Discount Travelogue

Jordan: Aqaba & Return to Amman

2008-10-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

Chapter Nine - Aqaba & Return to Amman

We returned to Rum the next day. I felt sorry that we had to leave so soon. It was again after dark that we headed back to the Desert Highway and then on to Aqaba. The Dominican woman accompanied us. There was one checkpoint between Rum and the highway. Driving along it was still nightmarish ...

Before approaching Aqaba, there was a checkpoint but from what I saw it was a customs check. We didn't need to stop. From there, it was another stretch of road running through the pitch black darkness, and then suddenly the lights of Aqaba came into sight on our right-hand side. On the left everything was dark except for some street lights. Gee, this city was a lot bigger than I had expected. We looked for a turning off to the right but couldn't find one. After a couple of miles, the city was behind us. Strange. Then a little bell rang: that city we saw, was on the other side of the water. So, it couldn't be Aqaba. It was Eilat, in Israel! We had become so fixated on the lights that we had failed to see that there actually was a town to the left of the road as well. What a difference! Aqaba, a small town mainly hidden in the darkness on the left, and there on the other side of the Gulf the modern city of Eilat with lots of high buildings, bathing in light.

We had to find a hotel first. The Red Sea Hotel has singles/doubles for JD6/8. They were clean but stuffy. The extremely friendly old manager and his son told us they also had some '1st class' rooms for JD14. We checked them out and they were indeed better, but certainly didn't warrant the price difference. Next was the Nairoukh 1 Hotel. The only room left was a triple for JD18 (which was actually the price for a double). We could also use it as a double for JD15, and the third person then had to sleep on the roof for JD3. The first suggestion applied most to me, but the room itself also didn't warrant its asking price. Bargaining down was impossible. The receptionist kept pointing at a sign posting official prices. No Problem. There are enough hotels in Aqaba. Third on my list was the Amira Hotel. Rooms were JD14/18 (taxes included) and they were much better than in the previous two places. There was a toilet and hot shower en suite, also TV, a fan, air-conditioning and a fridge filled with all sorts of drinks (except alcohol of course) and sweets. The place was OK, but still I tried to bargain down. To no avail. Here too, the receptionist pointed out the quoted prices on the official sign. Okay, we took it. The staff were friendly as well. Fourth on my list would have been the International Hotel; I heard that it's a very good place. Well, maybe next time...

It was already way past eleven when we headed out on the street to find a place to eat. There were some shawarma stands, but the Dominican lady, Noris, wanted something less common after spending two days in the desert. Why not? At this late (for Jordan) hour, we ended up at the Ali Baba restaurant, the "most expensive place in town" according to the locals. There is a very extensive and varied menu, listing everything from felafel and shish kebab to tournedos, 'Sophia Loren' steak and the sadly inappropriately named 'Diana' steak. All of the latter were JD7, and they come with chips and salad. Not bad for the most expensive meat dishes at the "most expensive restaurant". We ordered. "Sorry, but the kitchen closes at 10", one of the waiters who were swarming like flies around our Dominican friend said. "No, no, it's open", another one shouted. "No, it's closed", the first one said again. A hefty discussion started. At the end, the kitchen was definitely re-opened. Clearly all the men were fascinated by the exotic appearance of Noris and didn't want to disappoint her. There we were, having supper at Ali Baba's two hours after the kitchen had been closed. Nice though ... We really were all very hungry!

The next morning we went to have breakfast at the Amira Restaurant (near the Post Office, round the corner from the hotel). Yes, it has the same owner (or at least his family) as the hotel we were staying in. This seems to be the case quite often in Jordan. The breakfast was the usual boring stuff, but here a baqlawa was thrown in. Price: JD2. We also came here at noon to have lunch, but decided to head for Ali Baba's again instead. The prices are right (it's definitely cheaper than Ali Baba); the problem was that most dishes were only available from 1 pm on. What nonsense is that?

Virtually next door to the Amira Restaurant one can make a telephone call at the music shop. The price is JD2.5 per minute (no minimum).

As far as sights in Aqaba go, they aren't very exciting - bar one. The museum costs JD1 to enter but is plain boring. A walk alongside the nearby waterfront is free and nice enough. Also free is the Fort. It's a nice place to sit for a while and talk to some locals. Both at the Fort and the museum (with Visitors' Centre) the people are helpful and friendly.

Aquarium The best of all places to visit in Aqaba is no doubt the great Aquarium. In true Jordanian tradition it looks like a construction site, but inside is one of the best public aquariums I have ever seen. The fish (and other creatures) seem to be really well cared for and the displays as a whole give a very good overview of the marine life in the Red Sea. Recommended and well worth the one Dinar entrance fee.

In the afternoon we had to head back for Amman as our flight was leaving at 1.30 at night. We planned on getting a couple of hours' sleep in some cheap hotel in the capital before heading back home. The Boeing 767, with its restricted leg room, wasn't going to be a place for a nap, that was clear. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. I was about 20 kilometres out of Aqaba on the dangerous Desert Highway when a passing truck threw up a rock that hit our windscreen. A big crack was the result. The truck was going really fast, and there was no way I could make a quick, safe turn, and even then I would never have been able to stop the truck without being hit by it. So, we were stuck with the damage. What did I need to do? I decided to get a police report for the insurance. My friend reminded me that the blokes at Avis had told us we only needed a police report in case of an accident. Was this a real accident? I wasn't sure. I looked for a police post, but couldn't find one, and as we were heading back to Amman anyway, we decided to go straight to the airport and ask the people at the rental office. A police report had to be made against an unknown third party, so I could - I thought - have it done at any police post. We drove on. Along the way I saw at least four bad accidents involving trucks, two of which certainly had been fatal. At about 100 kilometres from the capital it started to rain. There was a strong wind blowing, causing sand columns to rise from the surrounding desert. I heard later that it was the first rain after the drought. I was doing about 80 km/h (50mph) when suddenly an oil tanker just ahead of me started skidding and made a 180 degrees turn. At the same time I felt our own car starting to skid, but I managed to keep it on the road. There was not much to be seen on the road surface, it was just wet. What actually happened, was that the rain had mixed with the sand that was flying around (and which is always present on Jordanian roads) and the oil (which is likely to be present with all those trucks) on the road. The result was a thin layer so it felt as if one was driving on ice. I immediately lowered my speed to about 50 km/h (30mph). A jeep driver had his own opinion on the matter and passed us doing at least twice our speed. A couple of miles further on, I saw him spinning around like a top. He was very lucky there was no precipice there. He recovered from the spin and continued ... at more or less the same speed as before. A couple of miles further on I was lining up behind a slow-moving truck. Before I knew what had happened I was facing the driver as he spun. This happened several times more before we finally reached the airport. There I heard that a Boeing had started skidding on the runway, but everything was fine. Great news! ...

I went straight to the Avis rental office, but it wasn't manned. I had the man at the airport Information desk page them over the PA system. After a while someone turned up. I told him that we were returning the car and asked what I had to do about the damage to the windscreen. We went outside to the car and he made a damage report (the windscreen was the only damage) and told me that it was "no problem". Phew! Glad to hear that. Inside again, at the desk, he filled in some forms and - without any expression - told me : "That's 450 Dinars then, sir." I couldn't believe it. I explained to him that I had asked about this kind of damage, before and after we had picked up/dropped off the car, and every time had been told not to worry. He told me windscreen damage was not covered by the insurance. I asked if I would be insured if I totalled the car. Affirmative. I told him this was too crazy to be true; one could then just as well wreck the car somewhere on the desert road and have nothing to pay. I insisted on talking to the station manager or making a phone call to the Avis Head Office in the States. Normally, if you have problems with a rental car, you get it fixed, ask for a receipt and present that receipt to the agency. Here they just told me "JD450", a vastly exaggerated price for a Mitsubishi windscreen. I could buy one in Belgium and send it to Jordan for less. He took me to the station manager, who was an even bigger con-artist. He said: "Normally, sir, a windscreen is JD450, but for you I'll make an exception - JD250!" In a matter of minutes, the price of the windscreen had dropped JD200 - 286 US Dollars!! It was clearly a rip-off - and they call themselves an international rental company? I was pretty angry by then and eventually they admitted that if I had a police report, I wouldn't have to pay anything. I had to go to the airport police (who are about 2 kilometres out of the airport actually) and ask for a report. That was all. At the police station they were very surprised to see a foreigner and nobody spoke a word of English. Anyway, they were polite. With gestures and drawings I explained the problem. They called in a General to solve the matter, because they didn't know what to do. When the General arrived, he didn't speak any English either. He asked where the accident had happened. I smelled some shit hitting the fan and told him it had been in nearby Jiza due to the terrible weather. He said that I had to get the report from the Jiza police then. You can imagine what would have happened if I had said that it happened near Aqaba; we only had a few hours left before check-in.
Fortunately, we located the Jiza police station quickly enough. At least there some of the officers spoke a little English. We were directed to Captain Youssef who supposedly spoke English very well because "he went to university." Captain Youssef was lying on his bed, making a phone call. "Just a second. Let me finish my telephone call, OK?" The call lasted not a couple of seconds but at least half an hour. Luckily, Youssef did speak English very well and I could explain the problem to him. We went outside to look at the damage and he just had to laugh because it was so minimal. He wanted me to call Avis but I explained I had already paid them a visit. He then ordered somebody to make the call anyway. We were offered tea and had to wait. One hour. "Sorry but it's very busy with all the accidents. I will give you a police report but it must be made by the Traffic Police. We are the Bedouin Police." Two hours. The traffic policeman came in. Hohoho! This man really looked like he'd just walked out of a comic book! But I had other things on my mind than laughing. He didn't speak English, but I could make out from the conversation between him and Cpt Youssef that he wanted money for a report. Luckily, the Captain had taken a liking to us and persuaded him not to ask for a bribe. After 20 minutes a blank report form was put on the table. The officer ordered me to get the car papers, so I did. But he wasn't satisfied. He needed the insurance papers. We didn't have these. "Get them at the rental company." I needed to drive back to the airport to pick them up. My friend got up to accompany me. "Not your friend. Your friend stays here!" What nonsense.

Back at the Avis office I explained to the manager that I needed the insurance papers, but he denied that. I told him to call the police station himself to sort it out, because I wasn't planning on driving around all night. Reluctantly he did, and after a long (and hefty) discussion announced that I could go back to the police and pick up the papers. No more hassles. When I arrived back in Jiza, the papers were almost ready. It was utterly ridiculous having to wait that long for a stupid piece of shitty paper. However, what mattered at this point was that we did have it, at last. Back at the airport we handed it over to Avis. "Okay sir. Everything is OK now. That'll be 25 Dinars, please." "Why?" "For administration, sir." I didn't have the time or inclination to start another discussion, so I paid.

Moral of this story? Renting from Avis in Jordan is not recommended, and I will never rent from Avis again anywhere! This was an international company acting worse than a local firm. Perhaps I was partly to blame, but the least one can expect in such situations is assistance. That's what you pay for, isn't it? They didn't assist - quite the contrary!

The airport check-in was very straightforward. There were no hassles. I have read messages on UseNet from people worried about the X-ray machines at Amman airport. Well, I can set their minds at rest; as an experiment, I put a 1000 ASA film through the detector twice and the pictures were still perfect. Departure tax was JD10 to be paid in Dinars of course. There are banks where you can change money if necessary, but they ask a commission of 500 fils. Except for a small but extremely expensive snack bar there is little in the departure hall. The best things are the excellent 'rest benches' that are available. They are very comfortable for catching up with some sleep on if you're leaving late at night.
End Note

Well, that was a little report about my trip to Jordan. I hope it was useful in some way. Although it was not the most exciting country I have been to, it certainly was a nice experience to be there. The people were friendly and helpful. Arab hospitality is renowned throughout the world and Jordan is definitely a country where one is really treated to it. It certainly is not the cheapest country in the region, but it's still cheap enough.

Jordan: The Magical Desert of Wadi Rum

2008-10-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

Chapter Eight - The Magical Desert of Wadi Rum

We headed south along the King's Highway. The whole road was under major reconstruction and it was only after 40 minutes or so that we reached the town of Tayyibeh, only about 15 kilometres further on. It's a rather quiet place, which the Taybet Zaman hotel complex cannot seem to change. I would think twice too before spending an outrageous JD110 or so plus taxes in a place where nothing much is happening. But then perhaps you should come here because of that. At Ras an-Naqb the King's Highway joins the Desert Highway and that's where things start to look much more dangerous on the road. The sun was setting, and especially in the dark, this stretch of highway is a nightmare. Trucks were everywhere, travelling at very high speeds (often much faster than ordinary cars) three-abreast despite there being only two lanes. Looking for and taking the turn to Wadi Rum was highly risky. A jeep that was passing us even though we were signalling a left turn, was itself being passed by a truck going at least 130 km/h (80mph)! We were forced to miss our turning and turn back further on. We were glad to be off that road, though my friend and I love driving.

It was an hour after sunset when we arrived at the village of Rum. I had expected a tiny, quiet place but that was not really the case. Rum was bigger than I expected and there were quite a lot of people, especially at the Rest House. We paid the obligatory JD1 for entering the Wadi Rum area and it was at the tiny office that we met a Bedouin who offered us a jeep trip. The cost was JD60 for two. This included supper, camping a night out in the desert together with him, breakfast in the morning, dinner, drinking water and a jeep trip of a whole day, lasting until past sunset. This sounded nice enough, but it was also expensive. We told him we would think about it and went to see the prices posted inside the Rest House. The official price was JD45 for a full day, lasting from the morning until sunset, but not including a night out and no food and water. I went back to the Bedouin and tried to bargain down. He wouldn't budge. Not 100 fils. He explained that we could have a night out in the desert including the meals for JD15 per person, but then we would have to return after sunrise. To extend the trip to a full day it would cost us another JD15 per person. I decided to check with some other people offering jeep trips, but everyone in the village seemed to know already that we had been approached by the first man, and wouldn't go below that price. They offered several other formulas, yes, but the final price was always about the same.
We had a drink at the Rest House. Very expensive at 750 fils for a Coke. A place to sleep on the roof was JD2. According to a woman we met, from the Dominican Republic, we shouldn't bother. She had slept there the night before and had been awake most of the night because the whole area had been very noisy and there were lots of mosquitoes! The idea of sleeping out in the desert only became more appealing. We decided that we would take the trip for JD60. After all, we had little choice left but to try it on our own - and that's not really the best of ideas if you don't know the desert! The Bedouin also acted as a guide, which otherwise costs at least JD5 an hour, so taking that into consideration it wasn't that bad. We went to have a meal at his house. We saw one of his wives running around through the kitchen window. About an hour later the meal was ready. Hmmm! This is going to be delicious! ... Huh? What's that? This is a breakfast we're getting here! The same dull stuff we were already used to. Exactly! The flat bread, processed cheese, marmalade and yoghurt. What a treat at 8 in the evening...
Then we headed out into the desert. About 5 kilometres or so from the village we saw a huge campfire. We headed for it and met some people who were on an overland trip from Britain to Nepal. It was nice talking to them. We went on to sleep in a quite secluded spot not very far from Mt Khazali. We slept in the open, lying on a rug in our sleeping bags. It was a great experience. It wasn't very cold, only in the morning when there was a bit more wind did it become somewhat chilly. In the morning we saw the sunrise (unfortunately it was a bit cloudy) and the Bedouin prepared our breakfast, making a fire from some dead wood he had gathered. It was the same food we had eaten in the evening.
Breakfast eaten, and before the sun was too high, we went for a 2 hour walk to see the graffiti in the Mt Khazali canyon. The surrounding desert was very beautiful in the, as yet, soft light. One thing that is really a pest, are the aggressive flies. Soon all of your back and face is covered by these bloody bugs, and the more you try to get rid of them, the more they attack you. Anyway, we made it (he-he) to the canyon. The graffiti is interesting, but the canyon itself is not that baffling. One can use ropes to climb further inside. The ropes are totally unsafe, however and should be avoided. On our way in, we were greeted by a man whose head was bleeding severely. A rope had snapped... I climbed a couple of rocks but decided it was too dangerous to continue.

From there we continued by jeep to see the obligatory sights such as a couple of rock bridges (including the Burdah Rock Bridge), Lawrence's Well, the Nabataean and Thamudic graffiti on the mountains' walls, the big red sand dune and a selection of the best-known mountains. Then it was back to the Bedouin's house for tea and dinner. Dinner was good: chicken. The only problem was that it lasted from 12 until 3.30! The Bedouin did nothing but sleep. We sat there, bored at first, but then decided to go with the flow. At 3.30 our friend woke up and we went to visit the Desert Patrol fortress in the village. The policemen with their long khaki robes are highly picturesque, but they have become very bored of tourists taking their picture. Not exactly an exhilarating experience, but nice anyway.

After that we headed back into the desert. It was an exciting drive as we flew over the fine sand at speeds that were sometimes around 100 km/h (60mph)! It becomes even more of an experience in the back of the open jeep and you know that the steel belting on all four tires is visible, making the jeep drive as if it were on snow. As you can imagine we did make tremendous progress. In seemingly no time we were near the desolate Saudi border. Just in time for the desert sunset, which was stunning! Only the sunsets I saw in Sri Lanka and Thailand are comparable. We were standing on a small hill that rose up from the desert 'floor'. Everywhere in the distance were warm coloured rocks and mountains. Not a soul in sight. This was an absolutely great experience.
We stayed up there until it was completely dark. Then we headed back, but our guide needed some fuel for his jeep (it consumed over 20 litres per 100 km!). He went to pick it up at a Bedouin camp. These nomadic people were very friendly and hospitable! We were invited for tea and - later - to spend the night in a goat hair tent. After our guide had agreed, and we had made arrangements for picking us up the next day (without paying extra), we stayed with the Bedouins close to the Saudi border and had a great time and a good night's sleep! This was one of the best moments of the trip, definitely! The scenery was much better than near Rum village with a genuine, much more desolate feel.

Jordan: Picturesque Petra

2008-10-16T10:53:00.001-07:00

Chapter Seven - Petra (of Indiana Jones fame)

From Shobak it's only a short distance to the most famous site in Jordan : Petra. Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans, an Arab kingdom in pre-Roman times. It was conquered by the Romans and expanded and adjusted by them. Petra was hewn out of a sandstone terrace. The varying colours of the rocks make it very picturesque. It occupies a considerable area, including numerous individual sites often separated by several hundred metres, not only in horizontal distance but also in height. There is plenty to see ! The sights vary in size from smaller carvings on the outer walls of the rocks, to rock tombs and huge, monumental temple facades, for which Petra is best known.

If it wasn't for Petra, Jordan would be a lot less popular with tourists than it is now. And if it wasn't for the movie 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', Petra would be virtually unknown to the public and a lot less crowded! Anyway, crowded or not, it's still a very, very nice place to visit although most of the magic is probably gone.

The magic goes completely when you realise that the entrance price to the site is an amazing, scandalous JD20! However, most visitors would probably need at least two days to feel they had explored enough of the site - just a day would leave one wondering what else one had missed - and then the two- or three-day passes are certainly much better value for money: JD25 and 30 respectively. The price makes it one of the most expensive historical sites in the world. Jordanians pay JD1. I can live with a two-tiered price system, but this is really pushing it! It is not just very expensive for a developing country, it's bloody expensive even for a Western country! Maybe tourists should pay more, but where does one set the upper limit ? If they would ask me JD100 to enter the site, I'm sure I coùld pay it, but should I ? Of course this is a totally exaggerated amount of money, but in my opinion so is JD20. JD10 would be fair, with JD5 for every day extra. Unfortunately, with all the tour buses arriving, the price is much more likely to go up, instead of coming down as the government once promised.
We bought a two-day pass (but I'll describe the visit as if it was on one and the same day to avoid unnecessary confusion).

The tickets must be dated and signed before entering the site. The date and signature match are not properly checked. The man just looks to see if it is signed. If it is, you can pass. However, problems can arise when entering the Siq. There the ticket is checked again, and if it is one of your consecutive days, a counterfoil is torn off. The date is thoroughly checked but the signature isn't. So it is possible for visitors to pass on their tickets. Probably one could buy a three-day ticket for JD30, and then sell it to another traveller for JD10 or even 15, keeping the cost reasonable for both. Question is, will there be someone wanting to buy it from you? And the officials just might pick yours for a date check...

The Visitors' Centre was only interesting to me because there was a toilet. The tourist policeman manning the info desk is uninformative and unfriendly. The centre is open until 10pm, not until 5. You can only hire guides until 5pm, but the centre is definitely open until 10. Guides are officially required for the hikes to Sabra, Jebel Numair, Jebel Haroun (Mt Hor) and the Snake Monument, because it is 'too dangerous' on your own.

Food and drink within the site is hellishly expensive. It's much cheaper to stock up on snacks and water at one of the Wadi Moussa supermarkets, but do you really want to lug all that stuff around ? On our first day we were at the site from roughly dawn 'til dusk, and needed a lot (!) of water during that period. I was already carrying a bigger-than-average photo bag (a necessary evil as it's one of my hobbies). The second day, I bought what I needed in Petra and felt much more comfortable. I saw many young people entering Petra with backpacks loaded with stuff from the supermarket and hiring a horse. For the JD7 they forked out, they could easily have bought Coke or water inside and saved themselves the hassle of carrying their packs around.
Even in ancient times there were only a couple of entrances to the rock city. The famous Siq (a gorge through the rock, created by tectonic forces) was the main one, and is the entrance which all visitors today have to use.

The Siq, however, is not immediately behind the ticket booth. A sand track, 500 metres in length, leads to it. There are only a few attractions along the way. First, one arrives at the Djinn Blocks, big square stone blocks, which were supposed to contain Djinns, spirits which protected the city from evil entering it. Further, on the opposite side, is the rather beautiful Obelisk Tomb.
Hiring a horse to take you to the Siq entrance is JD7. It's certainly not worth it. And besides I wouldn't hire one of those unfortunate animals, even if I was tired enough to drop. It's not a coincidence that there is an animal clinic near the entrance! On the way back, we were offered rides on horses (and in carriages) for as 'low' as JD2. Still a lot of money for a 500-metre ride/drive !
The walk through the Siq took quite a while. It's rather plain inside, but you should keep an eye out for some statues hewn from the living rock and cut over the water channels one can also still see. I think many people miss the statues because they think there is nothing inside the Siq and because they are heavily eroded. There are some other things too, such as engraved stones.
Just when I started thinking "When will this ever end ?", the stunningly beautiful Khazneh (Treasury), illuminated by the sun light, came into sight. Even amid the presence of the many other tourists I had to share the site with, I was still very impressed. Most of the magic is unfortunately gone. One should definitely not expect to find the solitude seen in the final sequence of 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', although the Jordanian tourist offices try to make you believe that. Never mind, it's great!

If you want a drink after you've seen the Khazneh, walk on to the corner after which the theatre comes into sight (just before the start of the trail to the High Place of Sacrifice). A Coke in the tent at the very corner is 500 fils (ask for a bottle, not a can), which is not bad (the supermarket price is 350 fils). In the adjacent shop, you can bargain well down on the asking price of the guidebooks. I got as low as the price asked in Amman, which must make this the 'cheap' area of Petra (if you visit the giant drinks stand past the Qasr al-Bint, you'll be hit with JD1 for a Coke or large bottle of mineral water).

The Theatre is great too. It's not built but hewn from the solid rock, an incredible achievement ! Nearby are a necropolis, consisting of many rock tombs, and the so-called King's Wall, also known as the Street of Facades because that's where the monumental, 'royal', rock tombs are located. A visit to these tombs with names such as the Urn Tomb, Palace Tomb and Corinthian Tomb, involved climbing quite a few stairs, but the rewards were high. Apart from the beautifully coloured sandstone they're plain inside, but extremely beautiful on the outside. I was very impressed ! There are more monuments on the expanse to the north; the Mausoleum of Sextius Florentinus is the most remarkable of those.

The Bedouin women selling necklaces, rings and other jewellery near the street with the facades are very persistent. If you do want something from them, just ignore them for a long time. I didn't want anything, but the prices asked dropped by at least 60%!
We backtracked past the theatre. A short but tough hike brought us up to the High Place of Sacrifice. We made it in 20 minutes, ignoring the two drinks stands on the way. Before the final ascent to the sacrificial platform, we passed a couple of stone obelisks and a building which looks like a ruined watchtower. The views from everywhere up there are truly stunning. The Sacrificial Place is very plain, though still interesting enough. You can see the place where victims (most probably also humans) were sacrificed to the greater glory of the Nabataean gods. There are a couple of small altars, one with a drain for the blood, which is constructed in such a way that the blood would run all over the rock (The Nabataean gods were often represented by rocks).

The best thing about this hike is the descent. The path winds its way past several monuments and offers views of nice scenery almost all the way. We made some diversions off the beaten track too, so in the end this little trip took up the best of our day. It was very much worth it. Following the path down from the High Place of Sacrifice, there are two more monuments after the Triclinium, namely the Renaissance Tomb and the Broken Pediment Tomb. The former is the most architecturally complex tomb. The latter has - as the name suggests - a broken pediment, possibly caused by an earthquake. They're both worth a look.

A sometimes not so easy to spot sand track leads down to the Colonnaded Street, which is lined with monuments : a marketplace, Nymphaeum, Byzantine church, baths and a couple of temples. None of these is very interesting and mainly for serious archaeologists. The Temple of the Winged Lions may be of importance, but it's also a big disappointment in terms of what is to be seen. On the other hand, nobody seems to visit it, so we had the place to ourselves, for once.

At the end of the Colonnaded Street is the Temenos Gateway, the elaborate entrance to what lies behind it : the Qasr al-Bint Firaun, translated as the Castle of the Daughter of the Pharao. It's certainly not a castle, but a temple which was very likely dedicated to the main Nabataean deity Dushara. It was probably the most important temple of the rock city. It's not incredibly spectacular, but it is very interesting because it was built instead of hewn, a remarkable thing in Petra.

We continued past Qasr al-Bint and two museums. The only one worth visiting (in my opinion) is the Nabataean Museum. The collection is small but good. The collection in the Forum Museum is rather meagre; one room wasn't even lit.

We climbed to ad-Deir (the Monastery). This requires some effort. On the way, there are at least four drinks stands. On the way up is a sign to the Lion Tomb. It's not that impressive, but it's not a long climb either.

At the end the path, the Monastery was on our right. A short stroll through the loose sand, and we could admire the majestic facade in all its glory. This was truly the most impressive monument in Petra, in my opinion. Even better than the Khazneh. It's really huge!, although it doesn't appear to be. Only when I saw my mate standing in the eight metre high doorway, I realised how big it really was. I could verify that when we climbed up to the urn at the top. If I were to do it again, I'd give it a miss; the climb is far too dangerous. For the first five or six metres, there are no steps or anything. You just have to climb the bare rock. Later there are steps but they are sometimes heavily eroded and sprinkled with fine white sand. A couple of youngsters who were ahead of us nearly found out what this can lead to - a 40-metre vertical drop! On the last section, one has to clamber over some boulders but it is not as dangerous. I think as long as you're not scrambling around all over the hilltop or the urn not much damage is done to the monument - though possibly to yourself. Once at the top, the view is great. It's only up there that you can see how big the urn really is; people are totally dwarfed by it. It is really impressive, but even so does not outweigh the danger of the climb. Not recommended.
We followed several other paths in the area, but none of these took us to interesting monuments. They did offer some spectacular scenery though.

The Sand Bottles made in Petra were the most beautiful I saw anywhere in Jordan. They're also the most expensive. A small, simple one is JD5; one with a a more complex design is JD8. A medium sized bottle (they àre specially, but not particularly great, blown glass bottles here, not empty whisky flasks) is JD15, and a large one JD25-30. The sellers here won't come down much initially, but after a period of constant haggling you can have the medium sized one for JD10, but that's really it. They do make nice souvenirs!

We stayed in Wadi Moussa in the Peace Way Hotel, which was excellent. The rooms are very nice. The price was JD25 per night for a double room, excluding taxes and breakfast (JD2 per person extra). I managed to get them included in the price, but I'm sure that when business is brisk (e.g. in mid-summer) you won't be able to bargain. The hotel is worth the money, compared with most other places to stay in Jordan. Breakfast consisted of the usual flat bread, an egg, processed cheese and just enough marmalade for two slices of bread. If you can avoid it, don't make telephone calls from this (or any) hotel. It will cost you dearly! I couldn't avoid it, and had to pay JD10 for a 4-minute call to Belgium. The same applies to changing money, although the rate was not thàt bad: 680 fils to the $1 in the hotel as against the Bank rate of 700. There is, however, an exchange office of the Arab Bank not far from the Petra Palace Hotel, heading towards Wadi Moussa. I didn't check, but a sign at the office said it was open 24 hours.
It was in the Peace Way Hotel that I had the most unfortunate experience of my whole trip. The bathroom was equipped with a nice big bathtub. One problem though: no plug. "Oh well", I thought, "Let's just shower then." I got shampoo in my eyes and while reaching for my towel missed my footing and took a massive tumble. During the fall I instinctively reached for support, and somehow jammed my middle finger under the bathroom door, causing the flesh to tear away from the first knuckle-bone. I pulled my finger back, but because it was jammed I simply opened the wound even more. I had to disinfect and even stitch the cut (three, if you really want to know). Not exactly an evening to remember. When I was a child, my parents always told me never to stand upright in a bathtub. The one time I ignore their advice ... Oh well!
One cannot eat in the Peace Way Hotel. They recommended the Arabian House restaurant, just after going right at the central roundabout heading for Petra. Apparently the restaurant is owned by a relative of the Peace Way Hotel manager. We checked it out and found the food excellent and cheap. How about this? Three 'pieces' of felafel each (on the house), 12 more pieces ordered by us, two generous plates of shish kebab, three portions of chips, a side dish and four Cokes for JD10. That's JD5 per person! The waiter was a great bloke, a Tunisian who had become stranded in this part of the world; his plane ticket and money had been stolen in Antakya, Turkey and he was working in the Arabian House to buy a new ticket.
The Petra Burger joint near the Petra Palace Hotel has apparently been closed. One can get excellent hamburgers at the snack bar in the parking area at the Petra site. They're expensive at JD1.50 each, but soooo tasty!

In Wadi Moussa, we also took a look at 'Ain Moussa, the 'Moses Spring'. It's Biblically important. I'm avoiding the term 'historically', because it's not quite possible to prove that Moses indeed did strike the rock here. So it's a 'must-see'. What can one say about it? Well, it's a spring and the water is reported to be drinkable.

Conclusion : Petra is more than worth a visit. Although it has to be shared with a big tourist crowd, the ancient rock city is, in a word, fabulous! It is the absolute highlight of a visit to the country, and should be at the top of everyone's list, even if visiting several Middle Eastern states.

Jordan: Heading South on the King's Highway

2008-10-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

Chapter Six - Heading South on the King's Highway

On to Muqawir, the place of Herod the Great's fortress. One can see the remains of the palace on the 700 meter high hilltop from some distance away and it's quite picturesque. You can drive up to the caretaker's hut, which is where the stairs to the top start. The caretaker is an enormously friendly and helpful man. We established a real friendship with him. He's so nice! He went out of his way to make our visit worthwhile, and shared the contents of the knapsack that his wife had prepared for him with us. He never expected a single dime and even rejected the money! He accompanied us to the top of the hill and told us there were two ways up: one is the new set of stairs, winding around the hill's circumference, the other goes straight up from the start of the new stairs. The caretaker, who was called Saud, told us that it is much more interesting to go the latter way because you then also come to a large cave in the hillside where he said John the Baptist was beheaded. It seems pretty sure that John indeed had his head severed near here, but there is some doubt about exactly where it happened. According to Saud it was in that cave. The stairway dates back centuries and is not always easy to spot. It is recommended that you ask Saud to come with you. He will also point out all the things worth seeing. The climb is not that hard and you soon find yourself standing at the top amid the few remains of the fortress. They're not impressive, but the views (over the Dead Sea among others) and the total absence of a tour bus crowd again made up for this.

At the entrance of the stairway, two Muslim girls had exposed their wares (no not those wares, silly ..!) - handmade 'Bedouin' rugs. They carried the label 'Original hand-made Beni Hassan', but were not at all beautiful, many of them even downright ugly. Some of the creations were one colour only and looked like jute sacks. Great was my astonishment when I turned the label to look at the (fixed!) price: JD45 for the smallest jute sack rug (30 x 30 cm), and JD250 (that's US$355!) for the biggest (80 x 150 cm). For that amount I could have bought an excellent carpet on Crete, or in Kashmir or Turkey. We left, but not before saying farewell to Saud, our new-found friend. He kissed us good-bye in the Arab tradition and waved to us until we were out of sight. But not out of heart, I'm very sure.

From Muqawir, we drove back to the King's Highway and followed it south. The views were uninteresting until we reached the Wadi al-Mujib, an enormous canyon about 1 kilometre deep. The Wadi has an incredible, spectacular beauty. The best place to look out over it is from the viewpoint built near the entrance to the canyon. It simply amazing! You can see the road winding down it, and a few moments later you're on your way down those bends. Descending, the scenery is great. At the bottom is a long bridge over the river (dry at that time of year). The seemingly totally useless post-office at the bottom was closed. The climb out of the canyon is just as spectacular.

Just out of it is a brand new place to stay - the Trajan Resthouse. It was not completely finished but one could stay there. It certainly looked OK, and had we known it was there, we would have certainly spent a night there. It's conveniently located about halfway between Madaba and Kerak. Ideal if you want to explore the region at a leisurely pace, like us.

A little bit further on, just before entering the Talal municipality, we had a bad experience with local children again. We were driving at about 70 km/h when some school children formed a "chain" and blocked the road. We could choose stopping, or not stopping and running them over. Guess what? We chose the first option. The little pip-squeaks were all over the car. And I do mean all over! They were clambering on the hood, on the roof, everywhere, shouting like mad. They demanded money. We had opened the car's window to ask them what was going on, but as soon as we did they actually jumped into the car. Two of the little brats were lying on our laps. And they weren't planning on moving before they had received some money. As there were soon about fifteen of them, you can imagine... We were completely blocking the road and unable to move an inch. We tried to drive on, but as soon as we did, one of them lay down in front of the wheels. I got very upset, and tried to scare them away, to no avail; it had the opposite effect. Luckily a driver coming the other way came to our aid and angrily chased the kids off. We couldn't thank him enough !

We continued on to Kerak, but made a brief stop in ar-Rabba, a small town on the way. We used the time to stock up on some goods at the local shops. The people aren't really used to visitors it seems and are really friendly. The small town also has the remains of a Roman temple, but they are only worth a quick look. There's no charge.

A short while later, we arrived at Kerak. It's a pretty town. Suddenly you see the castle and the walled town on a hill before you. It still looks impregnable. The walled city is also very nice to walk around in. It has a very oriental atmosphere. It's less pleasant to drive around; the one-way streets drive you nuts. At one point we had to get the car up a hilly street so steep that we had to constantly burn rubber to be able to reach the top. Just stopping for a moment would've had us sliding down to the bottom.

The castle grounds are a nice place to visit, especially in late afternoon before sunset. The views over the valleys below are magnificent. The castle itself is big but not very interesting. It costs JD1 to enter. Included in the price is a visit to the museum (close to the castle). The displayed artefacts sometimes have a very good explanation attached and there are also excerpts from the diaries of archaeologists - a nice touch ! One shouldn't worry too much about falling into gaping holes because they all seem to have been closed off. The Lonely Planet guide mentions that one should "ask the museum caretaker to show you the underground vaulted rooms." Well, I tried but with the bus-loads of tourists coming in, he wasn't at all willing to do it. That was a major let-down.

My best experience in Kerak was talking to the Iraqi who runs the Gifts House / Castle Gifts shop (the two have merged). He's an incredibly nice bloke to talk to. He and his family fled Baghdad after the Gulf War. He ended up in Jordan, his wife and children in Holland. So far he hadn't been able to get a visa. It was hard to hear him talking about that and about the war. He gave us a very good description of what a beautiful and lovely country Iraq could have been, and actually was once. I sincerely hope he gets re-united with his family.

