Road to Damascus

Hmmm... bit lost for words, maybe because its before dinner time and i know i shouldnt blog before dinner as all im thinking about is shish towuk and garlic and fatoush.... YYYUUUMMMM

I hate to say it, but Damascus didn't impress me all that much. I dont know where these travellers get the idea that Syrians are so welcoming and that Syria is a fantastic place to visit. Perhaps its luck of the pot and who you met and what mood your in (i think i was extremely tired in Syria, must have been the walks in Palmyra) But Damascus was a great city to see, historically it obviously was an import city en route to the silk road etc. In my opinion though, Damascus was filthy and had the similar sights to other middle eastern cities. Dont get me wrong, it was great to see, its just, well... i dont know. It was bustling in a crowded unorganised kind of way, and filthy. I guess it was my hotel that topped it, it was filth, actually all the budget hotels in Syria where pretty bad. Shit im bagging it out. Ill stop...

From Palmyra the bus ride into Damascus was close to 2 hours, but felt longer as the bus was pretty rickety. On the bus i met the only other traveller Peter (the clothes and shoes give it away). Peter was staying somewhere in the middle of town and as i hadnt had accommodation booked, we hiked a taxi together into the city and then hung out for the rest of the day. Two people haggling for a cab makes for more fun! The power of two travellers vs. cab drivers is great! You can get a whole dollar off after tiresome bargaining and cab swapping! YAY! (yes i hate all taxi drivers, dont talk to them and dont befriend them! im sorry but it doesnt pay to be nice here)

Together me and peter covered some sites in the afternoon, the next day he was off to see the surrounding dead cities of Damascus but i really couldn't be arsed for more ruins after Palmyra, so i spent the following day wandering around and doing some people watching. (YUP more spitting on the streets! NICE ONE GUYZ)

I left for Damascus early morning, and seeing no one could tell me what time the bus left for Amman, i rocked up to the bus station early at 8am thinking there surely had to be one at 8am. I was wrong, the morning bus to Jordan left at 7am and the other leaves at 3pm. But dont worry! Theres lots of Taxi drivers to take you direct to Jordan. Your kidding right? No really, just wait till the cab gets full and we leave! So i was the first person in this shared taxi and i claimed the front seat of the old school kenwood (i think it was a kenwood? some big old school 1960 white and red car)So I waited and watched all the service taxis leave for Beirut! I was sitting waiting in my taxi, thinking, i could just get my backpack, throw it in that taxi over there, and ill be in Beirut!) These taxis leaving for Beirut where soo full aswell, fitting 2 in the front seat and 4 or 5 in the back. Shit, i wasnt going to share my seat with anyone! It was now 9.30 and there was only 1 other dude sitting in the back seat waiting, the only taxi leaving for Amman still wasnt full!! (the universe was testing my patience) Finallly we left after we got 4 people in the taxi, but they all sat in the back and i had the front seat to myself! YES!

After a checkpoint, bag checks, a $10 Syrian departing fee (bloody shits), customs, duty free, then a Jordanian Visa, and one last checkpoint i was on my way to Amman in style!!

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