Tourist Hotel Aleppo

... without me, which I had expected. I went to the counter, they pointed to the back, so they took my passport, and told me to wait. Also expected. I waited 5 hrs, but it was enjoyable, really. The crossroads of a thousand lives. I met alot of people coming thru, and met another american couple, waiting for their visa; So at long last, they gave me a visa for 16 U.S.D.! And my american ...

... or descriptions watsoever and the woman didnt bother to turn on the light. I looked behind me and there she was, waiting for me to finish. She just stood there outside the door, and her presence made me want to rush through. And when I went out, she closed and locked the door and pointed me to the next room. So I went in and then again she waited outside. Again the room was just as disappointing as the previous one. It was small and it showcased some old weaponery. There ...

... is also nice as there is not many tourists here and the ones that are here are really interesting and well traveled and nice to talk to. Another thing you notice is that men always greet you but the women wont even look at you at all let along greet you. Tomorrow I leave Syria for Turkey. I am hopefully going to get to Capodicia in 1 day but I am not sure how realistic that is so I guess we will just have to see how the buses go. I am really looking forward to Turkey but have lots ...

... in the morning and also find a mechanic and an ATM. The mechanic from the hotel did again some pumping and the truck started again. Aleppo is the same size city as Damascus (4 million) but feels busier and less relaxed. The two cities have always been rivals and both claim to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Babylon, Jericho and Byblos lay the same claim by the way...Again this is a place we should have spend more time but some how we just want to keep ...

... Cathedral seems to be the biggest, which could mean that the Maronites are the dominant Christian group in Aleppo. The Greek Orthodox Church has a following of 17,000 and they do not report to the patriarch in Fener, as I had thought. The Armenian Cathedral has a section devoted to the "Genocide". There is nothing worth seeing in the Museum of Popular Culture. It is an underfunded version of the Etnography Museum in Antep. This city is a labyrinth ...

The bus has stopped. We are at the border. Great, time to really feel this Syrian hospitality. Yes, my passport is English and yes I am annoyed that you want to charge me $52 for a 14 day visa! But, no matter, because if you see the Hebrew written on the back of my neck you will no doubt hang me just for trying to get into your country of heat, bad electricity lines and dirty streets! So money and passports is the least of my ...