http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Middle East , Syria , West , Hama en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:25:47 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:25:47 UTC We had a free morning to explore the town of Hama. Unfortunately I still needed to sort out my money so spent the time in an internet cafe and then persuaded the tour guide to sort out a pay phone for me. Good job he did because a I could not find it it was on the wall in the street outside a shop and b to get it to work I needed a chap to fish coins out of the coin box and then feed them http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-351308.html The next morning it turned out more than half the group had got food poisoning from the meal the night before. Luckily I didn't. We caught a bus down to Hama with people being sick every so often. Charming. This interrupted the film we were watching Kingdom of Heaven. Having unloaded the most ill people at the hotel we went on to the Crac de Chevaliers. This was quite impressive and large but f http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-350944.html Apamea and the Dead CitiesStill travelling with our good friends Rick Diana the Canadians we took a taxi tour to the Dead Cities and Apamea. We drove through some small villages with basic abodes and then through some rahther sparse looking agricultural lands. It was far less rocky than the north of Syria and though dry life in this part of the country eemed more plausible. Olive trees are in http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-337667.html Early start to get to the bus station when arrived though there were no buses. One of the locals advised me that the bus station had moved to near the motorway so I had to get a service taxi. On the way I am sure that the driver tried to offer me his wife to which I politefully declined arab hospitality is great but I think that is going a bit too far.As opposed to the nearly 2 hour wait in th http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-325023.html Walking along the riverside in Hamah Syria. It's a humid night full of noise. Nearby the crickets and cicadas are buzzing loudly in the reeds and in the distance the slow persistent creaking of water wheels is keeping a steady beat. These wheels locally known as norias up to 20 metres in diameter are centuries old endlessly scooping the water from the Orontes River and tipping it into mini http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-320229.html The traumatic start to this weekendrsquos trip was our own doing After successfully bartering down a taxi to the bus station to 100 SP for the first time ever we found we had both forgotten our passports. You need them to buy tickets so we had to get a taxi home again to collect themOnce we got to Hama routine kicked in. We had another chicken shwarma from what we consider to be the best ke http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-313564.html Hama is the fourth largest city in Syria. It took us just under three hours to get there from Damascus and we were instantly impressed by the chilled out feel to the place delighted to find the most delicious chicken kebabs so far at the bus station and very happy not to be ripped off by a taxi driverWe stayed at the Riad Hotel and when we return we will definitely stay there again. It was li http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-299163.html Some people love ancient ruins some people hate them some people are ambivalent.I thought I was in the ambivalent category but today may have converted me. I want to say ldquoEverybody has that special place. You know that place that when they first set foot in they knew they would never forget the feeling of just being.rdquo But for me that would be lying because before today I donrsq http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-286919.html Where am IMiddle Eastern Country 1 I walk down the street and get called out at by about 17 men in 3 blocks. Some ask to kiss me. A plethora of random Japanese words are thrown at me. I think there may be more tourists than local people. I get a random kebabgyroshwarma off the street it is not that great and I pay the equivalent of a Big Mac meal. I get one square inch of baklava for a doll http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-286222.html It is really amazing what a few hours travelling will do to change your surroundingsSyria is SO different it is really amazing though. I dont even know where to begin to explain it it is really something you just have to be immersed in to experience. It just seems concentrated so much culture dust dirt sunshine...and the stares you think I would be getting used to it by now...The souqs i http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-276940.html Drove to the Syrian border. After many smoke filled rooms paper work and questioning we were given permission to enter Syria. It got dark during our hour drive to Hama Syria. The roads were rough the traffic was insane and the signs were all in aerobic. Itrsquos worth mentioning that the maps for this trip are in Alrsquos lost bag. There for we had to buy new maps in Italy. Sohellip we are http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-269471.html Do you remember the time when you were a little kid and loved listening to fairytales or reading books full of adventures from places somewhere beyond the horizon and far far away. Tales of powerful kings and queens and beautiful princesses Tales of brave heroes and conquerors tales of unbeatable armies in their shining armors tales of the everlasting battle between good and evil Do you remem http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-241903.html After breaking camp we decided that with at least one sicky per car we would make a dash for Hama and have a rest day at a hotel. Arriving in the city was a nightmare and parked somewhere near the centre we clearly looked lost to a man in the crowd who offered to take us to a nearby hotel.Fearing the worst we nevertheless followed him only to go to a fine hotel a bit expensive but just what e http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-209526.html At the hotel I book a tour to some of the regionrsquos famous sights the Crusader castle of Krak des Chevaliers the Roman ruins of Apamea having listened to the serenade of Hamarsquos creaking norias and utterly gotten the point. Therersquove been cloudy skies all week periodically opening and dumping a prodigious downpour while everyone goes scurrying for the nearest awning. The wome http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-162122.html Krak des Chevaliers Part InbspMiddle East raquonbspSyria raquonbspHama By leilaroundaworldMay 5th 