Blogs from Aleppo, North, Syria, Middle East - page 7

We caught a 5 PM bus from Antalya to Iskenderun, a Turkish city near the Syrian border. The bus ride was 12 hours long and winded its way through mountain roads now familiar to us (see "The longest Mile"). This time we had a better chance to see the precipice that the road teetered upon from the comfort of a luxury coach bus. Turkish buses have a cabin crew, 2 drivers and a steward who serves drinks and snacks. As night fell, the full moon reflected off the Mediterranean ocean in a shimmer of light, adding to the abyss effect we felt every time we looked out the window. Twice, the bus was stopped by the Jandarma, the military police that patrol the countryside. They boarded and all the passengers reached for their government ID. I ... read more

After breakfast we took a cab to the Citadel. A very interesting old structure in the center of the city. We then made our way to the city’s bazaar. This place goes on and on. One after the other covered streets filled with vendors selling anything and everything you can imagine. There are little to no tourist here, mostly the locals doing their shopping. We took some pictures, haggled with the vendors and walked away with a few things to bring home with us. In the afternoon we drove to see some ruins in a little town of Afarmia (Qal 'at al Madiq). This place was had to find and very remote, but well worth it. It was late in the day and the low light was amazing on these very impressive ruins. We also met ... read more

As I think I've said before, Syria is far underrated by westerners. In Aleppo we found lovely, welcoming people with ingrained hospitality as well as beautiful architecture and great culture in general. Starting the day with big fresh juices and cheesy toaties did help the good mood I admit - not our usual boiled eggs, white bread and jam and cucumber that we have been coping with through the Middle East. I don't think I'll ever want to eat boiled eggs or pita bread again... Add those to the overeaten foods list along with pot noodles from China! Our hostel was a character in itself, stone walls and arches, and my Kiwi roomie Tania and I managed to get a lovely romantic room with mood lighting and an old fireplace. Kind of wasted on us, but ... read more

Le discours usuel de tout les gens rencontrés sur la route et qui avaient visité la Syrie était qu'ils ont aimé ce pays pour l'incroyable gentilllesse de ses habitants. On en est presque venu à se demander si ces gens s'étaient consultés au préalable sur le refrain à adopter... Finalement, force est d'admettre que ces derniers avaient raison. On ne retient pas de la Syrie de grands monuments spectaculaires comme on se souvient des pyramides de l'Egypte ou la cité de Pétra pour la Jordanie. Certes, il s'y cache de belles choses mais le plus beau trésor ici c'est sans contredit l'amabilité, la générosité et l'hospitalité de son peuple. Georges W. Bush peut bien dire que l'axe du mal se trouve ici, nous, on l'a bien chercher et on l'a pas trouvé du coté des habitants! ... read more

Well, a very Merry Christmas to you all from the ancient town of Aleppo in the north of Syria. We ended up staying in Istanbul for longer than originally planned, but had such a wonderful time that we really were loathe to leave at all. It was just lovely wandering around, jumping on and off ferries and trams as we criss-crossed the continents and explored the myriad of fascinating palaces, churches, mosques and bazaars. The food was sublime, the very decent coffees (while hideously expensive) were extremely welcome and the general atmosphere gave us a chance to relax, recharge and restock before venturing into Syria. Indeed, Istanbul is one of those cities that never fails to stir something inside, it’s such an amazing mix of old and new, Asian and European…it’s already joined Jane’s list of ... read more