A one day excursion to Aleppo, Syria (part 2)

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ok, here's the entry on the actuall Aleppo, Syria (as opposed to the drive to/from there).

I was consering going to Syria soon after finding out that my friend's wedding is close to Syria on the Turkish side. A visa, however, was $175 in Syrian Embassy Washington, which was too high for a one day excursion.

In Antakya (a city I was staying in), I accidentally found out that there will be a one day tour to Aleppo, Syria for $30 and that 16 Americans have already signed up. I decided to join as well.

This wasn't actually a tour. We would be dropped off and picked up, but were on our own in Aleppo. We ended up spending about 8hours in Aleppo and 8 on the border (separate blog entry: http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Syria/North/Aleppo/blog-302737.html). I didn't particulary wish to be by myself in a city that I knew nothing about, without my passport (held by the tour guide to make sure we don't run off). Fortunately, there was a group of students on the bus and I asked one of them whether i could hang-out with them, which I did for the duration of the trip). (many thanks Elif).

My general observations of Aleppo.

Beatiful historic district. Very well preserved, with narrow winding streets are some of the best i've seen.

Best food I've ever had. About 10 of us found a restaurant in which we had a variet of appetizers. WOW. I hope to return to Syria just for the food. (btw: enjoyed watching an American teenager refuse eat any Syrian food, prefering Macaroni and Cheese, which, fortunately, the Syrians didn't have). The ambiance was excellent as well.

Excellent traffic chaos. Crossing the Streets requires great skill. Tiny, tiny cars, specifically designed to pass through narrow streets and very narrow sidewalks requiring careful maneuvaring.

Best moment: As I was photographing a fellow Turkish traveler, a conservative Turkish family of tourists, not realizing she spoke Turkish, called her stupid for posing. She replied in Turkish inviting them to join her. They turned red.

Bazaar was my favorite stop:

Most of the Bazaar is underground and frequently electricity would be knocked out.

Laugher: I was walking with a few other people (mostly women) and a few times when one of them stopped to buy something, the owner was complimenting me on having 4 wives. And that news spread quickly. Walking along, others began complementing as well.

Bargaining in the dark was fun. With just a flashlight in hand, we would be examining the items and attempting to discern color, quality, etc.

Meat handing on hooks made me wonder whether i was seeing testicles or not (unfortunately no pics).

Biggest Surpise: Humans loved Americans. As soon as I woud explicate (everyone asks where I am from), immediate positive comments.

Best offer: A fellow traveler, age 23, was offered many camels in exchange for her hand. In the story in which we spend most amount of time, the offer went from 50 to 100 camels. The girl still refused. I have been trying to convince her that she will have access to tons of camel hair for her shawls (which she bought).

Strangest thing to happen: Me, Elif and Ozge ended up in one store that dealt scarfs/shawls. At first they bought scarfs and we left. The store's assistant went along with us invited us to return to the store to have tea. We did. After chatting somewhat, I asked for directions to a bathroom and was led through a long and winding path to a Mosque. My first time ever in a Mosque was induced by biological needs. In a little bit, the 3 of us were given a private tour of the bazaar by our 'tour guide'. that was great..

Hidden Place: We saw a really interesting ceremony take place in a Mosque. Afterwards, to go inside, Elif and Ozge had to cover themselves head to toe. Inside, as Ozge was photographing, kids ran-up to her from every corner asking to be photographed.

Many speak excellent English.

General observations: Very friendly humans. Definitely worth a trip.

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