Rawda Damascus

... I’d definitely say there’s not the pinpoint honesty of Egyptians, but then there’s not the defensiveness, either. I’d say they’re about halfway between Egypt and Turkey. Despite Turkish men’s sliming of every Western and Asian woman they can get their hands on, Turkish women themselves remain thinly veiled slaves and frumpy kitchen help. Like islands producing small animals, do veils produce homelier ...

... After dropping them off, he started searching around for my destination. Just like in Cairo, he pretended when I asked to know exactly what I was talking about, repeating the name of the hostel and nodding. He had no idea where it was. After driving through some dark, dirty slums (JUST THE PLACE I WANTED TO BE IN SYRIA!), we made our way back to the town center. When we finally got close (someone told him it was 'in that area’), he got ...

... the Lords' Prayer in Aramaic for us. Afterwards we walk
through a gorge that apparently was created by the Lord to help St
Thakar escape from her persecutors, this of course leads to her
shrine, and here again we find that Muslims make pilgrimages here for
the healing powers in the water there. Seidnayya church is the second
holiest church for Greek Orthodox. That night back in Damascus we sit
in a cafe with Kate while she tells about a video call she was ...

... the same thing here, like our Smiths or Jacksons. We decided to head back to it the next day when the boss man was supposed to be working. Got a tour of a bathhouse that is being renovated in the middle of a park and eventually ended up back in our little alleyway. The sheesha place had these little rooms for lounging that I took full advantage of until DeVan caught up with me and talked me into checking out this clothing place down the alley. I am actually really ...

... issue for the day was what would be our final destination. We never new how long it would take to go from Damascus to Amman.
When we finally made it to Amman in the early afternoon, we headed straight for the bus/service taxi stop. But even then we still didn't know if we would make it to Petra, our planned destination. Even if there was a service taxi at the station it wouldn't leave until it was full. Our taxi driver had told us there are usually only 3 a day that go to Petra and ...

Mer gjestmild gjeng enn syrierne skal du lete lenge etter. Det er ikke alt for lett å finne frem i Syria, men med det syriske folkeslaget som hjelpere, gikk alt som en lek fra ankomst til slutt. Det er nemlig slik, at kulturen her landet krever at man skal hjelpe en trengende til det ikke lenger er trengende, noe som for vår del førte til spandering og geleiding til en rekke destinasjoner rundt i dette fengslende landet.

Vi tilbrakte hovedsaklig tiden vår i Damaskus ...

... 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

... 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 ...

... 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 ...