The Pizza Sewar in Kerak has closed and merged with the adjacent establishment, the Peace Restaurant; they are now the 'Ram Restaurant'. The menus still bear the Pizza Sewar's logo. The pizzas are good, very filling and cheap, and the service was very friendly. The 'waiter' wanted us to have some music to listen to. So he went out and returned with a kind of ghetto-blaster. He and another man then started messing with cables. It looked as if they still had to install the lot. That done, they went out to fetch a cassette. Of course, in the meantime no pizzas were prepared, but who cares? They were trying to make us feel comfortable. And it was funny too. The restaurant is owned by the same person who runs the nearby hotel of the same name (Ram Hotel, not Rum). Of course, they tried to steer us thither. Oh well, why shouldn't we check it out? There are rooms of different size and quality. Check several! The cheapest come at around JD5. We wanted one with an en-suite bathroom. Asking price was JD20, but we could easily bargain this down to JD15 and have breakfast included. As a hotel guest, you are entitled to a 20% deduction at the Ram Restaurant, so taken as a package, the deal is certainly not bad. Well, it wasn't bad for a room with a hot shower, toilet, TV and fridge. It soon became clear that we could forget about the television and refrigerator - they were just there for decorative purposes! The electric plug socket contained the pins of a previous plug and was thus unusable. My friend opened a cupboard and the whole thing came apart. Not usable and irreparable by us. At the slightest move we made, the beds made a sound as if a just-married couple was having a rough night in them. At 4 in the morning the muezzin called us to prayer. As we're not Muslim, we wanted to stay in bed and sleep, but the muezzin did his utter best to prevent us from doing so, and succeeded ! When we wanted to flush the toilet, we had to lift the lid of the cistern to do it. Fortunately the shower was hot.

When we went down and had our (included) breakfast, the (otherwise friendly) Sudanese receptionist had completely 'forgotten' about breakfast being inclusive and there was no persuading him that it was. We were charged extra for it, and also for the 'complimentary' tea that we had drunk when we checked in. The price was around JD2. There was also no way to make this chap see that we wanted to keep our passports in our own custody. Insisting didn't help at all.

Just a little too much went wrong at this joint to recommend it. I'd advise everyone to check out another place. The Cottage Hotel (with repaired sign, by the way) looked pretty good!
From Kerak we drove towards the Dead Sea. We wanted to visit the Sanctuary of Lot at Safi. The road along the Dead Sea was rather quiet and offered pretty good views of this natural wonder, although there is a lot of industry in the area. There's nothing to Safi, but the sanctuary is bloody hard to find. Nobody seems to know it, and nobody speaks English. Eventually we got a peek at what was supposed to be the cave where Lot and his daughters took refuge after fleeing from Sodom. The cave is on a hilltop overlooking the Dead Sea. Nearby stands a salt pillar which is supposed to be Lot's wife who was turned into this when she ignored God's warning not to look back to Sodom which was being destroyed. There are also Byzantine monastery remains. There's not much to see, but it's always nice to stand at a historical or Biblical site. Evidence proving the authenticity of the site is provided by Madaba's mosaic map on which the monastery is mentioned.

From Safi we drove to Tafila. This took us through part of the magnificent Wadi al-Mujib. The scenery is at times stunning. There are several natural viewpoints along the way which make a great place to sit for a while. One could do worse than get some provisions before leaving Kerak and then have a picnic at one of those viewpoints. We did. Several Jordanians who were passing by, stopped to have a chat. Nice!

There's not much going on in Tafila. We searched for the Crusaders' building but couldn't spot it or find out about it because the locals couldn't give us any information.

Next stop: the Crusader Castle of Shobak. We had been at several places that provided great views over the surrounding countryside. But everywhere the surroundings were in some way inhabited. Not so at Shobak. The countryside around the hilltop fortress is really desolate. The views over the Wadi Arabah are very good.

The castle itself is also of interest, although it's quite ruined. Restoration is almost complete. Best of all are the Arabic inscriptions by Saladdin. We took a look at the 365 steps that go down to the underground well. It was very dark in there and the descent looked quite dangerous; there was loose white sand all over the eroded steps. When our flashlight failed, we decided to skip it, although the very friendly caretaker would clearly have been only too happy to lead the way down. Near the entrance is a souvenir shop housed in a Bedouin tent. Take a look, if not for the souvenirs, then for the man who runs it. He's really friendly. We were offered tea and food ... and also antiques. Real antiques, definitely ! My view on buying antiques in these countries is not to do it. To quote Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jones movie (well, this is how the country gained fame with the public after all): "This stuff belongs in a museum"...

Jordan: Madaba - mainly, but not all, mosaics!

2008-10-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Chapter Five - Madaba - mainly, but not all, mosaics!

I loathed the idea of having to spend another night in Amman, and decided to continue on to Madaba and hoped that its only place to stay, Lulu's Pension according to Lonely Planet, had vacancies. Luckily for us, it had.

The place was easy enough to find. Signs to it are practically all over the city. The pension looks like an ordinary house, which it is. You have to open the iron gate and ring at the door. It has its name in pink-and-green neon lights on top of the roof, illuminated at night. I must confess that if I passed such advertising with that name ("Lulu's Pension") in the West, I'd more likely think of this place as a dubious joint, no doubt! It was with that thought in mind and a smile on my face, that I met the proprietor, Lulu and her daughter. Lulu is a great character and a very classy, older lady. It feels very odd to talk to and 'do business' with a woman in this country. The reason is that she, like many other people in Madaba, is a Catholic. Lulu told us that sometimes when she's out shopping and people arrive, they think it's closed or full, but that's not necessarily so. Therefore, she says, it's best to ring in advance if you can.

The rooms are spotlessly clean, spacious and nicely carpeted, but otherwise undecorated. The two of us stayed in a triple. I also saw a more cramped single room and a very nice one with a double bed. Bathrooms are shared, but there are two so there's no queuing problem. Both are also spotless, and one has a lovely, large bathtub. Great to have a soak in! The price was still JD10 per person. Breakfast is included, but it's 'self-service', meaning you have to prepare it yourself from what you can find in the kitchen. And there isn't much: tea, old frozen bread and some jars with marmalade. But I'm not complaining. This was the best place to stay in the whole trip, and great value for money. There is a huge living room where you can sit and talk to other travellers or watch TV. There's also a writing desk. Open the drawers to find a real treasure chest of information on Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, India, Malaysia, and many other destinations. All the information left by other travellers, and some of the other material to be read here, are real gems! On a clipboard is more information on Madaba, including notes by other travellers. This place was absolutely the best!

To return to the hotel situation in Madaba, it's no longer the case that there is just one place to stay. There are three now, at least that's what I was told. I'm sure of two, and a third was pointed out to me, but the signs were in Arabic only. The second is just called 'Madaba Hotel'. It's rather basic, I gathered. There are some signs pointing the way.

It's nice to see some accommodation here as Madaba really is a nice place. We intended to spend the night, take in the sights in the morning and continue on. I loved the place so much that we ended up staying for two days.

First, we went to see the so-called 'Archaeological Park'. The entrance is near the Church of the Virgin and costs JD3 now. The same ticket does however entitle you to visit the Museum and the Church of the Apostles, too. The bloke in the ticket office was kind and helpful. The Archaeological park was, surprisingly, very well designed. The system of ramps and viewing positions works very well. The entrance fee is worth what you get in return for it, a rare thing in Jordan. Regardless of where you buy the ticket, ensure you don't pay the fee again at another of the sites you have access to, as nobody will ask if you've already bought one and will just hand over a new one, and if you're walking around asleep you'll have paid JD9 in the end, instead of 3.

Several mosaics from locations outside of Madaba have been moved here to preserve them. And some are very beautiful. Others are still in their original sites. The best of those are definitely the mosaics in the Church of the Virgin and particularly the Hippolytus Hall. The architects have done a great job here: they have covered the old buildings (of which the lower walls can still be seen) with new constructions, thus preserving them ànd the mosaics that lie inside. Alongside are walkways and ramps, some of them elevated to give a good overview. However, they could've been even better, because the best photographic viewpoints are inaccessible. Of less interest are the Church of the Prophet Elias and the Crypt of St Elianos.

After having seen the Archaeological Park, the Museum was below average. I think it would be a better idea to eventually get it integrated into the former, as on its own it's definitely second rate. Like I said, entrance is covered by the combined ticket of JD3. The place is open every day now, and no longer closed on Tuesdays, when, as I was told, the chap who used to man the ticket desk had his day off. The staff are friendly. The 'Banche & Satyr' mosaic in the Traditional House of Madaba is the best piece in the museum, although the 'house' is not well illuminated. The mosaic depicting 'Paradise and its Fruits' is now housed in the 'Byzantine Room'. The room where some of the traditional costumes are displayed, is interesting enough.

The Church of the Apostles (the third and last place included in the JD3 ticket) has some stunning mosaics, very well worth a visit. Most fellow visitors didn't seem to agree with me on that - I think they were poorly informed or only interested in the map at St George's Church - because the place was virtually deserted. Perhaps it's because it requires a walk out of the town centre?

Little is left of the old church itself, but what there is, has been covered in pretty much the same way as at the Archaeological Park. There will eventually be similar ramps and viewing positions. The place is very much under construction, and the mosaics are still being restored. The most important one (dating from 578 AD) can already be seen. A rectangular band with a very nice personification of one of the seasons on every corner encloses a medallion depicting Thalassa, the personification of the Sea. It is really beautiful and the whole mosaic is big, measuring roughly 5 by 10 metres. When visiting, ask one of the attendants to wipe the mosaic with a wet cloth. You will be stunned by the incredibly lively and intense colours. Baffling, really! The staff at the entrance are very friendly and informative; they also do their uttermost to learn the foreign languages they hear. Ask for a guy called Mouafak. He's a really nice bloke to talk to. I ended up spending a couple of hours in the church. (If you visit, please give Mouafak my best wishes!) It's possible to buy a little photocopied booklet with information about the different mosaics of Madaba.

The famous mosaic map of Palestine & Lower Egypt in the Church of St George was as nice as I had expected it to be - interesting and something that should be on the itinerary of every visitor to Jordan. Entrance was JD1, certainly not too much, but asking a fee to enter a functional church is not something I can approve of. I know it happens elsewhere in the world too, yes, but still...

The small church is full of tourists and it's sometimes hard to get a good look at the map. They have started to impose a limit, with only a certain number of people at a time allowed inside. Luckily for us ànd for the mosaic, it's fenced off by a rope so it's impossible to tread on it. Strangely enough, everybody who calls himself a guide seems to be exempt from this and they hop happily all over it, pointing at the parts of interest. Besides the map, it's worthwhile to have a look at the interior of the church itself. It's quite plain, but rather beautiful nevertheless. Photography is no problem. I heard that earlier, at times when there were few visitors, the map was covered with a carpet. Those days seem to be a long way in the past, but should it be the case, you can ask the man at the small booklets/postcards stand inside the church to have it removed.

Of lesser interest was the Burnt Palace and its mosaic. It's still very much a construction site. We couldn't enter the nearby Martyr's Church - and there was no way to talk my way in - but the chap manning the shop of the "National Society for the Preservation of the Heritage of Madaba and its Suburbs" (phew!) showed us some pictures of what to expect when it's opened to the public. The main mosaic there is amazingly beautiful! It's too bad we couldn't see it. The man at this shop, which incidentally is cheap enough, is amazing too! He speaks excellent English and is an endless source of information, much better than the Tourist Information Office staff! He showered us with folders and brochures of all kinds and showed us hundreds of pictures from all kinds of books. He also proudly showed us the official documents from the city council of Ravenna, Italy, that confirmed that Madaba is officially twinned with their city. If you visit Madaba, visit him too. You won't regret it!

Signposted all over the town and impossible to miss is Madaba Zaman, a handicraft 'village' that claims it will show you 'the real Jordanian traditions'. It's clearly very touristy, but it can be nice to get an impression of some of the handicrafts: carpet weaving, mosaic making, Hebron glass blowing and making 'Petra' sand bottles. There's a quite pricey cafe and restaurant.
Recommended by many travellers as the best place to eat in town was (surprisingly perhaps) the Mankal Chicken Tikka. It turned out that it was, in terms of price & quality. The food was cheap and the service was friendly. Across the road from the church on King Hussein Street (which no-one in Madaba seems to be able to point out to you), is a good shawarma stand.

If already in Madaba, one shouldn't miss out on a visit to nearby Mount Nebo, the alleged site of Moses' death. A taxi from Madaba costs at least JD5 but, as another traveller told me, extremely hard bargaining may bring this down. He said that Jordanians pay just one JD ?? We had our own car, so no problem there.

The church on the Siyagha peak is where the tourists flock. And lots of them too! Upon entering the grounds, we were presented a 500 fils entrance ticket. The fee is per group. If you're alone, you're considered a group. The ticket salesman, who pretended to speak practically no English (I asked him some questions about the place but he seemingly didn't understand a word), asked if we were together with a bloke from Paris who was walking behind us. We said we were. I saw no need to make him pay another half a Dinar. We were handed a ticket and proceeded. The Frenchman thanked us and asked what exactly had been going on. Suddenly the ticket seller spoke English. He had overheard us and knew we weren't in fact together. He was angry and insisted on us buying another ticket. I started pretending to speak no English, just as he had done, but this got him only more angry so I handed him another 500 fils. We hadn't been exactly honest, but neither had he. At the time, I really disliked that bloke. Actually, I still do. If it was to do with money, he miraculously spoke another language. Paying the entrance fee entitles you to a card (one per group obviously) with a layout map of the site. There's not much to it. Just the church and the modern bronze sculpture outside on the platform in front of it. It's new but very nice all the same. It symbolises Moses lifting up the snake and Jesus on the cross and was done by Fantoni of Florence. The views over the barren Promised Land (including the Dead Sea) from the terrace are fantastic, and so - to a lesser extent - are those from the parking lot. Inside the newly erected church building are remnants of the old basilica and the Siyagha mosaics. The mosaics, as well as the church, are again beautiful, especially the main one.

When we were there, a bus-load of elderly German tourists was tramping around the holy place, making more noise than you'd hear in a Weinkeller in, say, Rüdesheim. The doorkeeper was not impressed. Neither was I. In consequence we, and all others after us, were lumped together with them. We left with what you could call a Weinkeller hangover, so decided to explore the area further, which was quite rewarding: nice views all around! It was one of those times you consider yourself very lucky to have a car at hand.

The hot spring resort of Hammamat Ma'in was next on our list. The drive there from Madaba is very pleasant, offering great views - especially from the hilltop before going down towards the resort. You can barely see Hammamat Ma'in down below in the valley. Beige and dark red-brown rugged mountains all around. On your left-hand side you see the road winding down the steep hillsides. Incredible! The road goes down fast. It's very steep. Suddenly - almost before you see them coming - you're flying over some pretty high artificial ramps in the road. Just as you're wondering what the hell they're for, you have to slam on the anchors to make the compulsory stop at the gateway to the resort. Just entering it costs JD2. Crazy! There seems no way of avoiding this, other than doubling-back to return to wherever you came from. I found the whole resort a depressing place. It must have looked OK in its hey-day, which in fact can't have been long ago, but now it feels like you're wandering around a place that has been closed down. Luckily, the 25-metre high waterfall made up for a lot of this. Indeed, it doesn't only look great, but also feels good after a dusty day in the hills.

I checked out the places to stay here, but they were far too expensive for my liking and for what they offered. I would only get more depressed if I was to pay the c.100 US Dollars that the Ashtar Hotel asks for a double-room. Maybe some Jordanians, used to a drier-than-dry climate, think they're in paradise when they come here, but I certainly didn't. Perhaps I'd consider paying that amount in a European resort, but definitely not here! The Drop & Shop Supermarket there at least has some cheap things on offer (cheap for this place, but still expensive in general). "A bag of crisps and a Pepsi, please..." Can't say I felt sorry when I left the place. On our way out, the men at the gate decided to give us a hard time over our tickets, which we couldn't produce quickly enough. Some good advice: cherish and store them in a place where you'll always have them handy. They will actually be required to be able to leave, or you will have to pay another JD2! As if we could've entered the place with a car without passing through the gateway... Nuts!

Jordan: The Desert Castles

2008-10-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

Chapter Four - The Desert Castles

I knew there was no hotel in Mafraq, but I wanted to make sure, so we went there to check it out. Mafraq is just a small town, the last place to speak of before the lone desert road shoots off towards Iraq. It would make a great base to do some exploring of the desert castles, like the one at Burqu'. There wasn't anything going on, but the locals were very friendly. We ended up spending a couple of hours here, just talking - or trying to talk - to the people. I asked if there was a hotel, and everybody told me there was one, seemingly along the road to Zarqa. They told me there was no sign, at least not an English one. I couldn't find it at all, so I finally asked at the police station. There, an officer told me that there was no hotel in Mafraq and that I had to continue to Zarqa. I think there may very well be a hotel or place to stay, but that foreigners are not allowed or supposed to stay there. Why else did all locals say there was a place? Further east in Asia, I'd think it was to please me, but here...

We drove back to Amman and stayed at the Bdeiwi Hotel.

We started the Desert Castle Loop from Amman, heading out to al-Muwaqqar. This road was quite desolate, so with little traffic. What drew my attention were the many animal road kills. Several small rodents, birds and even a donkey with its legs up in the air were lying on the asphalt. The road is quiet enough for the animals to stroll onto, and when a truck or car then passes by, they have a very good chance of being run over.

The first castle we visited was Qasr al-Kharaneh. It looks plain, but still nice, and I'm sure that once its unremarkable appearance ensured it had a very desolate feel about it. It is hard to have that feeling now though, because the whole site is surrounded by barb wire, and almost next door is what I think was a power or relay station. There's also a large antenna pole close-by. But for us, what really took it out of its former isolation were the noisy tourists who had arrived in a couple of coaches. Sitting and absorbing the atmosphere was virtually impossible. We took a good look around and left. The caretaker demands (that's right, not "expects") a 1 Dinar tip, by the way.

The situation is not much better at Qusayr 'Amra, although we managed to arrive about five minutes before the tour buses did. When you're alone there, the place is absolutely great. The frescoes are unfortunately heavily damaged, but one can still very well make out what they're all about: nude women. The dome with the map of the heavens is fantastic.

As soon as the tour groups had taken over the place, it was hardly possible to study the paintings further. The tour guides even tried to remove us - some nerve! Eventually, we went outside (own decision!) and waited for the buses to leave, but more kept arriving. After a more than fair time, we packed our things and left. This small place was far too crowded for its own good. Fortunately, we had seen what we wanted to see. We ignored the caretaker, who had been sitting in the shade for the whole time and done nothing for us.

When we arrived at the oasis of Azraq, it was time to have a meal. We went somewhere with signs in Arabic only. (This of course means nothing, as almost all places in Azraq, except perhaps the Tourist Rest House near the castle, only have signs in Arabic). The place was kind of big, and nice enough. There were small triclinium like rooms at both sides of the restaurant where one could lie down and eat, and afterwards sleep. Nice, but we didn't need sleep at that moment, but this may help to identify the place. The restaurant did some different kebabs. I had shish-kebab which was only very average, and not cheap at all. The owner was a very rude to us as well as his own personnel. It reminded me of situations I had come across in India, when somebody "important" from the upper caste was shouting at a casteless person. A place to avoid. The Tourist Rest has similar high prices, by the way, but the staff were friendly and spoke English. The food is better too. I'd go for that one, if given the choice now. On entering Azraq, turn left (towards the castle) instead of right, into town.

We didn't bother going to the Shaumari Reserve. We had talked to some other travellers and they had told us that they had seen virtually nothing in the sense of "wild" animals. We decided we could better spend our time in the Antwerp Zoo when we got home.

Azraq castle was certainly worth the visit. It's very ruined, but there are still many nice things to see, such as the vaulted room above the entrance where Lawrence of Arabia had his headquarters, the adjacent rooms which still bear the evidence of the repairs with palm branches carried out by Lawrence's men, and - in my humble opinion the highlight - the enormous stone slab out of one piece of basalt that served as a door. It really required considerable force to open/close it.

The caretaker of Azraq Castle Again, unfortunately, it is crowded with people from tourist buses. The old caretaker gets almost literally suffocated by people wanting him to show them the old photographs of his father and Lawrence (the bloke's father knew Lawrence). Sometimes the old chap has to move out of the place to get some air. Really! This is the perfect example of a native completely ruined by tourism. I observed him carefully and noticed that most people, on leaving, handed him a half or whole Dinar bill. I started thinking that this bloke wasn't the simple, modest man that he looked. Standing before me was a rich man! Let's say he gets 500 visitors a day. (From what I saw this is not unreasonable; I heard that there are many more visitors in summer, and less in winter, so it's a fair average). And let's say he gets only half a Dinar from half the visitors. That's 0.5 x 250 = 125 Dinars. Per day. That's 125 x 30 = 3750 Dinars (roughly $US 5360) per month. Practically tax free. I couldn't discover how much, if anything, he got paid by the government for his taking care of things. Unbelievable! I expect he probably gives a lot of that money away supporting a large family. Or does he have to give it to his employer, the state? Dunno, but anyway, one shouldn't do this type of calculation while travelling. Is this the money-crazy Westerner in me? No, not really; I heard one of the tourists say "he's a poor man", and started wondering... Oh well, I probably totally miscalculated the whole thing - at least that was what another traveller told me when I suggested it to her.

OK. We continued our "loop" and headed for Hammam as-Sarakh. It was easy to miss. Luckily it lies just besides the road and I spotted it while whizzing past. It's not that impressive in terms of size, but it's a nice little building, well worth a quick look. We could just walk through the gate. There was no caretaker in sight. And no other visitors. No tour bus loads. Lovely! Beside the baths lies a deep water pit, covered by a metal safety grill.

From the baths in east Hallabat it's only a short trip west to the Qasr al-Hallabat. If you have a car and drive up to the gate, the caretaker (who has his tent right at the entrance) will open it so you can continue your drive all the way up the hill to the castle, so you don't have to hike (unless you want to, of course).

The castle itself is a major disappointment; all of it is in a state of ruin. Except for some Greek inscriptions on some of the crumbling stones, there's nothing to be seen here. On top of that, some of the inscribed stones have been included into odd walls "they" have tried to re-erect, but have been placed upside-down, so you have to stand on your head to read them - clearly this isn't the work of serious archaeologists.

We were at the Qasr al-Hallabat at sunset, and I have to admit that it was a bit of a magical place to be at that time of day. We climbed some of the (firm) higher walls and watched the sun setting. There was no-one else around. This, combined with the impression of desolate location you get, made for a really great feeling. It turned out that this was the nicest spot - no, experience - of the whole day! A place doesn't need to offer mind-blowing sights to be impressive - at least for me. What it needs is simply atmosphere. I imagine that had I been at al-Hallabat in the middle of the day I would have been far less impressed by it. So, my advice: do the loop as we did, heading in this direction. Take your time at all the other places, and you'll arrive at the best time of day. I'm sure if you do the loop the other way, and visit this place first (in the morning), you'll be very disappointed! Upon leaving, the caretaker expects a JD1 tip (as usual).

Jordan: The North, perched between Israel & Syria

2008-10-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

Chapter Three - The North, perched between Israel & Syria

We headed for Jerash. The drive there, through busy and uninteresting Zarqa, was unimpressive. For those who want to stay in Zarqa, there are a couple of small places there. Just ask around.

I knew that the ruins of Jerash could only be more interesting than Amman, and they were! They can easily compare with those at Ephesus, in Turkey! Entrance to the ruins is now JD5; in this case the price really is justified. For this kind of extensive ruins you'd pay similar fees everywhere. The Visitors' Centre was - in good Jordanian tradition, it seems - a building site, and inaccessible. Highlights were Hadrian's Triumphal Arch, the Forum, the Temple of Artemis and the Nymphaeum. Like most museums in Jordan, the one here amid the ruins was small and quite uninteresting to non-archaeologists. The people there were friendly though.

One should allow at least three to four hours for a stroll through the Roman city. From within the new city of Jerash you can shoot good overviews of the ruins. Just drive up the hills a bit and use a strong enough telephoto lens.

In Jerash we ate the best bread of the whole trip. There's a good bakery on the Y-shaped intersection of Abu Baker as-Seddiq Street. It's number 13 if I recall correctly. The bread is very inexpensive and fresh out of the oven; it's delicious! It's very strange that there is no hotel in Jerash. Although it's an easy day trip from Amman, if you want to continue north, it's a drag to have to return to Amman. We ate at the al-Khayyam Restaurant, just across the road from the entrance to the ruins. An average meal of shish-kebab, two or three side dishes and a drink each was around JD4.5 per person. Service wasn't particularly friendly. The views are alright.
Something incredible was to be seen here: to get rid of the insects that attacked his meat, the guy at the grill found no better way than to spray the meat with repellent. I couldn't help laughing out loud in astonishment, but at the same time made sure I wasn't getting a piece of this 'chemical food'! Perhaps it was my imagination but I thought I noticed some bigger-than-average flames licking the meat when it was placed on the grill plate ...

Avoid buying in the souvenir stalls/shops nearby. The guys there are friendly enough, but everything is way too expensive. Don't fall for the sand bottles either. They're not expensive, but then the quality isn't particularly good either, and they use artificially-coloured sand, which I hear tends to fade after a time. Better buy a more artistic one with natural coloured sand at Petra. It'll be more expensive, yes, but with some hard bargaining you can end up with a little jewel for the price. That is, of course, if you want one ...

It's only a little over 20 kilometres from Jerash to Ajlun. The drive goes through what you could call pine forests. It makes quite a nice drive, although it's probably more impressive in spring when everything is greener.

From quite a distance away one can see the Qala'at ar-Rabad, the castle on the hilltop. When you drive into town, the first thing that strikes you is the beautifully situated mosque. Entry to the castle was JD1. There's not that much to be seen inside the castle ruin, but the views from the top are great!

The people in Ajlun were very friendly and helpful, and so were the guys at the ticket desk of the castle. First thing we were asked was as usual: "Where do you come from?" "From Belgium." "Belgica? Good guns! Very good!" This also happened to us in Egypt. It seems Belgium does a fair amount of weapons exporting to the Middle East. But what's new, right?

From Ajlun we continued to Tabaqat Fahl to see the ruins of Pella. We took the road that runs along the West Bank, or Palestine if you like, via Kurayyuna. The ruins of Pella are disappointing themselves, but they have the advantage of being very nicely situated, scattered over some hills. Australian archaeologists are still working on the digs and restorations, though work had stopped for the coming winter. The view from the Government Rest House looking towards Israel, especially at sunset, is great. The food there wasn't very good and hellishly expensive at JD15 for just some pieces of chicken and orange juice for two.

The proprietor, Hussein, is a good source of information, but unfortunately he's also definitely gay and comes on strong! Beware! I have no problems with gay people, but this guy is very pushy and doesn't know when to quit. He started off telling us some stories about how great Israel really is, which I found very strange for an Arab. It turned out that he regularly stayed in a kibbhutzim and he told us with a 'sensuous' voice : "Oh, there are so many nice boys in Israel." I realised what kind of guy we had in front of us, but my (male) friend seemingly didn't. He soon found out though, because as soon as I went off to the toilet, Hussein started telling my mate how much he loved to have his, well, errm, thing, sucked. Again the Israeli boys seemed to have played a major role in that too. My companion made it clear that he was not that kind of guy, or should I say gay? To no avail. Hussein kept coming on ... "Ooh, Philippe (my mate), that sun in my face is so annoying. I'll come sitting next to you." He did, putting his hand on his leg. I could only just keep my friend from striking him. After finishing our 'meal', I asked if there was any dessert. Hussein said: "Not here. But in Jordan we have such good desserts. Maybe we can go licking some ice creams in Irbid?" Yeah, right. I ignored the last bit but stupidly asked if the desserts were sweet. "Ooh, very sweet", he smilingly answered, looking at Philippe. I couldn't help but laugh out loud, because it actually was kinda funny at the same time. Well, it was for me, not for my friend.

When we arrived at the Rest House, I had asked Hussein if we could stay at the guesthouse mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide. He had been affirmative. Now, after all his gay crap, I told him we were leaving for the guesthouse. He insisted on showing us where it was; to be honest we needed this, as we couldn't find it ourselves. As we approached our car, I told him to sit in the front, next to my pal, so he could point the way. I didn't want him behind me... He 'sensuously' said : "Oh yes, I know Phil likes me." Shortly afterwards, we arrived at a small house with no signs or anything. He showed us a room. It smelled odd, it looked odd, and we felt odd. This could have been the guesthouse, but if so it was also clearly his place. Hussein made some more really dirty remarks - the sign for my friend to decide to leave, which we did. I felt that if we stayed, something violent would happen. We made it clear that we weren't planning on staying there. He didn't give us a hard time over that though, probably because he knew that homosexuality in Jordan is something to be careful about. We headed for Irbid, which isn't far away.

In Irbid, I checked out the Hotel al-Amen. It's a very friendly place, and rooms were JD8 for a double, JD6 single. The room was clean enough too, but to reach the bathroom we had to walk down a corridor, across the reception area and then along another corridor. A bit too much at night if you're in a hurry! I went to the nearby al-Umayya Hotel on King Hussein Street. There they wanted JD20 for a double with toilet and shower in the room. A colour TV was also thrown in. Bargaining was not possible. I decided to take it anyway, and some other travellers who had just arrived seemed to agree with me on that. The staff are friendly, but not genuinely so.
Virtually next door is a very good supermarket where you can stock up on cheap foodstuffs and drinks, and any other things you may need. If you leave the hotel, turn right immediately and continue to the corner of the street. Turn right at this corner, then immediately cross the street. There you'll find the best shawarma that I ate in Jordan. It's excellent and cheap. The guy that prepares it, is a friendly dude on top. Recommended!

There's not much going on in Irbid but it's quite a pleasant place to spend some time, as are most university cities in the world. The Museum of Jordanian Heritage at the Yarmouk University is indeed the best I saw in Jordan. On top of that, it's completely free. Strange, as I found this the only one worth paying for. The people at the university entrance and at the museum's reception desk were very kind and helpful. Across the road from the university, to the left of the Chicken Tikka and Delicate Restaurant, is a photo shop. To the left of it, is a restaurant that bears only an Arabic name. It's really good. The tropical fruit shake here is absolutely delicious. No, it's heaven! A complete and tasty meal of kebabs, including the fruit shake, some side dishes and two cokes was only JD4.5 per person. Unbelievable! Recommended!

For a university city it's surprising how little English is spoken in Irbid. In fact, it seems that not many people in Jordan master English. In some of the Jordanian Tourist Authority brochures I came across was the statement "...and many Jordanians will surprise you with their English language." Oh, yes, they did surprise me! I was surprised to find that almost nobody speaks it, and the ones who do, are mostly awful at it. Oh well, I guess I don't speak Arabic very well either. But then, English is my second language just as it is for them. Some people I mentioned this to remarked that I was expecting too much from these folks. Perhaps that's true, but I am not just talking about the man in the street, I am also speaking about the university students. One guy who had graduated as an English teacher was horrible at it. The lack of being able to communicate seriously hampered travel sometimes, but luckily the people are kind and helpful enough, so almost always somebody will be found who speaks English well enough to be able to help you out.

From Irbid we went to Umm Qais, the site of ancient Gadara. Judging from the enormous parking lot at the entrance, the people here are certainly prepared to receive lots of visitors, probably in the future, as right now it's still rather quiet - although the tour buses have made their entrance. It cost 1 Dinar to get in. The ruins themselves were (again) rather unimpressive. Their location however, with views over the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights makes up for this. The museum with some mosaics and statues is the most interesting of the lot. There is a very good (but rather expensive) little book shop, where you'll have no problem finding little booklets about almost all archaeological sites in the country. Tony Howard's guide 'Walks and scrambles in Rum' is readily available for JD4, as are heftier works like Insight Guides' guide to Jordan. It's also a good place to inform yourself before joining a dig if you're interested in that. If you don't want to spend any money here, you can pick up a free copy of 'Occident and Orient', a publication of the German Protestant Institute of Archaeology, the people working on the excavations in (among others) Umm Qais. It's pretty interesting. The person manning the desk is very friendly and informative. We had a drink in the Government Rest House which is an incredibly nice place to sit and sip. Service however is dreadfully slow, especially when a busload of tourists has arrived. We had to wait twenty minutes before we were served. The waiters aren't exactly friendly if you just order a soft drink. They've got used to more affluent tourists already, which you can judge from the enormous collection of tour company stickers on the doors.

From Umm Qais we continued right up to the border, to the baths of al-Hemma. There were a couple of military checkpoints along the way. The first was almost round the bend from the Umm Qais site. The soldier stopped us and said hello. We replied and handed him our passports. He said he didn't want to see them, but wanted me to open the boot of the car and look into our luggage. When I opened both, he was looking the other way, totally uninterested. Strange! He walked to the front of the car again, and asked my friend (who was driving): "You have Mercedes at home?" My friend hasn't, but noticing the guy's deep interest, he replied: "Yes." The soldier smiled widely and said: "Yeeeess. Mercedes good! ... Go!" We could continue. He waved us good-bye until we were out of sight. On the way, we could see military bases and watchtowers on both sides. Just before entering al-Hemma we had to pay a road tax of 1 Dinar, but not so for coming back. The restaurant by the baths is a great place to sit. It's very quiet and relaxed. There's not much to the baths themselves. The water wasn't that smelly, but I wouldn't jump into it either. It occurred to me (again, maybe) that most sites in Jordan aren't really places you should go to for their impressiveness. They are places you must go to, to sit and absorb, if you know what I mean. And then, they're always great.

The food in the restaurant was good enough, and not particularly more expensive than elsewhere. Possibly it used to be, but now that prices seem to be higher in the whole country, the difference is gone.

The children in al-Hemma are crazy. They came begging for money and/or sweets when we were in the car and didn't give up when they didn't get any. They grabbed the roof and windows and held on whilst we were driving. They insisted on getting the can of Pepsi that was in their sight. A bloody dangerous thing to do, for us, too. You can imagine what'd happen if you hurt one of the little brats. Finally, to get rid of them, I had to literally throw the can of Pepsi out of the window.

Also beware of the giant wasps here. They're present in the whole of Jordan, but in al-Hemma they were aggressive! Some locals at the restaurant who had ordered some sweet desserts or something, had to flee from their tables, to avoid getting stung! And they couldn't return to their places. The wasps were feasting on the sweetmeats. Shortly after, the whole table and the chairs were inhabited by over a dozen stray cats, who joined the wasps in the feast and ate the chicken leftovers. The locals stood and watched. The waiters chased the cats, but wisely didn't chase the wasps! Only minutes later, the cats returned and were having a ball again. Nobody bothered anymore. It was a lost battle.

Jordan: Around Amman

2008-10-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

Chapter Two - Around Amman

Because we were so close, we decided it a good idea to visit first the Qasr al-Mushatta, near to the airport. There were three army checkpoints between the Alia Gateway Hotel and the site. We had to leave our passports at the second and collect them on the way back.

The castle ruins are worth visiting. The caretaker who showed us round was a jolly fellow, with a lot of acting talent; it was great to see him demonstrating how the men in the castle used their rifles. Like most caretakers in Jordan, he expects 1 Dinar as a tip at the end of the tour.

The whole Mushatta castle has pitted indentations in its stones where - according to the caretaker - the people who resided here at the time, played an old board game. How long ago the pits were made is uncertain. You can see them almost anywhere in Jordan, even in the desert of Wadi Rum where the game is played by the local Bedouins. They use dried sheep or goat turds instead of stones though ... If you're a bit of an aeroplane freak, Mushatta is a pleasant spot to sit and watch the planes lift off, although Amman has quite a low-traffic airport.

Next on our list was the Dead Sea at Suweimeh. There were two police checkpoints between Amman and Suweimeh. At both we had to present our passports, but the checks were only very cursory.

At Suweimeh there are two options: either you go to one of the resort hotels or you don't. We didn't. And regretted it. The beach at Suweimeh was badly littered. Garbage and animal faeces were omnipresent. Young boys with donkeys, horses and camels ply the beach looking for customers to ride their beasts. Practically no-one seems to feel the need for it. And neither did we. The beach is mostly popular with Jordanians. Foreign tourists go to the resorts. It's hard to have to say it, but the Dead Sea here was yet another disappointment. It's much better if you go more to the south, but then there are almost no facilities for rinsing off the salt. In the far south there's also a lot of industry, like potash or bromine plants.

I tried to go to the King Hussein Bridge to take a look. At some point, which clearly was the border post, we were stopped. The bridge was not in sight yet. If we wanted to continue, we needed to get stamped out before we could go any further. As we only had a single entry visa, I decided not to take the chance, and asked if I could take a look at the bridge without being stamped out. I was directed to the military police. After mainly nothing had been going on for about an hour, I decided it was time to leave. I told them I would be back the day after, but didn't return; too many hassles, although everybody was friendly.

Turning off the main road between Amman and Suweimeh, we drove to Araq al-Amir and Wadi as-Seer. The road winds through some very nice mountain scenery. There's hardly any traffic, and it's a far better alternative to the main direct road between Amman and Wadi as-Seer, which we also tried. Nothing much to say about Araq al-Amir. It's a collection of caves. Nicely situated caves, though.

The castle (Qasr al-Abd) in Wadi as-Seer was the first highlight of our visit to the country. It was a nice place to visit, being totally un-touristy, i.e. not crowded with foreigners. There were quite a few Jordanian visitors. We had some nice chats with the people there. It's one of those places where you can easily sit down and do nothing but watch the people come and go. Good pictures of Qasr al-Abd can be taken from the surrounding hills.

