Qa'lat al Marqab

I really tried hard to not pay the entrance fee at this crusader castle, climbing through a gap in the wall and trying my best to not be seen. Of course, I was caught at the very end while I was leaving (having missed parts of the castle in order to not be seen). The guy came up on a motorcycle asking why I climbed in through the wall and blah blah... I offered to pay for a ticket and after a moment's hesitation he offered to charge me 30% less in exchange for him not issuing a ticket (in other words, a bribe). I said yes. Nice castle, eh?

The Syrian Hinterland

December 28th 2004
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 ... read more

Middle East » Syria » West » Hama

Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, Syria was administered by the French until independence in 1946. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in ... ... read more

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