Antique Khan Hotel
Travel Blogs from Damascus
First Days in Damascus (Damask)
A 6hr bus journey to Damascus (Damask in Syrian).
Stepping off the bus at the bus station a few kilometers outside of town I was surrounded by taxi drivers wanting my business. 600SYP shouted one driver. Way too high as I know that it should only be around 150SYP ($3). So I offered 100SYP as a start to the bargaining process. No takers at the moment.
I lit a cigarette whereupon ...
Hmmmmmmm
... by. We found out that we didn't actually have to pay to see the ruins, only if we wanted to look at the tombs, which we didn't. We walked around the ruins and it started to rain. We were in the middle of the desert and it was raining! Lucky it was only a short shower and we were soon surround by blue skies. The ruins were great but after seeing ruins for what seems like months they didn't blow me away. We caught a bus back to Damascus only to ...
Sweatin' it up
... area that serves as the changing and resting area. We greet the attendant, deposit our valuables in the safe, remove our shoes, don flip flops, and climb up to the changing area. Any sense of city stress slowly starts to dissolve.
I change my clothes for a basic cotton sheet, get a bar of soap, a natural fiber scrubby, and small vial of shampoo- then duck into a labyrinth of steam and tile. Originally the hammam would have been ...
Damascus and then...I'm out!
... the shops and sweets in the markets, caught a movie at the Damascus film fest, walked and walked around the old city and quite enjoyed the beautiful and lively Ummayad Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque of Damascus. Check the pix.,..I especially love the ones of Chisa wearing the grey cult-like robe she was made to wear before entering the mosque. As you can tell from her expression, she was none too thrilled about that.
And that is the end ...
Ramadan Kareem
... water source, I haven't divulged even though I've wanted to. The funny thing-bananas are still coming in from Ecuador. Also, there are lots of juice stands and fresh fruit juices and smoothies offered on menus. You have keep an eye on how much sugar goes in, but you can get for so little money the greatest juices-carrot orange, strawberry banana with milk, whatever you want.
-Veg: tomatoes, small eggplants, small light green zucchini, lettuce, mint, ...
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