Sinai Diaries #2
Until 1981 this was Israeli territory, and the legacy is still apparent. We passed at least six checkpoints on our way to the starting point of the trek we were to take through the lunar landscape of South Sinai.
Now they are manned by Egyptian soldiers wearing light camouflage uniforms, who languidly smoke cigarettes in the hot sun, and Multinational Force Observers sent by the United Nations. Place names here preserve ancient histories – The Valley of the Gazelles is now desert, completely incapable of supporting these animals. An old sand-choked riverbed bears the name Place of the Mosquitoes, although the insects have long-since disappeared.
Our surroundings appeared inhospitable, but as we progressed signs of habitation appeared. Patches of scrub and trees betrayed the presence of water deep underground. The Bedouin have many uses for these seemingly unprepossessing plants: one settles a bad stomach, another is a kind of natural detoxifier, others are poisonous in large quantities, but have hallucinogenic qualities if properly taken – the loneliness of the terrain encouraging deep introspection. . . . [continue]