Cazino Lattakia

Destination 391

km193'409

Claudio and me have left Damascus behind us and took a very convenient exit: the lookout on top of the neighbouring mountain.
From there we traveled a unusual far distance of many hundred kilometres up north, where we just recognized a major change in the landscape: The dusty desert sand-and-stone environment has made place to a mediteranean-like countryside with grassy ...

... I was! My first encounter of random invitations! Soon after the coach left, Hakim turned to me and informed me I could stay in his friends apartment for free, for as long as I wanted. My guard was up as soon as I walked into the apartment. I never knew how this was possible. Ok, so I have a kitchen, sit-down toilet, hot shower and a bed to sleep in but...what's the catch? Hakim pointed out that the chicken shop down on the corner was good with chicken sandwiches and by golly was ...

... the "foot soldiers," those who followed the leaders of the time. The girls were really interested to see the footprints and stories of young boys and girls in their early teens who were attacked on Bloody Sunday then stood back up to march two weeks later.

Finally, the walk over Edmund Pettis bridge that Abby and I shared was powerful. The story told in the museum is that, on Bloody Sunday, Rev. Lewis and other leaders of the march had no idea that the police ...

... to Tartus, so had to transfer onto minibus number 3 in some random place.

As were drove the landscape was becoming increasingly greener, there were olive trees and fruit trees sprouting out of the dry earth and we could feel the coast was near. We arrived at a massive minibus station in Tartus, fortunately the a lovely local guy, who had been helping us along the way, put us on a minibus number 4 to Latakia. It was absolutely packed to the brim and I could feel ...

Believe it or not, there are 54 Championship Holes at the Capitol Hill Golf Course in Prattville, AL that are part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Jerry took the opportunity to get in a round of golf and was amazed at the beauty and pristinely maintained course.

While Jerry was hitting a small ball around Prattville, Alex & I spent some time in the pool to cool off. Bella used to jump into the pool to me when she was a puppy, but I couldn't ...

We left the Gulf Coast today and headed into Alabama to visit with Aunt Kathy and Uncle D. I used to live with Aunt Kathy and Uncle D in Florida. But I haven't been to visit then in Alabama for the last 5 years. What a great reunion.

My cousin Jackie cooked up some homemade lasagna and these ...

... are quite nice as well. I am exhausted so I spent half of the journey sleeping. When I get to Lattakia it rains. As a good backpacker, I decide not to take a taxi and cover on foot the distance between the train station and the hotel. When I finally get there (after few panic moments due to 1/ my lack of orientations and 2/ the lack of street panels that make orientation impossible), I am totally wet. With such weather conditions, the visit to Saladin castles is ...

... down the road at a high speed of 40mph(only when not sliding) we had people and big rigs passing us. There was this one big rig- a blue Werner- that blew passed us, as nervious as we were we just could not believe that people did not slow down on all that snow and ice. Well never the less we saw that Werner truck a few miles down the road going up a hill jackknifed!!! Go ahead and ...

We woke up early, Thelma at 5:30, and Lousie at 6. We double checked our directions & map and watched the tv and the internet for the winter weather warnings we were to return home to. We finished packing and hit the road. We had already made a reservation in Priceville, AL at the Day's Inn which would be about a halfway point home. The weather for Florida and Alabama included ...

... all day I should be able to make the entire trip without having to stop along the way and squat over a disgusting roadside toilet.  When I told the reception guy that I was going to Lebanon, he insisted on making the arrangements for me.  He said my best bet was to take a cab, so I caught a cab to the place where the cabs left for Beirut.  A man at the cab station put my suitcase in the back of one of the cars, grabbed a plastic chair for me and ...