Al Patra Damascus

... present in Syria. These groups have the potential to be either the targets of or perpetrators of acts of violence. <br><br>U.S. citizens who remain in or travel to Syria are strongly encouraged to register at the Consular section of the U.S. Embassy in Damascus or via the www.travel.state.gov Internet based registration website, and to obtain updated information on travel and security in Syria. Those registering should give due consideration ...

... later in the day. <br><br>The national musuem, although seem a little familiar to me by now, was pretty good. It had the usual artifacts, both pre-historic and modern. But the most impressive was the synogogue from Europa Douros that they reassembled in the musuem. It looked very ancient and It had paintings on the walls depicting stories of the old prophets such as Moses. The musuem also had an art gallery which seemed to be largely ignored by the visitors. <br><br>After the ...

... racing around like little bumper cars. Yet as soon as that stick went up in the air, they would all fall quietly in line and scurry on with tiny,tiny little footsteps. <br><br>Speaking of people watching, Damascus has been a fascinating place for that. This city of 4.5 million is so diverse and different neighborhoods brought me into different ways of life. My neighborhood was more "upscale" than others and as a result more woman walked around without scarves on ...

... our Egyptian uncle we met the very first night while we were playing Trix (a card game) at the coffee shop and who proceeded to give daily recommendations for eating and sightseeing around the city. <br><br>I also left with some good purchases that I am super proud of, including a flamboyant hippie nargileh/argileh/hookah/sheesha I named Janis (as in Joplin), two beautiful pieces of silver jewelry including a necklace with the eye ...

... of the enormous and stunning mosaics go beyond their<br>beauty and age. Depicting animals and people, they would not usually<br>be allowed in a mosque but were left in deference to the cultures<br>that came before. Within the mosque itself, whilst the focus is now<br>on the southern wall facing Mecca, the structure still clearly faces<br>east-west, as churches do. And in the greatest challenge to the<br>received wisdom of a clash of civilisations one of the claimed ...

... We loaded all of our luggage into the back of the taxi and we climbed in and I fell asleep. When I woke up we were at the border and my dad had gotten us chicken sandwiches. I ate half of it. When we crossed the border into Jordan they checked our luggage and we were free to go.<br><br> I fell asleep again and when I woke up we were at my grandparents house. I grabbed a bag carried it up the stairs and went straight to bed.<br><br>-Maia Salameh

Let's start the shopping! I was already to get going but this wasn't to be an early morning as the stores don't open until 10:00amish.  So breakfast was with Anita and then parts of the group that were also getting ready to shop.  I had decided to go shopping with Tiffany and Lyle as they are easy to hang out with and we are shopping for some of the same things.  We had decided that we were going to the glass store first as we all wanted serve wear. First was a stop at Handi Craft ...

... times and then again reconstructed. The best is the open and amiable character of its citizens, like in the rest of the country, that make the visit twice as wonderful. After the daily routine of getting lost several times per day in the labyrinthine zouk, the best to get recovered from the cold and the exhaustion is to go to hammam, and even better, include a full massage and a skin scrub. After that one feels momentarily recovered.

... and was a touich worried about my standard of accomodation when I told him I was only planning on paying 500 syrian pounds per night ("Why don't you stay in the Sheraton..?" "Well, I don't have $200 american to spend on accomodation every night.."), and asked if I minded if he come in and check it out. It was a lovely old house run by some guys who quietly inquired "Is that your Dad?!?", what with Akouk striding about purposefully inspecting the place (shame on ...

... century by the beep-beep of a passing car or the distinctive ring of a Nokia cell phone. What's truly amazing here is that the history of the city is evident at every turn: Roman gates coexist with Byzantine buildings next to Islamic or Ottoman architecture. The atmosphere inside the city is frenetic but relaxed at the same time. Many Damascenes are scurrying about with their ordinary business, shopping for whatever they ...