Burj Al-Mustaqbal No.2 (Future Tower Hotel 2) Damascus

... images of fountains on the roadside, colourful drapes in front of shops, marble busts of nymphs and gods and goddesses in abundance, the thousands of steel rims of wheels that left ruts in the road paving that are there to walk along today.<br><br>There are Crusader's forts potted about the place, and hunting lodges and caravan stopovers all over the wild desert lands. <br><br>One can't see them all. It would take a lifetime &#8211; and that just in this tiny piece of the great ...

The shoe shiners spot me from a kilometer away. Dusty and scuffed, with the congealed scabs of old shoe glue roughly beaded at the seams, my shoes scream " he's abusive! help us!" <br>"Lah" I say without making eye contact. Even though I know this will make no difference. My hunch is affirmed for the next 20 meters as I am trailed by three eager for business entrepreneurs of the shoe industry. Finally they ...

... that we can find in the Old Testament and the Koran...Moses, Aaron, the story of the women who claimed that the baby in question was their own and when the king said he would cut the baby in half and give them each equal part the real mother said no, it's her child, etc. Apparently, (I am not an expert here so forgive any misinformation) it is not normal or common for human images to adorn a synagogue which makes it even more fascinating. It's really quite amazing to ...

... shopping in the markets, and so on. <br><br>I was definitely excited to start exploring this city, but more importantly, we needed a place to stay so the search began around 5pm. We looked high, we looked low, we looking in what may or may not have been an hourly motel. In a box with a fox, ya feel me? The only good thing was that each place we looked at got a little bit better. Finally we went to where the Ponley Lanet suggested for low-budget trips even ...

... barber walked in and told Dino to sit. Well Dino didn't know what to do, he didn't trust the younger man and for once Dino didn't want to be rude. Well he got up and sat in the barber chair, in a moment of inspiration, "Oh I just want a shave please." He thought he would test out this young mans skills before trusting him on his hair. <br>After one of the best shaves he had ever had, apart from the cut, he decided to let the young barber have a go at his hair. Oh and the young man did ...

... We then had a surprise. Bashar took us to his 'favourite' place in Damascus. It was originally a wealthy family's home (around 5000 sq meters), it then became a school and it was where his mother went to school, and now the government has taken it over and turned it into a national heritage site. It was unexpected but an amazing experience. Today we went to the handicraft souq where Cynthia bought a handmade wooden ...

... ruins of Jerash, where they actually hold reconstructions of chariot races and gladiatorial battles in the ancient hippodrome! Sounds like great fun! We also will visit the Dead Sea, and see if we really can float on water, and we will of course be seeing Petra, one of the new/rediscovered wonders of the world, constructed around 100BC and not discovered by the west until 1812! It promises to be another incredible, jam packed week, and I cannot wait!! Love to all my family and friends back in England, Ben xxx

... patch. I don't think he knew what it was at first and then after looking at it he asked about the wording. We found our way into the old city and through a long dark covered walkway. All the shops are closed as today is their holy day. It is nice, but we will stay one more day to come back here when the shops are open and we get to experience all the hustle and bustle and atmosphere of the shops and shoppers. We walk down the covered street until we come to ...

... no hotel at this God foresaken airport! When visiting a country, small towns should be visited in addition to the metropolitans, so that you can get a wholesome picture. Understanding the average is more important than experiencing the exception. In addition, traveling by bus or train is a must, as it allows you to see some villages and the outskirts of the large cities. Although it is tough to arrange, spending some time in the village would really help ...

... aton, Hilton. Then I noticed a new building surrounded by upscale shopping and dining establishments-the Four Seasons. Security h**e was cursory for cars, but th**e was still the x-ray machine ent**ing the lobby. Pretty basic for this part of the world. To my delight I was upgraded to a one-bedroom suite ov**looking the new city and Jebel Quassion (Quassion Hill). From the Four Seasons' location, the swankiest part of ...