Jordan: To the heart of the Middle East

2008-10-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

Chapter One - To the heart of the Middle East

The airline that took us from Brussels via Amsterdam to Jordan's capital, Amman, was KLM, always a very reliable company. The ticket cost me 15,300 Belgian Francs (about 413 US Dollars at the going rate at that time, which was quite high). Cheaper tickets of about US$337 were possible with the less reliable Turkish Airlines. All in all US$413 is certainly not a bad rate in my opinion.

After what felt like a rather rough landing, we were at Amman's Queen Alia International Airport. It was around 10.30 pm. I had arranged a visa prior to departure. The fee at the Embassy in Brussels was BEF1200 for Belgian citizens, BEF1000 for Dutch. Getting a visa at the airport would have posed no problems whatsoever; they were readily available at comparable or cheaper (!) rates.

Passing through immigration was a drag. There were only about 7 or so people in front of me, but it took over an hour before I was cleared. The immigration officers looked as if they could fall asleep any moment, and weren't particularly friendly or fluent in English. My first advice: as soon as you get off the plane, try to move on to immigration as soon as possible!

Right. There we were, about 35 kilometres from the city centre. No buses at this hour, so we needed to get a taxi. I decided it would be a good idea to pre-book a taxi from the taxi booking booth in the arrivals hall. Off to a good start: it wasn't manned. Some guy from the neighbouring Avis booth moved over and asked if I wanted a taxi. I sure did. He could organise one for me, he said, but it soon became clear that he had organised a short-term Hertz (yes, the competition!) car rental with driver. They wanted JD15 for the trip into town, a bit (?) too steep for my liking ! I bargained it down to JD11, which was actually one Dinar more than the going rate for ordinary taxis (as I later discovered).

On our way to the city, I noticed small fires along the highway. Some people, mostly young boys, were selling Arabic coffee from huge cans. Our driver invited us to a sampler. It was pretty good actually, but he said it could be much better. They have two cans on the fire, one with very sweet coffee, one without sugar. For Westerners, it's best to ask for a 'mix'. At least this way we recovered a bit of the Dinar overprice for the ride...

Considering it was quite late, there wasn't much time to shop around for accommodation. I asked the driver to take us to the Park Hotel on King Hussein Street. Apparently it has been renovated in some way, and is now very originally called the New Park Hotel. A room with fan there was JD12, regardless if it was single or double. And no bargaining! Breakfast was not included; taxes were. Breakfast cost JD1.7 per person. There is room service. The staff are very friendly and helpful and most of the receptionists speak English well. The rooms are rather basic, but certainly good and clean enough with a working hot shower. We ended up staying there for three days.

King Hussein Mosque, Amman Continuing on King Hussein Street in the direction of the King Hussein Mosque, we could find everything we needed round the corner in Basman Street. Wimpy's/Southern Fried Chicken is not really a burger joint. Of course, you can have burgers, but they also do Arabic food, such as a very good and not really expensive mixed grill or plate of shish-kebab. The people were very friendly, and it felt a bit odd to sit in a would-be burger joint which looked like a 'real' restaurant with dressed-up waiters. Nearby, on the corner of Basman Street where the Vinice Hotel is to be situated, there is a tiny place called Snack 22. It's open quite late and is mainly a burger snack bar. It's inexpensive and very popular with the locals. We found it convenient when most other places had closed. Back towards Wimpy's from Snack 22, but passing it, one can find a good shop on the right-hand side of the street which sells nice postcards and stationery. Not expensive and convenient if you need something to write on or with. On the same side of the street, further to the Northwest one comes to a set of stairways. Climb 'em to find a very convenient, reliable and cheap telephone office. Rates were really cheap, honestly! Only JD4 for a five minute call to Europe and no three-minute minimum! The guy running the office is a really cool dude too!

On Omar al-Khayyam Street, between King Hussein Street and Basman Street, we also spent one night in the Bdeiwi Hotel. The guy at the reception was nice enough and spoke English well, but tried to lure us into deals such as car rentals, tours and the like. Something about him made me think of him as not really trustworthy. The rooms were pretty good value at JD4. Unfortunately for a budget place, a 10% tax is slapped on top. Bathrooms are shared, quite clean, but unfortunately very highly frequented. International calls can easily be made from this place, but the rates were higher than in the office mentioned above.

Now about Amman itself... It's a bit of a disappointment, as I had anticipated. The sights are nothing much to speak of, the people aren't really any more friendly than in other big cities and the whole place looks downright ugly for the most part. Furthermore it's almost impossible to find your way around as everything looks almost the same and English signs are obsolete, or sometimes they're there, showing the way somewhere but disappear when you're about halfway. Crossing the street as a pedestrian in this city indeed is a major achievement. The car drivers are downright arseholes. In Cairo or Delhi, or wherever, at least the drivers stop if you decide to leap into the traffic. Here they seem determined to try and run you over. Unfortunately this is no joke...

First we visited the King Hussein Mosque. It's a pretty sight and non-Muslims are allowed inside. The nicest way to enjoy it is from the Arab League Cafe which faces it. This old place was a pleasure to spend a couple of hours in. Arab men sit here, drinking coffee, smoking water pipes or seemingly just doing nothing, which was what we did, just observing what was going on outside in the streets. All drinks were cheap. The entrance to the Cafe was hard to find, because we were looking for it across the street from the mosque, whereas it was behind the right corner.
The Nymphaeum (the old fountain) was easy to find starting from the Hussein Mosque, but was a major disappointment. Reconstruction works were going on and the whole place looked like a construction site. Nevertheless, I think I would still have found the remains unimpressive, even without the work in progress.

The nicest site in Amman indeed is the Roman Theatre. The colonnaded street leading to the theatre is a good place to photograph people and so is the theatre itself, although many are tourists. Entrance to the theatre was free, but we were approached by a guide who offered his services for JD3. We decided not to take him. You don't need a guide for this place at all. He also offered to show us the citadel for JD6 including the taxi ride up. No thanks.

The theatre's stage was clad in scaffolding, making the overall look of the place somewhat less good. We wanted to visit the museums in both of the theatre's wings. First we entered the Traditional Jewels & Costumes Museum. I was certainly disappointed by the size of it, and found the entrance fee of JD1 unjustified. The collection was modest; the mosaics were okay, but compared to those in Madaba (which you should see) they're definitely second-rate. Taking photographs is not allowed. As the Lonely Planet guide says that this museum is already better value than the Folklore Museum in the other wing, I decided to skip the latter altogether. Opposite the theatre, we ate at the al-Saha al-Hashemieh Tourist Rest. The food was very good and including a couple of Cokes, it cost us JD10 for two, which was quite reasonable compared to what we were sometimes going to pay later during the trip.

We climbed the Citadel on foot, instead of going by taxi. It's not only cheaper but it's a pleasant climb and there are pretty good views on the way up. The best and nicest view from the top is from near the Temple of Hercules, which makes a real picture postcard.

Entry to the nearby Archaeological Museum is a joke: JD2. Much too expensive for a place which (again) looked like a construction site. The collection was good but not something to be amazed by. The 'collection' of Dead Sea Scrolls mainly consists of photographs of the originals; there are one or two real ones. Nothing to arouse my interest. The most interesting things are the anthropomorphic prehistoric coffins and a really life-like statue of Daedalus. Again, as in so many museums in Jordan, taking photographs is not allowed.

The Byzantine Basilica and the Omayyad Palace on the Citadel are still being restored. I'm sure the Spanish archaeologists are doing a great job, but the whole thing is (and probably will remain) rather unimpressive.

From the Citadel, on to the King Abdullah Mosque. Though only completed in 1990, one of the minarets and part of the cupola are already being restored. In Amman I started wondering if anything was built to last in this country, and that I had found the solution to why the whole city looks as if its been built in the last decade: on top of the enormous 'construction boom', nothing seems to be built to last. The mosque itself was impressive and really beautiful inside. We were shown around by some locals. Nobody expected a tip. The people showed us around because they were proud of their mosque. And they were really nice. We were also shown a nearby room where - according to our 'guides' - members of the royal family sometimes gathered. It's beautifully but (typically for Muslims) modestly decorated.

The third day, we went to pick up a rental car from the Avis office at the airport. It was not exactly with pain in the heart that we left the capital. A small survey on the Internet had told me that a car was really handy in this country. And it certainly was! I had heard that booking a car from abroad was cheaper, so I did just that, but I couldn't confirm that it actually was. Every rental company in Jordan will ask you for the rate you're paying, and then give you a lower one. I booked the smallest car, a sub-compact, which cost US$61 per day, including taxes, CDW and Theft Waiver. I got an upgrade, a Mitsubishi Lancer 1.3 litre, which was nice. The staff at the airport desk were superficially friendly. They made a very incompetent, lazy impression on us both. The Avis staff sometimes manned the Hertz desk and vice versa. The guy who was in charge at the time I went to pick up the car, didn't even know what the 'Theft Protection System' on the form meant. Very capable people to be in charge of an international company indeed! I asked some questions about what to do in case of an accident, and what was covered by the insurance. I was assured that everything would be covered and that I had nothing to worry about. The only thing I had to do in case of an accident was to get a police report. Read what happened at the end of our trip later in this letter! Fuel ('normal') was very cheap at only around 220 fils per litre.

Syria: Crac des Chevaliers

2008-10-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

Chapter Eight - Crac des Chevaliers & farewell to Syria

In Tartus, I was directed to two entirely wrong bus 'stations' before I found the right place to arrange a ride to the intersection of the highway and the road to Hosn, for Crac des Chevaliers (or for Homs if I would have liked to continue on).
The fare on a crowded Qadmous minibus was S£30. The ride to the intersection took about half an hour. I was dropped off right where I wanted to be, but a local had to point it out to the driver for me, so be attentive or you could just as well whiz past!

I had expected some activity at this intersection/turnoff. But no ! It was completely dead. I started thinking of the amount of time I was going to loose here trying to catch a bus to the Crac, when one passed by. The driver understood where I wanted to go, and waited for me.

The minibus struggled uphill to the Crac; the trip took half an hour. I was dropped only about a hundred metre short of the entrance. For some reason I didn't have to pay for the ride. Only after repeatedly insisting, I found out that my ride had been paid for by the two friendly locals I had been talking to during the ride, and who had got out about midway. Normally the price is S£25.

I really needed a drink and some food at that time. I took the recommendation of the guidebook and walked past some other (signs to) eateries to the Restaurant La Table Ronde. I wish I hadn't. The food is quite terrible and costs too much for what it is. A plain cup of tea is S£25 ! On top of that the manager is not exactly a friendly guy, pushy, and not very trustworthy. He even tried to change money for me at a rate worse than the bank rate : he offered S£42 to the Dollar, whereas the bank gives S£45. I told him that, but he wouldn't give more than S£46.

Still, I took his offer to look at one of the rooms they also have. I fancied a night close to this majestic piece of art in military architecture, and decided to stay there. Rooms were, at S£500, too expensive for a single traveller for the quality you get. It can however sleep three. There was a whole collection of insects in the room (including some of the biggest grasshoppers I had ever seen), so it wasn't terribly clean, but at least there was a hot shower en-suite. The walls of the rooms are cardboard-thin, so very noisy. I would experience that later, when an overland truck full of drunken, noisy Australians - I'm sorry for their fellow countrymen - arrived at the site, and decided to spend the night at the campsite of the La Table Ronde. They were singing, drumming, shouting, belching, and whatever else loudly until about 2 am, which is when I finally fell asleep. At quarter to six (in the morning, yes sir !) they felt inclined to restart. What should have been a nice night on that high hill, right on the spot of this historic site, turned out to be a personal nightmare. When I asked some of them about the Crac, it was clear they weren't informed nor interested. A sad bunch. And it's unfortunately enough, often these people who call themselves the 'real' travellers !...

To continue where I left off... After my meal I went to visit the Crac des Chevaliers, called Qala'at al-Hosn by the locals. It's a really impressive sight from the outside. Strangely enough, it looked less big than I had expected it to be. This is probably because many of the buildings are built up to considerable height, thus making it look more compact. It is not a small castle ! You only learn to appreciate its sheer size when you wander around its innards. The visit took me 4 - 5 hours, and I loved every second of it !

The Crac is amazingly well preserved. It probably looks very much the same as when the Knights Hospitallers were stationed here. Inside, you expect to run into a armoured guy any time. At any one time it could house 2,000 people.

I quickly understood why this is called the best preserved castle in the world. It really must be ! The only thing you need to do, is bring in some furniture and there you are... That's why it's so interesting to historians and students of (military) architecture. The stronghold is so well designed that it was never taken by force, although several serious attempts were made. Arab sources tend to make it sound as if Sultan Baibars has really conquered it. That's not true. In 1271, it finally fell to him, after he had fooled the garrison's commander by writing him an excellently falsified letter which supposedly was from the Count of Tripoli and in which the latter told the defenders to give up their positions and surrender to the enemy. Because of the near-authenticity of the letter, the knights obeyed this order and showed up. That's how the Crac really fell, IMHO not a really glorious victory. Anyway, most important thing is that there was no blood shed, and the knights were given safe retreat.

Entry to the Crac is S£300, but it's worth every penny of it. To orientate myself in the maze of rooms, halls and corridors, I used the Lonely Planet map and walkthru. No matter what people may think of that, it's an excellent brief description of the things to see, and it guarantees you don't miss out on the most important things to see, as you would do if you just walked around without a clue.
The café inside the Crac has been closed. This makes for a much cleaner place than described in the LP guide.

The people who used to rent the place now have opened a brand-new restaurant on the hill from where you have the best view of the Crac. The young manager, who's definitely gay, told me his father used to pay 1.5 million Pounds per year to hire the Crac tower from the government. For 'only' about 1 million he could build this new place !

The restaurant is very good - much, much better than the La Table Ronde ! - and the guy will go out of his way to please you. The food is very tasty; speciality : barbecued chicken. The price is around S£250 pp for a decent meal. The manager speaks very good English, and is great fun to talk to. I ended up spending my whole evening at this place. The views from inside (as well as outside) can't be better.

I felt sorry to leave the magnificent castle behind. On the other hand I was glad to leave the La Table Ronde ! This and the Cairo Hotel in Hama were really two two-faced joints. Avoid them if possible. I think if I would do it again, I'd visit the Crac from Homs.

Khalid Ibn al-Walid Mosque, Homs A minibus from the Crac back to the main road to Homs, costs S£25 (and another S£30 to Homs itself), or you can hire a microbus which will take you from the Crac's entrance to anywhere you want to go in Homs for S£300. The trip that way only lasts little more than half an hour !
Except for the beautiful Khalid Ibn al-Walid Mosque, there was little to see in Homs, but I found it a friendly city.

If you need to get a telephone card in Homs, don't bother going inside the office and eventually queue for nothing. Get the card(s) outside in a special booth to the left of the office, where the telephone booths are. This was one of the few cities in Syria where the cards were readily available.

Taxi drivers in Homs were also more fair than in most other cities. To get to Damascus from Homs, I took a bus of Noura Tours. This bus was truly excellent quality, and so was the service. In fact, this was no doubt the best bus I was on in Syria. The fare was S£75, and the trip took about two hours. On the bus, I sat next to a young man of Brasilian-Syrian origin, who was working as a computer programmer. I enquired about the computer and Internet situation in Syria. The Internet situation was not so good. Far from good, as a matter of fact. Gradually, very gradually, the people in Syria (actually only in Damascus) are getting acquainted with the Net. Few or no people have Internet access at the moment. But he was sure things were going to change. I'm sure they will. I hope so. For the moment it could of course be that the government doesn't want the man in the street to have access to that amount of information? Or perhaps it's only technical problems? I think it's a bit of both...

As soon as I got off the bus in Damascus, I was hassled by taxi drivers - what else? - to take a ride into town. Hearing from my computer friend how far the centre was away (far !), I decided to take one. After serious bargaining, the fare was still S£75.

I spent the rest of the day visiting some more (but lesser) sites in Damascus, and by taking a rest. My plane left later that night. At 2:30! Not exactly the best of times.

Although there are almost no departures, check-in at the Damascus airport had to be no less than two-and-a-half hours in advance. Everything is super smooth though.
Departure tax is still S£200. For this you get a stamp which is supposed to go in your passport.

I was surprised (well, actually I was not…) to find almost no shops and restaurants in the airport building, and what is there, is really minimal. It's no use following the signs pointing upstairs to a restaurant, as everything is dead up there.
My biggest surprise was founding no bank where I could change my excess Syrian Pounds back to US Dollars. After all, it's not allowed to take Pounds out of the country. Spend them ? Sure, but there was damn little at the airport where I could want to loose them!

Upon entering the departure hall, you are supposed to put your baggage through a detector. Don't put any film rolls through this, as you will have a good chance that they'll be ruined ! This is an important warning to all photographers ! Even the guy at the detector reckoned they might have not survived if I had put them through ! Be careful! The detector in the boarding hall is no problem, but I wouldn't trust it to check high-sensitive film, say over 400 ASA.

End note

Well that kinda describes my trip.
"A country full of terrorists and people who only wait for the right time to rob you". That's how Syria is pictured world-wide by people who either know nothing about the country at all, or who do, but who have personal gain by giving it a bad name. That's very unfortunate for the folks living there, because it's totally wrong, and I really hope from the bottom of my heart that the stupid policy which is pursued by a handful of countries will be abolished soon. From a tourist's point of view, however, the isolation makes for a country where you can still experience many places in (relative) solitude and where the people are mostly still truly genuine.
Syrians don't really understand why someone is traveling on his own, and will do everything in their power to make this 'unfortunate' traveler feel at home as much as possible. The Arab hospitality is renown, but in Syria they really take it one step further!

Syria: Sights near the Mediterranean coast

2008-10-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

Chapter Seven - Sights near the Mediterranean coast

To get to the coast, we needed to drive through the mountains. The approach to the mountains reminded me of closing in on the Himalayan range when I travelled from Bareilly to Naini Tal in India. It's quite the same : driving on an extensive plain, you see the high mountains lying in front of you like a natural, massive green wall, the tops surrounded by clouds. This wall has to be penetrated...

A curving road has been constructed all the way through. When climbing it, steep drops sweep away almost from under your wheels. The views are stunning, and there are several nice pictures to be shot. Unfortunately, there was only one thing keeping from doing that (well, to do that more than twice) : Basheer. He had been a safe, careful driver all the way, but whenever I asked him to stop to let me take a picture in the mountains, he had the frightening, nasty habit of not pulling over parallel to the direction of the road, but swaying across, to brake only when the front wheels were only an inch away from the drop ! Supposedly to offer me the best views. I can assure you with a 1500 metre downhill before you, in a 25 years old car with poor brakes, and not in control yourself, this is enough to get a heart-attack ! After pointing this out to him the first time, he still hadn't understood what I was on about. I decided not to go for a third shot...

As the roads climbs, it gets colder and the roads are more and more absorbed in a fog. Up in the clouds lies the town of Slunfeh, a popular summer resort. The views from there don't come any better.

On the other side of the mountain, the roads are less steep and the drops are further away. After having gone downhill for a fair while, we arrived at the town of al-Haffeh. From there it was only a short drive to Qala'at Salah ad-Din, actually a Crusader stronghold which was taken by the great Muslim commander. If you don't have your own wheels, you can take a taxi (minibus) from the nearby town right to the entrance of the castle for S£100.

The narrow road winds down a ravine. We stopped to gaze at the magnificent ruins which are atop a wooded ridge. Fantastic!

From the bottom of the ravine, the road goes up again and you expect to be met by knights on guard any minute. This doesn't happen, but you do arrive in a very atmospheric place. A single giant stone pillar in the middle of the road, which supported a drawbridge between the castle and the plateau at the other side of the ravine, immediately sets the tendency of this site: it all looks very medieval!

From the small parking lot, we climbed the stairs to the south-eastern tower where the entrance and hence the ticket office is located. Excellent local honey is also sold there. Entry is S£300 (an enormous increase over the previously S£100 !), but a visit is more than recommended.

The sheer tough appearance of the place is incredible. The buildings ooze strength, the walls are massive, sometimes up to five metres thick. Still, looks can deceive and that's also the case here. The walls may have been strong, they were also functionally badly conceived. That and a severe construction flaw, an incomplete ditch cut in the rock which divided the stronghold, eventually caused the castle's downfall. Taking advantage of these building mistakes, Saladin was able to take it without too much trouble.

The views all around are very good, especially from the huge keep. Like everything else, the inner vaults of this keep - or of the whole castle as a matter of fact - are impressive to say the least. It's hard to imagine that this incredible construction proved so useless in the end...
Tour groups have made their appearance, but you can still visit the site in a good deal of solitude.

From the mountains, we drove down to the coast, to the city of Lattakia. I didn't like it very much as there wasn't going on much in terms of sightseeing. Nothing at all really, only nearby Ugarit. However, it has an easygoing, more or less Mediterranean air and a good selection of shops, hotels and restaurants. It reminded me of Port Said in Egypt.

What's immediately apparent, is that the women are much more modern here than in most other (Muslim) places in Syria. At least judging by their looks. They are still just as unapproachable in the streets, as elsewhere. A guy I'd meet near Qala'at al-Marqab later on, would boldly tell me that "Lattakia girls very much like to fuck". I'm sure they do. Who doesn't ? But I severely doubt that they're that broad-minded !

I stayed at Hotel Safwan, in a quiet location out of the city centre. It's in a side street of the Corniche, near the town house (in Arabic noted as al-Kornish, al-Gharbi; tel. 462583). It's owned by the Ziadeh family, who are a friendly bunch. Rooms are cheap at S£250 for a single with private bathroom. Doubles and rooms without bathroom can in/decrease this price with S£50-100. The rooms are reasonably clean and come with a balcony, which offers no good views unfortunately. Upstairs are so-called 'suites' for S£1000, which are nothing else than the family's apartments which are on request for a 'suite' quickly cleaned out.

What initially appeared as a good deal, soon turned out the opposite. The one brother, Mahmut, was a bit (?) too keen on promoting his hotel. He noticed I was browsing through the Lonely Planet guide (to find a place to eat actually), and asked if their hotel was in it. I said it wasn't. This was enough for him to start thinking I could help him get into the guide, and he fiercely almost dragged me through the seven or eight floors of the place to show how good it was. I was shown the so-called 'suites', which he seemed very keen to let. Like I said, all the rooms were lived in by the family. I saw people lying on their beds, preparing a meal in the kitchen, or sitting on the toilet, even a lady changing her dirty pantyhose. You can imagine their surprise when their father, nephew, uncle, or whatever comes storming in with a foreigner who looks at them just as surprised as they are, greets hastily and is then dragged out again by their father, nephew, uncle, whatever, and disappears as quickly as he had come.

I was offered (and given) tea, coffee, a soft drink and sweets in his quest to convince me of writing some good things in the guide. He really thought I had written that guide, although I had never even given him the slightest impression that I had !

I had to hear his pleas over and over, and what was funny at first started to become extremely boring and uncomfortable in the end. He even phoned his brother's son, and forced him to come over to talk to me. Luckily this lad spoke excellent English and was great to talk to; he also recognised his uncle's overreacting when I explained what was going on. The guy was great because he could draw a multitude of cartoon figures, like Tin-Tin, Asterix, Mickey Mouse,... Everything just like the real thing !

Mahmut's brother Ismail, who was an officer in the army for 30 years and still has a bullet wound on the head as a remembrance of the 1973 war, is a more relaxed person. Still, the pressure to promote the hotel was still there.

Now, if I look at things afterwards, I reckon I'd promote the place if it was worth doing so. So let's look at it… The room comes with fan, toilet and shower. The water was piping hot. In the morning, after I got up, I wanted to wash myself but the cold water had been cut off, so I tried to use the (very) hot water. This got cut off as well shortly after. I sat on the toilet and wanted to wipe my butt when suddenly the bowl toppled over. Can you imagine my surprise ? My whole back got a spraying ! One of the two beds turned out to have an army of ants continuously marching over it. Not exactly nice.

The brothers were helpful though, and actually also friendly in a way. The rooms are very quiet. But recommending this place ? No, not really. Just too many things were not in order, and the pressure was a bit (?) too much. Maybe if the price was S£100 ?

A man's gotta eat, and one of the better places to do it in Lattakia must be Spiro, on the Corniche. It's a two star restaurant with excellent and friendly service, serving great food at only about S£250 pp including drinks. Now this is recommended !

I also extended my visa in Lattakia. It's on the third floor of the police & immigration office. The visa was issued on the spot, although they initially tried to have me come back for it. I explained I couldn't, and after a short while the officer gave in.

The whole process was a bit tiresome and entirely bureaucratic, as expected. While filling in the application forms, I was offered coffee however, and the people were all nice 'n' friendly !
First I sat down at what I'll call room 1/desk 1. I waited for the officer to fill in a form and apply a stamp. Then I paid him S£35 and moved over to desk 2 in the same room. There I needed to fill out four forms, and hand over three passport photographs. Then I had to wait about half an hour, whilst nothing at all was going on.

After that I was directed to room 2/desk 1. A cute but sturdy female officer who spoke no English at all observed me for a while and then talked to another person. After 20 minutes or so, a higher ranking officer showed up, and I had to move to desk 2 in the same room. He filled out some papers, and asked my passport in which he put a stamp. He handed me everything, after which I had to go back to room 1/desk 1. From there, I was brought to the office of a general. The low-ranking young policeman humbly knocked on the door and introduced me to the him. The general was sitting at a big, antique desk, two things which looked like ostrich feathers were just above his head. He was friendly and asked me a few basic questions and signed a form. Back to room 2/desk 2, and straight on to room 3, where I had to fetch a stamp to put on yet another form. Now back to room 2/desk 2. The stamp in my passport was filled in and stamped yet another time. I had to pay S£100. Now the only thing I needed to do, the officer told me, was go back to the general's office for the final signature, but pass through room 1/desk 1 first. And yes, I had my 15 days extension after that. No problem ! :-) After that, I needed to send some postcards and went to the post office. Oddly enough there's no mailbox. You find it about 50 metres to the left.

A coastal road leads from Lattakia to the ancient site of Ugarit, which was already inhabited in the third millennium BC. The drive is pleasant, but the beaches you pass are very disappointing.
Unfortunately, so was Ugarit. The site only has its rich history to speak for it, little else (oh well, okay, perhaps the location isn't bad either). At S£300 to get in, I'd suggest to read up on the history though ! There's little or nothing to help you visualise the place.

The best part is the original entrance to the city, and that can be seen from the street without paying. It somehow looks like a large drainage; I noticed similar outlets while on my way through the country ! Funny ! I always thought of Ugarit when I saw them.

There are some friendly cafés near the entrance to the site. Prices are normal. They were having extremely bad business, they told me, and with only a site like Ugarit nearby I was not surprised.

Back in Lattakia, I said good-bye to Basheer, my trustworthy taxi driver who had made the difference in the last couple of days. I had appreciated his company and friendship. But friends or not, he cost me money. Money that I could spend on something else, or not at all. I went to Baniyas. A minibus was S£15 and took about 45 minutes. Slower than by cab, but so much cheaper. Baniyas is a real disaster town. Absolutely nothing is going on there, and I was quite happy to leave.

I was going to Qala'at al-Marqab. It must be noted that microbuses leave from another station, not the one you arrive from Lattakia (or any other place you managed to take a 'big' bus). The microbus station is about 400-500 metres away. The locals will help you finding the right micro. The fare to right beside the castle is S£10. The trip in an overly full van takes about 10-15 minutes.

I was still carrying my backpack, as I hadn't seen the chance of leaving it behind somewhere, and sweated my way up the steep hill the castle is built on. I was greeted by Nadr and his brother Mohammad, the two guys who owned the refreshment stall near the entrance. Their soft drinks were expensive at S£35, but they tasted great after this effort ! They were also extremely nice dudes. Nasr was the quiet type, also because he spoke no English, and his brother was the modern-minded, talkative kinda guy. He insisted on showing me around the castle. I admit being a bit reluctant at first; with pricey drinks I suspected he couldn't be trusted too well. But I was entirely wrong ! He showed me the whole castle, inside and out, stayed with me for about two hours, and didn't expect a dime. On the contrary, he invited me for a free drink afterwards. The friendliness of the Syrian people is really unlike any other place in the world, so genuine, so sincere... Really touching at times !

Qala'at al-Marqab, built of black basalt, is another 'strong' castle, although not oozing as much power as - for instance - Qala'at Salah ad-Din.

When you pass through the main entrance, forget about visiting the part to the left, as it's full of big snakes (allegedly poisonous; the locals give this part a miss as well).

At the time of my visit, a film was being made at the castle. When paying my usual S£300 to enter, we were warned to be as quiet as possible, as not to disturb this Syrian production. It was a movie about life in the Middle Ages, with actors dressed in the typical clothing of that time, so the whole place really came to life. A unique experience !

I visited the improvised props room, the make-up room and even the would-be massage parlour in the keep, where the actors were given a relaxing massage by some very nice looking ladies. Even in Syria actors seem to be lucky devils ! I realised (again) that I was in completely the wrong business... :-)

Several of the actors were thrilled to see me and wanted to pose for photographs. I was so absorbed in the activity that it was difficult to remain focused on what else there was to see : the military architecture and the sweeping views towards the coastal plain. I was offered coffee and tea. I had to decline several offers, but accepted Mohammad's. When sitting back at his stall, I had the chance to gaze at the world below me. A truly magnificent world when seen from there.
It was there that I met the former curator of the Cathedral Museum of Tartus and his driver. He was a very friendly chap, and looked like the perfect stereotype of an archaeologist, complete with small beard and a straw hat. Surprise ! He was an archaeologist !

He said he had some business at the castle - it would take only an hour or so - and after that he'd return to Tartus. I could come along if I wanted to. I gladly accepted the kind offer.
I spent the remaining time with the two brothers, and some of their friends. We had a nice conversation. I was enjoying myself so much that it came as a surprise that the hour had already passed and it was time to leave. The good-bye was hard for Nadr - he was a sincere, sensitive young man - and he offered me a key-ring with his initials to remember him. Friendship is not to be taken lightly in the Middle East, and every time I think of that, the discriminating stand certain countries take towards these people really makes me puke !

The drive to Tartus, Syria's second most important port, took roughly about half an hour. As the archaeologist - he never told me his name, although I asked - had been the curator of the museum, he knew the owner of the Raffoul Hotel just in front of it very well. He assured me it was a great place, and dropped me off right on the doorstep. He hadn't been lying. It's a really good place and a great deal ! I was surprised it wasn't in the guidebook. A spacious single room (actually a double, as is often the case) is only S£200 with private bath. It's spotlessly clean and the owner (who speaks good English) is indeed a very friendly chap. I really liked him; he has a tremendous sense of humour ! He owns the shop virtually next door, on the corner of the street. If you find the hotel closed, drop in at the store. He won't rip you off in the shop either; you pay the price the locals pay.

I was the only guest in the hotel at the time, and I was given the keys of the front door as well.
The few - but interesting - sights Tartus has, are all very near, the Cathedral Museum, as said before, just across the street. It costs S£300 to enter. It's not really worth that kind of money, but the really splendid interior of the cathedral together with the museum makes it a worthwhile visit after all. The attendant is a nice guy, who will explain where necessary (virtually everywhere, because labelling is non-existent or in Arabic only). I was also offered some South-American herbal tea. No matter how nice he was, I couldn't persuade him to let me take photographs, not even without flash. It was a government policy, he said, that taking pictures inside museums is forbidden. To my question of "Why", he had no answer.

When heading from the cathedral to the seafront, a slight detour leads to what is known as 'Old Tartus'. And that's what it actually is. It's the old city, still enclosed by the equally old walls. It's not a big area, but it's very pleasant to make your way through the narrow streets and discover the occasional medieval building, tucked away behind more recent constructions. The seaside itself is pleasant enough for a walk, although it was sizzling hot during the daytime. A short distance offshore lies the island of Arwad. Frequently, boats make the short trip. I didn't go. After reading some negative reports about it, it had lost my interest.

Distances are relatively short in Tartus, and I preferred walking. I'd advise to use taxis only when you have to move fast or too far. These guys are even worse than the ones in Aleppo. They never use their meters or don't have any. They will hit you for exuberant fares if you don't agree on one before getting in. And even if you did agree, they'll still try to scam you upon arrival, or demand heavy tips. Never give in. Just pay what you owe them, plus S£10 or so as a tip, and get out. Taxi drivers must be the one and only who let the Syrian friendly people loose face.

I really wanted something else than just plain sheep or chicken dishes and headed for the Pizza Hut. It looks exactly the same as the well-known international chain, but it just has to be Syrian. Nevertheless, it's a damn good copy ! The pizzas could just as well be the real Hut thing. They're very tasty, and a welcome change after three weeks of Arabic food.

The Pizza Hut is at al-Hamrat, above the al-Fanar office. Or you could ask just about anyone in the streets; everybody seems to know where it is. I was even approached several times in the streets by people asking me if I had been to the Hut and if I liked the food there. People from a polling bureau ?... :)

Again I wanted to make a telephone call in this town, and again the telephone office had the familiar problem of not having any telephone cards to sell. I suppose the Syrian telecom company still has some fine-tuning to do… Making an indirect international call was a bit nightmarish, so I decided to take a pass. The same problem with stamps. None available.

To get to nearby Amrit, I wanted to take a microbus, but it seems that very early in the morning, there aren't any. I had to rent the whole bus for S£100. For that, it did drop me off right at the entrance, though. The drive takes only about 10 minutes.

The ancient site itself was a strange place to visit. Not a lot to see apart from two 'mysterious' spindles, stone monuments which overlook an otherwise uninspiring necropolis. Whilst wandering around, it started to rain quite heavily, and the dark grey sky gave the place a gloomy, spooky even, appearance, which I appreciated.

There's no entrance fee, but the caretaker of the site will insist on supplying you with a flashlight to explore the dark tombs. I found this totally unnecessary, as the graves are empty anyway. The guy will obviously expect some baksheesh for his assistance. His biggest help, however, was to let me shelter for the heavy showers. :-)

To get back to Tartus, I had planned on hitchhiking, but I didn't see a single car during my walk from the site to the highway ! So, don't count on it. Once at the highway, I flagged down a passing microbus. It cost S£25 to the centre of the city.

Syria: The grinding waterwheels of Hama

2008-10-16T09:57:00.001-07:00

Chapter Six - The grinding waterwheels of Hama

The following morning, me and Basheer left Aleppo. We headed for Apamea, a city which flourished under the Seleucids. Its slightly overgrown appearance gives it a special character. The whole surrounding area of Apamea is stunning... A plain with high mountains in the background.

The site is not visited by many foreign tourists. Because of this, it's a peaceful place and I even saw a desert fox amidst the ruins, clearly a sign that the place isn't trotted all over.

Apamea's a big site! For example, the Cardo (colonnaded main street) is over two kilometres long ! So it took quite a while to explore, but I loved every minute of it. Entry costs S£300. The friendly guy at the ticket booth speaks reasonable English and can inform you about the site and the ongoing excavations.
The 'antique' sellers are a real pain. They keep hassling you to buy what is mostly worthless crap. I wouldn't even buy it if it were antique, because I think antiques belong in museums. Also, a guy may come up to you, present himself as a guardian of the site and ask for your ticket. I showed the wrong ticket, which obviously was okay to him. This dude was clearly suspect. He'll walk with you for some time, secretly show you some details on the columns which look like (or are) penises, and then demand a tip. Make it clear from the start that you're not interested in his 'services' to avoid the hassles. I must say though, that all of the hustlers (here and in the rest of Syria) keep a low profile. Even when putting on the pressure, they're still light-years away from the guys in - for instance - India and Turkey.

The view from the citadel over the town below is worth the short climb. The caravanserai which now houses the museum is easy to make out. The Roman Theatre is heavily ruined and although being once the largest in the world, there's little to remember you of its former grandeur.

The museum costs S£150 and if you've seen the one in Ma'aret an-Nu'aman and/or don't have a particular interest in mosaics, isn't worth your time. I'd suggest picking the one which is most convenient for a visit, or go for the cheapest (this one). IMHO, the museum in Ma'aret is better in terms of quantity, but this one has the better quality.

There is no labellings, but the caretaker will soon enough act as self-appointed guide. His explanations are as good as useless. What he says, you can make out yourself. He will expect a tip afterwards, but is easily satisfied and is a rather friendly chap.

