Blogs from East, Syria, Middle East

Palmyra On our last day in Damascus almost all signs of the demonstrations the day before were gone and the city seemed to be back to normal. I would find out later that demonstrations and unrest have been continuing in Syria but I never did see anything from the people of Syria that would show any anger towards their president they seemed to be protesting against the security forces and some members of hardliners still in power from when his father was president. After one final morning in Damascus we left in the afternoon for Palmyra and checked out the sunset from the Arab citadel before another excellent dinner where the Mezza (appetizers) are so good that when the main dish came out most of us were fully stuffed. That night we decided to drink at ... read more

Everything I'd read about the Dead Cities said go there at sunset or sunrise, or better yet, go in the winter when the mists rise and experience the full effect of just how eerie cities that were abandoned over 1500 years ago can be....I left Rob in Hama with a stomach bug for company and set off... I, of course, got there at midday - madness in that heat, and not too surprisngly, I was there alone. The taxi driver was hiding in his car, somewhere in the shade. Battering heat, a vicious sun and utter stillness were eerie enough for me, with no sounds other than the ones I was making - far too evocative and spooky, if anything.... Aleppo: Was here only for a few hours, although I had originally planned to stay for ... read more

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Z Damaszku do Palmiry wyjechalismy wczoraj rano lokalnym autobusem. Kolo stacji ulokowaly sie warsztaty samochodowe, ktore sprzedawaly tyly badz przody samochodow - cos, co - mam wrazenie - u nas jest nie do pomyslenia i generalnie zabronione. Tutaj natomiast mozna stworzyc hybryde, kupujac tyl peugota i przod nissana. Droga z miasta usiana byla po obydwu stronach tonami smieci, a potem - gdy skonczyly sie zabudowania mieszkalne - zaczela sie bura pustynia. Monotonie przerywaly tylko znaki wskazujace, ile kilometrow do Iraku. Na miejscu rzucaja sie przyjezdnych taksowkarze. Oferuja transport do hotelu za 1 euro ale to tylko przyneta, bo licza, ze jak zlapia takiego turyste, to juz bedzie z nim caly dzien podrozowal, a potem cena zalezy juz tylko od zdolnosci negocjacyjnych stron. Miasto slynie z ogromnych, wspaniale zachowanych wykopalisk, ktore sa ulokowane na tak duzej przestrzeni, ... read more

We rolled into Palmyra (in the Eastern deserts of Syria) in the hottest hour of the day and promptly learned what desert heat really means! It was likely around 35-40 degrees, but felt even hotter with no wind... After hiding in the shade for an hour or so sipping on some fresh pressed orange juice and snacking on some yummy Mensaf (lamb on rice with nuts and yoghurt) and camel meat, we decided to hit up the 1st and 2nd century AD Roman ruins nearby. The ruins themselves were pretty impressive, but more impressive was the sunset from the nearby hilltop Qala'at ibn Maan, first shedding the warm light over the red stone ruins, and then setting over the hills in the desert to the west. I don't know, after seeing so many different types of ... read more