MY 2000 ADVENTURE (continued)
May 15 – 11:00 am
We’re currently parked at the Syria/Lebanon border. There are many border guards that seems to be typical (based upon this trip) of Arabic bureaucratic inefficiency! We arrived in Damascus late last night (7 pm) and by the time we pitched our tents and ate it was 9 pm. Everyone thought that we were staying in a hotel and when the truck turned onto a bumpy road with a campground sign everyone let out a huge moan. But it’s actually not a bad place. It seems to be secure by having a large locked gate, the bathroom smells but it has spacious shower stalls with hot water. I developed an upset stomach last night at 4:00 am, rushed to the bathroom and felt better afterwords. Wow – the border guards just gave us free pop!
The mountains ahead of us have snow on top – I didn’t expect that at this time of year. The area actually looks like Cranbrook, BC because it’s rocky and hot. Although last night got cool my towel and underwear didn’t dry much. Due to miscommunication we had to pay for our CDs this morning in Syrian Pounds. So I was scrambling around and luckily Lauren was able to lend me $26.00 (US). The exchange rate is $1.00 (US) to 48 Syrian Pounds. So my $50.00 equaled 2750.00 pounds. Simon is currently reading off a list of fictional parent names along with our occupations. My parents are Ralph and Sybil and my job is ironically a librarian! How ironic. This is for customs purposes. Anyway we’re still waiting to pass – let’s get going!
May 16 – 10:20 am
It’s going to be another hot and dusty day. I was impressed with the scenery in Lebanon and the Western European flavor of Beirut. It was a long trip up the mountain to get into the city. We took a nice walk along the ocean boardwalk – many people, stores and amusement parks were there. Then we had dinner at the Hard Rock Café and it was predictably expensive ($20.00 US) for a lamb burger and a milkshake. I bought a nice key chain for my car to replace Kokopelli. Everything is now packed up and we’re waiting for Kathy and Trevor to return with the CDs that we ordered. One thing that I immediately noticed in Lebanon was the number of Volvos, BMWs, Volkwagens, and Audis. It’s probably due to the geographic location of Beirut being on the Mediterranean and the French occupation of Syrian until fairly recently (1946).
The bombed out buildings were a sobering sight as the city is slowly recovering from the devastating 1975-88 civil war with Israel. Apparently the southern part of Lebanon (Golan Heights?) still experiences skirmishes with Israel. Guards and troops were more visible around the county because Syria still has an army in Lebanon to help maintain peace. The ancient Roman city of Balbek (sp?) that means Sun Valley, was impressive with its immense stone columns and huge Parthenon. It took 250 years to build and cost thousands of lives. The city’s population was over 250,000 and if totally excavated would be larger, in square footage than Jerash. We had a delicious Greek lunch yesterday with a spectacular view of the ruins and mountains. The tour leaders just returned in a tiny “Minicab” pickup truck. Hard to believe that they’re street legal. I’m looking forward to getting my CDs! Off we go…
May 17 – 10:30 am
We’ve pulled off the road due to minor mechanical (engine filter?) problems. I’m finally eating the potato chips that I bought in Amman. The sight seeing event yesterday was the large ruins of Palmyra. The city was built 3,000 years ago but the current ruins date from 100 AD (similar to Jerash). It was inhabited by Romans, then Christians and finally Muslims who lived there until 1929. It’s in the middle of the desert and the city seems to go on for miles. There was an impressive citadel on top of a mountain. I took a picture of it with the moon in the background. There was a great sunset and then the bloody wind picked up and it hasn’t abated since! We camped in the desert and the almost full moon made for a luminescent desert. We had a delicious stir fry dinner and I even had a beer. The campfire and hot chocolate were soothing to end the day. But the f**king wind and sand made for long and uncomfortable night. I got up during the night because of paranoia of the scorpions and the fact that my allergies flared up due to the wind. My CD order did not contain the Milli Vanilli album that I had requested. Yesterday I bought a silver ring for $9.00 at Palmyra – unique Bedouin designs on it. Off we go again into the bleak desert…
May 17 – 2:45 pm
I’m sitting on a park bench in central Hama. It’s a very pleasant town and I had a delicious felafel that had cooked chickpeas. The city park has trees and grass and is surprisingly clean! People are friendly and items are cheap (two bottles of water cost only 40 pounds) that is cheaper compared to Egypt. I took a picture of a huge creaky, old water wheel. The sun and slight breeze feel nice. The city seems to be a oasis paradise in the midst of the desert. However, a dark period in the city’s history is that President Assad send troops to quell an anti government rally. There were several thousand dead and wounded. Anyway there’s another one of those strange three wheeled contraptions that just whizzed by me. I better head back to the Kumuka truck.
