Beit Al-Joury Damascus

... and his (always his) hand moves captivatingly over the heart. An understated return of similar gesture, and all is in harmony.

There is no word in English to express this gesture. "Hi" doesn't cut the mustard. "How do you do" can be full of pomp and expects a time-consuming reply.

The Indian head-wiggle, gently rocked sideways and back, seems to imbue similar characteristics to the heart-hand.

Both imply ignorant acceptance. You're OK, I'm OK. It's fine. No ...

... They seem poor and looked like as though shoe shining was their last resort. I got hassled many times (especially when they see the dirty and worn out condition of my boots) by them during my trip but after saying no a few times I normally get left alone. As I walked past the two shoe shiners as usual they try to get me to use them. I said no and walked on. But one of them keep calling out to me but did not follow, I just waved no and walked away. He will come back to haunt ...

... to try it and got a room no worries. The hotel is ereally cool as it is a 600 year old house with a really cool courtyard with vines everwhere and a lovely fountain.

As we only have a few days here we set off to the Old City and wandered around the myriad souks, watching the goings on of the locals and soaking up the atmosphere of one of the oldest cities in the world. We went to see houses built 100's of years ago, saw roman ruins, drank tea with local ...

I've wandered into the belly of the beast so to speak when it comes to countries that are a thorn up the US's butt but politics aside this is turning out to be a fascinating adventure. First off, the people are about as nice as any I have come across in my travels. I'd have to say Bosnians and Syrians take top place for friendliness and helpfulness. I am not so naive to believe that there aren't fanatics who hate me just for being the infidel but I am around average ...

... was getting good hands for the most part). [That nearby dude ended up being an Egyptian guy I will now refer to as our Uncle because he was always around giving us suggestions for restaurants and sights, etc.] The best part about whooping ass in card games I hardly know (fine, I actually tied), was (1) carrying on the family legacy, and (2) when we were done and it was the wee hours of the morning, all we had to do was walk about 20 feet to our apartment. Very ...

... and there is usually a small water feature in the middle of the courtyard. We finished our lunch with fresh cool watermelon, ready to face the mid afternoon heat once more. We visited a few more beautifully restored Ottoman style houses, looked at a few churches in the Christian quarter and then spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by the pool at the Cham Palace Hotel. My tummy was starting to make a few strange noises so I welcomed the respite from the hustle and bustle outside.

... centre of the Mosque is a tomb said to contain the head of John the Baptist, found when excavations began for the Mosque. John is revered by Muslims and Christians alike. Local people continually came up and dropped donations inside the tomb, whilst workers diligently polished the ...

... passed on the lamb's brain for some other traditional foods such as a dip made with red peppers, walnuts, and pomegranates, a fresh green salad with grilled cheese and a citrus dressing, and a chicken cooked with sumac and wrapped in Arabic bread and deep fried. The food was magnificent and we ate till we were completely stuffed. But then the waiters brought out a plate of cookies and a plate of fruit. We were so stuffed from ...

... majlis room, tapestry room, weaponary room....there was no photography but I took a few sneaky ones without flash. Chilled out over mint tea at Al Nafoura, a traditional cafe tucked behind the mosque, locals sipping tea and indulging in some shisha. Tummy's rumbling we headed to Leila's restaurant for some local fare, set in a lovely courtyard (a reoccuring theme), only downside was that it took far too long to get our food and we were the only ones there eating! The ...

... were quite Byzantine too. Walked through Souq al-Hamiddiya, named after Sultan Abdulhamid II. It was a taller version of the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. The products and people were exactly the same. Had pistachio covered ice-cream at one of the ice-cream shops inside the Souq. Excellent. The Tomb of Saladin Eyyubi was a disappointment. And so was the ethnography museum inside Azera Palace, where the Ottoman governor used to live. I decided not to visit anymore etnography ...