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19th reasonably quite day in aleppo though ...
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19th
Reasonably quite day in Aleppo, though saw a car crash on a busy junction. Couldn't believe it was the first smash I'd seen in my time here given that the drivers are all trying to be Stirling Moss in their Ladas and minibuses (the only two types of vehicles permitted in the Middle East). Quite funny, guy ran into the back of a Lada in his pickup and smashed the Lada into the pavement kerb. Nice one. He then got out, saw the damage, and legged it up the road!! His wee pins were a blur against the dark streets and neon window displays. Lots of shouting, but he never looked back. Jesse Owens.
20th
Left Aleppo today after a few days. It was pretty good - not too busy, not many tourists but enough for company. On the way to the bus station I got some sweet bun thing and some hot milk with cinnamon which was reasonably tasty.
Could the bus to the coast to sit on the beach in Latakia for a couple of days and recharge my batteries. Sat on the wrong seat on the bus and had to swap with a not unattractive Syrian laydee who also gave me a mint sweetie. She either fancied me...or i smell. The latter almost certainly was the case as Calvin Klein's were not built to last so long between washes...
Pitched up in Latakia about 4pm. Not quite as expected. White sandy beaches had be replaced by . .. Navel dockyards. Smashing. It gets worse...
A couple of hours spent wandering the streets to get my bearings turned up very little of interest. Nothing, in fact. Visited the Tourist Information for some bumf and tried to converse in French with the assistant. Got 2 kilos of onions. No, i didn't. I was told to come back in an hour (!) when they would be able to provide me with a map. Returned to be met by Syrian equivalent of Bella Emberg who grudgingly handed over the map. It must have been the only one they had, as the rest of the shelves and desks in the place were totally empty. They obviously don't get much custom.
Oh, and I got the runs. Bah! 2 days in bed was not nice. Must have been that milky stuff I had in Aleppo. Anyway, that was a bad couple of days. Couldn't walk or anything - like a really heavy flu. I consulted my Pocket Doctor book and it looked like Giardiasis which can be quite nasty. Got myself down to the chemists and bought some elephant tranquilisers or something. Whatever they were, they were knockout! Didn't eat for 4 days. Looking buffed. Anyway, we will skirt over that few days.
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| 12. | 19th reasonably quite day in aleppo though ... - Latakia, Syria Nov 19, 2000 |
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