In the early afternoon, we drove to Hama, but first we visited some of Basheer's relatives. They were very kind people. We had tea and were invited for dinner. One of the family members was a young guy who was doing his 2.5 years of military service. He spoke French well, so we could have an interesting conversation.
We said good-bye to these friendly folks and continued. They lived very near to Qala'at Sheisar, an Arab fortress on a rock right by the road to Hama. It's not very interesting, the view from the road when passing by will satisfy most people. I wouldn't think (anymore) of organising a trip especially to see this place.
The nearby noria has been stopped and looks very neglected. Some women were washing crude wool in the river.
Just short of Hama we passed through the Christian town of Maharde. I immediately noticed that there were no veils worn around here. The sight of truly beautiful women walking around on the streets 'exposed' without company was odd to say the least.

As soon as we entered the city of Hama, I liked the place. The friendly, easygoing atmosphere immediately shows through. It's hard to imagine the cruel things that happened here in a quite recent past : in 1982 the Syrian government brutally crushed a thoughtless uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood, resulting in the deaths of perhaps 25,000 people. New Hama is literally built on the bodies of the victims of this clash.
I stayed at the Cairo Hotel, which was far too expensive to be the cheap backpackers joint it's propagated to be. A single room was an astonishing S£550 ! Although I met other people who were only paying S£300, I couldn't get a discount on the asking price ??
The room was spotless and the shower great, but the mattress was only about 1 inch thick (really !) and when I woke up the next morning, the planks of the bed were visible on my back. The room was also too noisy. The receptionist, unlike his relative Badr, was a seemingly nice guy, but actually wasn't.
Badr is the guy who started the Cairo Hotel. I met him in the place he's now running, the Noria Hotel, a place I was impressed by. Excellent rooms of near-Cham Palace quality come at US$18 for a single. A quick conversion learns me that this is S£900, so for only S£350 more I could have a tremendous increase in quality over the Cairo ? This is clearly another sign that the latter is bad value for money. Yes, you're not mistaken : I was very disappointed in the Cairo Hotel !…
A much better place to stay was the neighboring Riad Hotel. The owner is a very friendly chap, and although they're in fierce competition with the Cairo, here they have fixed prices, which are cheap enough : S£250-300 for a room.
If you go next door to the Cairo, they'll give you a (maybe) S£50 discount on whatever the Riad is asking. Something I personally regard as ridiculous and totally not a sign of trustworthiness. Rooms are equally spotless in the Riad and actually more comfortable. For me it meant an amazing S£250 reduction for an even better room !
If you like dishonesty, go to the Cairo. If you like a welcoming, friendly and honest atmosphere, bunk in the Riad if you're travelling on the cheap, otherwise head for the Noria Hotel.

Like I said, I met Badr in his hotel. He's a friendly man who speaks excellent English, German and Polish. We had a lengthy conversation, which showed me he was a very modern person, definitely broad-minded and very modest for the rich person he was. He didn't even own a car.

Except for the hotels, he also has a pharmaceutical business. His knowledge on medicine has resulted in him being consulted as a doctor by the locals ! During our talks, two people came in to have their blood pressure measured by him, and asked which pills they had to take to solve eventual problems. Pills, BTW, are readily available over the counter in Syria, almost always without doctor's prescription.

Hama is famous for its norias, and they truly are a feast for the senses! Norias are large, wooden water wheels, dating back to the Middle Ages, which are turning day and night, fed by the water of the Orontes river. The wooden axles of the wheels rotate between wooden blocks. This wood-on-wood produces a loud groaning which is audible virtually all over town.

There are ten or so norias left in Hama today, and I think I visited them all. The al-Mohammediyyeh noria is the largest, with a diameter of 20 metres odd, but it's difficult to get a good view of it. No matter where you stand, it's always wrong for the best view, or you have to get to the other side of the river. I found the so-called Four Norias offering the best view, and the one right in the middle of town wasn't bad either.

Right by the Four Norias is the aptly named 4 Noria Rest. This restaurant offers excellent views and very good food. The waiters are friendly, and meals are cheap at about S£300 pp. It's a brilliant place to be at sunset, when local boys gather to jump off the high, turning wheels and aqueduct to attract the attention of the present tourists.

The Azem Palace was the residence of the governor who ruled the town in the 18th century. It's perhaps not worth the S£300 you have to pay to get in. Initially, I was very disappointed by the place and by the museum. The great 3rd century mosaic of Maryameen (Maria) made up for a lot of this.

I only started appreciating the palace after visiting the rooms upstairs. It's a nice place to be after all, but I still say it's probably not worth its entrance fee. The people here sell far too expensive postcards (S£25 for one !!).
Right by the palace are some norias and the an-Nuri Mosque. The best place to enjoy these norias is from the Sultan Restaurant, which is romantically located. The mosque's not worth a visit inside. The best part is its minaret, which is often the case with mosques.

Better is the Grand Mosque. It was completely destroyed in 1982 but has been well repaired. It's hard to imagine it was the scene of such violence. Nobody seems to visit it nowadays, but it's still a quite beautiful site. Even if its predecessor was many times more beautiful… Absolutely no hassles here. I was only one day in Hama... Which is unfortunate! I could have easily spent three there.

Syria: Aleppo, rival of Damascus

2008-10-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

Chapter Five - Aleppo, rival of Damascus

Although it's quite sure Damascus is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Aleppo strongly doubts that, and sees itself as the most likely contender to that title. On arrival, Aleppo's bus station appeared to be way out of town, but actually Baron Street and surroundings were only a short walk away.

I wanted to stay somewhere central, and in a bit of comfort. I chose to go to Ramsis Hotel. I didn't know how to get there, so I asked a guy on the street. He turned out to be Fadi Afash, a member of the Syrian football team. He was a really nice dude.

The people at the reception desk of the Ramsis aren't particularly friendly, and something gave me the impression they're not so trustworthy. At US$30 for a single, it is too expensive for what you get. The bathrooms are too dirty for this price range. The rooms come with A/C, TV, fridge, and breakfast is included in the price, but the waiter downstairs will still expect a tip for serving you.

I decided to take it for one night, and in the meantime look out for another place.
The Baron Hotel opposite the street was not an option. Just as expensive for much worse rooms. This place is only living off its reputation. Perhaps that's enough for some people, but bedbugs are not my idea of atmosphere...

The Tourist Hotel, of Madame Olga fame, is probably the best place to stay in Aleppo (in terms of value for money). Rooms are S£350 or S£400 with en-suite bathroom, all of which are spotlessly clean ! The big problem though, was being able to get a room at all. It's always full, so if you want to stay, be sure to make a reservation !

Second choice is the al-Jawaher Hotel, near Bab al-Faraj. Everybody knows it. This place is also spotlessly clean and the en-suite bathrooms even have a real bath tub ! The staff are friendly and helpful. Rooms cost S£400 for a single, although they're actually doubles. The rooms are quiet and don't attract any (or hardly any) street noise. I liked it so much, I stayed three nights.

I walked out of the Ramsis Hotel. A taxi driver who was clearly waiting for (tourist) customers outside, came up to me asked if I wanted a ride to Qala'at Samaan, 'Ain Dara or every place else I wanted to go. Just to Qala'at Samaan and back was US$40, a ridiculous price ! Then, he threw in some other places on the way, but the fare didn't go down.

If you bargain very hard, you'll eventually come down to $20, which is still absurd but seems to be the lowest price they allow themselves to fall down to. Be warned and either pass them by, or bargain hard ! These guys are real sharks. Honestly : at least 90% of Aleppo's taxi drivers can't be trusted. They never use their meters, and will rather have you getting out of the car than turning them on. There are enough tourists already, to be able to find another victim.
I decided to have lunch first, and then look out for a taxi driver willing to take me for a better price.

There are several decent places to eat in Aleppo. I went to al-Andalib, virtually next door (but 'round the corner) to the Baron Hotel. The food is good 'n' cheap (around S£300 for a good meal including drinks), it's a nice place to sit, and the waiters are friendly. Only minor point : the chips were not edible. Don't order them !

Al-Chabab, not far away, was an equally nice place to sit with even more friendly waiters, who will go out of their ways to please you. A really extensive meal including drinks costs about S£350. After finishing eating, I was offered oranges, grapefruit and cherries on the house, complete with a note saying : "C'est avec l'hospitalité de la restaurant al-Chabab". Great !

After turning down several of his colleagues, I agreed with a driver to go to Qala'at Samaan, Deir Samaan, Qasr Mushabak and Qatura for US$20, including photo stops where I wanted. He was a really friendly, joyous chap, even offered me drink, etc.

Qala'at Samaan was one of the highlights of my trip. A really beautiful, surprisingly quiet and interesting place. Upon entering the site, after paying the S£300 entrance fee and a short climb, the well-preserved main Basilica of St Simeon immediately makes an impression. Three adjacent basilicas, forming a cross with the main one, add to the grandeur of the place. Centrally positioned are the remains of St Simeon's pillar. This holy man, who lived in the 5th century, namely had the odd habit of sitting atop pillars for most of his life. In total he spent not less than 36 (!!) years on top of them. He started of with a three metre high column, but the last 30 years of his life, he lived on a pillar which had the amazing length of 15 metres.

Simeon was clearly a nutball, but in those times must have been considered a display of iron will, and hence of immovable faith, because the site effectively became a place of pilgrimage. People came from as far as Britain to hear St Simeon preach from his high position.
Today, the pillar is not more than a boulder on top of a pedestal. Because of its high holy contents, pilgrims over the years have chipped it almost completely away.
Because the place tickles the imagination so much and the buildings, together with the great views to the west, are quite stunning from nearly every angle, a visit can take a while. There are also some buildings to explore nearby. The most interesting is a baptistery.
After my relaxing visit to the site, I was about to have an unpleasant experience... My driver, the formerly very friendly person, had changed completely : he told me the 20 Dollars had been for the drive to Qala'at Samaan, and now he wanted another $20 to finish the rest of the trip. Immediately, I grabbed my bag, and attempted to get out. I told him he was bloody dishonest, and a disgrace for his otherwise overwhelmingly friendly country. I pointed out to him that we had agreed on something, and that we should both stick to that. I said that, even if I would have discovered that he was overcharging me (which he did, but they all do), I would have paid the amount of money, because we had agreed on it. Somehow I made an impression, because he took me by the arm, and told me to get back in. It was OK. He'd drive for $20.

Only a couple of kilometres further on, he started nagging about the price again. To drive to Qatura and Qasr Mushabak, he'd need another $5 because "petrol is expensive in Syria". I refused to pay, urged him to stop (which he did) and got out of the car again. I got visibly angry now, took $15 and told him to take it and leave. Again, he seemed temporarily impressed (or scared he'd loose out on an agreed $5 ?) and suggested to get back in. He'd drive to Qatura and Qasr Mushabak (which is just along the road to Aleppo, BTW) "for free".

This time he kept his promise and didn't nag. I refused to talk to him any more. He very well noticed that and started feeling uncomfortable by it. He inserted many 'photo stops' (many of which I refused) in the tour just to please me, probably because he noticed he could forget about a possible tip.

Qatura boasts some Roman tombs and an old church and well, but it's not so exciting.
Qasr Mushabak, like I said situated near the road from Aleppo to Qala'at Samaan, not far from al-Hawa, is easy to spot. There's no charge, and you have the site all to yourself, apart from the occasional Bedouin tent nearby. Not that there's an awful lot to see, but the interior - which looks to me more like a church than a castle - is reasonably well preserved. It's a nice and recommended place to make a stop.

The rest of my trip was hassle-free, but back in Aleppo, I was still quite glad to be rid of the dishonest driver. This taught me that although I was travelling in one of the friendliest countries in the world, I should always keep my guard. Not that I could have done much to prevent this (except for not taking a taxi), I think, but nevertheless… I returned to the Ramsis. The good memories of an otherwise perfect day quickly let me forget the bad experience...

The following day, in the obscure Tourist Office, I found a nice and trustworthy person to drive me around. His name is Basheer Kadour, and his card says : 'Cap driver for all archaeological sites'. Okay, we understand what he means. :-) His English is quite limited. But he's a nice man. Silent and reserved, but extremely helpful and honest. His prices are definitely way below the ones offered by his 'colleagues' ! His card also says you can reach him at the Aleppo Tourist Office, or by phoning (021) 744043. I can really recommend this guy ! I met two Dutchmen who had taken a taxi tour with him three years earlier, and they were in praise of him as well.
His prices are fixed, although perhaps he'd eventually come down a bit. He doesn't expect any tips (but appreciates them obviously).

A full day trip including Cyrrhus, Nahr Afreen, Shalalat Midanki and 'Ain Dara costs US$35. He takes his time, is never hurried and suggests good photo stops. The same trip, but also including Qala'at Samaan and Qasr Mushabak, would have been $5 more. Compared to my previous adventure, this was cheap.

On another day trip we would take in al-Bara, Serjilla, Ma'aret an-Nu'aman, Jeradeh and Ruweiha. The cost for this was US$40. He also does overnight trips. The cost for these, including everything, is $60 per day. He even drives to Lebanon on special request. These will cost as much as $80 per day.

By all means, I think these are fair prices to rent a car with driver for a full day in Syria.
Of course, it's possible to visit most of these places by a combination of public transport and walking. But that honestly would have taken too much of my time. A cab is admittedly very expensive, but also much more convenient.

The drive to Cyrrhus, better known to locals as Nabi Houri, was fun, especially the final stage from Azaz to the archaeological site. Azaz, described in the guidebook as a dump, was much more pleasant than I expected. Nothing going on really, but the Kurdish people here are friendly (yes, this is Kurdish territory).

From this town a narrow road leaves for Cyrrhus. It makes it way through lovely orchards and olive groves. People here are not used to having tourists around, and still stop to gaze at you when you drive past. Somehow that always feels odd... On the way, we crossed two old Roman bridges, built over the Sabun and Afreen rivers. Very picturesque. Near the second bridge we stopped to help a goatherd free one of his goats; it was trapped between the river and its banks.

The first thing you see upon approaching Cyrrhus is the large octagonal mausoleum tower, dating back to the Roman era. It's a very beautiful landmark, bordering a graveyard with both old and recent graves. It's possible to climb the tower by means of a small stairway inside. The views are excellent.

Taking the road almost opposite the mausoleum, one comes to the main ruins complex. And 'ruins' is the right word here; everything is completely destroyed, except perhaps for the amphitheatre, which can still be recognised. The remains of ancient Nabi Houri shouldn't be the goal of a visit to this area, but it's free, but it's free, the surroundings are quite lush and beautiful and there are no other people here. The views are best from the citadel on top of the hillock behind the site. Cyrrhus is right in the middle of Kurdish territory and I had expected heavy military presence. But no... Virtually nothing. Only a couple of tucked away watch towers on the Turkish side. On the Turkish side indeed, because this place is right on the border. One can see two villages, next to each other. One lies in Syria, the other one in Turkey. Nothing really separates them.

We drove back by another road, but also through cheerful landscape. We passed through Nahr Afreen and after a short while ended up at Shalalat Midanki. It's a great place to sit by the shallow but wide waterfalls made out by River Afreen and have a picnic. There's nothing else to do. The couple of cafés here sell terrible tea (turbid !) at the ridiculous price of S£50 for a small pot.

Me nor my driver were in a hurry, so we ended up staying quite a while near the falls. Many local people come here, and it's fun to just sit and watch them.

In the village of Basuta we made a stop at the Restaurant al-Basuta, which is quite excellent ! It's located near a spring and you can have a great meal for two here for less than S£500 including drinks. The waiters are helpful and friendly. Recommended !

By the time we had finished eating, it hard started to rain quite hard. We drove through green vegetable fields, full of people working on them, to the site of 'Ain Dara. The archaeological site is perched on top of a hill. I was surprised to find it open on a Tuesday. Tickets (S£150) have to be bought in the bungalow on ground level.

The first thing I got to see when we arrived, was a Japanese guy running around in his underwear. He was a member of the excavation team, and was clearly not expecting visitors... When he noticed us, he smiled and quickly disappeared inside.

My driver decided to shelter for the rain while I explored the site. At the top, the first thing you see, is a big lion statue. It's the most impressive thing at 'Ain Dara. That should tell you something about it. There's not much to be seen, but I loved the place for its solitude and for its environs. The second best thing are the bas-reliefs which decorated the base of the temple. One of these is still intact and in place.

On the way back to Aleppo, we passed Qala'at Samaan. Here, down the hill, lies Deir Samaan, initially a monastery associated with St Simeon's basilica. Due to the popularity of the pilgrimage site, a complete town soon developed around it. Today, we can still see the remains. Interesting also, is a gateway (near the main road) marking the start of the old street which lead up to the basilica.

It was about 6:30 in the evening when we arrived back in Halab, as the Arabs call Aleppo. We had a nice cup of tea in the Café al-Sahel, opposite the clock tower near Bab al-Faraj. It's a great place to mingle with the locals, or just watch the hustle-and-bustle out on the street below. Another good traditional café is the al-Mathaf Café, al-Maari Street.

We agreed to meet again at 8 am, not the next day, but the day after. The next day I was going to explore Aleppo itself...

First thing I did, was going to the museum. I was 15 minutes early - the place opens at 9 am. I admired the eye-catching basalt statues from Tel Halaf which make up the entrance. Once open, I bought a ticket (S£300) and started exploring... The museum is interesting and certainly worth a visit. It's a pity that some exhibited artefacts carry only a label in Arabic, French or none at all. There's definitely room for improvement. Photography is forbidden, but you can buy a good collection of postcards at the reception.

The citadel is worth a visit, but to be honest only for the views and the throne room, which is very impressive. Many people complained when they had to pay the S£300 at the entrance. One American woman summarised things quite accurately : "What ? 300 Pounds ? You are going to scare the tourists away ! Turkey's much cheaper, and very close to Syria. Why would tourists choose Syria with Turkey so close and cheap ?" Maybe she was being a little harsh, but she made a valuable point : Syria's entry tickets are way too expensive ! Instead of figuring out a reasonable price per site, the government has thought and decided they can even increase prices still, as the 'rich' tourists will pay anyway. To a certain extent, I think that's right, but people planning a trip at home will be held off. And that's a fact ! A friend of mine actually stayed at home because he told me the trip would be too expensive for him with all these S£200 entry fees to pay (I always visit many places). And now they're S£300 !! Incredibly enough, the special fee for taking photographs at the citadel has been abolished. You can take as much pictures as you like, for 'free'.

The entrance to the fabled souqs of Aleppo was visible from the citadel. Being so close, I decided to explore them right away. Boy ! They were one of the big disappointments of my trip ! Surely they are a great labyrinth where you can spend hours and hours exploring, but it's the atmosphere which completely sucks ! This is not an oriental bazaar, this feels like a southern European tourist shopping street or a tourist handicraft centre ! It's obvious that too many tourists have already passed through here. The souqs in Damascus hold much more of the typically Oriental atmosphere than these. The vendors here seem to speak every language of the world, including Dutch and that must tell you something ! Dozens of salesmen wanted me to 'translate a letter from a friend or relative in Belgium'. The first couple of times, you think they're honest, but you soon find out that these letters don't exist and the only thing they do, is try to sell you something. Luckily the pressure is (still ?) low.

I found almost as many people try to lure you inside their shops as in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, and there it's quite bad. Although I think even the Grand Bazaar has more character nowadays than the Aleppo souqs. A visit is nevertheless essential when staying in the city, but I'd recommend making it a brief one.

Aleppo's Grand Mosque is definitely open now, and the 'refurbishing' has been rounded off. I didn't really notice much of it, so I suppose the buildings must have been in a really heavily neglected state before. The minaret is very beautiful and so is the minbar inside. Otherwise it's not so thrilling, definitely totally incomparable to Damascus' Omayyad Mosque. It is, however, a great place to photograph people. Just sit down with a telephoto lens at one of the sides of the inner courtyard and snap away. There's also no entry fee.

The Grand Mosque is where I met Mohammad, a disarmingly friendly little fellow who spoke very good English. He was on his way home from school. He insisted on showing me around. I accepted. He knew his stuff very well. He had some pictures within his schoolbook which he showed me from time to time, to illustrate what he was on about.

After the 'tour', the clever-dick tried to sell me the pictures, which were clearly cut from a book or leaflet - I suspected a free Tourist Office leaflet. S£50 he wanted. I told him he would soon be a rich person, if he kept on selling free leaflets. He laughed wholeheartedly. It went on like that for quite some time. I really had a liking for him, and finally bought the pictures for S£20. He told me it was really time for him to go home, because his mother would be very mad at him for being so late. Just outside the gate of the mosque, a man was selling Arabic books, mostly religious ones. Before he left, Mohammad grabbed one of them, and showed it to me. Inside were the pictures he had sold me. The price for the book, which I furthermore couldn't read, was more than S£100...

I decided to visit the Armenian quarter next. Abdallah, a guy I had already briefly met inside the mosque, wanted to walk with me. He was - as most other Syrians - a very nice guy.
It's great to wander through the different quarters of the city. It's odd to find most shops closed on Friday in the Muslim part while they're all open in the Christian quarter, and vice versa on Sundays.

Abdallah really knew his way around here, and showed me several churches, among them the Forty Martyrs' Cathedral and the Maronite Cathedral. To the right of the latter is another church. In itself it's not particularly worth visiting, but the people there are welcoming. I even got to meet the bishop, who has his residence there in one of the adjacent buildings !

I concluded this day in the Public Park, a nice place to sit and watch. I talked to many people who came asking me who I was, where I came from and why I was in Syria. Abdallah watched and listened bemused.

When it was getting dark, we walked towards my hotel (I had changed to the al-Jawaher in the meantime, BTW). At the clock tower, Abdallah and I said good-bye, but promised to stay in touch my mail.

The next morning, Basheer (my taxi driver) and I met again. We had a whole day of sightseeing to do.

First, we were off to al-Bara, one of the so-called Dead Cities around Aleppo. The most striking structures are two pyramid-shaped tombs (actually there are three, but the third is very dilapidated). One of the pyramids still contains five quite intact tombs (the other contains two broken ones). There's also an interesting antique olive oil mill and some old churches. Al-Bara is a great site. It's free and you have the place all to yourself.

A similar Dead City (free and no other people) is Serjilla, very nearby. It's a spread-out site with many buildings still standing. The most remarkable are the baths. People live in tents amongst the ruins.

Ma'aret an-Nu'aman is a nice little town. I had heard about its mosaic museum and wanted to have a look. It costs a whopping S£300 to enter. Photography is forbidden. From a layman's point of view, most of the mosaics are not particularly well executed. They appear to be a bit childish, IMHO. Of course there are many and they're (probably) interesting but that's another thing.

I also visited the Grand Mosque in Ma'aret. Although I was not actually inside the mosque interior (ie. in the prayer hall), somebody there got a bit upset about my presence. It is clear that non-Muslims are not welcome here. If I'd been a woman, I could've had big problems, as a local informed me. The best thing about the mosque is its minaret, and that can just as well be seen from the street.

One of the bigger disappointments of my trip was Jeradeh, another Dead City about 10 km further on. The ruins were far from interesting to me. I was expecting a real 'dead' city, not a small cradle of ruins amidst a not-particularly-sleepy village. Not surprisingly, this place has no atmosphere at all.

Much better is nearby Ruweiha. IMHO, it's best to skip Jeradeh altogether and head straight for Ruweiha. Some houses are built amongst the ruins, which include a 6th century church and a particularly noticeable mausoleum. The people who live there are very traditional and friendly.
Neither of the two sites has an entry fee.

We arrived back in Aleppo at around 7 pm. Basheer took me over to his house. His wife had prepared supper and I was invited to join, which I gladly accepted. His wife and two children were very nice. Neither of them spoke any English, but Basheer tried to translate as much as possible. I also met his brother, and later in the evening I was invited at this brother's son's garage. I learnt some interesting things about cars in Syria ! It's truly amazing how the mechanics here succeed in making even the biggest wrecks 'road-worthy' !

Saying farewell this family felt like leaving behind some good friends, which actually Basheer had become.

I haven't mentioned this before, but all of the days I stayed here in Syria's second biggest city, I tried to make a phone call to Belgium. Unfortunately, the telephone office was a joke. Every time I walked in to buy a telephone card, they told me they were sold out, or the counter was closed. Trying to extract stamps from the people at this place had similar results.

Syria: The friendly city of Raqqa

2008-10-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Chapter Four - The friendly city of Raqqa

Raqqa was a very friendly city ! I was invited practically everywhere for tea or sweets. Although there's nothing much going on, I loved every minute of my stay there.

I had a room in the Ammar Hotel. A single (with two beds, so actually a double) cost S£400. The only bit of 'luxury' is a wash-basin. Toilets and shower are down the hall. The rooms are rather noisy, but they're clean.

I haven't been offered supposedly free tea or coffee or any other scam like that. Apparently, some travellers have pointed out to the guy what's written in the LP guide… This guy, BTW, is not the most friendly guy you'll ever meet, but he's not so bad either.

Right across the street from the Ammar Hotel is a great shawarma joint. The owner, Abdallah, is a great guy. His food is excellent and cheap enough (S£25).

A stroll through the main street is very rewarding. The people are so friendly ! I was frequently invited for sweets and drinks. Astonishing !

At the end of the street is Bab Baghdad, the city's only remaining gate. It's not particularly impressive but dates from the Abassid period. Behind the gate is the skeleton of a mosque under construction. The works were halted some years ago, because the Iranian (re)sources dried up. It's a quite picturesque place. I followed the old city walls for a while (they run north from Bab Baghdad), but soon returned because the walk wasn't particularly interesting.

The initial reason I had come to Raqqa, was to pay a visit to the long dead desert city of Rasafeh. Getting there was much less difficult then I thought it would have been. First, I walked to the Raqqa bus station, but I was at the wrong side of the street. Mini/microbuses leave from the station at the left hand side of the street (if you're coming from the city centre). The local people quickly pointed out the right microbus to get to the Rasafeh turnoff. The fare was S£15. Soon enough the small Kia mini-van filled up and was crammed with 17 people and their luggage / groceries. It was fun though. A Syrian family made some kind of picnic of the 20 minute trip.

I was dropped off at al-Mansura, right by the turnoff to Rasafeh, which lies about 35 kilometres away. There is no public transport to it, as it is effectively a dead city. I quickly understood my only option was to hitch. I had walked about 50 metres or so, when I saw two men talking loudly. One left when I approached; I decided to ask the other one if it was easy to get a ride. He immediately invited me inside the house we were standing in front of. It turned out he was a doctor and the 'house' was something like a First Aid post. He gave medical assistance to people who couldn't afford to go to a private doctor. I was introduced to his two gorgeous beautiful daughters... and their children... Arabian coffee was served and we talked about this and that.

When I was about to leave, the doctor insisted on giving me some kind of present. As he couldn't immediately come up with something, he handed me a tube of anti- histamine ointment, some antibiotics and the Syrian version of Aspirin... At least I could leave for Rasafeh prepared ! :-)

Out on the road again, I was wondering how long it would take before I'd find a ride. Soon enough, as I discovered : the first car I flagged down stopped. I could come along for… S£250. Hmm… No, thanks. The next car… It stops too. "How much ? S£250 ?!?…" Same with the next, and the next… Apparently, all the locals are aware of the difficulties to get to the ruins and have all agreed to ask foreigners S£250 for the return trip. Yes : they wait for you or come along with you for a walk around the ruins.

About halfway from the turnoff to the ruins, we were stopped at an army checkpoint. I needed to get out and come to the HQ, where I had to talk to the captain. He didn't speak a word of English, and my Arabic is worse than bad, so not much talking went on, but I clearly understood that I had to be back after 40 minutes. Why ? I'll never know. But he really insisted on being back in time. This was the only time in Syria that I was stopped by army or police.

My 'driver' was a real nutcase. He drove like mad, even through the potholes, sometimes with no hands on the wheel. In the meantime he found it necessary to try and teach me Arabic, although he himself didn't speak a word of English. Would be nice of him, were it not that he had turned up the radio volume to the max, so I could hardly understand a word.

Already from a distance you can see the walled city lying there in the middle of nowhere. It's impressive because it takes in quite an area. Visitors enter through a monumental gateway. It's there that you also pay for yer' ticket.
Rasafeh is a very nice place to visit. There are some old churches and cisterns to be seen. But with this kind of money for the trip thither - and I could only stay for about half an hour ! - and a S£300 entry fee slapped on, I doubt if it will appeal to shoestring travellers. Guess not… This is one of those places that seemed to be free to enter previously, but now carry the heavy entrance burden so many sites in Syria do.

Getting back to the turnoff was no problem. Like I said, you're paying for a return trip. I had a great ecological experience in a garage, next door to the doctor's office. I wanted to get rid of the plastic water bottle I had been carrying during my visit to the ruins. I didn't want to throw it on the street, so I asked a guy in the garage where I could loose it. He gazed at me, then suddenly seemed to understand what I wanted, and... filled the bottle with tap water for me. Hmm. Not exactly right. I emptied the bottle and showed him I also wanted to ditch the bottle itself. He clearly didn't get it, and called upon another employee for help. He didn't get it either. So, I threw the bottle on the street, showed them this was not correct, and picked it up again. Then asked them if they understood, and now they did ! One of them took the bottle from me, and threw it away... on the street...
Anyway, I was back on the main road, and from there, I flagged down a big bus, paid about S£15 again, and travelled back the 30 minutes to Raqqa in a bit of comfort.

Back in my hotel, I washed up a bit and went out on the streets again. I needed another one of Abdallah's shawarmas and a drink. I was walking in Quneitra Street when I was invited in by a tailor. He was a friendly man, very eager to practice his English. I didn't mind teaching him some more words. He was incredibly enthusiastic, a nice guy to talk to and a good listener. He introduced me to his aid Ali, a Kurdish boy, and to all his customers, the pastry baker next door, a couple of construction workers, the shawarma seller, the local photographer,... All great people, incredibly hospitable, and the one even more friendly than the other.
I spent my whole evening at his shop, and wasn't bored for a minute.

The next morning, I was going to Aleppo, but first I dropped in at my friend, the tailor's. He was so happy to see me, and frankly, I was very happy to see him again too. Tea was served immediately. The photographer, Pashar Taha, was there again as well. I got to know him better too. He's a true professional; he sent some of his work to my home. Pictures to remember each other were made, and extensive good-byes were uttered.

It was with some pain in my heart that I had to leave these kind folks, and this very pleasant city. But I knew I had made some good friends...

At the bus station, I bought a ticket to Aleppo. It cost me S£85. The company was called Express Tours, and I can really recommend them. Their buses are very good. They take about three hours.

Next to me on the bus was a very nice Arab man. He didn't speak any English, but by using symbolic language we managed to mutually entertain each other during the whole trip.

Syria: Deir ez-Zur (Dayr az Zur), Along the banks of the Euphrates

2008-10-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

Chapter Three - Along the banks of the Euphrates

I arrived in Deir ez-Zur late afternoon. Decided to go to the Mari Hotel, after reading its 'review' in the Lonely Planet guide, I asked where it was. Nobody spoke English, but eventually I got there. The hotel is located at the end of what looks like the entrance to a shopping gallery or a cinema. They charge US$26 for singles. The rooms have a fan, and an en-suite bathroom which is very clean. The rooms are a bit small though, and very hot ! When I was in Deir ez-Zur, it was 45°C outside, really boiling hot, and the rooms were impossible to keep cool even with the fan on max speed.

The people at the Mari are polite enough, but not trustworthy at all, as it turned out. Sometimes I was charged S£25 for a soft drink/bottle of water, whilst at other times they charged me twice as much for the same thing ?? It's much better to buy all you need in one of the two small shops which are virtually next door to the hotel. They charge fair prices.

I talked to several people staying at the Hotel Raghdan, some of which had also stayed at the Mari before. Rooms at the Raghdan were US$15, and all people raved about them and about the service. All agreed that the rooms at the Mari were better quality, but not so much that they justified the $11 more.

Contrary to what I expected after reading the Lonely Planet guide, I found Deir ez-Zur a very nice place to stay for a couple of days. The view of the Euphrates river from the 500 metres long suspension bridge is absolutely great, and should really be more explicitly recommended !

I have heard of people confusing the rather dirty canal flowing through the town centre with the majestic Euphrates, for which you have to walk further out. A couple of days ago I visited the Web site of a Swiss guy who was clearly mistaken, talking about the Biblical river flowing in a concrete bed...

Deir looks like a deserted, not so friendly city on first sight, but in the evenings - when it's cooler - it looks like the whole town's population is out on the streets. This is an ideal time to photograph people if you like to do that. Many people will happily pose for you, often even asking to be photographed themselves.
A great place to mingle with the (male) locals, is the café of the Hotel Damas.
When coming from the city centre, there are restaurants to the left and right of the suspension bridge. The one on the left, the Big Bridge Restaurant, serves good food. It's a bit more expensive than elsewhere it seems, but the views of the very nearby river more than make up for that.

I dined out with a French couple. They had visited some of the sites in and around Deir the previous day. It's from them I got the tip to visit the city's museum, which I initially wanted to skip

The old museum has been closed. There is now a new one in the west of the city. Just walk towards the end of Ali Ibn Abi Taleb Street.

Entrance tickets cost S£300, but in this case it's really warranted. This must be one of the best museums - in terms of presentation - in the whole country ! All the different periods (in time) are excellently explained, and labelling is in Arabic, English and French. There's an excellent overview of the history of writing.

Several of the artefacts on display are actually copies from stuff in other museums, but still if you want to really learn something about the country's history or about the history of writing this is no doubt the place to come to ! The staff are very friendly and helpful, and will answer all questions you may have (if they can, of course; their English is not perfect).

As in all museums in Syria, photography is not allowed and bags here must be left at the entrance. You will have this place virtually to yourself.

Apart from the Euphrates, the museum is the only attraction in town, but the place makes a good base for a trip to the South, towards the Iraqi border, where some interesting places are to be found. I wanted to visit some of these sites, but with the extreme temperatures in this region, I loathed having to spend virtually a whole day on buses. On top of that, my time was limited here.

I tried to arrange a taxi to take me to Qala'at ar-Rahba, Dura Europos and Mari the next day. Perhaps I was just unlucky, but none of the taxi drivers seemed to speak any English, and didn't get what I was on about. So I decided to talk to the people at the reception of the Hotel Mari. They're real sharks ! Avoid arranging anything here ! They wanted S£3000 for the half day trip to these sites, coming down only to S£2800. A ridiculous price. At the Hotel Raghdan, prices are S£1000 less ! This seems to be generally considered a 'fair' price for the trip.

The taxi driver who picked me up the next day didn't speak a word of English - not a real surprise - and on top of that was dead sick. He obviously had a high fever, and a horrible cough. Most sensible people in the West would stay at home with sick leave, but I understood this was just not an option in Syria. Especially when some 'rich' tourist was paying a ridiculous amount of money, probably enough to make up for a whole week of driving.

Anyway, we first drove to Qala'at ar-Rahba, a medieval castle about fifty kilometres to the south of Deir. The castle hill is nicely situated amidst a green plain near the Euphrates, although the river itself was not visible. The views of the castle from the surrounding ridge are simply stunning. I didn't bother trying to get into the castle itself, as it's heavily ruined.

We continued to Dura Europos, another 50 kilometres or so further on. I expected a lot of this site. I had heard and read terms like 'impressive', 'stunning', 'fascinating', 'mysterious', 'intriguing', and was probably expecting too much. I admit I was at least a bit disappointed by the site. It's in essence only an empty shell. The city walls still stand, but inside much has disappeared, and what's left is heavily ruined. I did like the great views from the crumbled walls over the Euphrates river which passes by right below. These alone are worth coming here and paying the S£150 entrance fee. These, and the gun-toting caretaker who careers up and down the site on his old motorbike, looking out for 'insurgences'.

Still closer to Iraq (the border is about 20 km away) lies Mari. I was charged S£100 to enter, but the site is worth every piastre of it. The now largely underground royal palace of Zimri Lim is great fun to explore, making your way through corridors with towering earthen walls. The complex must have been a real labyrinth, judging by what's still left of it. There weren't many other tourists - although still more than I had expected - making it a place with a lot of atmosphere, ideal for sitting down for a while and thinking about long gone eras.

Outside are the remains of a ziggurat, a typically Mesopotamian temple-tower. I had expected to find at least a bit of the tower still standing, but it turned out that only the foundations remain. Still enough though, to get a good impression of the layout.
After my visit, I joined my driver in the tent which was also the ticket office. I was offered tea. The people were kind. Yes, Mari's a nice place to visit.

It was late afternoon when we returned to Deir ez-Zur. About halfway back, we passed a roadside market. It was small but busy. I decided to have a walk around. There was no shelter from the sun anywhere near it. The heat was ringing in my ears. The people were definitely traditional. All men wore the traditional Arab head-dress, no Western clothing in sight. At a certain moment it was as if the market came to a standstill, during which I was cautiously observed; then - just as suddenly - everything continued.

I looked at the wares on sale, fresh fruits and vegetables mainly. I bought some sweets, a pretzel-like pastry baked in oil. Very tasty, and very cheap.
Most people at the market were reluctant to have their picture taken. Dunno why, but I experienced that behaviour throughout Syria. Surprising.

