Al Boustan Aleppo

... have their passports stamped. We all had to go to the booths where the vehicles normally go through to have our passports stamped, so there was no queue and everyone was trying to get their passports stamped first at the one and only available booth (the rest already had trucks and vans). Unfortunately, eventhough I had mine given somewhere in the middle of the tussle, the official kept my passport aside and served the rest. <br><br>After everybody else had their passports ...

i am now in aleppo syria. soon to be heading to damascus. there are few if any atms here since syria is not connected to the world bank. it's definately different being in a third world county. and it is. not the worst. but it is still very beautiful in it dicotomy. i met mark, a chef ...

... More fascinating than the site itself was the goat herder who kept his flock in the shade behind it, sharing his wine and explaining why 2 of the goats wore headdresses (they have bells that jingle to keep the rest of the flock together). The most exciting part was spotting in the distance atop the hills a tank and military post -- far enough that we felt it was safe enough to snap a photo without fear of arrest. As we drove the quarter mile down the windy and roughshod ...

... to see. Surrounding the Citadel is the covered souqs of old. A network of bustling passageways extending over several hectares. Parts of these dimly lit, cool markets date back to the 13th century. But the bulk of the area is an Ottoman Empire creation. The shop keepers in the souqs seem more interested with having a chat with you over a cup of tea or a game of chess than selling their wares, as we have found out.<br>Tomorrow we are off to Hama!

... Cities were incredible: massive Byzantine ghost towns in excellent condition. Many of the ruins have been converted to modern uses and serve as homes or pens for sheep and other animals. The remnants of old Antioch were literally EVERYWHERE and we hit at least 3 separate sets of "Dead Cities". On the bus ride back to Aleppo Soran and I met a really kind university student who insisted we come to Haleb Uni with him to meet his friends, grab some food and see what a Syrian ...

... But I think he got a kick out of the fact that I tried to play the game. 20 minutes later we finally got to my hotel where I "Shukran-ed" him to death then had to laugh at the whole experience. After all, it's these kinds of things that make for the best stories. A few other random tidbits that I haven't mentioned yet in my previous posts that I thought you'd all enjoy: * Unlike what's displayed on my flightpath on this blog, I ...

... young lads that just wanted to practice their english with me and shake my had about 4 times each. The Syrians have been absolutely fantastic, anyone with a word of english will shout hello, and 'welcome to syria' and really delight in making small time conversation. They couldnt be more helpful and welcoming and from what i have registered are not really in the game for rippin me off which makes a pleasant change. I wandered down this alley into what ...

Hey People I am sitting in a small kabob café finally filling my stomach with food after not eating all day. It's not that I didn't want to eat, I have been hungry all day, but I just don't know how to order food in Arabic and did not want to spend the money to go to an expensive restaurant where the menu was in English. Most of the roadside cafes have no menu or pictures of the food ...

... je croisai les chrétiens de sortie de l'office ; les plus beaux arabes, le constat établi à Madaba est décidément juste. L'une d'entre elles, âgées, de me demander en franco-arabe (et ce sublime accent) pourquoi je suis habillé comme ça, avec sa manière de parler fort irrésistible (si bien que je ne parvenai à répondre sans rire, genre "je vous aime vous avez ...

... control. Here things were a little more tense.... we are travelling with a couple of Americans and weren't sure if they were going to be granted entry with the American bombings happening in Syria about a week before but after a 3 hour wait and lots of duty free shopping we were in Syria and on our way to Aleppo. Arrived quite late at night and checked into what is best described as the worst hotel we have ...