Hama, Syria

The trip to Hama was interrupted by a short visit to Crack de Chevalier, a beautifully preserved Crusader castle that seems almost untouched by time. The castle was so well built it never fell to the Arabic armies. As it became clear the Crusades were failing and the armies began their retreat, a small garrison of 200 soldiers was left to hold the castle. The castle remained unbreachable. When it became clear that no aid was coming, the 200 soldiers abandoned the fort and in return were granted safe passage back to their lands.

We stayed in Hama for three nights and hired a car to take us to the near by sights. The first day consisted of an old palace, some bee-hive houses and an afternoon with some Bedoiuns beneath a long forgotten castle ruin. Tea with the Bedouins also turned into a bit of a fashion show as the ladies took great delight in dressing Anelia in a variety of their fine gowns and scarves and insisting she posed for pictures. Day two we traveled to the Dead cities, cities that grew up out of the rocky Limestone fields in central Syria and were abandoned for unknown reasons leaving only the ghosts of the past. The first of these cities was our favourite with enough of the structures still standing you could almost see the old city in its glory. Unfortunately we couldn’t quite capture the ambience of this place on film. We ended the day at Apamea., another Roman city of which all that remains is the well preserved 2km long colonnaded main street. The third day a young Syrian boy attached himself to us and acted as tour guide for our walk around Hama. We toured around the city of Hama visiting the souq and stopping to wonder at the magnificent water wheels. These huge wheels and a complex aqueduct system were amoung the first of their kinds dating back to 7^th century AD and were perhaps the first used in an industrial capacity. In the souq the young lad who’s name escapes us (yes the name always seems to escape us but honestly you meet at least a dozen people a day as they stop to ask you where you are from and what your name is and if you like Syria and most of them are named Mohammed, orAli or Abdul or at least a name somewhat akin to that) bought us boiled beans, lightly salted and covered in lemon, a sort of souq treat to munch on while you shop. Anelia spent most of her time trying to find the right moment to discretely drop hers in the street before finally caving in and admitting to the lad she couldn’t eat them. She felt very bad admitting it seeing as he had spent his hard earned cash on us but in her defence we had just finished eating supper at an absolutely fantastic restaurant and had once again ate so much our pants barely fit. In addition the beans were not exactly what you would call delicious. Jeff on the other hand ate every one of the damned things and spent the next 4 or 5 hours regretting it! Open a window somebody! Anyhoo, our stay in Hama was great but before we new it we were off to Allepo!

pic 1 - beans in the market pics 2 and 3 - Crack des Cheveliars castle pics 4 and 5 - tea at the Bdouin camp, Anelia plays dress up. pics 6 and 7 - water wheels in Hama pic 8 - the dead cities

pic 9 - the Roman ruins of Apamea

Palmyra, Syria

Roman ruins of Palmyra (Tamador in arabic) are incredible, consisting of an imposing fortress high on a hill overlooking what was once a great colonnaded street that ran for 2 or 3 km’s down to the Temple of Bel. Many of the pillars and archways are in impeccable condition and give indication to the wealth and power of this once great city. The city prospered considerably as one of the outpost for trade and commerce between the Roman Empire in the west and Parthians in the east. In 212 Palmyra became a Roman colony and spent lavishly, enlarging its great colonnaded street and building more temples. It was from this city that Queen Zenobia challenged the Roman Empire. After the assassination of her husband, Zenobia claimed power in the name of her son till he was of age. Suspecting foul play on the Queen’s behalf, Rome refused to acknowledge her claim and sent an army to deal with the rebel queen. Zenobia defeated the Romans and continued on to Bosra, the capital of the province of Arabia, defeating the garrison there and eventually successfully invading egypt. With all of Syria, Lebanon and part of Egypt under her control, Zenobia declared her independence from Rome and began minting her own money. The Romans were not amused. With a great show of military force they besieged the city of Palmyra, demanding her surrender. Defiant till the end, Zenobia refused to surrender and made a mad dash on a camel to the east to try and elicit aid from the Persians. Zenobia was captured where after being paraded through the streets of Rome in gold chains and imprisoned for a time she was eventually freed and got married to a Roman senator. I guess that was punishment of sorts? The fall of Palmyra began with a rebellion in 273 when the Palmyrans massacred 600 Roman troops of the garrison. In response, Emperor Aurelians sent the legions who slaughtered large numbers and put Palmyra to the torch. The great city never recovered.