While I was walking around, my driver bought some fuel. It was sold by a guy who sucked and siphoned the stuff from a large barrel. The siphoning didn't work very well, as I saw him sucking and spitting all the time. Somehow, I can't imagine this will do a lot of good for his personal health... When the tank was filled up, we drove non-stop to Deir. The first thing I did, was taking a nice cool shower. Boy, this place was hot !

Later that day, I took a nice, long evening stroll. Always a worthwhile experience in Deir.

The next morning, I wanted to go to Raqqa. I inquired about transport thither, and was advised to go to the Qadmous bus station. It turned out that there are no big buses leaving for Raqqa from there or anywhere else in Deir. Only from the minibus station, and that's obviously at another location... Once there, finding a bus was a breeze. It cost S£70 and the trip took about two hours.

Syria: Bosra and Palmyra

2008-10-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

Chapter Two - Bosra and Palmyra

I intended to visit Suweida and Bosra the next day. My blistered feet were killing me, though, and I was only able to visit the latter, and then only foot by foot ! I left my hotel, bought myself a pair of good, airy sandals, and took a metered cab to the bus station.

Getting to Bosra with Damas Tours was impossible. Apparently, their buses only go to De'ra nowadays. A company called Jameel had buses for S£50 one-way. Buses roughly leave at intervals of 2.5 hrs. The last one leaves at 8 pm in either direction.

I was at the station at about 10:30, but only had a bus two hours later. I killed the time eating the excellent chicken shawarma which is sold there, and talking to local people departing to variety of destinations. So many people were talkative, that the arrival of my bus came as both a surprise and also a bit of a disappointment.

Upon boarding I was offered a plastic cup of drinking water, similar to when travelling by bus in Turkey. One big difference with Turkey, though, is that this water is not mineral water, but ordinary tap water. However, I drank it on all bus trips during my holidays in Syria, and didn't experience any problems.

The driver was a friendly guy. Getting to Bosra took 2 hours, including the 'eat-a-snack-and-pee stop' which seems to be mandatory on all long distance bus trips. Sometimes this can be a blessing, but often it comes much too soon, and by the time you 'have to go', the stop's already behind you.

Once in Bosra, I got out near the Gate of the Wind. I had a drink at the small shop which has been set up there, and started my shuffling walk over the cobbled main street. The ruins are on both sides of the this street, and so are the houses of the present inhabitants of the city. To my surprise, there were few other tourists. More locals than tourists actually. The whole place had a quite un-touristy feel about it and had a lot of atmosphere. I felt as if I had been through a time warp. I loved it.

I thought the tourist crowds were hiding in the magnificent and very impressive Roman theatre, probably the best preserved in the world, but no. Also here, more locals than tourists. A school was day-tripping and the songs and dances of the girls really cheered up things, almost making the place functional again.

Entrance to the theatre was S£300. It's not cheap, but it's a place worth visiting, I think. The rest of the ruins - which are also interesting and really worth a look - can still be visited free of charge. A guy will be dedicated to show you around the Hammam Manjak (which is totally unnecessary), for which he'll expect a tip of not less than S£20-30. Nearby is the Mosque of Omar, which is said to be one of the three oldest mosques in the world, but probably it is not. A blind man sitting near the northern entrance stood up, approached and welcomed me, and suggested to show me inside. Touched by this gesture, I wholeheartedly accepted. I was greeted by a hunchbacked old man - this is a place of true faith, not a tourist hangout - who showed me around. The interior is not in any way spectacular, but beautiful in its simplicity. I thanked both friendly men, and left.

Guys selling 'antique' coins continuously walk around the site in search of a prey, although they keep a low profile and are not pushy. Their prices are ridiculous, and so are those of drinks and souvenirs at the stands which lie amidst the ruins. If you don't settle a price before opening a soft drink, expect to pay S£50 for it !

At the other end of the main street (from the Gate of the Wind), is the Nabataean Gate, once the entrance to a royal palace. A sole Nabataean pillar still stands. It's very plain, but is interesting in that it's the only one in the whole of Syria. Right by this gate, Mohammad, a 17-year old youngster, has his shop. He speaks excellent English and good Italian, and is a great guy to talk to.

In the evening, I needed a bus back to Damascus. At 6:30 I decided to go looking for the Jameel office. Upon hitting the main street, I stumbled across the Karnak office. As I didn't have a clue of where to find the Jameel office, I thought "What the hell. I can just as well take a Karnak bus back." and walked in. I asked the guy there when the next bus to Damascus would be leaving. He told me there were no more buses after 5:30 pm. "Oh, okay", I said, "could you please tell me where I can find the office of a private company which does have buses ?" The guy told me there weren't any, although of course I knew very well there had to be the Jameel office. But ! I could either stay at the dorm inside the citadel (there are only two places to stay in Bosra, the other being the expensive Cham Palace) or rent his minibus to drive me back to Damascus. 'Only' S£1500 ! I told him I'd take a pass on his offer. He kept insisting, I kept refusing. His price didn't come down BTW. I got fed up with this, and walked out. Another person crossed the street and asked if I wanted to go to Damascus. I said I did. He was just about to show me the way to the (probably) Jameel office, when the Karnak dude came running out and shouted to the other man in Arabic. Suddenly the other guy also told me there were no more buses and also proposed to go by minibus for S£1500. I told the two they were nothing but scoundrels, and that I'd rather hitch back than taking their minibus. I walked off down the main street, and after five minutes in eastern direction, I found the Jameel office at the left hand side of the road. I booked my ride, and at 8 pm I smilingly whizzed past the Karnak office… About two and a half hours later, I arrived back in Damascus. Not at the bus station, surprisingly, but just in a street somewhere, where many taxis were waiting. I didn't have a clue of where I was, and nobody appeared to speak any English, so it was difficult to agree on a price with the taxi drivers. As I expected I wasn't far from the centre - and rightfully so, as it turned out later on - I kept bargaining. Finally, I agreed on a price of one Dollar (their initial price was much higher !). Still too much, no doubt, but it was probably my only option at that time of day. And walking long distances with the condition my feet were in, was impossible...

The next day, after a good night's sleep, I checked out of my hotel, and took a cab to the Pullman bus station. It's an awfully busy place. After some initial queries of where I wanted to go, I was taken by the arm and immediately after a cursory check of my backpack by the military at the gate, I found myself in the right office for the bus to Palmyra. Otherwise a tough job if you can't read Arabic, and you have 70 or so offices with names in Arabic only to choose from ! A ticket was S£130, not very expensive for a three hour ride.

The bus wasn't exactly luxurious, but not bad either. Right in the seat behind me, was a man, a writer, who was originally from Deir ez-Zur but now lived in the capital, and who was travelling with his child and beautiful Lebanese wife to his place of birth to attend a funeral. He spoke good English, his wife good French. They were great people to talk to, and I discussed many topics with them. They considerable enlivened the otherwise boring journey; the landscape is very monotonous and - to be honest - ugly.

For Belgians, used to living in a tiny country where distances are equally small, three hours is quite a long time to be on a bus, so I was glad to arrive in Palmyra.
The first thing I saw when the bus entered the city perimeter, were the incredibly beautiful, extensive ruins behind the Monumental Arch. I immediately felt the urge to get out and start exploring, but I needed to find a place to stay first; that way I could also get rid of my backpack.

As soon as I got out of the bus, I was approached by a man who asked if I was looking for a place to stay. I said I was going to the Orient Hotel, which had been recommended by many. He made up some story about the Orient, and suggested to come and check out his place first, the Citadel Hotel. Thinking by myself that looking doesn't cost anything, I decided to take up his offer. To my surprise, the place wasn't bad at all, perfectly clean and very conveniently located near the museum, the bus stop, the main street of town (Kouwatli St) and within walking distance of the main ruins. According to its owners, the hotel has been recently refurbished, and singles go for US$10, doubles for $20. Doubles have their own spotless bathroom. With these prices it's definitely not the backpackers joint it seemingly used to be, but I didn't mind that at all; I decided to try it for a night, and ended up staying there a couple of days.

Downstairs is a small restaurant which serves simple but quite good dishes. For a budget filling, the meat sandwiches at S£25 are excellent.

You can get many things done here: international telephone calls (24 hours a day apparently; I called late at night without a problem) at S£200 a minute, change Dollars (not at really good rates though), and arrange trips to just about everywhere, including Deir ez-Zur, Dura Europos and Mari.

I informed about the price of a trip to the Qasr al-Hayr ash-Sharki. A driver 'happened' to be present, and he told me it was S£4000. I laughed at him, and told him he was nuts. The price dropped rapidly to S£3500, S£3000, a little hesitation and... S£2500. But then he refused to come down. I took me ages (literally !) to get down to S£2000. But even that was too much for me. He said less than S£2000 was impossible. I tried everything, but he didn't budge. I told him he could drive by himself, as I surely wasn't going to come along. I stood up and walked away. Suddenly, he started shouting, and came running after me. He was willing to bargain again. Finally, after fierce discussions, we reached an agreement : S£1600. Understanding that this was really it, I took it.

In the nearby museum, I enquired about the entrance fees. These have now reached disastrous levels for budget travellers and people really travelling on a shoestring will find themselves skipping a couple (or all) of the pay sites.

Entrance to the Temple of Bel is S£300. To the Museum S£300. To the castle, Qala'at Ibn Maan, S£150 (so definitely not free anymore !) and if you want to see the Funerary Towers another S£150 (without the 'necessary' wheels !).

I think it's time for the people making the decisions for entrance fees to sit around the table and agree on a combined ticket price. I think S£500 would be more than reasonable, as none of the above sites is really worth its asking price, IMHO. The best thing is - luckily - still free : most of the ruins that lie to the left and right of the Great Colonnade.

In the early afternoon, I started walking (with improved feet BTW ! ;) ) to the main complex. I was only as far as the museum, when a guy came up to me and wanted to know if I was interested in visiting the Funerary Towers (tower-like tombs). Actually I was. I asked how much he wanted for it. His initial asking price was S£400, way too much ! He insisted that the towers were 5 kilometres out of town. I knew that was a lie. They are only about 500 metres away. Thing was, I knew I needed a car because the people at the museum simply refuse to give the key of the towers to anyone without a hired car. Real Mafia practices ! Anyway, there was no way (I know of) around this, so I had to bargain. And you have to bargain really hard. Still, I couldn't get any lower than S£200. When you've come down to S£300, they will throw in a 'free' ride up the castle hill. If you don't want that, keep trying and another S£100 will come off. We agreed to meet in front of the museum at 4:00 because there are set times to visit the towers. There's only one visit in the afternoon : at 4:30.

I continued to the Monumental Arch and the Colonnaded Street, which I had seen from the bus. A young boy near the Arch tried to sell me a local cola for S£100. It must be somehow representative for what the package tour people are willing to pay. I paid the usual S£25, and for that he also wanted to take some pictures of me. :-)
This, IMHO, is the best part of Palmyra. It's fun to explore and there are not too many other tourists. The real gem was the theatre. I had it all to myself and could quietly fantasise about its past.

There's not that much to the part behind the Tetrapylon and the Great Colonnade, but as I had the time, I took a peek.
I was so close to some of the Funerary Towers that I could've easily visited them from where I was. I loathed the idea of having to go back all the way and hire a car to drive to them again. But I had to. It was around 4 when I arrived at the museum. I met my driver, who appeared to be working there. I bought my tickets for the museum and the towers. The museum is also the place to look for guides, if you want/need them. I didn't. They can cost you just about anything. An official guide, hired at the museum will expect S£300 per hour. There's no bargaining on that. An unofficial guide, whose knowledge you just have to trust, will ask the same initially, but will come down to S£100 per hour if you really go for it.
I had about 35 minutes to spare inside the museum; this turned out to be enough for me, although it's quite good.

At exactly 4:30 I left for the Towers. The really impressive keys (no shit !) were handed to my driver. I visited the Towers of Yemliko and Elahbel, and the Tomb of Atenatan, a hypogeum which is also kept locked. Although these places were interesting, they are not worth the money involved. My advice is to give them a miss.

I concluded the day with a visit to Qala'at Ibn Maan, the castle on the top of the hill which is visible from just about everywhere in Palmyra. I understood the views from the castle at sunset were stunning. Unfortunately, the day I was up in the castle, it was raining and very, very windy. A fine haze because of whirling dust obscured the views, and the sky was dark grey. This left me only the castle itself, and that's rather disappointing, and definitely not worth the S£150 which is now being asked to enter.

In the evening, I took a stroll through Palmyra's main street(s), past the restaurants, shops and hotels. On my way back to my hotel, a sign drew my attention : the Traditional Palmyra Restaurant bears a sign on which a recommendation by the Lonely Planet guide is printed. The owner noticed me looking at it, and invited me in. I asked him : "Are you still as good as Lonely Planet says ?" He said they were. I told him to prove that to me. "No problem", he said. Being hungry I walked in. I ordered fresh orange juice, which was lovely. I noticed a sign on the wall, advertising mensaf, the traditional Bedouin food. Traditionally, it consists of a bed of rice mixed with lamb and peanuts and/or pistachios, topped with the gaping head of the lamb in question. The brains, eyes and tongue are all to be consumed ! I asked the restaurant owner if the mensaf was traditional. He assured me it was not, and that it was also available with chicken meat. I decided to go for that, and really, it was delicious ! A lentil or tomato soup was 'on the house'. The price, at around S£300, wasn't bad either, not for a speciality. So, yes, the place is still as good as LP says.

Back at my hotel, I was invited to tea by the owner. It was there I met Erik, another Belgian, who was interested in coming along to Qasr al-Hayr ash-Sharki. What I'll call a proxy for the driver I had bargained with, restarted the negotiations about the price for a ride. Without blushing, he just doubled the price. We had come down quite a way, when we discovered a French couple would be joining us. This again changed the situation. To keep a long story short, we finally got down to US$20 per person for the two of us, and US$25 for the French people. At least it was less than the S£1600 I would've had to pay if I'd gone alone, so it was fine by me.

The next morning, I got up at 4:30 and at 5 a mini-van with the four of us left for the desert castle. A monotonous drive over asphalt roads took about two and a half hours. Then the van left the road and continued over tracks in the scrubby desert. This is not desert as you imagine a desert and which you find for example in neighbouring Jordan. This is a more like a steppe, but with so little vegetation that only Bedouin survive here.

The driver drove like mad at high speeds, so it was in just over three hours that we arrived at the castle. Except for the Bedouins who are at home in this region, there was nothing for miles around. This is really a place to come if you want solitude. Only for that though, as the castle is not that spectacular. The place can be divided into two parts : there's the actual castle, which is kept locked and for which entrance has to be paid, and there's an old caravanserai, free of charge, but also heavily ruined and not of much interest. The entrance fee for the castle, which used to be S£100 (now probably S£150, as on the 1st of May the government increased the price of all tickets with 50%), has to be paid at the only house in the vicinity. It's about one kilometre from the entrance. We decided it wasn't worth it; a look inside satisfied the four of us. There wasn't much to be seen, apart from the gateway, similar to the one now on display at the National Museum of Damascus.

I doubt if the place is really worth the trouble and money involved. We stayed here for about one hour and then returned to Palmyra.

In the afternoon, I said good-bye to Erik and went to visit the Temple of Bel, presumably the highlight of every visit to Palmyra. I strongly disagree with that. Anyway, it's not that the temple isn't interesting or something, because it is, but it's just that it's overcrowded, too expensive to enter and simply not the single most beautiful thing to see in the city. There are really too many people inside, mostly tour groups, this in stark contrast to the rest of the ruins. Not that I don't like people, but it does little good for the atmosphere of the site. It's hard to muse about the past when people are almost pushing you aside wherever you stand. It's still ages away from the situation at eg. Petra in Jordan, but it won't be long anymore before it's on a par.

I decided to have an early night's sleep - after all I was up at 4:30 that morning ! The next day I left for Deir ez-Zur. The Karnak (= state bus company) office in Palmyra is virtually across the street from the museum, very convenient. Really good luxury buses leave many times a day here for Deir (and other destinations). The fare was S£75; the trip took about two hours. I must say that the quality of the Karnak buses was certainly up there with some of the better private companies !

Syria: Damascus, The oldest city in the world

2008-10-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

Chapter One - The oldest city in the world

After a turbulent flight, the KLM plane landed at 11:30 pm at Damascus International Airport. I felt tired. I had been a bit nervous; this was my first solo trip after I had to return home from Thailand, while on my way to Burma, after suffering from food poisoning.

Passing through customs was a nightmare. There were two huge queues. Some bored policemen were walking around, while a couple of equally bored immigration officials were checking the passports of the people trying to get into the Syrian Arab Republic. Somehow my queue was advancing much slower than the one to my left. I soon found out that the lane I was in was for people who still needed to apply for a visa, which as you notice, can be done upon arrival. I've seen many different nationalities being given a visa this way. They only needed to fill out a form. I had obtained mine from the Syrian embassy in Brussels, where the available visa were valid for entry within six months and I was given the choice between single or multiple entry. The former cost 1250 Belgian Francs, the latter 1500.
Once I was in the right lane, things at least went a little smoother and finally it was my turn. My documents were carefully examined to be sure that there were no Israeli stamps in them; Occupied Palestine, they call it. Once that was verified, I received my stamp and was in.

From there I moved on to a desk where - officially - you have to declare any foreign money in excess of US$5000 equivalent.

Finally, I was able to pick up my backpack in the baggage claim area. It was somewhere on the floor. There's a ridiculous 1 US Dollar charge for using the the conveyor belt. No-one seems to pay it.

The only thing I had left to do at the airport, was change a bit of US Dollars to Syrian Pounds. There's a branch of the Commercial Bank of Syria, which at the time of writing is the only bank in the country, state-owned. The official rate was S£45 to the Dollar. It doesn't matter if you change at the airport or elsewhere. The rate is always the same, except of course on the black market, which is - needless to say - an illegal market.

There are no buses to the city centre in the middle of the night (after 11 pm). So you need to go by taxi. Inside the arrivals hall are desks where you can arrange a prepaid cab. I didn't have to look long to find one. They found me. :-) Knowing I was in a bad position to bargain - taxis are the only real means of getting to the centre - I asked how much it cost; a query on UseNet had revealed the fare was more or less fixed at US$10. To my surprise, the asking price was still 10 Dollar. I tried to lower it, but to no avail. I decided to take it. There's really no coming down in this case. Take care not to pay more ! Some desks were asking twice as much !
Outside, taxi drivers start offering rides at $20 as well, which is way over the top.
Once in the city centre, taxi drivers seem to know about the more or less 'fixed' price for the trip between the airport and the city, and will also ask you for US$10 to get back to the former.

In a new pickup truck I travelled the 30 kilometres or so. What I immediately noticed, were the numerous pictures of president Assad. They were literally everywhere, even in the pickup I was in...

I asked to be let out on an-Nasr Avenue, near the citadel and souqs. I knew in the adjacent block many of the cheap hotels were to be found. It was half past two in the middle of the night, and there I was, wandering around in a faraway city with no real clue of where to go. I found some small hotels - most of them are upper floors of other businesses. All of them were either too filthy or just not worth the money.

The Syrian Grand Hotel apparently had no singles available. The rate for a double with en-suite shower / toilet was S£300, and no bargaining at all. I found the room and bathroom not particularly clean and not worth the asking price. The guy who had been sleeping on the floor before I barged in, was quite friendly but not willing to do a deal.

Perhaps it was the late hour, but nobody seemed to want to come down from the initial asking price much or at all. Finally, I stumbled into a place called the J. A. Hotel. It's also near Martyr's Square (close to the mosque). The staff were very friendly. Only triples were available and they were far too expensive at S£400 for me alone. I could bargain down to S£300 but that was it. The beds were not so clean. I think I even detected some sperm stains on the sheets. That didn't surprise me at all, as the first thing I had been welcomed with down on the street, was "Madame ? Madame, sir ?"

The only bit of comfort was a washbasin. I washed up a little and then decided to hit the sack. I was with one leg in the bed when I heard a soft squeaking sound above the window, in the casing of the rolling shutter. First I thought it was a mouse, but I soon discovered a family of swallows had made my room their home. In the very early morning the little birds started squeaking loudly, making my stay not exactly a pleasant one. I didn't sleep at all in this place, although I was very tired.

At first light, the first thing I did was check out and change hotels. I really needed a comfortable place to stay now where I could wash up and have a good night's rest. I ended up in the Alaa Tower Hotel, Branch 1 - there are seven of them. This was one was right by the French Cultural Centre. The people are incredibly friendly and welcoming here, and most of the 34 rooms are well equipped, comfortable and spotlessly clean. I'd recommend asking to be shown a couple of rooms before taking one, however, as quality does differ quite a bit. The only downside is the price : at US$44 or S£2200 per night for a double (there are only doubles and triples, and no bargaining) they don't come cheap, but for this kind of quality it's good value for money. The restaurant upstairs is good, although they only prepare the breakfast themselves (the toasted bread feels like you're eating bricks, but otherwise it's a good buffet type of breakfast which is included in the room price). All other things are fetched elsewhere. Still, the food is always very tasty and you can order 'round the clock.

Now I was finally ready to start exploring Damascus, which claims to be the oldest city in the world, continuously inhabited to this very day.

No better way to start than by diving right into the souqs, the lively bazaars. Although it's fun to explore them on your own and getting lost in the maze, you miss a great deal of the things to be seen inside if you don't know where you're going. In this perspective, the walking tour described in the Lonely Planet guide is indispensable. It takes you past all the main sights.

I started off in Souq al-Hamadiyyeh, probably just like everybody else. This is probably the most touristy part of the souqs, but it's still worth going in. I had walked about 20 metres, when I was approached for the first time to buy tablecloths, wooden boxes or anything else I could want. The young salesman called himself 'Mike Tyson', and had collected hundreds of business cards from people around the globe. His shop was full of postcards and photographs, many of cute-looking Western girls. This was clearly an indication that his style was appreciated by many, but to me it was also obvious that buying from this guy would be throwing away my money. He loathed bargaining, and was a bit pushy. I underwent his presentation show, I drank tea, observed and learned. But I didn't buy anything.

In the middle of the souq area is one of the greatest Islamic monuments : the Omayyad Mosque. There's a S£10 entry ticket to get in, which I dislike, as I really hate paying to get into a religious building. Anyway, it's not much…

The Omayyad caliph al-Walid in 705 decided to build a mosque, more beautiful than any other one ever designed, or ever to be designed. The mosque is very, very impressive and really massive. It takes a while to walk around it. Upon entering the courtyard, the first thing I noticed were the stunning mosaics and the peaceful atmosphere. This feeling is not different inside the mosque; unlike in some other Islamic places of worship, elsewhere in the world, I felt welcome here. People asked who I was and where I came from, kids wanted to take my picture, other people still spontaneously came up with explanations of the interesting things in the mosque. Nice !

I noticed many Iranians, Shiites, who were praying for Hussein, son of Ali, the last of the Four Companions of the prophet Mohammed. His head is supposedly buried in a shrine inside the mosque. I was impressed by the incredible faith these people seemed to possess, and by their astonishing affection for Hussein. Many were crying out loud, shedding buckets of tears !...

Virtually next to the Omayyad Mosque, in a very anonymous building - it's not really marked or anything - lies buried one of Islam's greatest leaders - if not the greatest : Salah ad-Din. Saladin - as the man's better known in the West - used to be a name which was associated with both military superiority (he fought ceaseless battles) and true chivalry.

It was not without awe that I stepped inside the mausoleum. Salah ad-Din died in 1193, but the tomb doesn't date from that period. Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany donated a new marble sarcophagus in 1898. Beautiful. I paid my respects and left, glad to having 'met' the great leader.

Saladin's Mausoleum opens at 10 am, but you may be able to get into before that. Some baksheesh will be expected of course.

Saladin is not the only great Islamic hero who lies buried in the city of Damascus. It was only a short trip to the mausoleums of two other famous personalities : Baibars and Nur ad-Din. The first is easy to find; it's quite nearby Saladin's, in the Madrassa az-Zahariyya. I had only just passed through the gate and someone showed up to unlock the anonymous room for me.

Across the street is the Madrassa al-Adiliyya, the burial place of a brother of Saladin. I suggest skipping the latter. It's not that interesting. The caretakers of both places will expect tips for services rendered.

The mausoleum of Nur ad-Din is harder to find. It's really completely integrated in the souqs; I passed it by a couple of times and had to ask before I noticed it was there. A friendly man turned up and asked if I wanted to see the tomb. I did. I wasn't really surprised to find a very plain interior. Modesty is quite usual in Muslim burial sites.

I wandered through the often narrow streets of the Damascene souqs. I loved it ! This was really the oriental bazaar as I had imagined it, inspired by movies and books. The pressure to buy is only minimal, the atmosphere is lively and the people friendly and helpful. These souqs were way better than those of Aleppo !

I emerged from the shady, covered streets and stood in front of the entrance to the Saida Ruqqaya Mosque. It's quite distinct from the other mosques I had seen so far in the Middle East. The style is Persian. Shiite. And that's not surprising : the building was primarily financed by the Iranians. It's a very beautiful building, both outside and inside. Especially inside. The decorations are baffling, the atmosphere tense. Tense but friendly. People, Shiites and other visitors alike, gather around the central mausoleum of Ruqqaya, the daughter of Hussein, the saint whose head is supposedly buried in the Omayyad Mosque. Just like in the latter, people cry out loud for the sake of the dead one. I stood quietly in the back and watched what was going on without disturbing the praying. When I left, I walked out with a feeling of having had a wonderful experience.

I walked on, passing by Café Naufara. The place has become very touristy, but the 'hood still has just enough atmosphere left.

Just before reaching the Azem Palace, so after emerging from Mu'awiyyeh Street, on your left hand side is an excellent, cheap cookies bakery. They're super fresh, and taste heavenly!

A ticket to the palace costs S£300. Most of it is occupied by the Museum of Arts & Popular Traditions. Mannequins are displayed in traditional costumes and jewellery. They occupy the renovated rooms of the palace. Photography is not allowed inside the rooms, but the guards will probably give you the opportunity for a bit of baksheesh - only if you want of course. Apart from the often beautifully decorated rooms, I found the most interesting thing a tiny rice grain on which a more than fair chunk of the Qur'an is written. A magnifying glass is provided.
I have mixed feelings about this place. Several rooms were locked, and I doubt if the place is really worth its hefty entrance fee.

The Street Called Straight - yes, that's really the name; Via Recta in Latin - is an unusual sight in the Old City, which otherwise consists of narrow, winding streets. A Roman Arch short over halfway separates the Christian and Muslim quarters. There are no noticeable problems between the different religions, but as everywhere, people of the same kind tend to bunch together here.
Yes, there are some important Christian sites. The one of most historical interest, is the Chapel of Ananias, a disciple who gave St Paul his eyesight back. Set at the end of a cosy back street, close to the old city walls, the chapel is in an underground room. There's no entrance fee and the guy at the reception desk is friendly.

From here it's only a short walk along the old city walls to Bab Kisan. Here's to be found the tower from which St Paul was lowered in a basket so that he could escape the soldiers of the Jewish king Aretas who wanted to arrest him after having preached in preaching in synagogues. A chapel has been built over the spot. It's a Biblically interesting place, but one shouldn't expect too much. It's not as if St Paul will skim the city walls in a basket again. The nuns of the nearby convent are friendly and helpful.

A whole day of walking in the intense heat had caused my feet to blister heavily. I was in too much pain to continue back to my hotel, so I took a taxi. The cab drivers in Damascus aren't too bright when it comes to finding places, but they'll ask around and most of the time they'll be able to take you where you want to be. There are times, though, when they don't know where you need to be, and then they'll often try to drop you off at some place which may be far away ! It happened to me on several occasions, when I hadn't yet developed a feel for the city. In doubt, let them take you to a nearby, better known location.

I found that only about 50% of the Damascene taxi drivers used their meters. Those not using them, mostly kept refusing to use them even after drawing their attention to it. Avoid these cabs, or be sure to agree on a price before getting in. On my first day I dropped my guard and was hit for S£200 for a short ride ! A typical taxi ride which can cost you heaps if you're not careful, is the ride up Jebel Qassioun to get an incredibly great view of the city. It's not unusual for taxi drivers to ask S£200 for this short trip !

Equally ridiculous amounts of money are demanded for rides to the Saida Zainab Mosque (about 10 kilometres out of the city centre) : S£100-150 ! I visited it at the end of my trip, just before I had to return home, but in the context I can just as well talk about it here.

This Shiite mosque is very impressive. Non-Muslims can go inside the mosque, even touching the mausoleum. Photography is strictly forbidden, however. Some older and not-so-tolerant devotees didn't appreciate my presence and I was requested to leave the 'inner sanctum'. I decided not to argue (which is never a good idea in places of worship), went out and collected my shoes from the counter where I'd left them. A very traditional looking person came up to me, and started asking me questions about why I had come to visit this mosque. I explained I had an interest in culture, architecture, religion, people,... and said that important mosques, churches and temples are the places where these culminate, so they are highly interesting from my point of view. He answered this wasn't enough to visit mosques. One should have a genuine interest in the Koran (Qur'an) as well. He asked if I had read the Qur'an. I told him I had read a translation. He wasn't impressed.

"Was it written by a Muslim ?"
"No, it was a translation by a university teacher with a genuine interest in Islam."
"That's not good ! You should read a Qur'an written by a Muslim."

I tried to explain that as Arabic is a very figurative language, and mine - like most other Western languages - is not, it's very hard to make a highly accurate translation, but the people who are attempting to do one, do their utmost best to make it as accurate as possible.

"That is not good. You should learn Arabic first, and then read an Arabic Qur'an..."

This was clearly a case of the religious blindness I hate so much. After all, Islam and Christianity teach there's only one God, and it's the very same God. So, why all the intolerance and discrimination ?

A young Shiite man from Dubai, early twenties I think, had been following the single-sided discussion and decided to interfere. He devoted at least an hour to explaining about the mosque - its architecture and purpose -, about the life and death of Saida Zainab, and about Islam in general. His explanations were from the heart, and he somehow could see the value of my points. I could see his. Some topics, however, like the veiling of Islamic women although that is not written in the Qur'an, remained not discussible. I didn't try very hard, as not to upset anyone.
All in all, this had been an interesting experience...

Now, to continue where I had left off before...
The next day I spent another full day in the souq area, visiting some of the lesser sights. Because of the blisters, my pace had reduced considerably, and I was actually able to appreciate the bazaars even more.

The day after, I paid a lengthy visit to the National Museum, a must see ! Entry is S£300, and in this case it's probably warranted. Take care ! The museum definitely is closed on Tuesdays ! Photography - as in all Syrian museums - is strictly forbidden. Bags have to be left at the entrance.

A short stroll through part of the shady garden around the museum buildings brought me to the majestic entrance. No wonder ! It's the immaculately reconstructed facade of Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi, a desert castle west of Palmyra. I would visit its eastern counterpart, Qasr al-Hayr ash-Sharki, later on.

Inside, the museum is huge, much bigger than you'd expect it to be from the outside. The displays are great, although labelling could be better. The best rooms IMHO are the Dura Europos room (with the original impressive frescoes found there), the reconstructed Dura Europos Synagogue (very impressive !) and the equally fantastically reconstructed Tomb of Jarhai, which is an underground burial chamber from Palmyra.

The museum is to be found in a busy, though pleasant area of the city; the Barada river flows in front of it. Right next door are the Takiyyeh as-Sulamaniyyeh Mosque and the War Museum. Not exactly a perfect match, but perhaps it's an 'opposites attract' kind of thing ? :-) The entrances to both are next to each other in a nice, shady park. The old Syrian, Russian-made, warplanes in the grounds satisfied me enough, so as not to feel tempted to pay to enter the museum itself. The signs accompanying the planes were fun to read; anti-Israeli propaganda at its best.
The mosque is very beautiful, which is not surprising when it's built by the great Sinan, of Istanbul fame.

I concluded this sightseeing day with a visit to the Hejaz Railway Station, which is of great historical interest as for many it was the departure point of the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. When looking at the building, now completely covered with pictures of president Assad, and the old steam loc in front of it, one can still imagine the pilgrims, enthusiastically queuing to board their train.

Lebanon: My last days in the country

2008-10-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

Chapter Nine - My last days in the country

At this point I wanted to make a short excursion into Syria, to visit some friends I had made during my trip last May. Back at Beirut's Cola taxi stand, I got out of the bus, and accidentally (?) was exactly at the right spot for service taxi thither. It cost $10 only. Unfortunately I must have been around at the wrong day, at the wrong time, because it took ages to fill up the taxi. I was waiting for over two hours when I asked the driver for the third time how many people he'd gathered. I think to please me he said : "We need only one more..." When that 'one more' hadn't appeared after yet another twenty or so minutes, I decided it was time to pay for the spare seat. As it turned out he had found only one other person, a Palestine girl living in Damascus but studying in Beirut. Clearly he hadn't expected me to pay for that other seat, but he had to leave now, hadn't he ? :-)

Going by taxi was a preferable option to the buses as it didn't include the time-losing stops for refreshments and 'duty free shopping' which you have to take for granted when taking the bus. There was only one brief stop at the Chtaurama Market, the supermarket in Chtaura where all service taxis to and from Damascus seem to make a stop. You can have warm food as well there and everything is cheap enough.

At the border, both the Lebanese and Syrian sides, everything is very relaxed. The only requirement is that you already have a Syrian visa. You get stamped out by a grumpy Lebanese official, and after that you're stamped in by a friendly Syrian custom official. There are of course also customs checks, but these too are very straightforward. At the Lebanese side are some people offering to change Lira to Syrian Pounds. I suggest you do that. There's no catch involved and the moneychangers seem to be very reliable. The going rate will be the black market rate of Syria, which was S£51 to the Dollar at the time I was there. Bringing in more than S£5000 is officially not allowed, but nobody checks. Surely the Syrians know about this, as when you go (back) to Lebanon, there's also a moneychanger on the Syrian side who'll change Pounds to Lira. It's all tolerated though.

Approaching Damascus is always a great sight. Suddenly you see the city, occupying a vast area, lying between the mountains. Travel time had been two hours and 45 minutes, a massive time saving over the bus; I'd seen five hours reported in Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree.

This is a Lebanon travelogue, so I'm not going to say any more about Syria (after all I only went there for a visit), except perhaps that the Alaa Tower Hotel I in Damascus is still as good as it was before, and costs US$ 32, and there's now a direct bus from the capital to Raqqa; it takes approximately seven hours.
The fare to get back from Sham (Damascus) to Beirut was $20, and no bargaining. This is the twice the price I was asked to pay in the other direction ! On top of that, there are self-appointed porters at the taxi stand who'll grab your backpack, even if you don't want it. There was nothing I could do to prevent it; it was more like a small riot, honestly ! Unnecessary to say they expect a tip... The trip in one of the famous big, yellow American cars took over four hours ! This was due to big delays at the Syrian side of the border, where customs officials are very thorough in this direction. Getting stamped out and in was a breeze though, and I saw people obtaining a Lebanese visa in a matter of minutes.

I was back in Beirut. I went to the Embassy Hotel on Rue Makdissi, almost opposite the post office (from where I sent the postcards which never reached their destination). The hotel's a friendly place where a single rooms costs $40 (incl. taxes). It's not too bad but the bathroom's tiny and could do with some attention. The price is too steep for what it is. There's a garden indeed, but it's only a poor representation of what a garden could/should be. Rooms at the back are quiet, considering this is Hamra, and the only noise you'll ever hear, comes from the jets departing from the airport. I got cleaned up a bit and went for a bite. I felt like a 'real' pizza for a change, and dropped in at the Pizza Hut on the corner of Rue Hamra and Rue de Rome. It's what you'd expect it to be. It's quite expensive, but the people serving you are very friendly. Mostly they're students and are interested in making conversations. The ice cream in the Hut is the best I had in Lebanon ! Really, you should try it !

Having nothing to do in particular that afternoon, I walked all the way to one of the south-eastern suburbs to get an impression of the war damage. The suburbs still have most of the visible damage today, I think. It was really a sobering experience !
I had one full day left after that. First thing I did in the morning was changing hotels. I went looking for Hotel Mace, but somehow couldn't find it, and nobody knew it. I suspect the name's been changed. I tried several other places in Hamra, but at the cheaper ones I was told they were full. I ended up at the Mayflower Hotel, which I'd describe as upper-middle class. It's very friendly and welcoming of backpackers. The hotel has some sort of English atmosphere, making it very pleasant to stay. Many of the guests were UN personnel. The price of a single room is US$ 65 plus 16% tax, but if you ask for a deduction you'll get one : $55 plus 5% tax. The rooms are a bit small but still nice and the beds are extremely comfortable. There's A/C, a well-equipped bathroom, international telephone, satellite TV, room service,...

