Chris and Paula’s World

Bashar, Bashar, Bashar

We are in Damascus now, and continue to be very impressed by the Syrian hospitality. This is a good example of what I am talking about: Chris and I were just walking in a busy square and I had taken a drink from our water bottle, which was about half full and very warm. An employee at the Commercial Bank of Syria came out of the bank and welcomed us, and offered to replace the warm water with cold, from inside the bank. Shocked, I handed over the bottle and watched him run into the bank. When he came back he handed over the bottle of cold water, and told us that he was very happy we were here. I don’t know about anyone else, and though I am a big fan of my local TD branch, that certainly went above and beyond!!

Damascus is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world (I know that Aleppo vies for that title, but Damascus seems to win). We spent the morning getting lost in the souque. You can feel the age of the city when walking down the very narrow streets and looking at the different stores, mosques and homes. One blackened little shop had an anvil and a fire, with a man sitting on the floor pounding on what looked like a pair of scissors. Next door to that was a man selling beautiful silk scarves. We also visited the Umayyad Mosque, built in 705 AD. Upon entry, all non covered women (which are primarily the tourists visitng) must put on a hooded robe, and everyone must remove their shoes. The mosque is very elaborate, and has 3 minarets and a huge courtyard that enter into 4 large halls for prayers, gatherings, etc. There is white, pink and black marble everywhere, and the most gorgeous well preserved mosaics decorating the interior walls. Al-Hussein’s Hall is the shrine to Al-Hussein, the Muslim name for John the Baptist. His head is in a huge iron box covered with a shroud, and it seems to be a big attraction for visitors to the mosque. (Have to correct an earlier posting from Selcuk… It was not John the Baptist’s tomb there, it was the Apostle John’s). The mosque is a nice, cool place to sit and relax and watch the world go by. Everyone is welcome there, as long as they are modestly dressed and respectful.

We are in Syria just prior to an election (voting is tomorrow). The current president, Bashar Al-Assad will clearly be the winner (not actually sure if there is another candidate, though this is a democracy…) - The people here have devoted great effort to show their love for him…his face is literally everywhere, and there have been parades, rallies, parties, crazy loud music, dancing in the streets etc, for the whole week and in every city we have visited. It is diffcult to pass by one of the campaign tents without being pulled in for coffee, a chat or even a dance! I asked Chris how many times he guesses that we have seen Bashar’s face since arriving in Syria… he guessed 85,000. In Palmyra we were invited for coffee by a lone man who was manning the tent in the early afternoon. He spoke about 5 words of English (”welcome” being one of them, of course), and the only clear communication that we had for the 15 minutes we were there was when I said “Bashar” and gave a thumbs up. He then said “Bashar, Bashar, Bashar!”, pounding his fist in the air triumphantly!! It was hilarious.

We are heading to Jordan tomorrow and looking forward to it very much. The Middle East has been fascinating and can’t wait to see more.

Note: Chris has also posted today, so read on!!

P

The Axis of Hospitality

Over the past 5 years The US has labelled Syria (among other countries) to be part of the notorious Axis of Evil. So, everyone outside of the Middle East has this negative idea planted in their head about how bad this place is. I have to say that this leg of of our trip has been the most exciting and I have felt the most hospitality here of all the countries we have visited so far. Their foreign policy definitely does not cozy up to the American one - but nor would mine if I had my own country

Syria is a country of about 19 million. They all speak Arabic. 90% are Muslim and the other 10% are Christian (approximate numbers). They get along just fine. The streets are safe and clean. We are but miles away from Lebanon and Israel. You would think that would be a scary place to be, but it isn’t. Everyone offers you tea and welcomes you to their country. Much more welcoming a place than say Vancouver or any other Canadian city of any size.

Yesterday we visited the Abu Nour Mosque, we is a teaching center for Islamic studies. We had a chance to sit down and discuss Islam with Muslims from different countries. It helped get rid of a bunch of myths about Islam and was all around good fun. I would have liked to the opportunity for some deeper discussions with a smaller group, hopefully I will get the opportunity somewhere along the way. Islam is a fascinating topic. Most would not recognize how close it is to Christianity theologically.