May 18 – 11:00 am
I’m back on the truck after spending overnight near Krak des Chavliers (Castle of the Knights). Construction began in 1031 and was inhabited first by Christians and later Muslims. It was largest of seven fortifications in northern Syria and near the Lebanese mountains. It inhabited over 4,000 soldiers and attendants. It is an impressive monument and the scenery is spectacular. Our local guide sang a Muslim hymn in the chapel – the sound echoed beautifully. On to the northern Syrian town of Aleppo…
May 18 – 1:50 pm
“Make light speed – a place full of inhabitants”. A typical nonsensical road sign in the Middle East!
May 18 – 7:15 pm
I’m relaxing in our small but clean room at the Syria Hotel in the bustling city of Aleppo. Our bathroom has to be the smallest that I’ve ever seen with the showerhead almost overhead of the toilet. The city has a huge outdoor covered souq or market. The shop owners were not as aggressive as their counterparts in Egypt. One even fixed my necklace for free. I’d like to shop around a bit more for a kafiya for Eric but I’ll see if there’s time after dinner.
May 19 – 7:50 am
We’re at the Syria/Turkey border and I’m tired and hungry. Dinner last night consisted of traditional cold vegetables including a bowl of pickles. We each got a free coke but things got better when the barbequed chicken came. Then the Canadian contingent (Dawn, Sylvanna, me and the American girl Lauren) walked around a bit. Unfortunately the souq was closed and it was only 10 pm – many of the shops in Egypt stayed open much later. I bought ice cream and stocked up on water and pop. Today is ostensibly the longest travel day on this trip (Aleppo to Urgup). We were told that there will be Internet access in the town that we’ll be staying tonight in Cappadocia (sp).
May 21 – 9:50 am
We’ve just entered a town with two looming snow capped mountain/volcanoes nearby. Turkey has beautiful mountains unlike any of seen in North America. Going back to the long travel day of the 19th – we spent about two hours at the border. It was an absolute waste of time! Turkey has astronomical inflation as $1.00 (US) equals 600,000 Turkish Lira. So at the border I exchanged $50.00 for 30 million Lira! Our first and only meal that day was at 2:00 pm. We pulled into another rock quarry and cooked French toast and sandwiches with huge pieces of pita bread. Everyone ate to their heart’s content and was soon stuffed. Interesting observation that wherever we stopped local children would soon come around. They seemed to beg for scraps but would never approach our group. We offered them leftover french toast but they didn’t seem to want it. Then as we drove off we threw them candy out the truck’s windows.
That same night (19th) was wild as we were all drinking the alcohol that was purchased at the border that morning. People were partying and dancing to AC/DC. It was fun but it ended prematurely when we arrived at our campsite near the town of Urgup. It has a population of 30,000 and is in central Turkey. It is a pleasant town but has many tour buses. The 20th was spent touring the surrounding areas (hoodoos and an ancient city built in sandstone). Star Wars filmed the desert scenes of the planet Tatoone around the hoodoos! At the city (forgot name) we climbed inside one large building – it was very dark and had steep stairs and tunnels. It was also the first time on my trip that it rained! The area is called Cappadocia (land of beautiful horses).
Then we proceeded to a vast underground city called Kaymakli. It had many labyrinths and we descended to a depth of 40 metres! However, there were air shafts that brought fresh air and thus allowed the ancient inhabitants to live here for months at a time during times of war and harsh weather. The rain intensified when we returned to ground level. I had earlier bought a decorative vest for 5 million Lira and a traditional Turkish cap for 3.5 million. Then we drove back to Urgup to visit a pottery store. It had beautiful artwork so I bought two small jars for $50.00 (US). Lunch was pizza that was delivered – surprising!
We went to a carpet (kilim) store that claimed it was the second most famous in Turkey. Like the pottery shop, the salesman was very hospitable and very disciplined in presenting items and showing how they were made. They obviously rely heavily on tourists and not the local community for income. Tour companies get a slice of the profits too. Anyway I was persuaded to buy a large carpet with magnificent indigo blue, red from crushed insects, walnut brown, green, grey, and white colors. It has double stitching wool on wool done by one woman in a nearby village that took over two months to complete. It cost $500.00 Canadian including shipping. Rather expensive but I hope it’s worth the price. Then I went shopping for a wool vest. I was unsuccessful after spending much time wandering around the village.
