Archive for November, 2007
Thursday, November 22nd, 2007
65km Almarh to Damascus
Today may well be one for the record books after we cruised into Damascus in less than three hours, landing in the souk before midday instead of at sunset as we’d expected. Until we hit the road from our hilltop campsite, we had no idea that much of the distance between us and the world’s oldest city would be downhill. What a welcome surprise that was after yesterday’s difficult pedalling and a chilly night, which made us keen to get into a hotel with heating and a hot shower.
We flew along, hardly working at all, and before we knew it we were fighting it out with the taxi drivers, porters and general crowds on the streets of Damascus. Happily for us, by late morning the sun was out and with its rays warming our backs we didn’t mind taking our time to get oriented and find our hotel. Of course, as always happens in cities, we got lost and then rescued by a kind local man who turned us around and walked us several blocks in the opposite direction to get us back on the right track. (more…)
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Wednesday, November 21st, 2007
55km Hisyah to Almarh
Winter decided to make its presence felt today and we weren’t very happy to see it. The weather forecasters had promised sun and balmy temperatures so when the icy wind and rain showed up we felt more than a little betrayed. It was cold enough that we could see our breath all day and bus shelters were a frequent stop as we tried to warm up again and stay dry. We met some interesting locals this way (most of whom used sign language to declare us crazy for cycling in the chilly weather) but the frequent stops slowed us down and we didn’t get as far as we’d hoped. Maybe we should have jumped in the back of one of the numerous trucks who stopped to offer us a lift but we pushed on instead, hoping for those elusive clear skies over the next hill.
By early afternoon we had to admit that the elements had gotten the better of us. Up went the tent in a field and we snuggled inside, hoping for better times tomorrow. If the temperatures don’t improve we may make a dash straight for Damascus. Initially we wanted to take a side road up into the mountains to the village of Malula; a place where locals still speak the language of Jesus Christ. Pictures we’ve seen look beautiful with houses carved into the rocks but, on the other hand, if we’re freezing now we’re not overly tempted to go even higher into the hills. We can see snow on some of the nearby peaks. We’re also wondering if our plan to stay in Syria for most of the next month is the best idea. The thought of more cold rain has us considering a route dead south, as far into Jordan as possible, with a train or bus back to the Turkish border at the last minute. We know we’ll have to face winter in Turkey and north-east Iran but we’ve no desire to bring it on earlier than necessary. No doubt our stay in Damascus will include a lot of pondering with maps and guidebooks, trying to decide where to go next.
No Comments » - Posted in Cycling Trips, Journal Entries, Syria by andrew
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007
65km Msheirfeh to Hisyah
The rain pitter pattered on our tent throughout the night but by the time we emerged in the morning it seemed the clouds were clearing. We crossed our fingers for a sunny day ahead and set off southwards, continuing to hug the Lebanese border. Of course this meant checkpoints, checkpoints and more checkpoints. We went through at least six in the morning and then we stopped counting. The procedure was the same each time. Two or three guards would emerge, accompanied by a few locals, and the first question was about our destination. They didn’t seem to believe us when we said Damascus so we started saying Australia. This led to a long silence, followed by “No, really. Where are you going?”
Damascus seemed to be a good answer the second time around.