After touring the ruins we stopped for a bite to eat at a restaurant which we were told served excellent camel meat in tomato sauce. We gave it a try and had to admit it was good. Kind of tasted like beef! We spent the night in a nice new little hotel for a good price. The only snag was having to spend 2 hours killing all the flies in the joint. No kidding, I think we had killed around 30! The flies were everywhere in Palmyra. The next morning we "buzzed off" to Hama.

Damascus, Syria

An unexpected trip to Syria resulted in a 5 hour wait at the border hoping to get a Visa and be allowed entry into the country. Our taxi driver. who was to take us to the next town in Syria, decided it was better off for him to leave after waiting 3 hours leaving us stranded at the Syria border crossing. Luckily for us, we were allowed entrance and found a service cab willing to take us the last 7 km. A final bus ride brought us to Damascus, 10 hours after leaving Amman, Jordan. Damascus lays claim to be title of the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. It is a charming city with boutique hotels, old pasha palaces, and vibrant marketplaces (souqs) filled with the most friendliest people we've encountered. After touring the souqs and and visiting some spectacular palaces we stopped for lunch at an archaic 17th century Damascene home turned into a restaurant. At the end of an excellent lunch and stuffed to the gills, we asked for our bill. Instead, we received a huge platter of fruit on the house. We undid our pants (don't worry, only slightly) and stuffed in a few more morsels. Just when we pushed our plates away the waiter arrived with another plate. Jeff waved his arms emphatically indicating he couldn't eat anymore fruit and Anelia groaned. The waiter replied, "this is for sweets. Our compliments". The fruit plate was whisked away and replaced with a chocolate filled crepe to which Jeff and Anelia lifted their forks once again. The crepe was gone in a matter of seconds and with a possible explosion of stomach contents, Jeff whispered for the bill again. Instead the waiter asked "tea or coffee"? Jeff rubbed his belly and said, "no room at the Inn". The waiter replied, "our compliments". Not ever passing on a free handout Jeff ordered a coffee and downed it no problem as Anelia watched in amazement. The crane was ordered in and lifted us away from the table (not literally of course) and as we packed up to leave the waiter insisted we return the next day at the same time. Sadly, we were leaving Damascus the following day but would have happily obliged. After lunch we thought we better walk it off a little and headed out to explore the mosques. The Umayyad Mosque, one of the most holiest for all Muslims, was built in 705 AD as Damascus had become the Islamic world capital. The most beautiful feature of the mosque were the golden mosaics adorning the southern wall and prayer hall. This is also the supposed resting place for John the Baptist's head which is kept in an ornately decorated, green domed shrine. Near the Umayyad mosque lies the Sayyida Ruqayya Mosque dedicated to the daughter of the martyr Hussain, son of Ali. Jeff was denied entry due to wearing shorts but Anelia was able to fully dress in traditional attire and venture in. The mosque is breathtaking in its extravagance. One of the most unforgettable sights was watching dozens of women wailing and crying while caressing the bejeweled tomb of the fabled princess. At first glance Anelia thought she witness the women throwing flowers onto the tomb but on second glance saw it was in fact barbie dolls! If you look closely at the picture you can see one of many Barbie dolls on top of the shrine. We could continue on telling many tales of our time in Damascus but this blog is getting way too long. So for the sake of your sanity we will end by saying definitely try to make a trip to Damascus in your lifetime.

pic 1- Pile of ice cream in souq
pic 2- Umayyad Mosque
pic 3- Sayyida Mosque (look for barbie doll)
pic 4- never-ending dessert at restaurant
pic 5- don't eat the bulk candy available in the souq
pic 6- spice shop in souq
pic 7- Ruins of the Roman era
pic 8- old town streets
pic 9- our hotel sitting room

