Beit Salahieh Hotel Aleppo

After I got off the micro, I took a cab to the Turkish border control where I stamped out. I was walking down the highway to the Syrian control, and the Turkish police turned me back. As soon as I reached the gate, a commercial bus came thru. and asked me if I wanted to go to allepo, so I said Yes. At the Syrian border control, they denied a visa to the bus conductor, so the bus went ...

... words, I was left alone. It was a welcome change from Turkey, where I attracted attention from everyone, even the car drivers sometimes slow down just to look at me in places like Trabzon. I think it helps that there are many other camera toting tourists around too. Also noticed alot of women dressed in black, some totally from head to toe, covering the face entirely. I wonder they can even look where theyre going as the cloth over their head seemed totally black. <br><br>The ...

... We then<br>head over to the Baron Hotel for a cup of tea. This is an Aleppan<br>institution...the hotel for the Orient Express, it housed Agatha<br>Christie and TE Laurence, and the furniture still harks back to those<br>days.<br>That afternoon after we get onto our<br>very comfortable train to Damascus I am grateful to Haleb for our<br>first dip into this Ancient part of the World, for the gentle streets<br>in the Christian Quarter and the overwhelming smell of Basil.<br>

On my way to Turkey now, after leaving Syria &#8211; a very interesting place to visit, and I think I have developed a love &#8211; hate relationship with the country. In many ways it is relatively untouched by the tourist trade that has marred Egypt and other popular destinations. The political and economic climate (Syria is a fairly poor country for the area, and many modern conveniences are either not available or actively banned by the government) combined with an expensive visa ...

... of death descend on you in the middle of the street, while the fragrent smells of shisha and spices waft through the air making it impossible to walk from a to b without some exotic distraction. <br><br>After Aleppo I moved to Hama, a beautiful little town in the middle of Syria. It was from here that I did most of my historical sight seeing. Ancient wonders like Apamea and the curiously abandoned 'Dead Cities' sit side by side with tremendous crusader castles ...

... normal to see fully grown men in public holding hands. The people here are also so laid back but so friendly towards westerners as well they will bend over backwards to help you. The western media puts such a bad spin on the middle east but the people are so lovely and I feel much safer here than I do in the UK. There is also a special buzz about the place with the hooting of the horns to the guys just chilling out on the side of the street through to people selling kebabs ...

... right dynamic. Everything was too organized and catered to foreign tourists. Moreover, the contact with the jordan people was almost inexistent and that gives the feeling of being part of an organized tour. But it seems that in Aleppo I am starting to get hold of the right vibe. Even though that trying to talk to people is difficult as they barely talk any English, just by strolling in a city it already gives you the sort of human contact you miss when visiting ...

... Scary, especially because we don't exactly know what is wrong with the truck...If we pump fuel before starting we are OK until we stop for more than an hour...That means we have to tilt the cabin, do five to ten pump strokes and put the cabin back. There must be a minute air leak somewhere to stop the fuel injector from working properly. Anyway, we took a cab to the very posh Cham Meridien Hotel and had a quiet late supper and night before planning to see the sights of ...

The drink stands near the clock tower were really good. Ordered a "mixed" juice and two grilled cheese sandwiches. The National Museum is the worst that I have ever seen. Everything, including the building, is worn out and the labeling is terrible. It is a pitty that there are some great Assyrian artifacts in there. Went to the Christian quarters where there was a church/ cathedral representing every single Christian group that I can think of. The ...

... et puis la situation sur le terrain, une reflexion basique et qu'il m'a déjà été donné de développer (qui a dit en Egypte surtout?). BREF, donc, Alep, dernier weekend et fin du périple arabe. Nous y sommes. Bien arrivé vendredi soir, je mis peu de temps à me familiariser avec une ville très compacte, plus petite (encore) que Damas et dont les trois principaux ...