This last day, I decided to make a day trip to Lake Qaraoun and the Litani Dam. First I took a service taxi to the Cola taxi stand. There I changed for a service taxi going to Chtaura. It cost LL 5000 and took only about five minutes to fill up. It had been raining early morning, making the mountain roads very slippery; there was also a dense fog on the summits. In no time I saw twenty, thirty accidents, all of them caused by excessive speed or reckless driving. Luckily my driver was careful and thoughtful !

The only option to get to Qaraoun from Chtaura is by ordinary taxi, and it's no bargain ! Hiring a cab for the whole afternoon, taking in the sights I wanted and with plenty of time for photo stops was $50. Mohammed, the driver, was a very nice fellow, and he knew exactly what I could be interested in.

Lake Qaraoun Lake Qaraoun is a very beautiful place. The Litani Dam was smaller than I expected, but made for an interesting visit nevertheless. Qaraoun is in the deep south of the Bekaa Valley, and is very close to Hezbollah fortified firing positions, which are still occasionally subject to Israeli/SLA (air) attacks; some of the strongholds can be seen from the dam. Strangely enough, there's only little visible military presence around the lake. It's recommended to do a tour around the lake and Litani River. There are several eateries and cafes, and the views are good from everywhere.

We returned to Chtaura where I had some great food in some restaurant, but I forgot the name. There are two identically named places next to each other. It's supposed to be the best eatery in town, serving all kind of 'sandwiches'. It's cheap. Everybody should be able to point it out to you as it's well-known in the vicinity.

I spent my last evening in Beirut, but didn't make it very late, as I had to get up at 4.30 the next morning to be at the airport in time. I went to make a final telephone call home to tell my family everything was all right and I'd be back soon. A convenient place to make a call, is a place near the Tourist Information Office/Ministry of Tourism (which are both apparently permanently closed). It's easy to find. Just go south from the Pizza Hut. It's halfway down an empty gallery on your left after a short walk. I realised that at night this can be a dark, uncomfortable place to some people.

For the next morning I had arranged a taxi to take me to the airport. It cost $15 including 'pick-up fee' and tip. A taxi from any hotel is $25. If you just stop a taxi in the streets, the driver will always quote you a too high a price anyway, usually $20, but will eventually come down to around $10-15. Only occasionally you'll bump into a driver who's honest and will take you for - say - LL 5000.

Check-in, security and customs checks at the airport are all very straightforward. I had kept some Lebanese money to pay for the departure tax, but there wasn't any ! Really ! No departure tax ! I went to the airport bank to change the money back to Dollars, but again - just like when I'd arrived - it was closed. This is really a big drawback. Banks at airports should always be open 24 hours, IMHO.
Otherwise the airport's modern, but still has only limited facilities.
The flight was on time, and four hours and fifteen minutes later I was back in Paris, where I took my connecting flight to Brussels.
End note

My stay in Lebanon has been some sort of revelation to me, seeing the damage of war I had seen so often on TV for real. There are lots of interesting and/or beautiful sights to take in and the people were often overwhelmingly friendly. With a history of being 'attached' to the West so closely, it is hardly surprising that it has lost quite a bit of its Arabic authenticity, unlike - for instance - Syria. Still, it's exactly this partly Westernisation which makes the country quite unique in the region. It's like visiting a mixture between Syria and France. It's an easy country to get around in, as distances are small. However, it's not a cheap place and therefore won't generally be on a shoestring traveller's list. Still, if you have lots of time, a combination of service taxis and walking should get you around quite cheaply, but then there's also the high price of accommodation to take into consideration. Still, if you have the money, give Lebanon a try. You won't be disappointed. I surely wasn't!

Lebanon: The extreme South

2008-10-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

Chapter Eight - The extreme South - An interesting journey

Having arrived at Saida's Sahet en-Nejmeh, the city's main square, I needed to find the only hotel in town, the Nazel esh-Sharq (Hotel d'Orient). I asked around. One man said he knew where it was and offered to drive me there. It wasn't far, but it would have been almost impossible to find, as I don't speak Arabic and the hotel's sign is in Arabic writing only. It's above a shop which sells sanitary products like soap and women's stuff. The guy who'd driven me, showed me the place, but expected a small tip for the ride.

A room in the hotel was $10 for a single, cheap to Lebanese standards. Rooms can be had at various places in the hotel. I chose one upstairs, with a small balcony overlooking the street. Although there's a mosque very nearby, I'd still recommend taking a room there; there's hardly any traffic at night and it avoids the noise from the lounge near the reception.

The rooms were only just acceptable. A toilet and shower were down the hall, but the bathroom was really awful. It took water ten minutes to sip through the dirt in the sink. Still, it's a friendly and relaxed place.

It was after dark when I had arrived at the Hotel d'Orient. I decided to go for a walk to the seafront. It had been a busy (market) day; the street was full of garbage. When cars passed me, I heard a sound as if something snapped. There was an awful stench. When I got into the light, I saw that the cars were running over the carcasses of slaughtered lambs, hence the breaking sound...
Yes, Saida (Sidon) was a pretty dirty city... Pretty gloomy too.

I went looking for the telephone office, which was supposed to be a large white building with a huge antenna on the roof, not far from the Government Rest House. Not so. The office is now to the east of Sahet en-Nejmeh. A friendly local whom I had asked about it, took me to it. It's a busy place, and I had to wait about 45 minutes before I could get on the phone.

Saida port The next day I went to explore the city. From the hotel it's easy to do a walking tour. First, I walked to the Castle of Louis. It's completely fenced off and not accessible. Not a great loss, although with some restoration it could be quite a fascinating place.

Then I walked down the road to the coast and proceeded in the direction of the port, passing by the minaret of the Great Mosque. The port's nice; fishermen are busy with their boats 'n' nets. Opposite the port is the Khan al-Franj, a 17th century caravanserai built by Fakhr ad-Din. It's being restored, but about one half has already been completed and is open to the public. The archaeologists have done a nice job. When I was there, there was an exhibition of modern art. It consisted of collages, involving press-cuttings and photocopies of official documents about the Israeli occupation and the cruelties against the Lebanese people. The work was often beautifully executed, but more important, it gave a lot of food for thought. How is it possible that people do such things to one another ? Really, this exposition called for an hour of silence, not just a minute...

At the Khan I also met the archaeologist in charge of the restorations. He was a friendly guy, only slightly older than me. He had some problems with chemical reactions between certain stones and other substances. I helped him out with that. To show his appreciation, he offered to show me to some of the monuments in town, some of which he had also worked on. Quite interesting. We walked around the fascinating souq area, not as fascinating as that in some of the more famous cities, but worth exploring nevertheless. The people were not exactly welcoming here though, and I even had garbage thrown at my head for taking pictures in the narrow alleys (although they can't have been compromising for anyone; I didn't photograph Muslim women or the likes). I visited an old hammam, a palace of Fakhr ad-Din, an old olive soap factory and finally the Great Mosque. Inside, this is a very, very beautiful place. It's very nicely restored. My new-made friend had worked on it himself. He told me the mosque had been largely destroyed by Israeli bombing. The archaeologists had rebuilt it, but had used the shattered decorations, both to keep the authenticity and as a testimony to what happened to the building.

One shouldn't just barge in here, but ask around if a visit is possible. Forget about it during prayer times. Not only will you be denied entry, but you may even arouse some anger (so I was told) !

Back at the Khan al-Franj we said good-bye, and I continued to the Sea Castle, the highlight of Saida. It's understandable why, when comparing it to the town's other attractions. In essence, this Frankish castle lies off-shore, only connected to the land by a causeway. I bought my ticket at the small booth. It was LL 2000. The guy selling them was a grumpy fella - Yes, you are right when you conclude Saida's not exactly the most friendly town in Lebanon...

View from the Sea Castle Having walked down the causeway, I came to the base of the castle. What I immediately noticed were segments of old columns, incorporated as building material in the walls. Quite odd. There's not much to see inside, but the location is superb and so are the views from the roofs.

I took a taxi to the Temple of Echmoun, only a short ride out of town (they'll hit you for LL 9000 if they notice you don't know how far it is !). There's no charge for entering the site, just a couple of unfriendly soldiers. It's one of those places that are actually only appealing to archaeologists; there's little to see for the 'ordinary' traveller. The mosaics were said to be fine, but I found them only mediocre. I only saw mosaics with patterns, not depicting anything in particular.
The area where the temple is located is quite nice, so I decided to walk back to town (it's not exactly a place to catch a cab anyway). Most of the walk is out in the open, and it was bloody hot. The way back - especially if you came by taxi - is not so obvious, so I asked a guy for directions. After I had continued for a couple of hundred metres, this very guy came after me on his small motorcycle and offered me a ride into town. He didn't expect anything and was just being friendly. I was very thankful.

By the time I arrived back at the hotel it was late afternoon, and I decided I could better move on to Tyre, instead of spending another night in the rather grubby room I had stayed in the night before. At Sahet en-Nejmeh I asked around about service taxis to Tyre (Sour). A man told me there was a minibus as well; he was going in the same direction himself. Once on board of the bus, I asked the man how much the ride cost. He signalled me not to worry about it. He had to get out somewhere along the way, and when he did, I noticed him paying for my ride. Incredible ! A total stranger paying for my ride !...

Distances in Lebanon are never long, but travel can take quite a while if you've got to go through the mountains. Saida and Tyre, however, were both located on the coastal strip, so it didn't take long to get from A to B.

Tyre is Lebanon's southernmost city, and hence it was - and still is - very vulnerable to Israeli raids. Not surprisingly, tourist business is not too much to speak of and there are only three hotels. I chose the cheapest, the Hotel Elyssa, right near the coast where - according to the locals - Israeli gunboats still occasionally blast Lebanese boats to smithereens. A decent single room with A/C was $35. I recommend taking a room at the back. Those have good views of Sour's el-Bass district with nice mountain backdrops. The hotel used to have a restaurant, but due to extremely bad business, it has been closed. So now you can't have breakfast or even a drink. Luckily there's a good Lebanese fast food restaurant only a short distance down the road. It's called the Jawad Food Center. They specialise in juices, and have quite excellent burgers, pizzas, and the usual stuff. They also sell the tasty local honey. For breakfast I recommend a patisserie at the el-Bass end of Rue Abu Dib. Their croissants are lovely and not too expensive. Not a very friendly place though.

Tyre. The sights. There are three sites. One is called the City Ruins (because that's where the centre of the city was located), next to that is a fenced-off site with the remains of a Crusader Cathedral (inaccessible to the public) and finally there's a big, spread-out site at the suburb of el-Bass.

Tyre is a city with an incredibly rich history. It would lead too far to summarise that here (there are more than enough other sources for that). Suffice to say that it was a major Phoenician seaport from about 2000 BC onwards through the Roman period. Today all of tyre is situated on the mainland, but in the old days the headland was an island. Probably the most famous episode in the history of the city was its resistance to the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great, whose army took it after a seven-month siege in 332, using floating batteries and building a causeway to gain access to the island. After the defeat of Tyre, 10,000 of its inhabitants were put to death, and another 30,000 were sold as slaves. Alexander's causeway, which was never removed, converted the island into a peninsula. I decided to walk to the City Ruins first. Easy enough from the Elyssa hotel; you just follow the coastal road north-west for a couple of hundred metres. I'd just started off when a teenager crossed the street in front of me. He looked at me and smiled. I said : "Good afternoon". Instead of replying, he just groaned at me, groaned as if he was cummin' during sex. I was rather taken by surprise by that, and just walked on. I hadn't walked further than, say, twenty metres when I heard someone running towards me, behind me. I suspected it was that weird guy. Not paranoid but always at the ready, I prepared myself to give that someone a good kick in the nuts. The running halted. When I looked after me it was that weirdo indeed. He just stared at me. I asked him : "What do you want ?" "Sex. I want sex", he said. "Well, go and find it somewhere else !" I continued. He came walking next to me, eyeballing me, wetting his lips with his tongue and groaning loudly. I was really bothered by that guy, but decided to ignore him rather than starting a fight. After all, he hadn't physically hurt me himself. But he didn't go away. He followed me all the way to the ruins. There I stopped and told him to fuck off and threatened to go to the police. That scared him and he disappeared, luckily not to come back again. Who said that only women are the targets of sexual harassment ? :-)

Tyre's city ruins with el-Bass in the background Anyway, I was at the ruins. But the entrance is not (anymore) at the end of the coastal road. No, you have to turn right at the closed gate and follow the site around a bit. There's the entrance now. It costs LL 5000 to get in.

It's a visually appealing site, although there are hardly any focal points, except perhaps the Palestra Colonnade. The location is superb with the sea, hills and an unparalleled view of the city in the background. The mosaic road leading to the sunken harbour, the baths and the water reservoirs looking like tombs are the main points of interest.

I left the site and was walking towards the Crusader Cathedral when I bumped into a guy selling the typical Lebanese basket-like breads with sesame seeds. His name was Fadi; everybody called him 'Fadi American', because he always greets everybody in English, very unusual for an Arab. The weird thing is that his English is not at all good, but he "loves the sound of it". He's a bit crazy and poor too, but nevertheless a very joyous chap. He took me to a dental lab in the vicinity. There Mohammad and some associates, all Palestinian, produced false teeth. It was kinda strange spending some time there, but they all spoke English and were very friendly and fun to talk to. Fadi left, but said he'd be back later in the afternoon and would take me around town.

The guys at the lab and I talked about the usual things, to make an acquaintance, and about the history of the city, both in ancient times and in more recent days, namely the conflict with Israel, which is still not finished. I asked about the el-Bass site and got out my Lonely Planet guide which contained a city map. Mohammad took it, looked at the map and explained how to get there. When he closed the book, he noticed the regional map on the back. He raved about it ! I asked him why. He said it was because the map shows the Palestinian Territories separately, whereas all Lebanese maps show only Israel. Everybody got excited and it resulted in Ahmad and Ali offering me a ride to Qana. They had some deliveries to make, and I could come along. What a lucky surprise ! I had planned on going to Qana on my own, but this would save me both time and money. Great ! These guys were absolutely friendly.

Qana has a reputation for being the site of a cave where Jesus performed his first miracle. But for me, it was more interesting as the site of the infamous Qana Massacre, which is known all over the country as the culmination of Israeli aggression. In the night of April 18th 1996, during Israel's 'revenge tour' baptised Grapes of Wrath, Jewish planes fired four phosphor rockets at a UN compound where local people, civilians, had sought refuge from the perils of war. 107 were burned alive, among them also UN soldiers. Israeli military sources claimed it was a computer error which was to blame; they had never intended to strike at civilians. What a load of rubbish. Reconnaissance planes had been observed above the area in the days before the attack. Furthermore, when you drive to the village you can clearly still see the craters of the rockets that cut off the roads, the only roads by which medical assistance could arrive. And phosphor rockets ?...

The drive to Qana from Sour only takes a short while. We passed an army checkpoint and Ahmad said : "These are the last Lebanese soldiers. Now we are entering a grey zone." About one kilometre further on, I think it must have been, I saw a destroyed building, painted all white with the big UN letters on it. An African soldier with the typical blue helmet waved us on, no real checks here. Ahmad continued : "This is the UN buffer zone. It is safe now, but Israel sometimes still fires rockets in this security zone." After another ten minutes, I think, we arrived in Qana. It's a quiet, Shiite village. There's nothing going on really. But that this is not your average village speaks from the big concrete banner across the street. It greets you when you enter and says : "Our message to the world, is the blood of our victims." A bit further on, there's a signpost pointing to the site of the Qana Massacre. It's painted brown, just like the signs to a tourist attraction. And actually it is one too, however a morbid one. Personally, I think people visiting Lebanon should be obliged to visit Qana too, as it'll give them a better insight in the cruelties of war. Like I said before, it's impossible to visit Lebanon and not be confronted with the war. I hate to get involved in politics, and I try not to, but in the case of Lebanon it's just impossible. I don't take sides. I condemn all killings, no matter who does them, but it's pretty obvious who's done them in Qana.

We stopped in front of the UN compound and I entered the site. I guarantee you that it feels odd to suddenly see all the tombs of the victims, laid out at your feet. All graves have the pictures of the dead on them. I must confess seeing this brought tears to my eyes. It's really horrible. It's not like visiting a war cemetery. These people are civilians, not soldiers. I'm not at all very religious, but I did say a prayer for the deceased. There's a board with photographs taken after the attack. They show people burnt beyond recognition, torn away limbs, lifeless children and the UN personnel that had to take care of them. A nearby sign puts the thoughts of the people here into words: "The New Holocaust"...

Behind this unusual cemetery, the barracks which were destroyed by the explosion of the rockets can still be seen. After the victims had been removed from the site, a roof was built over it, making this a very vivid reminder of the conflict. Immediately to the right is the present UN base. There's lots of barbed wire and sand-bags, and there are lookout posts. The occupied territory is very nearby !

We drove to al-Dalafeh, a hamlet of Qana. This is the location of the Cave of the Lord Christ. In that cave Christians celebrate Christmas.
An army post overlooking the valley is located at the start of the steep path which descends to the cave. The soldiers here are very careful, and guns are at the ready, but they were never unfriendly and once they had verified that we were OK, one of them even accompanied us to the grotto. On the way to it we passed several rocks which had persons carved into them. There are also several similar rocks further on. One of them shows a central figure surrounded by 12 others. This is thought to be Jesus and the Twelve Apostles.

The cave is only small and not very interesting, but when you're inside you're standing on the ground where Jesus actually slept ! At least, that's what I was told. As with all Biblically-historical sites, it's hard to prove or deny anything.
Ahmad made his deliveries and after that we returned to Tyre, bypassing a monument on the right side of the road, just out of the village. It's supposed to be the tomb of Hiram, a Phoenician king who ruled Tyre. It's a bit odd, nowadays, to find his grave right there... After all he was a king who maintained friendly relations with Israel...

Back at the dental lab, it didn't take long before Fadi arrived. He had sold all his breads and was now ready to take me on a "city tour"... We walked to el-Bass first, to visit that part of Tyre's ruins. We dropped into several shops on the way. It's a really long walk from the headland to the site, especially since the gate you pass first, namely the one at the end of Rue Abu Dib, is not open. You can climb over the fence if you like, but I don't recommend it. We walked all the way 'round the fence to the eastern entrance, which is the only one open. There's a lonely ticket booth, where you pay the LL 5000 entrance fee. They also have a fair guide book available for LL 3000.

Again this is a site with few distinct landmarks. It's very extensive but except for the Monumental Gate there's little in terms of focal points, making it less appealing. I looked at the funeral complex, the mosaics, the Apollo shrine, the Roman chariot road, the aqueduct and finally arrived at the Hippodrome, which - being 480 metres in length and 120 metres wide - occupies a large part of the site. It had a capacity of about 30,000 spectators. Unfortunately, only a small part has been restored. Still it's supposed to be the best preserved in existence. Under the Hippodrome shops were located.

It was an extremely windy day that day, and at times my eyes were full of the fine sand of which there is in abundance at the site. I decided not to take longer than absolutely necessary. The archaeological remains in Tyre are extensive and historically interesting, but they're only mildly interesting for the more casual visitor, I think.

We headed back downtown. It was late afternoon. Fadi showed me several interesting shops in the old souqs. In the evening we went to eat some great pizzas, and dropped by a games hall. Games halls are slightly different here than at home : it's a house's converted living room, stocked with PCs. You just choose a game and a guy will boot up the CD-ROM for ya'. The PCs performed poorly so it wasn't great fun, but Fadi loved it - he was doing his utmost to please me. And you know what ? Poor Fadi paid it for all expenses that day ! All the money he had earned that day was spent on me ! Unbelievable ! I tried to tell him one time that I'd pay the next time, but I had to use all my humour after that to let him believe I'd been joking... Hospitality is not taken lightly by Arabs ! Truly, it's unbelievable the friendship one encounters in the Arab world. It's unparalleled.

I needed to make an international phone call. There's of course the telephone office at the Western end of the harbour, but there's a closer one not far from Hotel Elyssa. It's back on Rue Abu Dib, a couple of houses to the left across the street (when coming from the hotel).

Late at night, we met Ali (from the dental lab) again. Together we went to visit the bakery where Fadi buys his bread. It's a centuries-old bakery located somewhere in the souqs, still functioning in the traditional way. The freshly-made bread is truly delicious ! After that, we went to Fadi's house, a poor man's residence amidst the dark souqs. I was welcomed by his mother and sister, very nice people. I only stayed for a short while because it was getting rather late and I didn't want to disturb these nice folks for too long. Ali drove me back to my hotel where I said good-bye to him and Fadi. It was the end of an extremely interesting and friendly day. I have good memories of Tyre, especially because of the people I met there. If you make it there, just ask anyone for Fadi American, everybody knows him. Don't take advantage of him, that's only too easy, but send him the best regards of his Belgian friend Patrick, the guy he went to play games with. We'd both highly appreciate that ! Thanks.

After my two nights stay in the Elyssa, I checked out and left for Beirut. I flagged down a passing minibus on the main road. The trip cost LL 5000.

Lebanon: The Chouf Mountains - Home of the Druze

2008-10-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

Chapter Seven - The Chouf Mountains - Home of the Druze

The next day I left the Palmyra Hotel in Baalbek. I took a minibus to Chtaura (LL 3000; to Zahlé is strangely enough only LL 1000). I wanted to go to Beiteddine directly (I really hated having to go via Beirut), so had to take a taxi. I asked several taxi drivers but not one wanted to negotiate the 30 bucks they wanted for the ride. They didn't come down one penny !

The ride through the Chouf mountains was extremely nice. The Chouf are a region with lots of water and hence lots of green. They're also the home of the Druze, that odd offspring of the Muslim religion. The Druze were involved in fierce fighting for the mountains during the war. They were outnumbered, but being the dedicated partisans they are, they were victorious regardless.

The village of Beiteddine is situated in the Chouf. It's famous for the extensive palace complex, built by a Lebanese emir. I first saw the palace from the other side of the valley it overlooks. The Lonely Planet guide says : "The palace almost looks like a vision from a fairy tale." I think that's highly exaggerated. I found it rather plain on the outside from a distance; I almost didn't notice it. I passed a barber's and enquired on how to get there. The guy there promptly gave me a lift.

I paid the LL 5000 entrance tax to the rather unfriendly guys at the reception and entered the Outer Courtyard, a vast empty area flanked by buildings on three sides. I visited the Joumblatt Memorial Exhibition and the Ethnographic Museum, but found neither of them too interesting. I then climbed the main staircase and entered the Central Courtyard. This is extremely beautiful, and so are most of the buildings surrounding it, also on the inside. There's a nice fountain, the views over the valley are good and the colours used in the construction of the quarters are warm and make things very cosy. I had to descend to the lower terraces and the rest of the complex by another, but plain, staircase. The entrance to the Third Court was closed, and I also couldn't visit the extensive kitchens, bathhouse and Tomb of Sitt Chams. Luckily the lovely gardens and the views from them make up for a lot of that loss. There's a mosaic museum in the former stables, but although the atmosphere inside is good (especially because of the good choice of light), I found the collection only very average.

A visit to the Palace of Beiteddine can take quite a while, especially if you want to be thorough. Personally, I found the palace nice but nothing to rave about. The complex's exterior is beautiful and so are some of the interiors (it is forbidden to take photographs inside of those). Unfortunately, most interiors are very plain, and filling the empty space with just some average museum really doesn't make up for that. The palace was occupied by the Israelis during the war, and allegedly they've stolen a lot of its treasures, so it's fortunate that we can still visit it at all.

I grabbed my backpack which I'd left at the palace's entrance and walked the five kilometre down the road around the valley to Deir al-Qamar. The first thing in Deir I came across was Castle Moussa, a very artificial looking building. And artificial it is. It's the product of the mind of a certain Mister Moussa. He wanted to realise his dream of life by building this castle and filling it with wax figures showing traditional Lebanese life the way he saw it.

Entrance is LL 5000. The displays are IMHO pretty crappy, and the whole thing is nothing but a tourist trap of no real interest. At the end of the 'tour', there's an unfriendly souvenir shop and a guy who - if you show enough interest - will serve you a cup of coffee; he grinds the beans in a traditional grinder, making music in the process. Would be nice if it wasn't so 'plastic'; a tip is also expected.
This castle really looks as if it comes out of a fairytale book, contrary to Beiteddine Palace, so it's hard to resist going inside. However, I'd be tempted to recommend to do just that, were it not for the fact that this Mr Moussa built everything with his own bare hands !

Further down the road, I walked into Deir al-Qamar centre. The village is situated more or less 'round a central square with a fountain, a lovely place. Most of the beautiful buildings I saw upon arriving, were definitely old and I understood why all of Deir is rightfully preserved as a national monument. I had to get rid of my backpack. I had a couple of tasty (and cheap enough) hamburgers at Snack Antoun's. The place is located at the corner of the main street, just behind the mosque and is run by Georges Antoun Bassem. He's a really nice guy, and didn't mind at all that I left my pack there until I had finished my visit.

Dominating the square was the Musée Marie Baz, housed in the former palace of Emir Fakhr ad-Dine. Since 1925 it's the property of Baz family, and in 1995 Samir Baz decided to open it to the public and turned it into a wax museum depicting in Lebanese history since 1512. The museum was inaugurated in July 97.

The museum is only small (actually the restaurant inside is bigger than the exposition), but the staff are extremely friendly and helpful. The wax figures are well-executed and the whole gives a pretty good insight in the 'who's who' of Lebanon's history. Entry is a bit steep at LL 6000. There's a guidebook available for LL 3000, but is only a photocopied affair. Still, it can be handy to understand who exactly you're looking at if you're not exactly well-informed about the country.

I decided to look around the rest of the historical buildings but didn't know exactly where to start. My help appeared as if out of nothingness : an older chap approached me and told me he was a guide in Deir al-Qamar. If I wanted to see all the places I just had to follow him. He spoke excellent French and a bit English, and was a great source of information. That guy really knows everything about his village; he already was a guide years before the war, but still does his job with as much love and attention as 25 years ago. His name is George Bustani and you can find him in one of the base rooms of the Palace of Fakhr ad-Din Maan I. Everybody knows him, so you shouldn't have to look around for long.

He showed me all the interesting places, including the old mosque, synagogue, the church containing a miraculous painting and the serail. Everything was well-explained. He's a modest chap and expects only a small tip. LL 2000 should be fine.

After this tour I spent some more time looking around on my own. Then I went to pick up my backpack and took a service taxi to Saida (LL 5000; to Damour (where you can change to another taxi) would have been LL3000).

Lebanon: Baalbek and the Bekaa Valley

2008-10-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

Chapter Six - Baalbek and the Bekaa Valley

There are no direct service taxis to Baalbek. You have to get one to Beirut first (LL 10,000) and change there to another (LL 10,000). I took a direct taxi (LL 50,000) because I wanted to go via the high mountain pass and take some pictures on the road. It was a nice drive with some spectacular views, really worth paying the extra bucks for. In winter this road is closed due to extremely heavy snowfall.

There were several checkpoints along the way, especially upon getting closer to the Bekaa Valley. At two of them (both Syrian) I needed to show my passport, and one of them even checked inside the trunk of the car. This was the only time such a thing happened; all the other times I was just waved on by the soldiers.

When I arrived in Baalbek, the first thing that drew my attention was the machine gun fire, seemingly not too far away. I could hear heavy guns firing slow but with force, and hand-held guns replying (?) this with rapid fire. I never found out what was going on, but I do know that several people came out of their houses to listen to it and they started discussing about it.

Baalbek was the seat of the Hezbollah party, the Shiite Party Of God which was responsible for the famous kidnappings of Western tourists. Nowadays there are welcoming sights, however. Even most of the big posters of the Ayatollah Khomeini that allegedly dominated the streets before, have gone. The city of Baalbek is rather dull, plain in appearance. Not a real surprise considering the modest nature of the Shiites. That's probably why the impressive ruins attract even more attention than they already would otherwise. When I was taken to the Palmyra Hotel (there are only two other, but extremely basic, hotels in Baalbek) they appeared to be literally everywhere. They were so strikingly beautiful that I almost couldn't wait to explore them. This was similar to Palmyra in Syria where the road also goes right past the old remains.

Walking into the oddly-named Palmyra Hotel was like entering a bygone era. Right from the moment I'd passed the iron gate of this 120 years-old hotel, I felt like a character right out of an Agatha Christie novel or something. The place still had the air of the days of before. Inside, the hotel is still very much furnished and decorated as it must have been in the years before the war; on the walls are old black-and-white pictures of the ruins and of the famous people who once stayed there, including Général de Gaulle and the empress of Abyssinia. Even the porters cum waiters cum bellboys seemed to date back to that time. I loved it from the second I entered. Rooms didn't come cheap, though, at LL 55,000/70,000 for singles/doubles, plus 15% service tax and 5% err... tax. Still, it's a blast staying there ! The proprietor, Ali Husseini, wrote in the Daily Star Online the following about the people who visit nowadays : "They're the curious, intellectual type. They're not here for a disco." And I think that really fits the character of the place indeed. Although since recently the rooms have been equipped with central heating (whereas before this was by paraffin stove), one shouldn't expect the mod-cons usually associated with a hotel in this class. There is no air conditioning, telephone, room-service, etc. The Palmyra's all about nostalgia, of which you'll get a high dose if you stay here!

I have eaten in the hotel a few times as well. The restaurant is yet another experience. Strangely enough I was always alone in the restaurant, and indeed there were hardly any other guests staying. This doesn't discourage the staff, however. No matter if it's for breakfast, dinner or supper, the tables are always perfectly set, with a wide range of mezzes and toasted breads already on the table. I wondered why they do that. Surely they'll have to bin or give away the lot if it's not eaten ?

The selection of dishes is a bit limited, but no matter what you order, the quality's always excellent. This was the best food I had in Lebanon, no doubt. The price is very reasonable too : between LL 7500 & 11000 (without the 15 + 5% taxes). Soft drinks are LL 1000. I don't drink alcohol so I can't comment on the price of that. The waiters are quite hungry for tips; they'll even tell you when you've 'under-tipped'.

OK. Enough about the hotel. You'll start to think it's even more important than the ruins. :-)

The Palmyra is located right by the ruins. It's only a short walk down a peaceful road to the main entrance of the site. There you'll be approached by several people, offering you everything from a fake silver coin to a camel ride. Except for some postcards and a small guidebook I gave it all a miss. I was thirsty and wanted a coffee, but was hit for LL 1000 ! Skip it !

Baalbek was the Heliopolis, the Sun City of the ancient Greek and later the Romans, who took over the earlier Phoenician site dedicated to the God Baal. It's rightfully famous for its majestic, enormous temple ruins, where all kinds of licentious rites were held, including sexual worshipping and temple prostitution.

A ticket to enter costs LL 10,000, but it's certainly worth every penny. Already near and on the monumental staircase, which leads up to the propylaea, I noticed how intricately built the whole place is, and how big. Yet it was only a poor reflection of what was to come !

From the propylaea a door gives way to the so-called Hexagonal Courtyard. It's not an equilateral hexagon; the two sides which make out the entrance and exit are wider. This enclosure is beautiful with arches and niches - some still decorated - all around you.

I left the Hexagonal Courtyard by one of the gateways which lead to the Great Court, another enclosure (but rectangular this time) of not less than 135 metres long and 113 metres wide. Upon entering I was struck by the size of the place. It's huge ! On all but one sides it's surrounded by richly decorated niches, columns and twelve exedrae, eight rectangular and four semi-circular. The fourth side, immediately in front of you in the distance, is a wide, monumental staircase leading up to the Temple of Jupiter. In the middle of the enclosure are the remnants of a huge altar (its base is over 20 metres) and on either side is a decorated pool of over 20 metres in length (I just mention all these figures, because dimensions are really important in Baalbek; everything is so huge, that only by me telling you how big exactly, you can start getting an indication of the size of the place !). These pools are very intricately decorated with Medusa heads, nymphs, Cupids, bulls,...

I walked up the stairs of the Temple of Jupiter-Baal. It's seen better times; most of it has been destroyed, if not by nature then by man. Judging by what still remains, it must have been one hell of a construction, almost impossible to imagine. The 54 columns, of which only six still stand, made out a portico surrounding the 106 by 69 metres big temple. They're really huge, the biggest in the world, measuring 23 metres in height and 2.2 metres in diameter ! The very nicely decorated cornice on top of the columns is another 5 or 6 metres high. One can only imagine what an incredible building this once must have been.

From the high platform on which the Jupiter Temple was built, one overlooks the impressive Temple of Bacchus and the Arab fortifications, much later additions.
The immense diameter of the columns When I had descended from the platform, I could see the foundation stones. In-cre-di-ble ! These blocks are gigantic ! It is not surprising that legend has it that Baalbek was built by giants. In fact, even today it's hard to imagine it was built by human beings, even if they'd have had machines. Segments of fallen pillars lie next to the platform. I walked past their diametrical sides and was dwarfed by them. Closely observing the intricate carvings, which include well-executed lion heads, on the fallen parts of the cornice, I realised the look of the place must have had the ancients standing in awe. After all, I was completely baffled, and I was only looking at the ruins... I looked around inside an ancient tunnel, emerged again and gazed at the Temple of Bacchus, and noticed some fallen friezes which had been erected near the side of the temple. Wonderful !

I walked to the entrance. The first view of it was dazzling ! You cannot possibly understand the beauty : thirty-three steps with three landings lead up to a fantastically decorated doorway (15 metres in height) with a massive hanging keystone. Looking diagonally inside, one sees the exquisitely finished ornamentation, including incredible fluted columns. Truly awesome ! A fine portico runs around the entrance, and a large gallery with a double row of columns surrounds the other temple sides. The cornice of this gallery is extremely beautiful; the 'roof' is finely carved with busts of mythological figures.

The Temple of Bacchus is a misnomer. Actually the sanctuary was dedicated to Astarte (Venus). In antiquity it was called 'The Small Temple', although the acropolis is bigger than the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.

It was at the Bacchus Temple that I met Ali and his two children. He was a tall and sturdy man; his face remembered me of a Bedouin I had met in the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. Just like me he was gazing at the impressive decorations. I said "Hello" to him. He greeted me back and (using gestures) asked me if I could take a picture of him and his son and daughter. I said I'd be glad to. Ali didn't speak any English at all, but his 16 year-old daughter Rasha did very well, so she acted as a translator. We talked about the ruins initially, but we got more personal after a while. Ali was about to leave for Saudi Arabia to work there for a long period. He was having a last walk around his home town, and was taking some photographs as a remembrance. Dunno why, but he instantly liked me very much. I liked him as well. He was rather philosophical about everything, had a great sense of humour and a kind nature. A good man. He asked me if I was finished, looking at the ruins. Actually I was, so I said : "Yes. Are you ?" He said he was and invited me to join him for a walk. Of course I accepted.

Whilst we were walking through town, past a green park, towards the Ras el-Ain spring, he told me he and his family were Shiites. He was quite liberal from a religious point of view though, and he and his kids were modern and had an open mind. He'd been a soldier before (also in the war), but was now a car mechanic. Rasha was great fun to talk to too. She didn't limit herself to just translating what her father and I said to each other, but brought in a lot of input by herself. Especially for her age, she was a very clever girl with good views on life.

Whereas Baalbek had first appeared to me as a boring town, I now sort of had to change my mind. The route to the spring was lovely, and so was the area around the spring itself. Not a great deal to see - there was an ruined ancient mosque nearby as well - but a nice place to pass some time. There are a couple of friendly, quiet cafes in the immediate vicinity.

After a while we walked back towards the town centre, exchanging facts and experiences. Once in town, Ali asked me if I wanted to come with him to the house of his mother-in-law. I thankfully accepted.

The house was quite lovely, both inside and out, and had a nice, small courtyard. I met Ali's wife and his mother-in-law, who was in her eighties. His wife could have been Rasha's sister. She looked young and was very friendly. So was his mother-in-law (friendly that is, not young :-) ). She spoke a little French. On the walls of the living room were many pictures of Shiite 'saints', including Ali and Saida Zainab (whose tomb I had visited in Syria). We had a long and interesting conversation, mostly about politics (mainly about Israel and the war) and religion. Ali said he was especially impressed by my views towards Muslims. I think he thought Westerners all had an aversion for Muslims. He didn't share all my political ideas though; he was a lot more extreme than me. Which is not surprising. When members of your family have been killed by another people, you cannot but dislike them. Out of respect for me, Ali said, and as a lasting remembrance, he offered me a nice Arabic translation of the Catholic Bible. I was really touched.
I was offered food and drinks, and stayed until late at night. Then I had to say the inevitable good-byes. I have great, ever-lasting memories of this visit, and hope to meet these kind and hospitable people again. I remember wondering why so many Westerners who have never actually been to a Muslim region, can dislike these great people so much, just because the media give them the impression they are mindless fanatics... Of course there are extremists among them, but then we should ask ourselves : aren't there fanatics, extremists, in our country, in our region ? I rest my case...

