My trip to Syria

The day is here, we are going to Syria. Leave JFK airport at 6:30PM Sunday on Austria Airlines. 14 hours later, the fun part...the airport. Dozens of military and police. They let us through with very little hastle. We get outside, it's warm, like 95 degrees (the computer in the plane said so). Glad to get out of the airport (for no particular reason, of course) and on our way to Amar. Driving in Damascus is fun (like Panama, gas and horn, no brakes). Painted lines are disregarded...turn signals are a myth. I decided to stop watching the road and watch the scenery instead. North from Damascus to Homs, desert and hills in the distance. West from Homs to Amar, rocky with mountains around Amar. We get to Situ and Gidu's at about 6:30PM.

People stayed and visited last night until 1:30AM, and I could hear some animals fighting during the night, and at 4AM I heard the Muslims praying on top of the other mountain. Went to Homs about 7PM to pick up my cousins. Walked around the Souqs (shops) for an hour...it seemed like there was too much gold for it all to be real. We don't have money yet, so we're just looking. Afterwards, we stop at a sweets shop (Abdoullabah's), and we had some very good ice cream. Then went back to Amar.

I finally took some pictures. We woke up and went to the Nosra (city hall) to get my dad a Syrian Identification Card. There were no computers, of course, just 40 really big books with the names of everyone born in the local villages.
Went to the Crusader's Castle (built in 1150). Took guided tour, went all around the castle: stables, warehouse, church, on top of the outer wall, king's quarters, etc. Good view of the whole valley from the castle. Then went to St. George's Cathedral, visited the new church and the old church.
Got back from there, and before dinner, walked up to the Amar Hotel (Amar Tourist Resort) with my dad and Sharon and Joanne. it's a pretty good walk, but you can see most of Amar from the hill it is on. Walked down to the schoolyard to watch my cousin plan basketball (village vs. village). Most of the kids there were actually speaking English.
There is a wedding tomorrow, so we walked to the party they have the night before. They had drummers and a flute player, and dancing and drinking and many people crowed into the groom's father's driveway.

Didn't do much all day, except get ready for a wedding...yes an actual Syrian wedding. We didn't go to the ceremony, just the reception, held at the Hotel. It was pretty similar to the ones I've been to here, except there were fireworks, and at one point, the bride and groom were put on peoples' shoulders. Also, I had 2 Barada Beers. The reception started at 9PM, and when we left at 1:30AM, it was still going strong. Camera died after taking about 5 pictures, piss me off.

Went to lunch next door at Gidu's cousin Salloum's house. Smoked a Nargileh (water pipe). Afterwards, walked down to the jib (spring) with dad and Sharon (the spring that my dad used to have to go to get water 45 years ago...about 1 hour round trip). Went down to the school with dad and Sharon to watch volleyball match between Amar residents and Amar visitors. Went to store and video game place ($1/half hour on Sega...Mortal Kombat).

Left for Homs at 9:30AM. Bought dates at souq, ordered gold. Went to the Church of the Virgin's Belt.My dad got a haircut for 50 lira (the barber used a string to get long hairs that are missed during shaving). Visited until 9PM, went to Marmareta with Tony and Sharon in '86 Mercedes. Just like cruising the strip back home, restaurants on both sides, people walking along and driving along to see and be seen. Ate at Marmareta Cafe and just sat and watched the people.

Played basketball witht the kids across the street for an hour. Mom called at 3PM (8AM Allentown time). Went to a hafli (party) for the whole village at the Hotel. It was pretty much like the wedding, with the same dancing and everything. I won a watch in a raffle. Left about 2:30AM because we have an early day tomorrow.

Left at 8AM for Tadmor (Palmyra). After passing Homs the real desert starts. Some military bases and very poorly marked roads on the way. Guided tour of Temple of Bel(built in 32AD), The Great Colonnade, The Theater, The Arab Castle and the Valley of the Tombs. While touring the Colonnade and Theater, we were beseiged by little bedouin kids selling postcards, headwraps, and camel rides. Bought one of each just to get rid of them (yes, I rode a camel wearing a "traditional arab headwrap"). Ate at the Palmyra Tourist Restaurant. On the way back we drove through a sandstorm.

Left at 7AM for Haleb (Aleppo). Get to Haleb at 9:45, get lost in Center City and stop at a coffee shop for breakfast. Went back to the micro (minivan) and drove to the souqs. Less crowded than the souqs in Homs. Went to the Great Mosque (it was muslim prayer time, so I didn't go in). Went to the Citadel...but it was closed (what's up with that). Got a couple pictures anyway. Haleb is within about 25km of Turkey, so we drove back south towards Hama. On the way, there are fields and fields of pistachio trees...we bought about 5 pounds of them. Got to Hama, ate at a restaurant near the 4 norias. Hama was a nice place, not as busy and crowded as Aleppo or Hama, with a nice riverside area.

