"What time is the bus?...How much?"

"What time is the bus?...How much?" is pretty much what my life revolves around right now. I was thinking today as i was walking through the desert, i have no clue whats being going on in the outside world! All i care about is .... my next bus trip, what time the bus is coming, where im going to eat, what am i going to eat, do i have enough water for the day ahead, maybe i should buy some more fruit!...Travelling is really a self centered lifestyle ! I LOVE IT! AHAH!

Palmyra was in ancient times an important city of Syria and is located in a desert oasis north east of Damascus. In the 1st century Palmyra was wealthy and elegant city located along the caravan routes linking Persia with the Mediterranean ports of Syria and Phoenicia, and later came under Roman control, after Queen Zenobia got over ambitious and took over lands as far as Egypt, then she decided to attack Roman Antioch. In 272AD, the Roman Emperor Aurelian finally retaliated and captured Zenobia and brought her back to Rome and paraded her around Rome in golden chains! (HOE!)

Ive decided to stay two nights in Palmya. I arrived late last night after a 2 hour bus trip from Aleppo to Homs. Homs is pronounce much like Hoummos, and when buying a ticket at the bus station, the local touts where all screaming HOUMMOSS! HOUMMOSS!! i was like WHERES THE HOUMMOSS? HA! They where also haggling me to buy a ticket to Beirut! I think a bus must have been leaving at that time, but it was rather tempting thinking, hmmm... im just a couple of hours i could be relaxing in Lebanon, maybe along the beach if the weather is good, then partying in Gemayze! (NO! I MUST KEEP GOING!) Got to Homs, and ate a big fat kebab with only garlic, tomatoe and hot chips inside! (a much safer alternative to the salmonella infested chicken roast twirling in the sun, dripping oil along the bus stop!) I waited for another bus from Homs, to Palmya. Where i arrived at 8pm, after talking politics to a Syrian gas developer who invited me to his home for dinner where his wife and three kids where expecting his return after a day of visiting his family of 13 in Homs! ( I was amazed when he said he had 13 brothers and sisters! He was 33 and his youngest brother was 16. Obviously this is common in the Arab world because the concierge guy at my hotel has 5 brothers and 3 sisters!) I declined his offer of dinner, and looked for a hotel along the main tourist stip (after the shitty hotel i stayed at in Aleppo i decided to splurge here in Palmyra and stay at a midrange $30 dollar a night hotel! YES! IM LIVING IT UP!)

This morning i slept in, had breakfast, then walked the ruins of Palmyra. Maybe i should have done it early morning (im not a morning person) or in the afternoon (but then im to hungry) Anyhow i should have thought about the midday sun and the fact that im in the desert! It was friggen hot! I would hate to think what summer is like here! After exploring the temple of Bel and the surrounding ruins, i had the tower of Palmyra perched high on a hill enticing me to climb it! When walking up towards the hill i now understand how the desert plays tricks on you. It appeared much closer and smaller then actual fact! It was like i was in one of those old school biblical movies, or Lawrence of Arabia, where there was no one around and all you could hear was the crunching of your own foot steps and the sun pelting down on you! The song of choice i was singing out aloud when walking up was "You see ive been through the desert on a horse with no name, it felt good to be out of the rain! IN THE DESERT! you cant remember your name, for their aint no one to give yah no blame, LAAH LAHH LAHH LAALHAHAHHA LAH LAHHH LAHHHHHHHHHHH!" I reached the bottom of the tower and could only see a few steep ways up! I thought it didnt look so steep and also wanted to hurry and get into the tower to take refuge in its shade! So i started to hike up with a few kids peering over the tower watching me (HOW the hell did they get up their i was thinking as i was puffing and panting up. I think i took atleast 4 breaks in between this hike up. It became real steep, at one point i realised if i slipped i would probably tumble to the bottom, (HOW THE HELL DID THOSE KIDS GET UP THEIR i thought again, but no! SOLIDER ON WITH CODDRIEL SOILDER ON SOILDER ON)

Finally i made it to the top, where i plonked myself on the ground to catch my breath. Then one of the kids who where watching came running to ask if i wanted some cold water! OF course i would (at this point i thought i was dying!) The boy ran off (i thought this was unusually kind) and came back saying, "give me 50 i bring for you" "no no, ill come with you" "no you stay here i bring" "LOOK LAH!" so we walked together into the cool tower, where the man behind the counter asked if i wanted 1 water and 1 pepsi ? "No just one water please"(i managed to pant out) The guy then yelled at the kid where the kid then pleaded for me to buy him a pepsi (poor kid must be thirst too i thought) before i could even decide whether i wanted to shout the kid a pepsi, the guy kicked him out of the tower, only to then sit with me while i cooled down and rehydrate to explain what a little shit the kid was. See i think this dude was just minding the desk while the real ticketseller was out to lunch. Cause 20minutes later (yes i was still sitting at this point) in comes a dude who started yelling in arabic at the guy who was sitting with me. Of little arabic that i understand, i gathered the conversation was like this "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" "what do you mean? ive been sitting here?" "NO THE KIDS OUTSIDE TOLD ME YOU LEFT!" "I DIDNT LEAVE I WAS SITTING HERE!" " THEY SAID YOU WHERE LETTING EVERYONE IN FOR FREE!" "THE KIDS A DONKEY! HIS A SHIT! HE CAME IN ASKING FOR WATER, I SAID PAY ME FIRST, THEN HE CAME IN WITH THIS MAN AND ASKED HIM TO BUY HIM PEPSI" "HE SAID YOU HIT HIM!" "I DIDNT HIT HIM, I WAS SITTING HERE!" at this point i defended the poor bloke and told the man in english "yes his been sitting here" "SEE SEE!! HE SAID I WAS SITTING HERE!" this conversation went on for at least 10minutes, where finally the main dude was persuaded that the guy was manning his post. Confused, the dude called outside for the little kid to come. Timidly the kid entered tower and saw that he was in shit with the three of us sitting down. He was then interrogated by the two men and then reprimanded for being a shit donkey! Poor kid, i thought he was going to cry! The kid turned and left to continuing selling his trinkets outside the tower with his tail in between his legs!

After rejuvenating, i explored the tower which had some great views of Palmyra below! Obviously it was a great strategic point as it have 360 degree views all round. When ontop i saw the obvious road from the main town that wound itself around the tower. (BLOODY SHIT!) Before leaving the tower i bought a pepsi and gave it to the kid when i passed him outside. At first he rejected it but ended up taking the cold can and straw! I then walked down the mountain and onto the highway for a longer, but easier walk into town. This time i was singing "AND I WOULD WALK 500 MILES AND I WOULD WALK 500 MORE TO BE THE MAN WHO WALK 500 MILES AND KNOCKED DOWN AT YOUR DOOR!!!!!!!!!!! LAAA DDAA TAAAAAA!!!!!!!! DUM DERRTT DUMM DUMDIDID DUMIIDDI DUMM!!!!!!"

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