Spent a lovely night in the Palmyra Hotel. The next day, I went for a walk to the quarry where the colossal stone blocks used in the construction of the temples were cut. It's better known locally as Hajar al-Hubla, meaning 'Stone of the Pregnant Woman'. Presumably it'd increase the fertility of women. The locals make fun of it now, because it's actually a corruption of Hajar al-Qubla, 'Stone of the South'. The reason for the name is the sole gigantic stone block that still lies in the quarry, ready to be transported. It's a single stone block, the largest known in the world. It measures 21.5 x 4 x 4.5 metres and weighs 2000 tons. One can only wonder how on Earth it was possible to transport such an enormous stone over a distance of over one kilometre and then raise it to a height of ten metres.

Overlooking the site is a small souvenir shop, run by a former Lebanese soldier. He offered me coffee and took some snaps of me. He's a great bloke to talk to. There's no pressure at all to buy. He has a good collection of photographs, including pictures of him during the war.

I walked back to the main site. When I reached the visitors' parking lot, I wondered where the entrance to the site behind it would be. A seemingly nice collection of Roman ruins could be seen, but I also saw that it was completely fenced off. I walked around the perimeter, and found a couple of iron gates, all locked. I enquired at the house opposite the first gate when coming from the parking. A man there told me I could get in for $2. Too curious about what was inside, I agreed to pay. I was let in. Inside was a quite splendid collection of ancient remains, including a small amfitheatre. Nobody could explain to me what function the buildings here had, nor did I (later) find anything in books or on the Internet. Nevertheless, recommended.

Close to entrance of the main site again, is the lovely Temple of Venus, which unfortunately can only seen from a distance through an annoying fence. Nearby is the Great Mosque, but it could not be visited as it was completely being reconstructed.

Hermel Pyramid From Rue Abdel Halim Hajjar service taxis leave to several destinations. I went to Hermel. Service taxis go right to Hermel centre, but you can ask to be let out at the start of the path leading to the mysterious Hermel Pyramid. Nothing is known about this almost 30 metres high monument, solely standing in the desolate landscape of the northern Bekaa Valley. Nobody knows exactly what it is and why its there, but it's quite beautiful, except for the ugly graffiti which 'adorns' the base. As strange the monument may be, it also makes for a rather short visit, as there's really nothing else to see or do but to gaze at the monument and soak up the atmosphere. A visit which had to end with a ten kilometre walk on to Hermel. This can be avoided by taking a taxi to the Pyramid, but the drivers will want no less than LL 40,000 for the drive there from Baalbek. A high price for 'just' a pyramid.

Near Hermel is Deir Mar Maroun, an old rock-cut monastery. The location is quite nice, near the Orontes River. The caves cum residences are mildly interesting, but as a visit involves hiring a(n expensive) taxi, I'd skip 'em next time. There's not an awful lot to actually see (except a bat colony), but it's nice to do a bit of exploration inside. Be warned that there are some relatively dangerous climbs involved though.

There's actually only one main road through the Bekaa Valley, running north to south. On certain stretches cars jostle for space, whereas on the quieter parts, they drive fast (140 km/h is not an exception), making the traffic (with often careless drivers) quite dangerous. There are frequent military checkpoints. After all, this is still a sensitive area. Hezbollah flags with the typical machine gun pictogram wave everywhere. I also noticed some signs which depict a horrible looking skeleton with wide-opened mouth and sharp teeth, wearing a helmet with the Star of David. The helmets are always riddled with bullet holes. Real bullet holes...
At several points along the road, I noticed several old car dumps. I wondered why they were there. Then I noticed that under and behind the wrecks there were tanks, still very much at the ready. The more south I went, the more tanks and heavy artillery I noticed, although it never was too obvious.

And south I went. To the Umayyad ruins of Aanjar, not far from the border with Syria. A taxi is the only really feasible way IMHO to visit the place. A taxi from Chtaura will cost around $20, whereas a driver from Baalbek will ask you an amazing LL 60,000 ! Aanjar is quite unique as it's the only significant Umayyad site in the whole country.

The site and actually the whole town is a peaceful place (or at least it feels like it now). Entrance costs LL 4000, payable at the only gate open to the public (the other entrances are guarded by Syrian soldiers who will deny you entry from there (or exit if you're coming from within the site)).

There are few other tourists, and the ones I did meet here were independent travellers. A guy from Venezuela as well as an elder couple from France told me they loved the site for its authenticity and desolation. So did I. It's rather funny, walking along Roman roads lined with arches, with behind them the typically patterned Umayyad walls. A large part of the site consists of rubble, but the setting is lovely. The highlight is the Great Palace, which has partly been reconstructed. The visit to this site took me almost two hours.

Near the turnoff to the site, there are several cafes and restaurants which specialise in trout. I didn't try them, but continued straight to Majdel Aanjar to visit the old citadel. Driving a car up the hill is not a sinecure; the streets are extremely narrow and sometimes are dead ends. Once I finally made it to the top, the views over the Bekaa, sweeping away at your feet, is magnificent. The ruins are worth the visit as well. The people in the village are very friendly and were surprised to see a foreign visitor.

Lebanon: The culmination of Lebanon's mountain scenery

2008-10-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

Chapter Five - The culmination of Lebanon's mountain scenery

The following morning I went to Bcharré. At a certain point the road runs about 20 kilometres along the Kadisha Valley, an impressive, beautiful wide gorge of nearly 50 kms long. One passes through several small villages, some of which are worth a look (e.g. Ehden). The viewpoints are often stunning, and at some places it's worthwhile to descend into the gorge to visit some religious (Maronite) retreats, none of which I found particularly fascinating, but the surroundings are great.

Bcharré is situated on the northern side of the valley and is very picturesque, especially with the massive St Saba Church which has literally been built on the edge of the gorge. It's a pleasant place to spend some time. I went to the Gibran Museum, the number one (and in fact the only one to speak of) attraction in town. Gibran Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese-American philosophical essayist, novelist, poet, and all-round artist. The museum, housed in the buildings of the former Saint Joseph Monastery of the Carmelite Fathers. It's a delightful place; quiet and flowered climbing-plants all over the entrance. Unfortunately, the museum had a problem with the power generator when I arrived there. I enquired inside where the friendly caretaker informed me the problem would very likely be solved after an hour or two. I decided to take a stroll in town and have lunch. I ended up at the Mississippi Restaurant, which is literally surrounded by gushing water. The thundering of the water is very hard on the hearing though, and after a while it becomes a nuisance.

This restaurant turned out to be the worst place I have eaten during my entire trip. The waiters were mighty unfriendly, call it downright rude (at a certain point I almost angrily left), and forced me to take a seat in a very bad location. The food was not even mediocre, and the selection of dishes available was poor, consisting mainly of raw meat, which as they should know, is not to everyone's taste. On top of that, the bill was extraordinarily high, much higher than the quoted prices had suggested, with all kinds of dubious taxes slapped on. I guess it won't come as a surprise when I tell you I didn't tip in this place ? I was glad to be outta there.

I returned to the museum, where in the meantime the generator had indeed been fixed. When I paid my LL 3000 entrance fee, the curator apologised because some paintings were at an exhibition in Paris, and so the collection at the museum was 'incomplete'. He lent me a guidebook which listed all the pieces. I'm not at all a connoisseur, but I found Gibran's work inspiring and in general highly romantic in outlook. It's clear that he indeed was influenced by the Bible, Friedrich Nietzsche and William Blake. I had expected a quick visit, but I was thoroughly impressed and the visit ended up taking a couple of hours. The museum is well-thought out; amidst the paintings are personal belongings of the artist and parts of his furniture. The tour ends with a descend into the room - carved into the rocks of the monastery - where Gibran sleeps his eternal sleep. There's a lot of symbolic power in this part of the building. Awesome !

A footpath near the museum (it's signposted) leads up to the Phoenician Obelisk, a great rock, in which are three small burial chambers. Not spectacular, but the views are good.

A short walk uphill from Bcharré brought me to a narrow path which diverted from the main road. A walk of twenty minutes along this path, which sometimes goes right through the living rock, lead me to the entrance of the Kadisha Cave. An old chap acted as caretaker; he collected the LL 3000 I had to pay to enter. The cave has the advantage of not being trodden all over, but if you've seen the Jeita Grotto only a week or so before, it seems to be only a poor reflection of the latter. What bothered me in this place, was that it's too artificial. In their efforts to make it more accessible and to create falls to make the whole thing somehow more impressive, the responsible for this cave have overdone the concrete additions. The far end of the cave is the most beautiful part; nicely coloured stalactites and stalagmites abound.

Only if you have some time to kill in or around Bcharré, that one.

It was time to move on to the famous Cedars. They grow high up in the mountains, at an altitude of over 2000 metres. They're so important to everybody that they've even made it into the national flag, so I was expecting a lot ! And I knew that most of the time when you're expecting a lot of a place, you end up disappointed. Not so with the Cedars ! They're great ! It's only a small grove, especially when you see it from a distance, from even higher up. But the organisation here has constructed an 'approach road', winding through some of the surrounding desolate landscape, and nice, even more winding, walkways amidst the mighty trees. That way the illusion of a far more extensive area is created. Really, bank on at least a 60 minutes walk, even if you kinda rush things. A real eye catcher when you enter the grove from the parking lot is a most beautiful, old, but dead, cedar tree. Its bark has been removed and varnished by some artist. If you look carefully you can detect a face in one of the branches.

Some of the trees are enormous. There's one which is way over 1000 years old.
The Cedar grove makes for a pleasant afternoon and I can highly recommend a visit. Try to avoid the tourist stalls at the main entrance, and use the entrance near the parking lot at the back. The stalls will only ruin the illusion... and your budget (if you have one).

I still had my backpack in Tripoli so I had to return, but if I'd been smart I'd continued the same day to Baalbek. Now I could only do that the next morning.

Lebanon: Welcome to the Middle East: Tripoli

2008-10-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

Chapter Four - Welcome to the Middle East: Tripoli

I managed to hitch to Tripoli. Arriving there was like arriving in the 'real' Middle East, the Middle East I was used to. The muezzin calling to prayer, dirty streets with road-side stalls crowded with people, many of them Muslim women in long robes, extremely friendly people when asking for directions or just when passing by... God, I loved it !

I asked to be dropped off at Rue Tall, near the clock tower, as that's where the budget hotels are located. I realised that in Lebanon you can actually have that incredible experience, that awesome feeling of moving from a Westernised environment to a much more genuine Oriental one, by only driving a very short distance. Lebanon therefore could be a great introduction to the rest of the Middle East, not only to the people, the sort of sites and the food, but also - and very much so - to the problems of the region. If you like places like Tripoli, the Bekaa Valley and Saida, you'll just love the other countries !

I checked out a couple of places to stay : the Hotel des Cèdres, Palace Hotel and Hotel Koura. The latter was IMHO the best of the three. It's run by a woman and her brother. Both are very friendly; the (unmarried) lady speaks French, her brother can handle both French and English. They're Catholics, which must be rather tough in a city which is 95% Muslim.

The hotel is old and is run-down ("It is a very nice, converted old house off Rue Tall" in the Lonely Planet guide was definitely an overstatement !). Apparently the owners noticed that too, as renovations are in progress. Most of the only handful of rooms that could be had, were occupied by Syrian workers, friendly chaps. My air-conditioned single cost me LL 20,000. There was only a wash-basin. The bathroom was down the hall. The quality of the room was acceptable, but compared to most of the other places I (had to) stay(ed), it was a dump.

When I returned from an early evening walk, I met some youngsters virtually next door to the al-Koura. Gamel, Radwan, Mohammad and Ali; Ali was only sixteen and had lived fifteen years of his life in Germany. He told me that he had stayed in Hotel Koura as well. The asking price for him had been LL 4000, he said, but without A/C ! That shows the price difference for locals and foreigners ! He urged me to complain, but of course there's no way I'd been able to get a room for that price.

Gamel and Mohammad went for another walk with me. They treated me to all kinds of small presents : drinks, sweets,... Gamel, who worked in the gold souq, even gave me a nice tie-pin (although I never wear ties :-) ) !

I wanted to eat something. Gamel immediately suggested the Kentucky Fried Chicken, because they had "the best hamburgers". Clearly American fast-food joints held a big attraction to the Lebanese youth... Still, I must admit that the burgers are better than the ones I later had at Big Bite's. Good Food, a new place, virtually 'round the corner from the al-Koura came recommended by locals, but I didn't eat there. We had a nice conversation, and Gamel said he would arrange a car the next evening, and then he and his friends would take me out. Sounded like fun. We agreed to meet at 5 pm, which is unthinkable nowadays in Western Europe. I suppose the youth over here, within a couple of years, will agree to meet at 5 am (if they don't already :-) )...

I had a good night's sleep. In the (early) morning I went for a walking tour of the city, but first I had breakfast at Paradise Pizza. It's indeed a pizza joint, but they also have lovely croissants and stuff. Delicious, cheap, friendly, the keywords of the place and therefore highly recommended.

The old city is a fascinating area to explore, and that's really what you're doing : exploring ! It's a real maze ! People were friendly and helpful wherever I went. It would lead too far to mention all mosques, hammams and old buildings I came across, so I limit myself to the most interesting/striking. Besides, some interesting ones were under reconstruction to fix the war damage, so they looked more like construction sites (which of course they were) than architectural treasures.

The gate of the Grand Mosque was closed when I arrived. I asked a cigarettes vendor near the entrance if I could have a peek. "No Problem", he said, and opened the door for me. The mosques better looking from the inner courtyard than it does from the street, although it's not baffling. Adjacent is the al-Qartawiya Madrassah. Its façade is nice but again not baffling. Just past the mosque and inside the souq is the Hammam en-Nouri. It can be seen from the street from 'round the corner. The entrance is a bit tricky to find, as you have to walk right through a small shop. The hammam is rather dilapidated but one can still visualise how it once must have looked; rather grand that is.

In my guidebook I had seen a picture of a hammam with a striking rooftop : full of particularly intriguing domes. Unfortunately the book didn't mention the name of the bath house. I enquired at a butcher's. The friendly chap spoke English quite well. He had worked in Togo for ten years and had only recently returned to Tripoli. So, he didn't remember the name of the place. In the background I noticed a mosque's minaret. "Do you know the name of this mosque ?", I asked. "Yes, he said, I do recognise that one. I also cannot remember the name, but I can direct you to it."

A stroll through the winding and rather dirty souq streets brought me to the al-Muallaq Mosque; the minaret is its best feature. This area had apparently seen some fighting in the war, as many buildings in the neighbourhood were riddled with bullet holes.

I needed to ask where the hammam was situated. I was in luck. Some of the taxi drivers who were waiting for customers there had lived in Germany and therefore spoke the language. I showed them the book and said I wanted to see that place. "Oh, that's the Hammam al-Jadid", the men said. One of them took me by the arm and walked me to the entrance. Unfortunately, it appeared to be locked. "How can I get inside ?", I wanted to know. The man didn't know. He said good-bye and left. Obviously, that wasn't good enough for me. The plain, dusty exterior didn't satisfy me at all; I wanted to see the domes on the roof ! I searched until I found somebody who spoke a little English. A merchant. He too took me by the arm and walked me to the entrance. "How can I get in ? Where's the key ?", I asked. Unfortunately he couldn't tell me either. Would I really have to leave without having seen what I came for ? A shopkeeper who had been sitting in front of his shop had been observing me all the time, probably wondering what I was up to. I walked up to him and made some gestures as if I was turning a key in a door. He understood what I wanted, and pointed towards a policeman who was drinking tea with another shopkeeper.

"Hello sir. Could you please tell me where I can get the key to open that door ?"
He just looked at me. He didn't understand English.
My sign language got the message through to him.
"Two thousand.", was his only answer.
"Excuse me, sir ?"
"Two thousand."
I understood all right. Sigh. I handed him the money.
He walked with me to the door and kicked it with his boot. It just opened. It wasn't locked at all ! They had told me it was locked but I actually never checked.
The policeman smiled and handed the money back to me, and told me to leave it inside. There was a box "for the upkeep of the site". He had taught me an important lesson : to not take everything for granted.

Inside the hammam was splendid. Truly splendid ! It's a big place, and I explored all the rooms. There's a big dome built over the fountain in the entrance. Very beautiful ! I asked a worker how I could get on the roof. He showed me the stairs which lead up to it. Wow ! The domes were very impressive, even more so than on the picture ! They look like ordinary, small cupolas with old bottles sticking out of them. These are thick, conical, specially-made glass objects; inside they make for a diffuse light, though brighter than you'd imagine.

I headed for the Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles, near the Kadisha River. It's an imposing Crusader castle, partly restored. It wasn't very clear where the entrance was to be found, but finally I got in. A ticket was LL 5000. Inside, the place is huge. Huge but plain. There's nothing to do really but to enjoy the fine views from the ramparts. Extensive buildings like this would be ideally suited to house a museum of some sort; it's really too big to be empty. Even better would it be to add furniture and utensils, just like in the time it was actually lived in. An architect responsible for the restoration of the castle, told me in the years before the war there was a fine restaurant in one of the vaulted halls. He showed me, and I think it must have been one hell of a place to dine. No doubt very expensive. He said there were high hopes for the future, but for the moment there were hardly any visitors (especially when compared to 'before').

From the walls, I noticed an attractive spot a short distance from the citadel, near the bridge over the river. I decided to take a look at it after I would leave.
So I did. First I walked across the bridge. From there the view of the castle is stunning. There was a small wooden barrack which was used as a 'leisure shack' by some local men. They chatted, played backgammon and drank coffee. I decided to drop in and 'mingle'. I was given a warm welcome. I had a couple of Pepsi's. The temperature during my whole stay in Lebanon was high; it was downright hot, and a cold drink from time to time was more than welcome. Unfortunately nobody could speak anything but Arabic, and my vocabulary in that language is really much too limited. :-)

After an hour or so I went to see the place I'd seen from the citadel. It was a nice, green spot. Out of the foliage peeked a beautiful minaret. It belonged to the al-Burtasiya Mosque. There's a madrassah in there as well.

Back across the river again, I tried to get a service taxi to stop. There were many of them, but strangely enough, it took me nearly fifteen minutes to get a ride. And then it wasn't even a service, but an ordinary taxi (count on LL 5000 for that ride). I wanted to see the Lion Tower in al-Mina. "To al-Mina", I said. And so that's where Ali, the driver, headed. al-Mina is situated on a headland and consists - among others - of some (very) posh neighbourhoods. There are lovely palm tree-lined boulevards, and nice shops. Unfortunately this was not where I needed to be. The Lion Tower was out of the built-up area. But I didn't know where we were at that very moment, of course, and even the Arabic name of the tower, Bourj es-Sba, didn't mean anything to Ali. It took several stops at different shops to find out where it was. Upon finally approaching it, I noticed the sad remains of a former train station. On the tracks still stood trains and carriages, but they were completely rusting away. Years ago, Lebanon had a reasonable railway network, but the war put an end to that.

The Lion Tower, although it's hardly worth the name IMHO, is a really beautiful monument. Entrance is free. There are a couple of people who will guide you around inside if you want. One of them did that by self-appointment for me, but oddly enough he didn't expect a tip at the end (and I didn't want to start a trend).

From the roof there's a great view towards Tripoli. You are on the headland a couple of kilometres away from the town centre. In between is nothing but some wasteland, and behind the buildings in the distance are mountains. It's a lovely sight.

I decided to walk along the old train tracks towards a big shed where I had seen a collection of locomotives was stored. When I passed some carriages, I noticed that some of the rusted away side panels had been replaced by woven reed, and on the ground under the unit were piles of garbage. I suspected the worst : there were people living in these trains. And yes indeed, inside one carriage I noticed some assorted nudity pictures, and in the next a head carefully peeked outside and retreated as soon as I looked in its direction. I decided it was better to move on. There were several fuel tanks whose thick walls had been shot clear through with heavy artillery.

The most surprising thing, however, was that there, amidst the scrap, was still a small café. Apparently - judging from the cases with empty bottles - it was still functioning; I wonder who on Earth still visits it... It was closed when I passed by though. Close to the train shed, I had to make my way through some bushes. Big was my surprise when I stared into the nozzle of an automatic rifle equipped with a bayonet. It belonged to a Syrian soldier. I smiled and shook hands with him. He was a sentry of the Syrian army battalion who had taken in the shed. Walking any further, let alone taking pictures of the locomotives, was strictly prohibited. I considered it wiser to leave. I walked a couple of hundred metres, and then managed to pick up a service taxi to Tall for LL 1000.

I changed to another taxi (LL 5000) to get to Qubbet al-Beddawi, a town which adjoins Tripoli. The driver wondered what the heck I thought to find in Beddawi. "There", pointing to the city behind us, he said, "city. Qubbet nothing." I explained I wanted to see the Whirling Dervish Monastery and the pool with sacred carp which were supposed to be located there. He didn't understand me at all. I tried to explain that Beddawi was the dervish who brought the 'Whirling' to this region and had given his name to the town, but to no avail. Taxi drivers in Lebanon easily admit that they don't know where a place is located, which is in stark contrast to many drivers in Europe, who will drive until they do (or don't...) find whatever it is you want to go to... We stopped in Qubbet and popped into several shops until we had found some people who could speak a foreign language. A met a bloke who'd lived in Australia before, and another who spoke French perfectly. Neither of them at first got what I was on about, although there was no language barrier anymore. After a while, I found the reason for this : the pool with the carp had dried out. According to M'hammad, the French-speaking man, there hadn't been carp in there since 1986, except for 1992 when there had been extensive rains and the fish 'miraculously' returned in the pool for one year only. No wonder I had to refresh some memories ! 1986, that's twelve years ago !

The monastery is still there, however, but it's not functional anymore. The mosque is. In the presence of M'hammad I was given a warm welcome and was shown around the place. I also got to see the tomb of Beddawi, the Dervish.

The sanctuary is built upon the remains of Crusader buildings, the Priory of St Anthony of Padua. Because I was genuinely interested, several doors which are normally closed for visitors, were unlocked for me. I was taken to the top of the minaret from where there's an excellent view of the former priory buildings; it's quite easy to make the distinction between the Crusader buildings and the newer additions. In the recent civil war, the monastery was used by Palestinian fighters. It'll come as no surprise now that the place could do with a thorough renovation ? Windows have been bricked up, walls have been built inside to make separations, there's 'war graffiti' all over the interior, and several (dead) soldier's clothes and utensils still lie in the dark 'n' dusty corridors and rooms. According to M'hammad it'll be a long time before the government will have any funds available for the restoration of this place; it's not on the priority list (which is perfectly understandable, of course). It was an interesting visit, but it won't appeal to many people, although the left portico is worth mentioning.

Right next door, Syrian workers were involved in the construction of what looked like an apartment block. They were intrigued by this Westerner taking such an interest in the place; after all, I spent at least a full hour there. Being the naturally hospitable people they are, the Syrians invited me and M'hammad over to drink tea. I gladly accepted (see ? that's the reason why I like Syria so much and have such a great respect for their people). I was taken to the underground parking lot for the new building. In this environment the workers actually lived. Several mattresses were lying on the ground, mosquito nets hung over them. There was a corner which was used as a would-be kitchen, judging from the pots, pans and utensils. A gas stove was fired up, and about ten minutes later we were all enjoying a nice cuppa. My hosts spoke only Arabic, but M'hammad could do all the translations for me. They were delighted to hear that I had been to Syria before, and we all revived 'old' memories.

Of course, these guys had to go back to work, so after half an hour or so, we said good-bye. Now it was M'hammad who invited me to lunch at his house, which was nearby. Again, I accepted; actually I hardly ever refuse, 'cause occasions like these are often the greatest memories of a trip, memories you won't have if you join a tour group.

M'Hammad's place was well-furnished and -equipped. I met his wife and little kid. Nice people. M'hammad had been working for the government before, but had now retired. He was a very decent, cultivated man, with good knowledge of many topics. It was fun talking to him.

After the tasty dinner, M'hammad and his wife drove me back to Tall. I went to my hotel to wait for Gamel to show up. At 4.30 there was a knock on my door. Gamel. His friends with the car were waiting 'round the corner. They were sort of dressed up for the occasion, and even made a stop at a roadside stall to buy after-shave. I turned out we were going to Enfe, where supposedly the "best cinema in Lebanon" was located. It's certainly a big complex; it's called Las Salinas, and it's part of the resort of the same name. It has a very modern appearance and four theatres. Big was my friends' disappointment when they found out they had already seen all the films on show. Honestly, they looked like they could cry because they had failed to please me. Or so they thought. In reality I was very pleased. Not because I didn't have to see a film now, but just because these guys were so incredibly nice to me.

It still being early, they suggested to drive me to several nice lookout spots in the mountains to take pictures of the sunset and dusk. Fine by me, and boy, did they know some great spots ! The best most certainly was a small, open forest near the big college above Enfe.

After dark we headed back to Tripoli. The favourite pastime of the youngsters there seems to be parading and cruising. The boulevard(s) of al-Mina is where it all happens. Numerous (Catholic, my pals told me) young girls stand on one side of the street, with the boys opposed to them on the other side. Most of them are dressed up. The girls were extremely nice, often wearing short mini skirts and parading as if they were walking on a catwalk. On the other side several boys took some 'tough' poses to illustrate their masculinity. It was a funny sight. We, like many others who had a car, cruised the boulevard in between, looking at the scene (well, my friends were looking at the chicks only, obviously :-). I think we drove up and down that street at least a dozen times, probably a lot more, taking several hours. Still it wasn't really boring because it gave me an insight in how the local youngsters are trying to meet. In between we also took a Corniche walk, which IMHO is much, much more pleasant than the same thing in Beirut. It's very crowded and dark. Guys selling coffee, sweets, corn cobs, breads, etc are everywhere. My hosts treated me to all of it ! The local beggars see this time of day as the best to try their luck. Often they are handicapped or deformed (there were several sad polio cases; sad, considering the vaccination costs only a couple of bucks), but I was told the locals are reluctant to give because there are a lot of "profiteers". Could be...

We ended the day - not very late, around ten or eleven, I believe - in an ice cream parlour which belonged to a brother of one of my hosts. The ice cream wasn't particularly good but it had a nice terrace on the upper floor, and the atmosphere was good.

I was driven back to the al-Koura, where we said good-bye but promised to keep in touch. Will be hard if the postal system in Lebanon remains what it is... I sent a dozen or so cards from the post-office in Beirut on the 3rd of October but they still haven't arrived one month later. I doubt they ever will...

Lebanon: Byblos and its surroundings

2008-10-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

Chapter Three - Byblos and its surroundings

Whilst looking for Hotel Ahiram, one of the only two hotels in town, I noticed what a nice city this was : lovely houses and churches, cosy narrow streets, a delightful seafront and everything very clean. I loved it on first sight, and I didn't regret it one bit having to say good-bye to the Faraya landlady.

A (single) room in Hotel Ahiram was $45 plus $2.5 tax, but including breakfast. It's a friendly place. Granted, the rooms are a bit small, but they're immaculately clean and look really good. There's TV, A/C and a nice bathroom. I loved the place, just as much as I liked the town it was in. This town is famous for being the longest continuously inhabited in the world. A town with a past that goes back such a long way, just has to have its share of ruins. And it has.

It was only a short walk to them. I took a small detour through the old, but very renovated, souqs. They're a feast on the eye, but the merchandising is touristy.

I paid the LL 6000 entrance fee to the friendly ticket office clerk and first headed to the rather imposing Frankish Castle. The castle is not very interesting but is worth a little exploring, and the views from the top over the rest of the site are great.

From the castle I walked to the Obelisk Temple, the Temple of Resheph, past the King's Well and many dwellings and settlements, to the adorable little Roman amphitheatre, and finally the Roman Colonnade and Necropolis. The visit took two or two and a half hours. There were only a few other people.

I walked to the waterfront. On my right when I exited the small street leading there, was the Fishing Club, a posh - or at least it was very posh - restaurant/bar where the crème de la crème of the international celebrity scene came to dine in the years before the war. It looks out over the small harbour where small fishing boats gently bob. Across the water are the scarce remnants of the old Phoenician port. If you want, you can make a short boat ride, but the local fishermen will ask as much as $10 !

I headed back into town, to the Church of St John the Baptist. But first, I wanted to see the Wax museum, which is almost opposite. It costs LL 5000 to enter. The cashier's a friendly bloke; he's also very informative. I found it a fun place to spend some time. It's not very big, but the scenes are well-presented. It depicts the history of Lebanon, from the Stone Age until the Second World War. Apparently the more recent history is too touchy or too difficult to add... Never mind, it's still nice as at is, and sometimes it's easier to learn a country's history through something which is at least more visual than the broken pots and beheaded statues one always sees in the more serious museums. I love those too, of course; they're an important part of the culture and history of a country. The sculptor apparently found that he had to add some figures which have not so much to do with Lebanon's history, for instance a mermaid. Perhaps he just wanted to show his creative talents, or just a pair of bare titties, I don't know. For those who want to see the exhibition again at home, there's a good guidebook available with pictures of all the scenes. It costs LL 3000.

The Church of St John the Baptist was locked. It was beautiful on the outside, but still I wanted to see the interior. A man was standing in the churchyard. I enquired about the opening hours. He was a nice bloke, but couldn't really help me. According to him, it was only possible to visit the church - which he said had one of the most beautiful interiors in the country - during mass. Next to the church is a big building. It belongs to an administrative section of the Maronite Church of Lebanon. I walked in and asked the first person I saw about the opening times of the church. Seemingly I had picked the right person. He asked me if I was alone. I was. Promptly he handed me the key to the church. "Return it when you've finished", he said. Was that nice or what ? I looked around inside for a fair while. I was not at all impressed by the looks of the interior, but nevertheless it was worth the visit; it had something serene, calming...

I returned the key and went for a bite. When I passed a joint called Safety Food, a guy tried to 'lure' me inside. I was easily convinced, especially when I found at that the place is run by three or four Egyptians... I like the people and their country very much ! As most Egyptians, they were friendly and very talkative. They had excellent, filling burgers, which cost LL 3000 each. Soft drinks are LL 1000. After my meal I wanted to make a telephone call. I soon found a very reliable and cheap private telephone office in a small alley to the right of the Kentucky Fried Chicken : only $1 per minute for a call to Europe. Most places in Lebanon charge $2 or even $3.

I returned to Hotel Ahiram, took a nice bath, grabbed a Pepsi and sat down on the terrace of my room, overlooking the sea and beach and waited for the sunset. The sunsets in Lebanon are almost always fantastic !

The next day I arranged a taxi for the day. Another $70, I know, but IMHO it was worth it. My chauffeur was Elie Daou, a really nice fellow and a good driver (03/464716) . He speaks a bit French and English. We headed for the Afqa Grotto. En route, we passed Elie's snack bar, Snack Daou (although in front of foreigners he likes to call it Restaurant Daou). Making delicious bread A friendly woman, who turned out to be his cousin, was outside and rolling out dough of which she made a big, triangular bread, which she stuffed with a salsa-like filling and baked on a hot plate. Of course we stopped and I had some of the breads. They were delicious. Delicious but expensive at $1.5 each. The restaurant's located at the Route de St. Charbel, opposite Hotel Marval. The best thing about the restaurant is not the food, but the two rooms (spacey, clean and with en-suite bathroom). Such a room can be had for $25-30 (even $20 if you bargain or tell him you know me... hehe).

The road towards the Afqa Grotto goes through some nice mountain scenery, which I found rather reminiscent of Greece. Before I even realised, we were in front of the rock which contains the grotto, on the new bridge. The rock made a pretty sight, but I wasn't incredibly impressed. My attention was drawn by Elie, who got out of the car like lightning and seemed to be jumping up and down for some unnecessary reason. Weird. I got out to, and saw he was killing a small snake, a viper. "There are many of those around here", he said. Cool...

We decided to descend from the road to the small Roman bridge, where we were greeted by an old lady who asked if I wanted to eat or drink something. Elie advised me not to have any food there, as it was not good, he said. I had a Seven-Up, which cost $1. Not cheap ! The view from the bridge was lovely : the water which runs down from the grotto reaches the bridge and there, from right underneath you, tumbles down in a azure blue and green small lake. Beautiful. The old lady showed me the way to a spot where you can have a spectacular view of the whole thing. Amazing; I was much more impressed than when I first arrived at the place !

After having taken sufficient time to marvel at the scenery, I decided it was time to hike up to the cave itself. The Lonely Planet guide I was carrying, stated that "you can walk up a flight of steps on the left bank of the river (steep but not too difficult)". Well, I can tell you, forget that ! There are no steps (anymore). Getting to the grotto involves a rather difficult climb over big boulders and over a narrow, slippery irrigation pipe. It's not at all easy, I can tell you, and you will inevitably get dirty, perhaps even wet. The first part can be walked, but then the path suddenly ends and you have to climb. Once inside, the cave is very big. It was October, so there wasn't much water inside. It was quite impressive, but for most people the difficulties involved in reaching it, will certainly outweigh the rewards.

Nearby are the remains of a Roman temple dedicated to Venus. It could not be visited, as it is completely fenced off and the gates are locked. Not a great loss, as it's primarily a pile of rubble.

On to Laklouk. This is a pleasant area to drive around in. Looking for the Bala Gorge, we passed the Bishop's House, which as the name would suggest is not the residence of a chief pastor, but a small collection of houses carved from the living rock, which in its own right is very distinct, slightly reminiscent of Cappadocia in Turkey. There are several spots in the mountains of Lebanon which, if you've been to Cappadocia, immediately look familiar.

Finding Bala Gorge was a big problem for my driver. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get him to understand what I was on about. We both asked some people, but nobody caught my drift. I think I saw the gorge, but couldn't confirm it.

Elie told me he still had family living in a small mountain village nearby. At a certain point, we left the main road and drove up a very narrow track. I noticed a very beautiful, young woman making her way up as well. We only briefly had eye contact, but I noticed something friendly, fascinating in her look. The track was a dead end, and we arrived at a simple house, beautifully located, overlooking a valley below. A woman in her mid-40s welcomed us. She was overwhelmingly friendly. I also met some other people. In the meantime, the woman we had passed, had made her way up too. She told me her name was Claudine and that the woman who had welcomed was called Madeleine. She was the aunt of Claudine. Madeleine only spoke Arabic, but that was no problem since Claudine spoke French quite well. Much better than me for sure... These two women were so friendly, and we talked about life in Belgium, and in Europe as a whole, who I was, if I was married, what job I did, etc. This and that. I must admit I was quite fascinated, both by the extraordinary welcoming, and by Claudine; she was kind, calm, very beautiful, sexy and intelligent. I'd never thought finding someone like her in this tiny mountain village...

I enjoyed my visit very much, and I gladly accepted the invitation to lunch, especially since this meant a nice walk to the grocery store with Claudine. She truly was interesting and told me about her life, hopes and dreams.

Madeleine really went out of her way. In no time a table was set up with a whole assortment of foodstuffs : stuffed aubergines, tabouleh, chips, chicken and rice, tomatoes, different salads, hummus,... Really too much to name it all. Everything - literally everything - was delicious. I was full after such an extensive meal, but Madeleine treated me to melons, grapes, apples, bananas, and many other fruits. After that we enjoyed a nice cup of tea.

Time flies if you're enjoying yourself, and it was only by the arrival of Madeleine's son and his mate that I realised it was already late afternoon. I stayed another twenty minutes or so, but then I had to say the inevitable good-bye, although under different circumstances I could've easily stayed a whole week with this tremendous family.

We took a final snap in front of the tiny local church. Madeleine embraced me and gave me lots of kisses; she had tears in her eyes because I was leaving. Honestly, these folks' hospitality was unbelievable. I shook hands with all the others, also Claudine. We both felt pity this had to end so soon.

I thanked the family for everything, and then we left. Madeleine and Claudine were waving to us until we were out of sight. But not out of heart, that's for sure !

We now headed for Douma, a traditional village which is allegedly famous for being built in the shape of a scorpion. I was quite fascinated by that story, but somewhat disappointed by reality. Not that the place itself is disappointing. It's beautiful and quiet, but I just couldn't make out a scorpion shape. Probably more and more houses had been built outside the original shape, destroying the original plan.

We returned to Byblos, but made a stop at Anaya, where the convent, tombs, church and hermitage of St Charbel can be visited. The place is full of pilgrims, but everything's peaceful. I heard every Sunday (tens of) thousands of people flock here ! Yes indeed, St Charbel is very revered by the Maronites of Lebanon.

The place is pretty and well-kept. The convent has a serene atmosphere. It contains the tomb of Charbel, as well as the caskets in which he rested in peace before, including one he clearly, err, disintegrated in, to use a civilised term; this can clearly be judged by the big stains. There are also some relics of the saint, like some of his garments, and there's some sort of tableau vivant which shows the man as a child. The convent church as well as the bigger church outside are more than worth a visit. Photography is allowed everywhere inside and out. A short ride away, on top of a nearby hill, is St Charbel's former hermitage, which is also worth a look.