Petra, Jordan

Photos do not do this newly crowned modern 7^th wonder of the world justice. Ever since we saw an exhibition in Vancouver featuring the ancient Nabatean civilization and Petra’s rise to power, we have longed to visit and experience this once great city. The ruins did not disappoint. It took 2 days of grueling hiking to see all of Petra’s sights. It is that massive. We arose at 530am our first day in attempt to be the first people at the gate. A little behind schedule, we weren’t the first ones into the site but we still were able to travel through the fantastic Al-Siq (canyon) and catch that first breathtaking and memorable glimpse of the Treasury in tranquil solitude. We continue on through the site past massive ornately carved tombs and a Roman theatre with seats for 7000. A hike up to the Place of High Sacrifice provided stunning panoramic views of the entire site. In ancient past, animals were sacrificed on the alter high above the city and blood collected in a basin below to be used in Nabatean ritual. We followed the trail down the back side of the mountain, past countless tombs and temples before embarking on the 2 km trek up to the Monastery, another breath taking, exquisitely carved tomb chiseled into the side of the mountain. A 12km walk back to our hotel ended this long but unforgettable day. With really really really sore achy muscles we started later the 2^nd day and missed the crowded Al-Siq by taking a back route to Petra through an ancient Nabatean tunnel and waterway. Much of the same (hiking and taking in the sights) ensued revealing more and more of Petra’s hidden treasures. With much of the main attractions seen we could pay much more attention to other details namely the magnificent colors of rock that Petra is made of. Although it sounds as though we placed Petra on pedestal tourism has created a dark and sad side to Petra. Unfortunately the tales of animal abuse are true as seen first hand by yours truly. With heavy hearts and teary eyes (Anelia) we had to watch as a uncooperative horse pulling a buggy (as well as a obese driver and obese tourist) was whipped countless times in the belly by a six foot piece of electrical cable. Anelia noticed that the horse was bleeding from its left foreleg which was probably why the horse was acting up. Without pause, the driver beat the horse into submission. In addition to this, Petra was the only sight where we ran into children peddling cheap necklaces and stones to tourists as their parents watched keenly, occasionally barking orders from their kiosks. Although the visitor center has pamphlets discouraging tourists from purchasing from these poor kids, very few tourists take the time to find and read them. As a result the child labor continues unchecked. The final straw leaving a sour taste in our mouths was the amount of animal (camel, donkey, horse) feces on the walkways by the end of the day. The smell and sight was almost unbearable at times!

Like we said ealier, The ruins did not disappoint. Unfortunately, mass tourism has brought problems to Petra, which tarnishes the sight. It was a couple of days filled with highs and lows.

pic 1.a- True colors of Petra
pic 1.b - The street of the Facades and theatre
pic 2 - the back route (waterway) into Petra
pic 3 - the Treasury
pic 4 - Tombs from above (can you spot Jeff?)
pic 5 - the Monastery
pic 6 - First sighting of the Treasury
pic 7 - Al-Siq, the gateway to Petra

Wadi Rum, Jordan

We're back!  After a little time in Syria we are finally able to update the blog.  Unfortunately blog spots are Syria are not allowed and therefor blocked from public access.  But, we have left Syria and are on are way to Israel so the blog continues!

