Off to Syria

(Written in Syria, posted in Jordan)

The flight to Syria was rather uneventful Egypt security was easy enough to get through, but, oddly, it seemed more intensive than when we came into the country. Once we got to Syria however, we had to wait around for a while as they checked to make sure our group visa was legitimate (Syria stopped granting group visas to Americans not to long ago after Obama renewed the sanctions against the country so we didn’t know if ours would work out still. Dennis asked several higher up people in Egypt whether our plan would work and he got three out of five yes’s so we went for it.).

Anyway, we made it in to the country and were greeted by our new guide Nasr, a jolly fellow who is absolutely in love with his country. We were immediately given bananas and the best nut medley and unlimited water (a lot bigger of a deal than it seems) once we got on the bus and eventually reached our new hotel, which is absolutely awesome and is just filled with our group so far. (Miguel and I did not get a balcony but our beds are the only ones pushed together. Still I wonder why.)

Damascus is absolutely amazing. It’s like a little Italian or French town except the currency is 1:46 ish. No one hassles you on the streets, the haggling is much more laid back, and everyone is just as friendly. Plus, the streets are clean and the weather is beautiful and breezy. Readjusting to non-Egyptian dialect is rough though. We had dinner at this awesome little place next door that had the best chicken I’ve had in the Middle East and some spectacular dessert.

Today, we started off the day with a walking tour. We visited some nice mosques (the girls all had to wear these hooded robes that made them look like jawas) and churches (huge Christian population) but the best part was the markets. We got some shopping done and discovered the best little pizza place right around the corner from the hotel, 15 Syrian pounds for a small pizza. That’s about 33 cents. We’ve each had about five so far and I’m seeing many more in our future.