http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Gavinbedford/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Gavinbedford en-us Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:18:44 +0000 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:18:44 +0000 The conspiracy of the cats and the flymosquito axisFor years the flies and the mosquitoes have been allies ensuring a continuous barrage against the mammals flies by day and mosquitoes at night. Up until quite recently the date confused by incomplete records from either the vaults of catadopia or the otherwise meticulous archives at insectopia the cats have been at the front line in the mamm http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Egypt/Sinai/Dahab/blog-355036.html JordanShortly after writing my last blog I met AJ and Tom an American and an Aussie who had met each other in Istanbul and had been traveling together for the last 2 weeks through Turkey and Syria. Full of the joys of Damascus we all bundled onto a bus to Amman which was refreshingly uneventful if typically lackadaisical in it's progress. In Amman we checked into a pretty standard hostel and were http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Jordan/blog-354138.html Leaving SyriaIt is with an air of sadness that I write this blog sitting waiting for my bus to Amman Jordan. Having completed and passed YAY my Arabic course now is the time to meander my way towards Sharm El Sheik airport in Egypt from where I will inshallah fly home two weeks from now. I will be travelling through Jordan hoping to see Petra Wadi Rum The Dead Sea and as much else as http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Syria/South/Damascus/blog-354137.html No one was hurt in the aformentioned accident although were it not for a ruck sack between my knee and Takishi's crown jewels as he flew out of his benchseat opposite my own this may have been a different story None the less I was glad to be back at my house which incidentally has no address other than on the second street to the right opposite AlWard hammam first black door on the right http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Syria/South/Damascus/blog-346821.html My weekend in Beirut.My blogs are like London busses you wait ages for 1 and then two come along at once and also as you'll see they're full of angst confusion extortion and traffic mishaps.... The reasons for this delay will become clear as you read but I do appologise and promise to try harder next timeAfter the first week of my Arabic course had been completed I decided it was time fo http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Lebanon/Beirut/blog-346819.html Just photos of our latest Hammam. See other blog for a description http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Syria/South/Damascus/blog-345641.html Blog from Damascus. Sunday 11th November.I've now been in Damascus for 10 days and today I am finally sorted and ready to start my course on Tuesday. I've jumped through all of the bureaucratic loops needed to sign up for the course and have also found somewhere to stay I've ended up taking a room that became available in Matt's house. The room is far too large for me and my rucksack 2 empty bed http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Syria/South/Damascus/blog-343261.html It was great to meet Matt the first English person I had spoken to since the disastrous Airport incident in Turkey who turned out to be a student from St Andrew's University here on a year long placement year for his course in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies. Within minutes were out for a bite to eat and then to party that seemed to include around 80 Syrians and 20 foreign students. This wa http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Syria/South/Damascus/blog-341637.html So just as the music was about to start rolling the bus stopped and all those going to Haleb were asked to leave. Ok I thought there must be a service bus as the bus we were on was going straight to Damascus. But as we waited beside the road 4 Turkish guys and myself nothing came. So I was stuck in a border town in Syria with no apparent hope of escape. Eventually one of those I was with fl http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Syria/North/Aleppo/blog-341634.html Day 7 Antakya DamascusI'm writing from a splendid first class seat on the train between Aleppo and Damascus. The four hour journey in relative luxury tv with headset included as well as executive seats cost an astonishing 240 syrian pounds which is roughly the same in English pennies. As I was writing that sentence I was handed complimentary orange juice and some sort of sweet I like th http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Mediterranean/Adana/blog-341176.html Day 3 4 and 5 written 30th October Turkey. AntalyaArriving at the Otogar bus station of Antalya was just the beginning of the adventure. It took nearly as long as the intercity journey to get to my hosts house through a city of gigantic geographical expanse which resembled for the most part an Eastern block metropolis with hundreds of towerblocks one after the other.. When I eventually arri http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Mediterranean/Antalya/blog-341171.html Blog entry 1 Day 1 and 2 TurkeyMuch has been written about the questionable ease of Easyjet. I for one have always found their services reliable quick and convenient. However as I sat in the departure lounge with the 30 other people who had checked in waiting for the 70 who hadnrsquot due to a system failure I was wondering whether my journey was destined to threaten my unblemished good http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Mediterranean/Antalya/blog-339329.html