70% of Jordan is desert, the most spectacular of which is known as Wadi Rum.  After some diving in near by Aqaba on the Red Sea (no pics) we headed to Wadi Rum for something quite the opposite.  We organized a guide (Mehdi was his name) who took us deep into Wadi Rum for some old fashioned Bedouin camping.  Ok, so we chickened out a little and slept in a tent instead of around the campfire but it was darn cold and windy.  The desert was incredible, miles of sand and shrub interrupted by giant boulders and mountains jutting out of the sand with spectacular wind shaped formations.  The first day we spent hiking up through a fantastic gorge with amazing views followed by a 4X4 tour into the desert.   Just before the end of the climb through the gorge we came across a 5 foot snake about the thickness of the circumference of a quarter and beautifully colored black and white.  We were told we were very fortunate to see this rare and poisonous snake as many guides can spend many  years in the desert and never see one let alone one that large.  It was remarkable how quickly it moved through sand and climbed the rocks.  The second day was spent mostly leisurely strolling through the desert.  Well, I guess it wasn’t so leisurely as it was painstaking.  The deep sand made it nearly impossible to make any headway and the combination of hot, hot sun and biting winter wind made it difficult to decide if we were too hot or too cold.  The jeep picked us up again and we drove further into the desert looking for a good place to camp.  At one point during our hunt the 4X4 came to a stop and Mehdi and his father (our guides) could be heard heatedly debating (what we could only assume was) about where we should camp.  At this point another truck pulled into view on the road ahead of us.  Mehdi’s father got out and said hello as the truck filled with 3 men pulled up, each man toting an AK-47.  “Ummm”:, I said to Anelia, “looks like this is it, I wonder who gets a better price, me or you?”  Of course we were just joking around (Mehdi would never do that to us).  The men were a Saudi Border patrol just passing through to visit friends in Wadi Rum.  We spent the night at the base of the tallest mountain in Jordan (of which we forget the name.)  The next day we climbed the mountain to the summit for spectacular views of the desert as well as a view of the border to Saudi Arabia.  The tour was completed with Anelia and Jeff’s first camel ride, which took us back to the village of Wadi Rum.  One of the most amazing things about the tour was the food.  Mehdi prepared and cooked everything in the desert and it was absolutely delicious.  (“a tasty meatball” says Anelia).  Mehdi said we would make good Bedouins and gave us Arabic names.  Sagar (for Jeff, the name of a very famous and important bird of prey in Jordan, we think a falcon pronounced with a rolled rrr at the end) and Zahra (for Anelia meaning “flower” in Arabic, also pronounced with a rolled r)  In the end, Anelia and Jeff were sad to leave but happy about there incredible experience in the desert of Wadi Rum.

 

Dana Nature Reserve, Jordan

The village of Dana next to the reserve sits perched on the rocky hillside of a great valley that stretches for 14 km out to the desert next to the dead sea.  The town is mostly abandoned now with just three hotels, one restaurant, a small grocery/mini-mart and a new visitor center still operational.  From the visitor center there is a breathtaking view of the valley.  We opted to stay at the Dana hotel, a clean if not a little rustic hotel run by a co-operative known as “the Son’s of Dana”, which runs as an “eco-tourism” outfit and provided us with a guide to hike the maze like rocky formations of the Dana reserve. Unfortunately, our simple camera can't capture the true colors of the rock.  Our guide was absolutely fantastic and the hike was incredible.  We scrambled up through tight crevices and past ancient graveyards to high outcroppings for stunning views of the reserve.  On top of one of these outcroppings our guide stopped to make tea (which is often had 3 or more times a day in Jordan).  The tea, we both had to admit, was probably the most delicious cup we had ever had.  It was so good we had to mention it in the blog.  We returned from the hike to excellent food and live music.  It was a great experience.  The next day we made a detour to Shobuk (another of the ancient Crusader castles forming the line from Turkey to the Red Sea) before returning to Amman.  The castle actually held out longer than its more famous neighbour Castle Karak during the defeat of the Crusaders by the Islamic armies.  Much of the castle now lies in ruin and is slowly being rebuilt.  

Karak, Jordan

We took the kings highway from Madaba down through the Wadi Mujib valley (see sunset pic) to Karak.  Upon arrival in Karak we were ushered into a parking space by an enthusiastic man and two youth.  The man welcomed us with a hugd smile and proceeded to give us the low down on all the accommodation, telling us not only where the hotels were but what price we should get.  In the end we stayed in the nicest hotel in Karak (which was actually just o.k.) for just about half the price.  In the morning we headed to the Castle.

Castle Karak was the keystone of the Crusaders defence along the eastern side of the Dead Sea. It was one of several castles that made a line protecting the trade routes up to Jerusalem. The castles stretched from Turkey all the way to Aquba at the top of the Red Sea.  Although many castles were built by the Crusaders to protect these routes, Karak became one of the most famous, as it was the site of many battles between the Muslim armies and Crusaders.  Karak castle was built high on a hill with a view for miles in all direction to monitor any movement in the area.  Crusaders defended the castle through numerous sieges before it finally fell to the Muslim Armies of Salah ad-Din after an 8 month siege near the end of the Crusades.  The castle was of such strategic importance to both sides that during an attempted peace treaty in which the Crusaders were offered the return of to holy city of Jerusalem (and other cities), the Crusaders refused the offer unless Caslte Karak was also returned to their control.  The negotiations fell apart from there, followed by several more years of war.