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Published: November 27th 2009
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Syrian Arab Republic, Nov.5th - 17th, 2009 After traveling through Turkey for over 3 weeks, we finally got to the real Middle East. We had heard so many things about the Syrian entry visas that we did not know what to believe. As it turns out all of our apprehension was unfounded. When we got to the Syrian border, we were greeted by the border guards, who after receiving the $26 US for the visa, gave us our passports back with a smile and said "welcome to Syria". As it turns out, this would be a phrase we heard repeated many times. We had read in books and heard from people that Syrian hospitality was one of a kind, but to experience it for ourselves was amazing. Nowhere in our 6 months of travel have we been so kindly and warmly welcomed as we had in Syria. People would yell at us from across the street, welcoming us, and even going as far as inviting us to their homes for tea. Often store keepers would refuse payment for fruit or other small things, instead saying in their broken English "for you free... welcome to Syria." In addition to welcoming us,
people were also constantly wanting pictures with us. People yelling to welcome you was quite the nice change from Turkey, where they only yell at you to sell you useless crap.
We started our trip through Syria in the northern town of Aleppo. It was our first taste of the Arabic world, and it was certainly different from anything else we had seen before. This city, along with Damascus, claims to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, and in some parts you can definitely see the history. The Citadel at the center of town was the highlight for us, and we spent the better part of the one afternoon exploring it. We even had a chance to see the Sultans private bathrooms while we were there. Fancy!!!
We went to the Mediterranean coast from Aleppo, hoping to sneak in a few days at the beach in Lattakia. We had been on the road for 5 weeks straight, and wanted to relax in the sun for bit. This turned out to be wishful thinking, as the beaches in Syria are not the greatest. The tourism industry is small here so there are not that many hotels
or resorts, but we did manage to get some sun at Wadi Quandil, a volcanic beach about 25km north of Lattakia. Even though it was short, the break was a welcome respite from non stop travel.
Our main Destination in Syria was Damascus, so we headed south stopping in Hama for 2 nights, where we did a day excursion to Krak de Chavalier, a crusader castle high in the hills overlooking the Homs Pass. Out of all the castles/forts we have seen on this trip, this was by far the most authentic one, the way you imagine a castles should be. Unlike some of the European ones which are more like fancy residences for kings and queens, this was a pure military fort built to exert control over the main passage through the mountains. We even managed to get in there without paying the admission fee, which was a bonus. One other cool thing in Hama were the old water wheels, which no longer turn as the river has dried up, but at least they still look nice.
From Hama it was a three hour bus to Palmyra, site of some more ancient ruins. This was the first
place in Syria that one could consider a bit touristy. We planned to only stay one night, but after seeing the size of this ancient city we extended that to stay a full day. It took the entire day to see the whole ruins, some of which we explored on the back of camels. Another first on this trip. We rented three camels for about half an hour (about $7), as any longer and you get a little sore between the legs. It was in Palmyra where we met a lone Beduin in the dessert on his motorcycle. We struck up a conversation and next thing you know, we were in his desert hut drinking tea with his family and talking about the differences between our two cultures. Yet another example of the Syrian hospitality.
After 10 days in Syria, we reached our final destination of Damascus, the oldest city in the world. Although you would not know it by looking at it. Like Istanbul, there are few buildings in the city that one would consider ancient, but as we walk along the Souqs you can definitely imagine the trading that has gone on here for thousands of years.
Also like Istanbul, it is busy, loud and alive. We spent two days walking through some of the hundreds of small winding streets and markets, and enjoying the food and shops. There is not too many tourist attractions here to see, so after two days our time in Damascus and in Syria, had inevitably come to an end. We are now off to Beirut, Lebanon, and then the rest of the Middle East. If the people there are even half as nice as Syria, I'm sure it will be just as much fun.
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