Archive for November, 2007
Friday, November 30th, 2007
72km Mhajjeh to Damascus
There’s not too much to report from our trip back into Damascus. We just put our heads down and focused on knocking off kilometers, letting our minds wander as the pedals spun round. We thought back to cycling through Europe, what lies ahead as we steer towards Iran and also dreamt about a large coffee from Tim Hortons. That last one seems to be a recurring theme from our daydreams! We may have left the Maritimes but in many ways the Maritimes haven’t left us. After yesterday’s lunchtime adventure we played it safe today, stopping for a chicken wrap by the side of the road and a very tasty one it was too with pickles, yogurt and hot sauce. Entering Damascus is reasonably easy on a bicycle, much less of a hassle than Istanbul, and not long after midday we were at our hotel, washing off the dirt with our first shower in four days. We’ll spend the next few nights in the city, getting our visas renewed and preparing to hit the road again, this time heading for Palmyra in the desert and towards the Euphrates river, which we’ll follow most of the way back to Aleppo.
2 Comments » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Journal Entries, Syria by andrew
Thursday, November 29th, 2007
79km Ura to Mhajjeh
Our lunch break today got a dose of excitement when three gun-carrying soldiers and two sergeants marched towards us for a visit. The conversation started like most do in this country with a hearty “welcome to Syria” but we knew this was no ordinary welcoming party and soon we were informed that we’d actually been picnicing on military land. Whooooops. Maybe if we’d looked around a bit before stopping we’d have noticed the large checkpoint a few hundred meters in front of us and the smoke rising in the distance from army exercises but hunger had taken over our brains. Our focus was only on the concrete base of an unfinished house that seemed the perfect spot to sit and eat. After some more friendly chatting and directions to various tourist sites in the area, the army troop took note of our passports and asked how long we’d need to finish eating. “Is fifteen minutes okay?” the only English speaker in the group asked. Yes, that would be fine. “The sergeant will stay until you leave,” our translator added and true to his word the official and his foot-soldiers paced up and down on the road until we left a few minutes later. (more…)
1 Comment » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Journal Entries, Syria by andrew
Wednesday, November 28th, 2007
63km Khilkhileh to Ura
We’ve never had such a hard time spending our money. All day we tried to buy things and over and over again local people refused to take a cent from us. A litre of gas for our stove. A huge bag of oranges. A bottle of cola and some cheese. These were all given to us along with a hearty “welcome to Syria” and a smile. Each time we passed our money across the counter once, twice, three times and it quickly came back to us without any hesitation. We found ourselves wishing we had something to give to people who are so generous, a little Canadian flag perhaps or some other momento. We will have to do some thinking before we get to Iran where, by all accounts, people are even more welcoming to visitors, although to be more open and giving than what we’ve experienced in Syria hardly seems possible. We also had several invitations to have tea and spend the night with families but we pushed on instead; still a bit tired from yesterday’s encounter and also because we only have a few days before we have to get back to Damascus and renew our visa.
By late afternoon we were riding a ridge just north of Bosra and we tucked ourselves into the ever-present olive grove to set up our tent. Down on the plain we can see the lights of a large town. We can’t quite hear the call to prayer from our spot, far removed from any villages, but we did gaze over the green glow of the minarets, standing out above all the buildings as we sipped our evening coffee.
1 Comment » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Journal Entries, Syria by andrew
Tuesday, November 27th, 2007
61km Damascus to Khilkhileh
Our new camping mat arrived yesterday – a big thank you to Tina at Thermarest for getting it to us so quickly – so we were free to hit the road again. We’d spent the last few days debating where to go next and after flipping back and forth a hundred times we finally decided not to go to Jordan. There’s a lot we’d like to see there but the potential hassle of getting back into Syria would weigh on our minds since getting a visa at the border is never guaranteed. The last thing we want is to find our way back north towards Iran blocked.
Instead we’ve decided to stay in Syria, taking our time to explore a country that’s really grown on us. With that in mind, we set out on a loop that will take us down to Bosra, very near the border with Jordan, where we’ll explore the town’s famous ampitheatre and then head back to Damascus just in time to renew our visa for another 30 days.
Getting out of the city was surprisingly easy and soon we were on a quiet road heading dead south. We stopped for a little break to see a war cemetery which holds around 3,000 graves of soliders killed in the wars of 1967 and 1973. Our visit seemed to take the military staff on duty by surprise and they looked us up and down, then photocopied our passports and finally smiled as we pedalled off after spending some time in front of the large monument in the grounds. (more…)
No Comments » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Journal Entries, Syria, Trip Equipment by andrew
Monday, November 26th, 2007
Happiness is….
![A [i]real[/i] coffee!!](http://travellingtwo.com/v/2007/Syria/dsc_6174.jpg.html?g2_GALLERYSID=TMP_SESSION_ID_DI_NOISSES_PMT "A [i]real[/i] coffee!!")
Today we found happiness in Damascus. Not in its mosque — gorgeous though it is — or in the enchanting alleyways of the souk, but in a cup of real coffee!! Ever since we entered Turkey it has been nearly impossible to get a proper brew. You can try, with a pleading look in your eyes, to ask for a coffee but inevitably the waiter returns with the disappointment that is a mug of Nescafe, usually made with powdered milk. Oh sure, there are the famous Turkish coffees, served in espresso cups with the grains still at the bottom and we have to admit they are nice enough, but not quite the thing when you’re craving a frothy, milky cup of latte. Inhouse Coffee to the rescue! We found a branch of this Syrian chain just off a street lined with embassies and swish jewellery shops, not to mention Syria’s first real Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yes, you read that right. In Syria, KFC occupies a spot up with the finest boutiques in town. Chicken drumstick with your Prada bag, madame? Anyway, back to the coffee. Inhouse is the Syrian version of Starbucks with comfy chairs and prices to match. A cappuccino will set you back 2 euros. Not bad by European standards but absolutely outrageous in Syrian terms. The same price would buy you three glasses of freshly squeezed juice or eight falafels from a street vendor. We didn’t care. We paid up and thoroughly enjoyed nursing our coffee among the well-to-do of Damascus. And we had a laugh over Inhouse Coffee’s Syrian quirks. The price list on the wall hadn’t been updated in some time. Prices charged were 50% above what was marked but staff shrugged it off. “It’s an old list,” they said. And when we asked for a customer card which gives you one coffee in ten free they shrugged again. “All out,” they said. The free wifi didn’t work either. No one seemed embarassed. It gave a distinctly Middle Eastern feel to this Starbucks copy. We’ve become used to the finer touches around the edges in many places lacking somewhat, all explained away with a smile and a feeling that’s just the way things are. But the coffee was good and that was all that mattered. Knowing it may be our last decent cuppa for some time to come, we’re even tempted to return tomorrow.