Afterwards our group went to a Turkish Bathhouse. The sauna was very hot but it felt great! The massage lasted only ten minutes but the best part was my back getting cracked by a big burly man. This followed by a young boy who scrubbed and exfoliated my body. I was one of the last to get done. Feeling refreshed the last group of us wandered over to an upscale Western style bar and had drinks. Turkey’s national beer is called Efes. It’s not bad but Egypt’s Stella was cheaper and came in bigger bottles. We took a cab back to the campsite and arrived around midnight. We were famished and hovered like vultures devouring carrion as we consumed tepid leftovers. We spent the second cold night inside the same crowded building but this time near the bar floor. We had a fire in the fireplace that night to warm us a bit. I forgot to mention that I bought another vest for six million lira after I had the massage. It was a rather uncomfortable sleep that night and doubt that many slept well in the cold cramped quarters. After being exposed to unbearable heat for a month it was strange to be in a cold (relatively) environment. Our guide, Mustafa, was friendly but seemed to have a chip on his shoulder (machismo maybe?)
May 21st was a travel day to the southern coast and the resort town of Side. We arrived at 6:00 pm and there was not much time to explore. I talked to two locals (Anton and another) who wanted to buy my Crocodile Dundee hat! An observation was that many locals and store owners don’t understand English. For dinner I had a beer for 700,000 lira along with spaghetti Cardona for 350,000. It was delicious and the restaurant was on the beach! We walked back to our campsite and I washed clothes and finally went to bed at 1:00 am. I’ve had uneasy feelings of scorpions being around here! We’ve now been on the road for almost an hour bound for the town of Cas (pronounced cash)…
May 21 – 4:00 pm
We’re passing through the town of Einike with a population (Egyptian for nufus) of 10,700. The mountains and blue ocean are beautiful and purple-like trees line the town’s main street. But there’s a row of hotels that encroach the beach front. We’ve been following the coastal mountains for quite a while now. The incredible triangular shaped mountains dominated the view once we departed the bustling coastal city of Antalya.
Earlier that afternoon I emailed everyone. Here is an edited version of the message:
We just arrived in the coastal city of Antalya, Turkey. I’ve seen so much that that I don’t know where to begin. It’s been bloody hot so far although we’ve experienced rain in Turkey. It’s a beautiful country and the mountains look a bit like the Rockies. Please excuse the typos here as the keyboard characters are in Turkish! The country is much more Westernized than the Middle Eastern nations (more stores, street lights, newer cars). Since we arrived in Jordan our group has been traveling in a large truck with comfortable seats and a panoramic view. I took a picture of the vehicle as it’s nothing that I’ve seen before and has likely been customized for long overland trips like ours. Turkish food is also more palatable than the bland Middle Eastern cuisine. But that’s just my opinion. I bought CDs in Syria because they were dirt cheap due to no copyright laws. I’ve also shopped in many bazaars and shops. I have continued to buy relatively small items to carry with me back home. A few days ago our group went to a carpet store and I bought a Turkish carpet. It has beautiful colors and is a nice size (not too small). So I had it shipped to your house Dad. Price was $500.00 US but it is a good investment as it will last for decades. The Mediterranean Sea is beautiful and the water warm.
While in Syria some of us took a day trip to neighboring Lebanon. It’s a scenic country that has surprisingly high mountains with snow capped peaks! I looked at more Roman temples and am amazed by the number of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian ruins in the Middle East. Beirut was enjoyable despite the ruined buildings that were bombed during the long civil war. We had dinner at the Hard Rock Café. Prices there were almost on par with items back home. Egypt and Syria had the cheapest prices for goods because they are economically destitute. Crossing the Syrian-Turkish border was a hassle and last two hours! We haven’t had to bribe any border guards yet though. My vacation is now almost half over. This is my first attempt at emailing since Egypt because Syria has no Internet access for its citizens. I don’t know when I will have the opportunity to email again.
The Top Deck tour from Istanbul to London is only sixteen days and will feel rushed compared to this longer Kumuka tour. I have used up six rolls of film and bought three more in Palmyra, Syria. While there I didn’t bother getting local currency as U.S. money is preferred. I made a $300.00 U.S. withdrawal in Lebanon. I’ve gotten used to washing my t-shirts and underwear every few days in a sink using regular bar soap. Luckily I didn’t pack too many things. The Internet Café here has Western techno music playing right now. Whenever store owners see us rich Western tourists they try hard to accommodate our needs! I’ve only had the chance to do a few pushups when our truck stops for bathroom breaks. It’s been a culture adjustment for me too with traveling with a bunch of Australians and New Zealanders. I find it difficult a lot of the time in understanding what they’re saying. Their accent is difficult to interpret and they have many slang words that I don’t know what the hell they mean!
posted by Michael at 11:27 AM
