Blogs from West, Syria, Middle East - page 6

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 attraction! Hama 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 school water wheels we discovered numerous cheap and hearty juice bars- which were frequeneted almost as many times as I went to the toilet. We took a day trip out to see the spectacular crusader castle of Crac De Chavelliers. When researching what to see in Syria, Crac De Chavelliers was high on my list. While my energy levels werent at their normal Tiger ... read more

Ahhh today was probably the first full day off the bikes since we started. And it did feel good. The legs appreciated it, the butt appreciated it, and the gut loved it! Started the day with a bit of a lay in and some BBC World action. But theres a city awaiting to be explored. After a couple of schewarmas and four or five 10c espressos we parked our caffinated hides into a serivs bus (really a van with a few extra seats in it). And at speeds barely short of the sound barrier we hammered it to Qala'at Saladin - an old crusader castle spectaculrly set on a forested ridge that drops away to almost shear cliffs. Great little castle that one. Then went back to Lattakia and ate some more. Mmmmmm food. Schewarma count ... read more

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 Chevaliers yesterday in a T-shirt, and although today the weather was fairly warm, it got pretty cold after sundown (true to desert style). I head a bit south to Tartus after my stint in Latakia. Although Christmas was a letdown I got to go to a Syrian (Christian Maronite) wedding, and attend midnight mass in what is commonly thought of as a Muslim ... read more

Most women in the old city of Aleppo wore some form of veil: the most common being a head scarf covering the hair. Some of the younger girls would cover their hair but wear tight jeans, which was interesting. A more common sight would be long flowy black clothing that sits on top of regular clothing, and commonly referred to as the "chadoor". It is here in Syria where I've first seen women with the entire face covered, essentially with a thin black cloth that gives one the eerie sensation that the person has their head screwed on backwards or are walking down the street backwards. Having said that, one of the most common sights in Aleppo's souq, apart from self-proclaimed homosexuals, is sexy lingerie hanging prominently in storefronts. Some people defend the hijab by suggesting ... read more

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 of green to show where the mosques are. Under the streets are reminants of the Romans. The Omayyad mosque (705 AD), the National Museum, Saladin's mausoleum (1193?) with its huge old walls are well worth a visit. The crooked alleys of Souq al Hamadiyyeh, are full of atmosphere, hidden restaurants and tea shops provide a place for watching and conversation ... read more