2007Leila Heyyyyy This is only to say I'm down good it is the 12th of May today Happy 30th BDay Paul and I'm heading to Beyrouth finally after changing my plans every day for the past 3 days I'm going...ok no tomorrow ok today heu ok I'll stay and visit that monastery... Be http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-155824.html So here I am down in a very nice little hostel compared to the previous I did down at Aleppo. Hama famous for its water wheels. Hama suppposed to be the most religious one in the region or even the country but where I have seen the most smiles returned back at me from both men and women. Some kids have the most sparkling green eyes I have ever seen. For those interested I have been draggin http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-155153.html I'm hanging in Hama for a few days. It is a pleasant city with inexpensive amenities such as internet felafel comfortable hotel rooms and a pleasant park. The water wheels or norias are quite pleasant but I've wandered around them enough to not fully appreciate their beauty. My plan is to head to Palmyra tomorrow. I am looking forward to seeing the ruins as they are supposed to be beautiful be http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-137760.html Two days ago I made my way to Krak des Chevaliers a very wellpreserved crusader castle outside the small town of Hosn. It was an adventure getting there as the bus I was on dropped me on the side of the road. After walking about 5 km up a winding and rigorous hill I made it to the castle. It was very impressive but it didn't have the same feel as Sallahdin's due to the number of tour groups an http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-137367.html Our next date with the bikes was riding towards the northern syrian city of Allepo. We said our goodbyes to Hama and the great Hotel AlRiad cheap clean and great people working there I said a special goodbye to the toilet and off we went.Of course we werent going to Allepo the direct way. We planned on checking out some more Roman ruins horray and some more ruins the origin of which I reall http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-131156.html The next few days we cruised around the pretty town of Hama. It is famous for its massive waterwheels that are still in operation today but just as a tourist attractionHama prooved to be full of super friendly people as always the case in Syria. While I was fairly spanked with a tragically humerous and fantastic case of the runs tragically humorous like when a clown dies. Apart from the cool http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-130832.html We blasted out of Palmyra stoked to have seen the sights but also glad to be leaving this odd little town out in the middle of nowhere.The landscape was again the same monotonous beige type of earth. Not too exciting but not without its merits. The endless expanse of rocks sand and slowly rolling hills and not to mention the rollicking buses was really enjoyable to ride through.It was a pretty u http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-130809.html Frustratingly we didn't get on the road until well after midday today thanks to the Syrian bureaucratic machine. Luckily Appamea is less than 60km from Hama so we still made it with enough daylight to cook dinner without resorting to torchlight.Our encounter with the Syrian bureaucracy came about because of the need to extend our visas the 14day ones we obtained at the border being woefull http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-122687.html The overwhelming hospitality friendliness and welcoming attitude of the Syrians is experienced by the traveller to this beautiful country on a daily basis. From warm smiles and greetings on the streets to chatting with anyone who crosses your path to being invited to strangers' homes for tea lunch or even shelter the attitude to strangers here is completely different to that in Australia. I http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-121335.html After an awesome breakfast of olives cheese stuffed eggplant bread and hot sheep's milk we said goodbye to Khelad and his family. Mauntez's runs got worse during the day and the poor bloke had to stop several times in an attempt to give himself some relief. He's had a shocking run of bad luck so far.We arrived in Hama around lunch time and Mauntez was forced to retire hurt after bravely see http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-121319.html P vgen frn Damaskus notrrut mste man ka frbi Hama och se vattenhjulen de ska tydligen ha snurrat dr i tusetals r. Det r visserligen vackert och skert imponernade men min absuluta favorit bland de historiska landmrken r utan tvekan ett sagofort som fr mig att tnka p bde Prins Valiant och Ivanhoe. Crac de Chevalier ligger dessutom i ett lummigare trakt n resten v Syrien som mest http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-85009.html I recently had a chance to visit Syria. The first stop was Damascus the capital which is thought to have been inhabited since 2000 BC it is one of the oldest cities in the world. During the day the heat is brutal but the people come out after sunset to a cooler different world to stroll the sidewalks and picnic in the parks.From the hillside you can see the city spread out below with dots http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-53473.html Arrived in Hama with a grumpy husband in tow. We left Beirut on a servis essentially a shared taxivan and the driver had charged us USD10 each wh305ch we stupidly agreed to w305thout negot305at305on. 10 dollars would be cons305dered fa305rly good value for a 4 hour journey anywhere 305n the developed world but th305s be305ng Lebanon we found out latterly from the oth http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-46494.html Since the times spent on the bus do not really count for any particular geographic region and the random places stopped at along the road do not warrant their own entries they have all been combined into one entered under Syria because this is the middle of the three countries Turkey Syria Lebanon that constituted the travel portion of the semester. If this entry is too boring for you let m http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-41892.html The coast was awesome but all good things must come to an end and I'm back in the heartland of Syria seperated from the mediterranean by a range of mountains. I used to think it a bit lame when in geography class they'd talk about how the mountains would prevent the cool weather from the sea from reaching the hinterland... turns out it's true I was running around the ruins of Crak des Chevali http://www.travelblog.org//Middle-East/Syria/West/Hama/blog-2751.html