Welcome to Syria - Aleppo

I crossed the border much too late at night from Adana. I get to Antakya and arrive at about 1930 hrs. There is a guy on the bus and he asks me what nationality I am. I ask why. He say because he wants to know. I ask why. He says that he wants to know....I say Cdn. He says I will help you. If you were American I wouldn't help you. He is Palestinian and his girlfriend Syrian. Geesh!

We get on a bus to take us to the Old bus station to pick up a taxi to cross the border. It isn't an easy proposition because it is dark and the best of the best come out after dark. There is a big argument about who is going to get me. The Palestinian says that it might be better for me to get a hotel for the night and then consider going. I say I don't want to do that. The area looks way to dodgy for me and so I just want to get out of Dodge.

So after wandering around and the girlfriend getting so angry I thought she might come to blows with one of the taxi drivers, we strike a deal for me to get into a taxi with another two women to get to Aleppo.

It is a long border crossing and when I get to the border I'm supposed to have gotten my visa before...well, as the border guard says...this could be a problem. Well here we go. Upstairs he goes with my passport. I am expecting a long wait, but in 10 minutes he is back. He asks me if I want to transit visa (3 days) or longer. I say longer. Here have some Syrian tea. Don't mind if I do. I don't know how long I will have to stew in Syria before making a dash for Egypt. Well, I get a 14 day visa and as long as I have the US cash, it would seem that I am on my way. They try their English out on me...I have a brother in Montreal....LOL. Welcome to Syria.

The border is a bit intimidating. Get out of the car, open the trunk. The guard and the taxi driver have a big laugh. Get back in the car. Get out and in and out and in. It is kinda surreal. If I had the help of a good movie theme I think I could have been in a movie.

I don't like arriving late at night, and we arrived at 1030. The ladies in the car couldn't speak English but they asked me some questions that we both understood...married, single, how old, how many children....etc, etc. The one woman Fatimah takes me in her car after I get to the bus station in Aleppo and she has her husband buy me a shawarma ( I had no cash) and then drop me at a possible hotel. Very kind. She gives me her phone number and tells me to call her when I get a Sim card. Everyone is very connected.

So I am wandering around at 1030 at night looking for a suitable hotel that doesn't resemble a brothel and I poke my head into a Shesha bottle (?) seller named Abu. He says Welcome to Syria. Come in. I will make some tea. So I did. We talked for a while and then I just had to get on with looking for a place. The next place I went into was called the Tourist Hotel and it was very clean and I met Ahmed who was the night manager. I could have cared less how much the room cost (700 SL = $15) I just wanted to collapse. So I did.

I spent the next day getting hopelessly lost in the largely unsigned streets. I can't read arabic, and the maps are poorly marked as well. Most Syrian people can't read a map either. Even though many books tell you that the people speak good English...it's not so. But they are very friendly. You will hear all the time when you walk down the street. Welcome to Syria.

I saw the Citadel and then went to the museum. Most of the artifacts are in the museums. Very reasonable to see the sights and the museums 2-3 dollars.


I decide to take the overnight train from Aleppo to Damascus. It was a shaking, shuttering, stopping and starting nightmare. The sleeper was the most filthy place I've been in, in a long time. Yuk! Didn't sleep all night and woke up at 0600 to Damascus. Wandered around and I am sure I was almost the first person up. I finally found a hostel and hope to do Palmyra tomorrow.
Hope this finds you all well. On the road again...... :)
More later.....