Dar Al-Yasmine Damascus

... government sentiment, it was from someone who had to whisper for fear the police might be watching. Political talk of any kind is grounds for severe punishment in Syria. So I stuck with the line &#8220;I live in Cairo but my roots are American.&#8221; I never lied about my nationality but also never offered it up as extra information if I was not asked. To many, I was just a big white guy who spoke some Arabic.<br><br>So back to the ...

... time into the new way of life. <br><br>I had rented a car from www.victoria-syria.com in Syria and drove round the country, it was great and peopole were verey friendly and i was welcome where ever i arrived<br><br>

... crossed 130ish.<br><br>He also introduced me to Phil, a college student from Northern Californian who was just starting his full year abroad in Damascus, which basically sets him up for life at the top of the totem pole in the white people community compared to your typical semester in Barcelona or Prague. Given the rock-bottom prices for cuisine that has yet to be topped so far on this trip and the generally relaxed atmosphere, it's a pretty ...

... men were having heated debates about who knows what. I was using every sense I had to experience Damascus withing my first few hours of arrival...touch, taste, smell, sight. It all blends together and blows your mind. <br><br>Damascus is one city with so many different ways to play with my senses and I love how rounding a street corner can bring sites unknown at home. Men roving around with old coffee urns on their backs are something new ...

... doesn't pick up on this amazing tourist fact. I looked everywhere for a Syria t-shirt noting that it is the birth place or home of the Golden Hamster and much to my dismay I found nothing of the sort. Some good did come of it though since I learned that (1) the proliferation of hamsters in the doing of Arabs and (2) hamster apparently does not have a "p" in it and is not pronounced Hamp-ster. Who knew?]

... blocked) and mobile phone coverage seems to be nil.<br><br>Our first stop, Aleppo, was a total change in culture. We&#8217;d been slowly introduced to it in Eastern Turkey, but Aleppo is the most traditional city in Syria and most woman wear the burka (sexy black number from head to toe). We took some &#8220;007&#8221; shots walking down the street &#8211; so check them out. T has had to cover up as best she can, but even get stares wearing clothes from neck ...

... and we soon set off on our 5 day adventure! I have been struck by the kindness and affection shown by the Syrian people and on day one I instantly began to feel like a celebrity! As we walked around Krak des Chevaliers, the epitome of the dream castle of childhood fantasies with jousts and armour and pennants, I found people warmly staring at me, smiling. At one point a small child of maybe 1 year old was crawling on the floor and then he stopped and looked up at me, so I ...

... to see all the kids running around the place kicking footballs around it was kind of surreal really, you wouldn't think it would happen. After the mosque we just strolled around the old town and went to the Christian part of the town and just got lost in the little streets. Damascus is actually one of the oldest cities in the world in terms of habitant and people having been living there for thousands of years it was pretty amazing place. After about 3 hours of ...

... by the "Putting On Special Clothes Room". We passed the Mausoleum of Saladin, one of the great heroes of Arab history and entered the large courtyard of the Mosque, with its golden mosaics and minarets. Many locals were there praying and studying the Quran (this is one of the only mosques that is open to non-muslims, particularly on a Friday). Deeper into the old city we found the Sayyida Ruqayya Mosque, which is a Persian built ...

... Umayyad Mosque with the remains of the temple of gates of the Temple of Jupiter forming its entrance opposite the mosque. A cross between a Parisian passage, a department store and a Middle Eastern bazaar, its main thoroughfare is lined with clothing emporiums and handicraft shops, while its narrow side streets are jammed with stalls selling everything from cheap shoes to kids' toys. One of the more popular items now is the ...