August 11, 1999...the end of the world. There is gonna be a total solar eclipse in parts of Syria, so the newspapers and TV run stories panicking the people...telling them not to go outside and cover all windows and close all doors. In Amar, we only get a 90% eclipse. The temperature dropped about 10 degrees and it wasn't as bright out, and I did the shadow experiment on the eclipse. The older people just watched the eclipse on TV and covered their heads when they went outside...it was comical. After the eclipse stuff blew over, Sharon, Tony and I went to Marmareta again. Went to the restaurant opposite the Marmareta Cafe and had pizza and walked a little bit.

Sharon and my dad and I walked up the mountain opposite the village. Roundtrip takes almost 2 hours, complete with frequent water breaks. No one brought their camera, so we will have to do this again. Went next door to Salloum's and watched TV...The Profiler and Baywatch Nights.

Leave at 7AM for Lattakia (on the Meditteranean Coast). Got stopped by police 3 times on the way there. Decided to stay at Cote D' Azur Hotel. Got a room with 2 stories, 3 baths, sleeps 8 for the Syrian National's price of $190/night. Have continental breakfast in the hotel (eggs, stale toast, very good orange juice).
Went down to the beach, swam in the Meditteranean (warm and salty). Rented a paddleboat for 200 lira/hour (Jet Ski would have been 1600/half hour). Laid on the beach for a couple hours. Went back up to the room and showered and changed and enjoyed the A/C. Went for a walk around Lattakia near the Hotel with Joanne, Sharon, and my dad to buy soda, water, and fruits. Went back to the hotel and everyone decided on a light dinner. Went walking with dad and Sharon along the road near the hotel, many little shops and restaurants. Sharon bought 8 falafel from a street vendor for 120 lira.
After dinner, went with Joanne and Sharon to the hotel bar. Small selection...Barada Beer, Carlsberg Beer (what's up with that), wine from Lebanon. The waiter spilled our order on us, so we got a free "Jamaica". Had 2 Carlsberg's, 2 bottles of wine, 1 caramel flan, 1 Bailey's over ice for 1600 lira ($32). The receipt was in English. Walked on the beach...tried to get a Nargileh at outside, but they said it was too late. Sat in the lobby and met Amir from Damascus who had been in Los Angeles for 1 year and spoke good English. Went back to the room and passed out.

Time to leave the Cote D' Azur. We check-out just about noon after having tea in the lobby. We go to President Assad's hometown. We visit the shrine he built for his mom in 1990...complete with Mosque; and the memorial he is building for his son who died in a car accident . We then drive to Kafrun to eat lunch at Nabig Al Shear...a restaurant between a spring and a cliff. Nine people ate a large meal for just under 4000 lira ($80). Got back to Amar.
Went with Joanne, Tony, Sharon to Marmareta for the Carnival celebrating the Ascension of Mary (I think). Disorganized parade with many people and unrelated tractor-based floats (almost got run over a couple times). Walked back to Marmareta cafe amongst crowded streets and commenced people watching activities. Shared a Nargileh with Joanne (200 lira). Had bad service, but that was because we didn't have a wooden number on our table. We moved tables and everything was OK. Had a Barada Beer, pizza, cola, mango for 300 lira.

Walked with Sharon up the mountain opposite from Amar to get pictures. Took almost 2 hours. Mom called when we got back.

Left at 7AM for Maalula. The Monastery there is built directly into a cliff in the desert. Visited the Shrine to Saint Tekla(many tourists). Left the monastery and walked behind it through the narrow passageway in cliff. Got to the other side and was hoping to see a good view over the desert, but that would have been a pretty far walk, so we went back. Drove to Sednaya, went to the Convent of Our Lady (a whole lot of tourists). Seemed like a very modern place with lots of stairs and a cafe inside. A good place for people watching and a good view of the desert from the roof.
On the drive back to Amar, stopped in Homs for lunch. A 2-story restaurant that was air-conditioned and near a river. I am told that the name (loosely translated) means The Restaurant for Engineers. 1400 lira ($28) for 8 people for a normal Syrian meal.

Day trip to Tartous on the Meditteranean Coast. Got there and went directly to the little harbor to catch a boat to Arwad. The 5 of us chartered a boat for 500 lira. Boat goes past many oil tankers and fishing boats for 20 minute ride. On Arwad, there are a bunch of little stalls selling things like boats made out of sea shells, etc. Didn't walk around the island much, had drinks at a seaside restaurant and got back on the boat. Drove around for a couple minutes looking for the gold store run by my grandmother's cousin. Went to Al Yamak restaurant on 4th floor of "Chamber of Commerce" building (honest, it actually said that) overlooking the harbor. First place I've seen women working. Decent restrooms, decent food for 5 for 944 lira. (Had an Al Chark beer).

For dinner, drove through the mountains (probably northward) to a restaurant called Al Shorfa, about an hour from Amar. Another normal Arabic meal (I had a Barada beer) for 2500 lira for 7 people (I paid this time). Went to a cave about 10 minutes from restaurant. Barely let us in...it closed at 7PM. 25 lira admission. Only 1 opening, go in, turn around, go out the way you came in. Some cool rock formations.