Cham Palace Damascus

... here as those wearing the robes and head scarves. I've heard European style dance music just as often as traditional Arab tunes. I love this. It's just so much coming at me at once. My first image of Syria ironically was a 1978 Caprice Classic rolling on 24s right there at the border.

Wandering around I happened upon what is called a souk which is a traditional covered marketplace where daily commerce has taken place for centuries ...

... moved in. The other point of history that this classic
fortress represents is of course the Crusades. Protecting the Homs
gap, the quickest and easiest way into Syria from the sea, it was
initially built by the Emir of Homs in the 10th century
but taken and expanded by the crusaders in the 12th
century as they sought to reclaim Jerusalem from Islam. Whether it
is the scale of the storage rooms (Crusaders held out for a four year
siege before ...

Destination 390

km


We traveled a quickie 130kms trip up north to the capital city of Syria, Damascus, to stay for about 2 or 3 days to visit the Old Town Damascus and relax. The only available Campground surrounded by a giant construction site reminding to be somewhere of a war scene was the pricy cost not worth it, so we managed a place to stay in the centre.

... of Palmyra is pretty
cool too. It's like abandoned ancient city and it's still got signs of
where the roads used to be. The inscriptions and things were a nice touch.

Saw Tadmor prison too. Well, not too close.

This is what, er, the TImes says about it.

“Tadmor military prison [is] infamous throughout Syria for the
extremely brutal abuses. . . gross ...

... activity goes through a gov't proxy server). We're just hanging out in the hotel room making a few updates to the blog and our journals before heading out to the old city of Damascus at 430pm with Bashar to visit the Umyaad Mosque and a climb up Mount Qasiuon to view the sunset over the city of Damascus. Cynthia will be wanting to kill me with all of the mountain's we have been climbing!

... 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

... ceiling, and beautiful stain glassed windows. Then down the street to the old city area. We pass a fire station, this is the first one we have seen since Ayutthia, Thailand. There are several men sitting out front, they have navy coveralls on, so that must be their uniform. Three are 2 big pumpers and 1 small on. He explained the small one is to go into the old city where the streets and narrow. Len took some pictures and he gave the man a City of Winnipeg fire ...

... is neither an airport hotel or any decent food. The mortadella sandwich that I tried at the cafeteria was disgusting. Looks like I'm stuck here... Feels like a nightmare.. There is a Sham Palace cafeteria here with a second floor that looks like a hotel lobby. I have been asking numerous people how I could get to the hotel upstairs. Everybody told me something different. One of them even quoted a price. Finally, I arrived at the conclusion that there ...

... I wasn't entirely sure how much they could really und**stand. Case in point: - "What is that building?"..."It's the Railway Station built by the Ottomans"..."Oh, I didn't know th**e w**e passeng** trains"..."Oh yes, for sure."..."Wh**e can you take the train"..."Th**e aren't any trains anymore for passeng**s"..."Well, ok then." The key in these countries is to be patient and ask your question againg to be sure the answ ...

... but before I could, a man imposed himself on me, taking my pack out of the bus and asking where I wanted to go. He proceeded to walk out of the bus station with my backpack. Even worse, his car was not a taxi, it was a regular vehicle. I then asked the price and the whole negotiation started. Again I was severely ripped off paying 500SP, but I didn't really have a choice as he locked my bag in the boot, turned on the engine and started moving! Then he ...