Al Mah Hata (Station) Damascus

... made box with “Syria” painted on it. I figured I had to do SOMETHING while I was over here to get the Frohlichsteins of Kirkwood, MO on the U.S. No-Fly list…

After stopping in a natural soap shop to buy about two dollars worth of soap (three hand-carved bars in neat shapes), I explored some of the residential parts of the old city. There were old buildings that appeared to be made of clay or plaster (definitely not brick or stone ...

... given the incongruences in our agendas (I mostly needed to run some errands), timelines (they stayed 2 days longer than I) and destinations (they were going to Lebanon next) it wasn't such a big deal. Besides, Damascus doesn't offer much by ways of sightseeing. Cath's biggest kick was being able to walk around by herself comfortably, mine walking around eating 50 cent falafel wraps, and Reuben's, after falling ill the second day, walking around ...

... me that are all over the Old City. People enjoy a cup of brew right there on the sidewalk. The guy bends over and gravity sends a dark stream of this coffee into a tall glass. This glass is communal and just rinsed out with tap water so of course I recommend passing on this because I wouldn't want anyone to get some Allah's Revenge a few hours down the road. But it is nonetheless an interesting glimpse into life over here and that is what ...

... to keep up a dialogue with a couple of young
Damascenes in a Merc who kindly give us directions in instalments
between traffic lights! The first thing I noticed about Damascus was
the scent of Jasmine everywhere, and truly wherever you walk you are
sure to catch its intoxicating perfume. Not least whilst walking down
the sweet path to Kate's maisonette, where we immediately make
ourselves at home whilst she fills us in on the work she is doing
here, and ...

... one day I can go back and visit other parts of the country but Damascus was really amazing and full of life. It was worth it to spend our time concentrated in that area rather than trying to run around from the south to the north to the east.

More later.

[NOTE: Exiting Jordan via land border costs a US citizen 5JDs and the visa costs $16 US dollars which is much cheaper than obtaining the visa ahead of time. So ...

... a castle) was next, after stopping over in a small town (not much to report on it to be honest). We decided to carry onto Hama so had our packs with us. Not the easiest as they are HUGE (we’re working on that). The first half was fine, but the final leg was in a packed minibus with our packs on our laps. The dude then circled the town looking for more people (not sure where they were going to sit)... but ended up not finding any more suckers. He then wanted to ...

... and colours are something to behold! The souq is a series of labyrinthine covered streets with amazing vaulted ceilings and strong shoots of light which have not altered for centuries! They sell everything you could ever imagine or ever need - olive stalls, nut stalls, spices stalls, butchers, remote control stalls, jewelry, Islamic inlaid wooden furniture, instruments, keffiyehs, soaps, carpets, material, leather and much much much more! For lunch we ate sheep heart kebab ...

... around. The Syrian people are also lovely as well although they don't speak much English at all but you can get buy not a problem. The Syrian people also look different as well some of them you wouldn't be able to tell if they are from the UK or Syria such is there coloring of their skin. Tomorrow I am going to head to Lebanon in the afternoon after walking around Damascus some more. I will prob stay 4 - 5 days in Lebanon before heading back to do the rest of Syria.

... Syria and is the place to go when visiting the country. The current Syrian president has been opening Syria up to foreign investors and they have been pouring money into the city, in fact just down from my hotel is a brand new Four Seasons Hotel. Damascus also has the honour of being the center of the Arab world for the year. Each year a different Arab city plays host to a number of cultural events throughout the ...

... in the Anti-Lebanon mountains to the northwest of Damascus. On the other side of these mountains are Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Seidnayya is the home to several orthodox convents. We stopped at the Greek Orthodox Convent of Our Lady of Seidnayya, the Lourdes of Syria. I am told that this is the second-most revered Greek Orthodox shrine. Is that right, Basil? The sick and infirm come here to pray at the icon reputedly ...