Not many tourists in Syria that we can see. No where near the ‘tourism congestion’ that we saw in Turkey. You get a much better chance to see the people of Syria in normal day to day life without all the tourist icing put on top.

I should mention the history of the place as well. Probaly more history here than just about anywhere else. Pretty much everywhere you walk you are within meters of a structure or building that has existed for over 2000 years. Everywhere you go you recognize things you have heard about from biblical times. This morning we went to the Umayyad Mosque where there is a shrine containing John the Baptist’s head. Next door is a shrine to Saladin who some of you might know from Crusades History (Movie: Kingdom of Heaven). A few days ago we were in Palmyra, home of pretty much the biggest ruins EVER!

All round this is a fantastic place to vacation. Don’t believe the hype about Syria and come visit it.

It’s damn hot though.

We’ve arrived in Syria!

Salaam from Syria!

We crossed the border from Turkey into Syria yesterday and have been amazed ever since! Crossing the border was a little time consuming, but pretty easy. We had received our visas back in Canada so had no issues, in fact the border guards were extremely friendly and almost fell over each other to help!

We are in an internet cafe in Aleppo,on the second floor of an ice cream shop. It is 10:30pm and I am sitting in at a computer by a window overlooking the street. There were just three young men waving to get my attention, and when I looked all three gave big smiles and waves. It has been like this since crossing the border. The people here are just amazing! Many men, women and children say “Marhaba - welcome” when we pass in the streets. A guide we had today told us that since 9/11 there have been fewer tourists, so it is likely that they are truly happy to see us! Unlike other cities we have visited, we get a genuine feeling of hospitality without pricetag.

Aleppo is hotly contested as the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world (we have also heard that it is Damascus). Yesterday afternoon we got lost in the bazaar (the longest covered bazaar, apparently) and were amazed at the variety of things on offer. I would guess that if you couldn’t get it there, it doesn’t exist! We had our first falafel of the trip served in a pita with the most amazing yogurt and garlic sauce with fresh cucumber and mint. Mint and lemon are becoming quick favorites. We are seeing fresh mint on offer with each meal we eat. When tea is served, they bring a plate piled with fresh mintsprigs and lemon slices. We strolled through a large produce market where we bought a big bag of local cherries for about $1.00. Amazing.

We toured a monastery today (Saint Simeon’s) from the 11th century as well as an area close by that was a pilgrim’s city… St. Simeon apparently cured a few people way back when, and his home quickly became the place to travel to! Our group also visited a mosque from about the same period… it has been really good learning about the Muslim faith, and so interesting learning about where religion and deep seated traditions intersect (both in Turkey and Syria). Syria has a secular government and approximately 90% of the country is Muslim (70% Muslim in Aleppo)…surprising, isn’t it? There are more Christians (most of which are Armenians) in Syria than elsewhere in the Middle East. It was very surprising on our first night to pass by a Catholic church! We are in the birthplace of the World’s religions, so I suppose it shouldn’t be such a shock.

We went for a Turkish Bath today. Men and women go separately, so I went with four others from the tour. A little more shocking than our bath experience in Cappadocia! You get a towel to wrap around your lower half (more like a big dish cloth), and one to wrap around your shoulders while getting to the women’s area. You are also given a bar of soap. In one steamy room the women pour water over themselves from taps and basins around the room, and use the soap for cleaning. Once done, a male attendant (which we later heard is NOT done here normally) lies you down on a marble slab (without your covering!) and scrubs your skin with a rough mit. The skin literally peels off. He then gives you a sudsy massage, washes your hair, and rinses you off. All five women were done buck naked. While we were each being worked on, the man at reception kept coming in for a good gawk. No doubt this would not have been tolerated by a local. Over dinner we just learned that we were meant to wear bikinis!! I think we shocked our poor guide Basaar! Oh well, no harm done… that guy is likely the envy of all of his friends. Crazy experience that I will not soon forget!!

Anyhow, after one full day in Syria I am tired and definitely looking forward to seeing more. I never dreamed that I would be travelling through Syria, and so far all of the pre-conceptions that I’ve had have been challenged. That is a lot for one day!

Hope life back at home is very good!