Damascus

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With the On The Go Tour over, this tourist had to fend for himself and he headed North to Syria for a day. The original plan was to go to Jerusalem, but with the current conflict in Gaza escalating, and no end in site, I decided to keep out of harms way. The bus trip took around 4 hours, which included obtaining a Visa at the border. Sites included the exterior of the Damascus Citadel (closed for restoration) the Umayyad Mosque, Souq Hamadyeh (Market), Azem Palace and various points around the old city. The Azem Palace was the highlight, with many rooms laid out in beautiful ornate Ottoman style. The no pictures rule in these rooms is necessary to preserve the colours, but makes for a less interesting blog. The Umayyad Mosque also unique experience, with many locals displaying much passion whilst in prayer.
The markets are by far the best I had seen on this trip, the range and beauty of the various shops was from street to street, for those who a shoppers, be sure to bring an extra bag for all the gifts you will buy. One can get lost in the beauty of old city, the venerable alleys snake there way through the area, ancient buildings, overhanging balconies, markets, churches, restaurants are a surprise around every turn.
There is much more to see in Syria, but I was in the grip of a Mt Sinai/Wadi Rum chest cough and had limited time, so I headed back to Amman the next day.

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