The rest of our morning was spent passing through small towns, continually glancing up at the sky to see if the darkening clouds were going to let loose on our heads. Eventually they did, of course, but happily we were able to run into a restaurant and have lunch while we waited to see what the afternoon would bring. Rain, rain and more rain turned out to be the answer. We pushed on for a while and then our patience ran out when we discovered the road we’d planned to take didn’t exist, or at least no one seemed to know about it. The road was clearly marked on the main map we’d been using but when we went to double check on another map we picked up from the tourist bureau we were more than a little surprised to see it didn’t exist at all, which tallied with the confused looks from the locals whenever we asked for directions to this mythical road. (more…)
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Monday, November 19th, 2007
53km Ein Halaqim to Msheirfeh
Crac des Chevaliers. It’s perhaps the most famous crusader castle in the world but on the road we had some uncertain times trying to figure out where it was. Not until the last few kilometers did some signs start to appear but by then they were a bit useless since you couldn’t really miss the castle on its hilltop! Each spelling on the signs was a bit different from the other: “Krac des Chvalliers” or “Crac de Chevalier”. None of them warned us about the steep climb up to the castle. The last couple of curves are contenders for the steepest grades we’ve tackled on our bikes and at one point a few local kids tried to give us a push! Once at the site, various people wanted to become our guide but we disappointed them all by refusing, like we always do. We have a lot more time than money so we just wander around on our own and read our guidebooks. Even inside the primary defence wall, more people were selling postcards and offering to be guides. It must be low season; they don’t have the energy to persist. The Citadel is just huge. Going by a floor plan in our book we managed to tour around the site fairly quickly and, although it is mostly in ruins, we did enjoy seeing a large hall with impressive vaulted ceilings and some of the living quarters, which still had flowers and leaves carved into the window edges. Unfortunately the rain was starting to make its presence known and today wasn’t a day to see the rolling hills from the top of the castle. They were mostly all covered in clouds.
After leaving the Citadel, we flew down the hill, through a few villages that seem to be mostly Christian. Far fewer women wore headscarves and we passed a number of churches. Soon we were venturing close to the Lebanese border. Taking a few minor roads, we stumbled upon a small military check-point. Just a tent with a few mattresses to sleep on inside of the tent and a teapot, of course. It must be manned 24 hours a day. Three men approached, all smiling. At first we thought we might be turned back for being so close to the border – we weren’t even sure if our road would actually cross into Lebanon or just keep close to the frontier – but it turned out they were more happy to look at a passport than to trouble us with any questions. The Iranian visa got a long examination and then they all welcomed us to Syria. With all that taken care of we asked if our directions were good. Thankfully they were. We can never really tell with our maps, which appear detailed but often bear no resemblance to the actual roads. (more…)
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Sunday, November 18th, 2007
60km Hama to Ein Halaqim
Our traveller’s bug is proving hard to shake. It’s been over a week now since Friedel first got sick in Aleppo. We spent several days feeling tired and without any real appetite and then, just as we started to feel better in Hama, Andrew had a relapse. We extended our stay in Hama to rest up and even checked with a doctor to make sure we were doing the right things. Andrew may never forgive Friedel for calling the doctor, therefore leading to the shot he had to get in the behind. Ouch! At least the medicine seemed to do the trick and we both felt well enough to carry on today. We hope that a few more days of antibiotics and plenty of sleep (it now gets dark by 5pm so dozing isn’t hard to do) will sort us out before we land in Damascus a few days down the road. Our route out of Hama took us west, towards Crac des Chevaliers, perhaps the greatest crusader castle anywhere, or so all the guidebooks and our fellow travellers tell us. We’ve got some hills to tackle before we get there but we are rewarded by views of thousands of olive trees along with the odd fig and pomegranate tree as well.
Olive orchards are turning out to be excellent camping spots for us in Syria, offering ground that is normally flat and plenty of cover from the road. We continue to be invited in for tea and dinner constantly as we pedal along and today we stopped for coffee with a doctor, his wife, a teacher, and their four children. We refuse most invitations though. Partially because we would still be back at the border if we took up even a fraction of the kind offers and also because it takes so much energy to have dinner with a family; staying up late to explain our story and answer a string of good-natured but probing questions. Our lack of children always come up. In the Arab culture, it is unthinkable that we would choose cycling the world over raising six or eight kids. Instead, we see our tent as our home, a little bit of space that is ours to retreat into after a day on the road and that’s where we prefer to be most nights. We are also reluctant to impose on a family which offers a meal out of a sense of duty to the foreigner but may not have much money to entertain visitors, particularly when they feel obligated to buy expensive food like chicken to serve to us. (more…)
