found myself in mediocre mobile coverage area with very limited Internet connection, surrounded by vast mountains and let's be honest, sands.


It was a very cold morning. I closed the door of my hotel room and walked into the clearing that we were told the night before. Tiny brown rocks crunch under my hiking boots. 

"It's a long journey up." I said to myself. The self-doubt kept invading deep inside my mind, reverberated between my ears.


From rock bottom, the view was cloudy and the visibility was completely covered in darkness, making our journey harder.


"What am I doing?"

"Why the heck am I doing this?"

It was hard to hear my own words over the grogginess wrenching my whole body and hovering in the corners of my mind. Everywhere hurt. I had bruises all over my feet, my calf muscles was strained for quite a while. There's no easy way to get atop of Mount Sinai : except for the camels. The mountain have no intention of becoming less than they are, so if I want to get atop of the mountain and see the infamous sunrise, I need to quicken my paces and shut up.

Okay, I decided. I can do this.

I was strong, and I was brave. Nothing can stray me from what I was determined to do. I can do this.


Coming over the final step resembled magic, unfolding the vast scenery of completely breathtaking rock formations and mountain trails and even the exquisite monastery. 

The monastery was centuries old- right atop of the mountain, overlooking the valley that seemed painted in brown layers. Layers upon layers of sturdy firm rocks, with people lining in between. I saw a group of Japanese prayed when the sun finally risen.


I could breathe again. Just like that, all my self-doubt and exhaustion were swept away. Instinctively, I whispered to myself, "I made it." The words gnawed on the ends of the breath I was still catching, a heaviness escaping.

When a friend approached me, I swore that she felt exactly the same I did. Her small gaze lingered on me as she grabbed my arm and squeezed it slowly.

"We did it, babe."

I nodded. "Yes we did."


My eight hours time in Sinai Mountain encompassed magical experiences that only the depths of this mountain could provide. There was an undeniable theme threading through my trip: fostering deep connection with myself and the nature. Looking back on it now, I was glad I made the decision to kept defying my wills to surrender, they seemed to me gracious reflections of a person I am capable of become: strong-will and have faith in thyself.


Stay on the trail whether it was the mountain or your own life trail. To live our own best life, we have to try, hard as it might be, to ground ourselves in the present, awaken our senses, and soak up those moments.





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LadyA

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