Once back in Byblos, Elie invited me over at his house. I met his wife, two daughters and three sons, and was again offered coffee and fruits. His house was up on a hill and offered nice views of the town by night. I had happy memories of a great day when I said good-bye to Elie and his family !

The next couple of days I used Byblos as a base to explore some places in the vicinity, some interesting, some not so interesting.
Qubba is only a short trip away. The Crusader Church of the Saviour is set on a hilltop and is down a back road which dead-ends at a barrier. It's only a short walk from there. The church cannot be visited and is rather plain on the outside. Therefore I think it can easily be skipped.
Much better is Moussalayha Castle, set in a quite romantic setting only just off the main Beirut-Tripoli highway, from which it can be seen. I had seen the pictures of this place on postcards and in guidebooks, and was somewhat disappointed by the real thing. The reason for this is that I visited in October and not in spring. In spring the whole place - and the whole Lebanon as a matter of fact - is much greener and more beautiful. I recommend everyone to visit in spring; if you can't right now, postpone your trip until later ! Anyway, back to the castle... it's an impressive construction, built atop a rocky outcrop which stands in the middle of a small plain. The approach is by an old stone bridge which spans a small river, dry in this case.
Steps cut in the rock lead up to the castle. It's only small, but there are quite a few rooms for such a tiny place. There's not a great lot to see inside, and there are some dangerous drops.

Lebanon: Around Beirut - Some interesting attractions

2008-10-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Chapter Two - Around Beirut - Some interesting attractions

Beit Meri is a hill resort at a height of about 800 meters. The views of Beirut are pretty good, but houses built at the sides of the streets often obstruct these. I got out of the taxi at the central roundabout and went looking for the churches, ruins and mosaics. Nobody could really help, so I just asked for the al-Bustan Hotel, which was supposed to be along the route. It was a pleasant enough walk. I came across some churches, some old, some not. None of them was extremely exciting, but I loved the short talk I had with the father at St.-Elie's Church. Having found the Hotel al-Bustan, I decided to enquire there about where I could find the ruins. Surely they should be able to explain that to me in good English in such a posh place. And they were. The receptionist was really friendly... on the phone... because the surly security guard wouldn't allow a 'dirty' looking type like me on the premises; this was only for the well-heeled, that was very obvious ! No worries, I got the directions I needed. The Lonely Planet guide was quite confusing with its directions, to say the least : "The ruins are found at the end of the road leading to the right from the town's main roundabout junction, about 1 km in the direction of the Hotel al-Bustan." I can tell you, to find the ruins you should walk from the roundabout to the al-Bustan all right, but after that, continue to the left, then straight, until you see an old church. Walk up to it by going down the zig-zag road. With the church on your left hand-side, continue uphill until you see the ruins, also on your left. They're definitely not at the end of a road.

The ruins are still occupied by the Syrian army. I greeted the sentry, and asked to speak with an officer. This seemed to be no problem. The officer was woken up from his afternoon nap and I was introduced to him. Like most Syrians, he was a friendly guy. I explained to him that I wanted to see the ruins and the mosaics, and that I'd like to take photographs if possible. I promised not to shoot (with my lens !) anything military. He saw no objections, and allowed me wander around rather freely.

The sad thing is, that there are no more beautiful mosaics to be seen, and the ruins are rather poor too. Only one more or less complete mosaic remains. Of some other, there are only a couple of fragments. Later, I'd be told by a family from Beit Meri that some rich people have bribed the poor Syrian soldiers to be allowed to take away the mosaics. Dunno if that's really true, but they swore they saw one of the mosaics at Beiteddine Palace, and the fact stands that there's none of this fine artwork to be found at the site.

I walked back to the roundabout. On my way I witnessed a wedding at the church near the ruins. Very classy indeed. I realised the people in question were not poor at all ! In fact, I saw only well-off people in Beit Meri. At several of the rather fine houses I also saw the Sri Lankan maids which are seen all over the country, but primarily in the Catholic parts. They come from their homeland to work in Lebanon for really low wages. Modern exploitation, if you ask me, but the people themselves seem to be rather happy. Or is this only on the surface ? I don't know. Who knows what happens indoors ? One thing is for sure : the girls are clearly not supposed to talk to anyone. They are really talkative in Sri Lanka, but they're not here. Weird... Or not ?...

To be honest, I don't think Beit Meri is really worth the time you have to put into it. Surely the views are nice, but they're great anywhere in Lebanon, so there's really no need to go to BM for them. And like I said before, the views are often obstructed. The locals weren't particularly friendly either, the supermarket at the roundabout being the exception.

I took a taxi to Jeita. I wanted to go by Broummana and Bikfaya, which is not the way you'd go when you'd get a service taxi from Beirut. The taxi was very expensive at - I believe - $35, but there's was no bargaining down with any of the drivers. The fare did, however, include waiting time at the caves and the return trip to Beirut.

Jeita's famous for its caves, so that's where I went. There's a large parking lot, and a nice visitors centre. I paid the LL 16,500 entrance fee, which gives you access to the rope way to the Upper Grotto, the train, the Sound & Light show, and of course to the Upper and Lower Grottoes themselves, the latter of which has to be visited by boat.

The ticket is worth every single piastre. Everything is very efficient and modern at Jeita. A short rope way ride brought me to the Upper Grotto. These caves were the biggest, the most wonderful, spectacular, beautiful, mind blowing, etc, etc I had ever seen. I'm really lacking superlatives to describe the place. You must have seen it yourself to believe how beautiful these caves are ! There are well thought out walkways, constructed without visually polluting the cave. The placing and colours of the lights are extremely well done, and especially the looking down in the misty, coloured depths, many metres below, made a big impression on me. These caves were huge, and the most beautifully formed stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere. What sounded to me as rather tragic music played softly throughout the room. The atmosphere was eerie and warm at the same time. Very special indeed ! There is no commentary by anyone and perhaps that's how it should be. Who needs all that crap about how a certain stalagmite looks like an elephant or some stalactite looks like Michael Jackson ? It was quiet and I enjoyed the views.
Unfortunately for me, but probably good for the preservation of the great atmosphere and minerals, photography was not allowed and all cameras and bags had to be left at the entrance. No need to be worried about them being nicked, there are neat lockers available. It was with pain in the heart that I left the cave. It's always hard to say good-bye to sheer beauty... Upon emerging in the daylight again, I could attend the Sound and Light show which is being staged at regular intervals, but as it was quite late (the caves are open every day until 6 pm) there were unfortunately no more English versions.

Near the 'theatre' is the train station. A small 'train' takes you from there to the Lower Grotto. I decided to walk down. The Lower Grotto can only be visited by boat as the chambers are full of water. A boat leaves when it's full. Again these are enormous, beautiful caves, although they can't really compete with the Upper levels. Again, no photography is allowed.

The next day I left the Cedarland Hotel and rented a taxi for the whole day (from Daoud Taxi, 03/623183). Although on the telephone the agreed price was US$50, when the driver came to pick me up at 9 am, the price seemed to have gone up to $75. Bargaining was nigh on impossible, and I only could shave five bucks off. Later I'd discover that $70-80 is the normal price for renting a taxi for the whole day in Lebanon. Initial quotes will often be $100 or even more, but you'll virtually always be able to bargain that down. Hiring a taxi for the day is admittedly very expensive, especially if you're a backpacker, but if you plan on getting to more out of the way places (which require taking a taxi anyway), and your time is limited, it can turn out even cheaper than if you would have taken several separate cabs, not even taking into account the lost time. Besides, to be honest, I think Lebanon is not really a backpacker's country, unless you're prepared to walk a lot, and have plenty of time. And even then it won't be real cheap. Backpackers are indeed still very much a novelty in Lebanon. Nobody on the plane I arrived on, carried one and I met not one other backpacker during the whole trip. If I arrived in the (bit) more expensive places to stay, I almost always got the question : "Are you from the United Nations ?", no doubt because of my trimmed hair and khaki backpack. Signs of the people not being used to travellers on the cheap. I knew Lebanon wouldn't be cheap, and I had brought sufficient funds to enjoy my stay. For me, a backpack is not the equivalent of shoestring travelling, but a convenient way of carrying my stuff and allowing me a great deal of personal freedom.

Anyway, I went to Nahr al-Kalb to see the riverside inscriptions, left there by passing armies (Pharaonic, Roman, Napoleonic, First & Second World War,...). These are pretty interesting, although many are badly weathered. And you can't really call them 'riverside' inscriptions, as most of them require quite some climbing to reach them; they're on the rock wall which looks out over the highway.

Inscription no. 1, which is really on the (right) river bank, across the bridge, is very overgrown and it's practically impossible to see it. The weeds are man high. Behind the obelisk is a tunnel which has been cut out of the living rock, and which was used during the recent civil war.

At the site, there's a super friendly guy with a small van, selling drinks and sweets. He told me he's there every day between 8 am and 11 (!) pm. He's very knowledgeable about the place, and a truly nice person. He showed me around, offered to take pictures of me, and was an all round nice bloke to chat with. If you're there, visit him. If you don't, he'll probably come up to you.

On the hill opposite the rock with the inscriptions is a very large statue of Jesus on top of a building. This is Deir Luwaizeh. It's a real focal point but don't bother to check it out from up-close.

Better continue to nearby Harissa, which has a similar statue, one of the Virgin of Lebanon. The Madonna stands with her arms outstretched on top of a high 'Babylonic' tower, which people ascend only to burst out in tears at the top, at the feet of the statue. The place is crowded with believers, especially on Sundays, but the atmosphere is very peaceful. The views all around are stunning, with Jounieh lying in the distance below. 'Below' is really the word if you happen to take the Téléphérique, which ascends the Harissa mountain at an incredibly steep angle. Not for the vertigo sufferers ! Like I did, they can better go up by car. The road winds up the hill but is never really dangerous. The roads and hairpins are more than wide enough now, and at all drops there are stone blocks and railings for protection.
There are several nice churches and even a huge, modern cathedral at Harissa. The latter seems to be only open for special occasions.

After that, François (my driver) and I went to Faraya. I wanted to see the Natural Bridge. François, who spoke no English or French, didn't understand where I wanted to go. He stopped several times to ask passing locals if they spoke a foreign language. Finally we found one who did. He pointed us to the bridge. When I was finally standing near it (and it's impressive !), the guy who had shown us the way, was standing next to me. He had followed us in his car. He and his family were heading for a picnic and he invited me to come along. I had some other visits in mind that afternoon, but I didn't want to miss the chance to go on a picnic with these nice folks, so I gratefully accepted. And I'm glad I did ! We drove to some apple orchards in the vicinity. In the middle of those, the barbecue was unpacked and the bottles were opened. It was fun. The whole family was there, I think about fifteen people. Everybody was very friendly and welcoming, and all the food and drinks were shared. Most of my hosts spoke either English or French, so I had many interesting conversations with them. It was very peaceful there in that orchard; only once the peace was disturbed : when Israeli fighter planes broke through the sound barrier above the mountains. I was told this was a regular occurrence. The Israelis seem to do that to intimidate. At the picnicWell, it didn't intimidate me... I spent several more happy hours with Najat, Joseph, Naji and all the others.

It was already late afternoon when I went for the ruins at nearby Faqra. They were quite impressive, but the light for photography was bad; it's better to go in the morning or early afternoon. The entrance ticket cost LL 1000 per person.

There's a neighbouring site to the north, which has no entrance fee. There are the remains of a tower-like monument. It's not spectacular and has a lot of ugly graffiti on it. François and me had climbed the monument and had just got back in the cab, when the trunk of our car was shot at with a rather heavy calibre gun. Only one shot, but it did penetrate the whole trunk. Was it an accident or some sick mind taking aim ? I'll never know, but it happened.

I asked François to take me to the Tamerland Hotel in Faraya, where I intended to spend the night. Upon arrival it looked as if the hotel was out of business; it only happened to be out of season. It was evening and the whole family was outside. They were 'friendly', but I swear not genuinely. Rooms were $40 (single), which was way too much for what I got. They even wanted me to pay extra for a TV. I refused, so I got no TV. Couldn't care less actually... The bed had been slept in before without changing the covers and had a super-thin mattress making it rock-hard. For the price asked, this shouldn't be the case.

The family didn't look clean and neither was their food. They have a restaurant which specialises in fresh fish, but I felt more like meat. I ordered a steak. It smelt really rotten. Awful, really !
I decided to go to bed. The nights are pretty chilly in the mountains. The room oozed cold, especially the floor.

The next morning, early, I woke up, refused breakfast - the steak's smell still very vivid ! - and went for a stroll into town. A rather boring town, as a matter of fact, but excitement's not what you come here for. I tried to locate the Christian cemetery which allegedly was worth a peek. Hardly anyone spoke French and nobody could speak English. The ones who I could talk to, didn't understand what I was on about, so I completed my walk and then returned to the hotel. It was about 9 am by then.

Outside were one of the elder sons and the baby boy, Charbel, named after the main Maronite saint. I explained I needed a taxi to get me to Byblos. The son told me there were no service taxis, and that a taxi was indeed the way to go. But ! They had their own taxi service, which - he said - was much cheaper than the other taxis. Yeah, right. I asked how much it'd cost me, but he refused to tell me that. Instead he told me the price for the ride plus the cost for the supper (what's in a name, right ? ) and drinks I had the night before. That was 50 bucks. Although I enquired several times, I never managed to find out what the price for only a ride or the steak was. In the end I agreed, mainly because that guy made me nervous. His father would drive me and would arrive very soon. At 10.15 he still wasn't there. I asked what was up, but I was told he'd be there in five minutes. I sat on the terrace. Charbel was one of the worst brought up children I've ever seen in a developed surrounding. The boy looked dirty, had several rashes, a blue cheek and eye because of a nasty fall due to his wild nature, had no manners, not even for his age and was always crying out loud for attention. The elder son - not the smartest chap I've ever met - decided to entertain little Charbel by handing him a cage with a canary inside. The pipsqueak really freaked out now, and used the cage and canary as a football. Judging from his brother's indifferent reactions, this was common practice. I felt so pity for the little bird. It was so afraid. These people shouldn't have pet animals; they don't even know how to raise a child properly...

Having enquired several more times in the meantime, I really got fed up with the situation at almost noon. Still no taxi. I said I was going to walk to Byblos (I intended to hitch). That had effect. Within twenty minutes the lady of the house arrived and drove me to Byblos.

Lebanon: Beirut, the Paris of the Middle East. Still?

2008-10-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

Chapter One - Beirut, the Paris of the Middle East. Still?

Few years back, Carlton Reid wrote an article in the brilliant British mountain bike magazine, MBUK, about a biking trip to Lebanon. It was my first proper introduction to the country, and has been my inspiration to go ever since. Reid wrote: "The first indication I had that I wasn't flying somewhere normal was at Heathrow when six passengers got on to a plane that can take 120." So there was I, expecting a similar situation, in spite of hearing reports about the rebuilding and recovery of the country. I guess I kept hanging on to the magazine article as some sort of nostalgia... How wrong could I be? Great was my amazement when at Paris Charles de Gaulle I had to board a large Boeing 747 nearly full to capacity with passengers. It wouldn't be the last of my surprises!...

On board the aircraft I met Robèrt. He was in the seat across the aisle and started talking to me; who I was and why I was going to Lebanon... The usual initial dialogue... Robèrt lived in Albany, New York where he had his own jewellery shop. He was returning to his fatherland for a family visit, after 15 years of absence. He was a great guy to talk to, and had lots of interesting things to say about Lebanon; he was still very much in touch with his relatives and full of love for his country. Once again, I witnessed how much Arabs love their native lands. When we finally landed at Beirut International Airport after a super-smooth flight, tears rolled down Robèrt's cheeks. He greeted the first security officer in the terminal with "It's good to be home!"... He was. I definitely wasn't. I was in a foreign land waiting to be explored.

Immigration procedures were very straightforward. I collected my backpack at the conveyor belt (porters are available free of charge, if you want), and went to the departure hall upstairs where a bank is located. I wanted to have at least some Lebanese money. Unfortunately, the bank was closed. A man walked up to me, and asked me if I wanted a taxi. "How much does it cost?", I asked. "Twenty Dollars", he said. A bloody rip-off! I bargained down to half of that, and although you can walk to the main road and catch a service taxi into town from there, the price difference doesn't warrant the trouble anymore (especially because once in town you'll have to take another taxi to the hotel of your choice). I asked to be taken to Hotel Regis, close to the Hard Rock Café near the waterfront at St George's Bay. Not many people seemed to know the hotel. It's a bit run-down, but it's certainly not a bad place, and the staff are friendly enough. The pricing system is a bit odd, in my opinion: $17 for a room (single or double doesn't seem to matter) without A/C, but a giant price increase to $30 for a room with A/C! A decent bathroom is attached.

The next morning I set off to explore Beirut. I decided to first walk to the area around the Place des Martyrs and visit the former city centre. It's a huge city and things were more spread out than I'd imagined. Signs of the war were still everywhere I looked and I noticed a higher than average presence of military personnel; in some streets even some armoured vehicles stood at the ready.

Place des Martyrs, Beirut Totally unfamiliar with the place, I failed at first to find the Place des Martyrs, although I had walked down the Rue Weygand. I'd looked for a large open space with the famous Martyr's Statue as the dominant feature, but hadn't seen it. Before I knew, I was at Avenue Charles Helou. I hadn't had breakfast and decided to have it in a quite attractive looking bistro called Le Baroque. They have a reasonable selection of reasonably priced items. The waiter-cum-barkeeper was a friendly chap, speaking English, so the perfect person to ask for the Martyr's Statue. Apparently, it has been removed for renovation. No wonder I couldn't find it! Armed with this new information it was easy to locate the Place des Martyrs. It's now full of modern metal sculptures, representing animals mainly. It doesn't look bad, but it's not awfully impressive either. One thing is certain: it fills up and enlivens an otherwise large empty space. There are no people selling postcards, drinks or whatever. Everything which once stood there (it was the heart of the city before the civil war broke out), had been shot/bombed to smithereens and the resulting debris had been cleared by the workers for the Solidere project, the huge company behind the rebuilding of Beirut. A big 'billboard' of what the architects are trying to create, had been erected, but when I returned three weeks later, I noticed that due to strong winds the whole thing had been torn to pieces and fallen down. An omen? I think not. There seems to be a lot of 'push' behind the project!

A good overview of El Bourj, as the place is better known to the Beirutis, is from the nearby viaduct. Apart from the aforementioned statues the place is one huge construction site, as is most of Beirut in fact.

The buildings around Place d'Etoile and in the adjacent streets still carry the evidence of an extremely violent war; some buildings are completely shot to pieces. It's beyond imagination if you've never been in a war yourself (like me). It seems that every corner of these streets has a blockade manned by some soldiers. To get to the Grand Mosque I asked one of the military in a friendly manner if I could pass. I had to undergo a thorough bag search, but when I was cleared, I could go virtually where I wanted without hindrance.

The Grand Mosque is heavily damaged, as are most buildings in the area. Almost next door, and in other places in the vicinity, ancient remains have been uncovered whilst digging up the ground on which once houses stood.

Next on my list was the Sursock Museum. I found a service taxi going that way. It was in that cab I met Nathalie, a nice young woman who spoke good English. She gave me her telephone number so we could meet again later. Every single person in Lebanon seems to carry a cellular phone (GSM). All numbers start with 03. Taxi drivers in particular will supply you with their numbers in their efforts to rip you off even more. To my disappointment the Sursock Museum was closed until November. A new exhibition was being prepared. "Oh well", I thought, "there's always the Archaeological Museum. It'll be open by now." So, I took a taxi thither. I must have been really unfortunate, but the museum is closed for renovation until next year. From the outside, it's looking good already, but I guess there's still quite some work to do inside...

Another word about (service) taxis in Beirut: not many service taxis ever seemed to go in the direction I wanted to go. I almost always had to take a 'normal' taxi. 'Service' fares are LL 1000 - 2000 for a ride anywhere in the city proper. Outside of that and you'll pay LL 5000. Rides in normal taxis will cost you LL 5000 - 10,000 respectively.

Diagonally opposite the museum is a good snack bar which sells giant shawarma sandwiches plus soft drink for $3. And the stuff really tastes good! The price for a soft drink anywhere in Lebanon, incidentally, seems to range from LL 500 to LL 1000.

Another taxi brought me to the Peace Monument on the outskirts of town. It's a structure composed of concrete, former Soviet tanks and armoured vehicles. It weighs 5,000 tons, is nine storeys high and is thus a real eye catcher. The monument is near the Ministry of Defence and so is (not surprisingly) well-guarded, and it's advisable to talk to the soldiers first before pointing your camera anywhere. There's a Martyrs' Memorial in front of the structure.

It was getting late in the afternoon, and I decided to head back to the sea front of St George's Bay, where I went for a walk along the Corniche. Some anglers were trying their luck in the smelly water. Like most (but not all!) Beirutis I met, they weren't very friendly, so I soon decided to walk on. I realised Beirut in that aspect is not at all different from other big cities in the world...

It's a pretty long walk from St George's Bay all the way to the coast near the Pigeon Rocks, and unfortunately also a very dull one. There's little to see on the way. The so-called Pigeon Rocks would hardly be noticed if they were in a place other than Beirut, which has few real attractions. It's not a bad spot to be at sunset, and at least the area offers a retreat from the otherwise far too busy city. The traffic situation is awful; cars jostle for space, the exhaust fumes pollution is high. The drivers here are totally mindless, and they seem determined to burn rubber on every possible occasion. Their hands are constantly on the horn, and to be honest that's very necessary! For all these reasons, I didn't like Beirut very much. If you know your way around, it's great for shopping and partying, but if that's what I was after I would've stayed at home. The greatest subject of interest for me, however, was the massive destruction, especially visible in some of the suburbs. I must admit that it's incredible to see how a Middle Eastern city, so badly destroyed during a war, has recovered so much so quickly from its torment. No doubt it's very much due to the positive view many Lebanese have of the future (and to a lot of funds brought in by 'certain powers'). I'm pretty sure that after another ten years most of the evidence of the war in Beirut will be gone, and new attractions will probably spring up.

That night I stayed again at the Hotel Regis, but the next morning I moved to Hamra. I ended up in Hotel Cedarland. The lady and man who seem to be in charge of the place are very friendly and helpful. This hotel was there before the war but all floors have been renovated. It really is a spotless place! A single room was $45, including taxes and breakfast. As they were out of single rooms, I got a Junior Suite for the same price. A great deal! The hotel seems to be full of university students who rent 'studies' there. Outside business hours, some of these students are put in charge of the hotel. And it's then when things are less pleasant. These young men and women see themselves as too important to be polite. The one the next morning was downright rude to me, obviously because I was carrying a backpack. He made a lot of fuss about the breakfast, which he didn't believe was included. When he'd finally checked my reception file, he had to admit it was. But to show he wasn't happy about it, he made me wait for about an hour before serving it, the longest time I've ever had to wait for breakfast. A man who had turned up half an hour after me, had finished eating even before I was served!

When I'd just arrived - it was about nine in the morning - an apparently friendly student walked up to me and offered to show me around in his car. He'd pick me up at twelve noon and we'd see some of the sights around Beirut, like Jeita, Beit Meri, etc. It was about half past twelve when he showed up. With a dubious smile on his face, he told me his car had broken down and was now in the garage. But for $75 he would be able to arrange another car which we then could 'use' until ten in the evening. He'd also take me to Jounieh to visit some night clubs. I immediately realised the scam. Bastard - he made me lose practically a whole morning! At the end of my trip I went to the Cedarland again; it was early morning. When I asked if they had any rooms available the student in charge looked me up and down and then said "No" and just ignored me after that.

I can only conclude that although it is a very good hotel, it's best to ignore it if you don't feel you're on the same wavelength as that sort of shitty student.

What you should remember, when booking into a hotel in the Hamra area, is to get yourself a room away from the street! It's very noisy there until late at night. On top of that, Hamra's under the flight path of jets departing from Beirut airport.

After that student had tried to diddle me with the $75 car, I took a taxi to Beit Meri. It cost about $15 (I know, that's a lot!).

Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs, The al-Faiyum Oasis

2008-10-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

Chapter Ten - The al-Faiyum Oasis and the end of the trip

Al-Faiyum. If you want to see the working water wheels in Medinet al-Faiyum, the best point of view is from the cafeteria al-Medina, but I suggest you try to not consume anything. We ordered two cokes. We got two bottles of 'mineral' tap water, our cokes and two plates with slices of frozen (!) cake. Total bill E£7.50 ! My friend didn't feel like complaining and decided to pay. He gave a tenner and got E£.50 change. In other words, this is a place to avoid ! Just walk in, take your photos, say that you'll order in a minute, but instead leave in a minute.

We stayed in the nearby (well-situated) Palace Hotel. A clean double room was E£40, including breakfast. You have private toilets/showers, but they're not in the room itself. The restaurant here has a good selection of meals. They're tasty, but not too cheap. Everybody of the staff is seemingly very friendly and helpful but it's all about money. Do not agree with the receptionist to show you around the Faiyum sights. We surely didn't. He will send the porter with you, and this man is a real parasite. He initially wants E£2 for carrying your bags to your room. Remember the story about the guy that wanted parking money in the first chapter ? That was him !

Hawara Pyramid On the way to the Hawara Pyramid, we first visited the el-Hadika Prep. School. We picked up the school manager, Mr. Alfy, along the way. He was so grateful that he invited us over for tea. We met all the teachers and many pupils. It was a great and interesting experience. We spent most of the day there.

The principal then accompanied us to the nearby Deir el-Azab, a monastery for nuns. It's almost never visited by tourists. Nevertheless, it's a beautiful place. You can get there by taking the main road from Medinet el-Faiyum in the direction of Hawara. Past el-Hadika, a sign shows the way over the small stream on the right. The main church - we were told - dates back to the Romans. From these times there are relics of female saints. A nearby chapel is dedicated to St. Abraham. The body of this saint lies here, in a new coffin now, the old one is still on display. There are also some other antiquities.

In the oasis you can also take nice photos of the people working their lands and blinded donkeys walking their rounds to pump the water to the fields. If you have a strong lens there are nice pictures to be shot of the local bird-life.

Entrance to the Hawara Pyramid is E£8. Two self-appointed guides accompanied us. They showed us some human remains in the Greco-Roman cemetery as well as some large sculpture pieces from the same period that lie about. In fact, these guys were friendly and as helpful as they could be. They were not after money, though, one of them just wanted a ride. No problem !

On the way back to the main road, this man let us pull over to show us - what he said was - the tomb of the wife of Amenemhet III, the pharaoh who is buried at the Hawara Pyramid. It's all a little dubious and not very impressive. It's also not obvious to find. Coming from the pyramid follow the road to the main road. After a couple of hundred meters you'll go through a bend to the left. This bend is just across a small bridge over a stream. Not more than 50 meters further on the right is the tomb.

Big was my surprise when I turned my head to our 'guide' in the back of the car : I was looking in the barrel of a pistol ! The man's face showed a wide smile. I asked if the gun was loaded and quickly snapped it from his hand. "No !", he said, "no, it's empty." I checked and indeed, it was. Luckily... It was an Egyptian made gun. A label said 'Made in Helwan'. I handed it back, no harm could be done. You never know what kind of lunatic you're taking with you. He might even fire it by accident. "Bullets !" This expression made me turn my head again. Our friend had grabbed a handful of them out of his pocket. He smiled proudly. I was thinking about what would happen next, when he said : "Stop !" He had arrived at his village or whatever. He thanked us very much and got out, the gun still in his hand. Some members of the local police were amidst the crowd in which he disappeared. Nothing happened.

The Pyramid of Meidum. You can't go to this monument through the village of Meidum for the time being. The bridge over the canal there has been damaged and is under reconstruction (or should be). When it will be fixed, is a lucky guess. To get to the pyramid now, you have to take the next turn-off to the left from the main road (Beni Suef - Giza), near the village of Jirza.
Entrance to the pyramid is E£8. A photography permit is another E£5. If you decide to enter the pyramid (which you should), the door was not locked and you can switch on the light directly on the right in the corridor. Unfortunately (?), there will probably be someone who's going to do all of this for you. For which you will need to pay baksheesh of course.

Apart from the pyramid, there's also a mastaba 'of unknown origin', as it states. You can also enter this construction, but it's much harder to get to the burial chamber than in the pyramid. It's going to be on your hands and knees and probably also on your belly and elbows. A guide was handy. On the way, you will go over the big stone blocks that used to close off the burial chamber. This chamber only contains an empty tomb. The lid of this box still lies on the stones that the grave robbers - or whoever - used to move it. Read my comments on the guides at the start of the travelogue.

If you're coming from the south and you're going to Cairo Airport, the easiest way is to cross the bridge over the Nile at Helwan. Get to the Japanese Gardens here. You should, if only for half an hour or so. It's a great and relaxed place. Entrance is only E£0.50 and that's certainly worth it. When I showed my photographs to some people at home, many of them asked if they were from another journey. It's indeed a strange sight in Egypt.

If you're standing with your back to the garden's entrance, drive straight all the way and where this is not possible go right. You'll be on the right way to the airport. At Cairo's citadel, follow the road until you come to a diversion. Take the left-most road and continue straight on. You'll arrive at the airport. Eventually... No, seriously, it's not difficult to read the right way from a map. But, also, it's not difficult to read the map wrong or to miss a turn or something.

End note

Well, I suppose that's about it with this travelogue. It has become rather long. Too long, in fact. When I re-read it, I think I've written a lot of rubbish too. But, I hope it can be of some use to at least one of my fellow travellers.

This trip to Egypt has been a great experience, considerably enlivened by the people of this fascinating country. If you like to go a bit off the beaten tourist track, try the tour that I have just described; you'll love it !

Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs, The Red Sea coast

2008-10-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

Chapter Nine - The Red Sea coast

If you would like to stay in 'Ain Sukhna on the Red Sea coast, here are the current prices :
in the Mena Oasis you can choose between two formulas : a E£240 bungalow or a double suite for E£200. Per night of course. The Sukhna Hotel has rooms for E£113 a night. We decided not to stay in 'Ain Sukhna.

On the way to Zafarana we were pulled over by a truck. The driver was waving wildly and honking his horn like a madman. We decided to stop, because we thought there was something wrong with our car (or with our driving style). None of that. The man and his friend just wanted me to take their picture. Surprised I fulfilled their wish. Like American truck drivers on a poster, they posed for me - thumbs up ! We all continued our ways. Another two people made happy !

There's nothing to Zafarana. There's a petrol station, if you're in need of one, but there's also a (seemingly new) motel : the Sahara Inn. It's a modern building, obviously put there to receive bus-loads of tourists. And that's what happens indeed. So you can imagine how the prices are. They even demand money for using the toilet. The food is not cheap, but good. There's a lot of choice. Upstairs there are some nice, modern, spacious rooms. Singles/doubles go for E£70/90, a very good breakfast is included. If you arrive here by car, some guy will come up and start cleaning it, no matter what. He just wants a tip and is easily satisfied. We came here three times in one day and three times our car was washed.

We visited the monasteries of St. Paul and St. Anthony but also here the Coptic monks were in the Lent, so the visits were "a little more brief than usual". In both monasteries you have to check in at the gate. In St. Paul's you have to ring a bell, in St. Anthony's honk the horn or just go around and find the gate-keeper in the gate-house. You then sign a guest book after which you can continue your drive.

The two monasteries are similar in build-up. Both have interesting and nicely decorated old churches. You can't take pictures with flash inside (but read this as none at all, because even with a ISO1000 film things would be difficult without a tripod) because it can ruin the wall paintings, but it can also be because there's a shop selling postcards and books.

Both also have a spring that gives a continuous flow, winter and summer. In St. Anthony's the supply is sufficient, "thanks to God", but in St. Paul's they have to obtain additional water. The water comes out of the rocks and runs through a gutter to a basin. Water out of this first basin is used for drinking. Then the water flows to a second basin. Out of this comes the washing water. Another gutter leads this slightly 'contaminated' water to the gardens where it's used for irrigation.

Both monasteries also have the usual fortress and very thick surrounding walls that protected the monks during Bedouin raids. There's also the ancient refectory with on the table various old cooking utensils, plates and cutlery. Both have very old grain grinding mills and olive presses. One of the grain mills in St. Anthony's must be the oldest (9th Century AD), but one in St. Paul's is the most beautiful. The wooden box is very nicely carved and decorated.

One can also see (inside & outside) the old pulleys and tight ropes that once lifted people and goods up to the monasteries. In St. Anthony's one of the best overall views is from nearby here.
In St. Anthony's also visit the Church of the Apostles. Here lies the body of Bishop Yousab al-Abah. He was bishop of Gerga (upper-Egypt) in 1791 and died on January 24th 1826. According to the monk who took us on a tour, his body has not been treated in any way and nevertheless it is still intact which is "a miracle". Some of the bishop's vestments can also be seen. Nearby are the remains of a relatively recently (on Dec. 17th 1976) deceased monk, Father Yostos al-Anthony. "He became a monk here in 1941. He was a very humble man and extremely religious. He was a source of healing for many."

Both monasteries are easy to reach if you have your own transport. Any of the roads to/from them are good. A 4WD vehicle for the drive to Beni Suef (if you're going there, of course) is totally unnecessary. A normal car is more than sufficient; the road is good. You can even achieve high speeds, if you want.

Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs, Back to the mainland

2008-10-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

Chapter Eight - Back to the mainland

Except for a couple of sights of lesser importance, there's not much to be seen on the west coast of the Sinai peninsula. The road was being renewed and will be very good (it already is).
What you should do, is make a jeep excursion from Abu Zanima through the Wadi Matalla to Serabit el-Khadim. Here on an 850 meter high plateau are the remains of the only pharaonic temple ever found in the Sinai. It dates back to the 12th dynasty. The unusually shaped, though much ruined temple was dedicated to Hathor, 'Mistress of the Turquoise' and Spodu, 'God of the West'.

In the neighborhood were the most important mines from that time, mostly turquoise mines. In many places inscriptions from different expeditions can be seen. You could try to make the trip using a normal car, but I think a jeep is to be recommended here.

To get to Serabit el-Khadim take the first turn-off inland, south of Abu Zanima. After about 40 kilometres you'll reach a site which apparently has been used by the Israeli's as an emergency air strip. Then you'll arrive at the tiny village Serabit, where you have to go and find yourself a guide. In fact you only need a jeep from here to get to the temple, but then you would have to return the same way. The Wadi at Rod el-Air, about one and a half kilometre to the west, was the last resting place before the climb to the temple plateau commenced. This can be concluded from the extended remains of an encampment that were found here. The Arabian name means 'Valley of the Donkeys', referring to the donkey caravans that passed here on their way to the turquoise mines.

On the rock walls are inscriptions and drawings of boats, some very detailed. Very strange in this dry environment. Drive back to the main road through the Wadi Maghara with its mines and Wadi Muqqatab. Inside and around the mine tunnels are also inscriptions to be found. They're in an - until this day - unknown writing, called Proto-Sinaitic. The amount of characters used in it is limited to about thirty. The only thing that is known about it, is that was must have been used by the local Canaanitic population that worked in the mines for the Egyptians. Depending on where you situate the origin of this Proto-Sinaitic writing - in the Middle or New Kingdom - it could be the oldest letter script known to man (if situated in the Middle Kingdom). Otherwise, if you place it in the New Kingdom, the Ugaritic cuneiform writing (used in Ugarit on the Syrian coast) remains the oldest.

Continue on through Wadi Sidri and you'll arrive back on the main road, a short distance from Abu Rudais.

Back on the coastal road, heading north, you'll arrive at Abu Zanima again.

Continue on towards Suez now. On the way there's a turn-off to Hammam Faraun. Here there are (very) hot springs to be found. They contain a lot of sulphur. You can smell that and see it from the colours in the streams. But, there is also a hot sauna. Right by the spring, you'll notice two almost round holes in the nearby rock. Enter through the right one. Carry a flashlight as it's very dark in there. And it's not too spacious too. But inside, it's really a (hot !) natural sauna. It's nice to sweat it out here for a while. Outside there's a small drinks stand. A bottle of fruit nectar costs E£2.50. Before you can get to the hot springs, you will come to a checkpoint where you have to leave your passport until you come back. It's no problem, and if you want, one of the soldiers can show you through the sauna, because I suppose it can get a little claustrophobic in there for some people, especially as you don't know how big the place is.

Bedouin women at Oyun Musa Oyun Musa is also a nice place to visit. If you have trouble finding the Moses' springs, and if you're coming from Ras Sudr, then drive through the Oyun Musa checkpoint (where there was a very thorough check) to the end of the settlement on the left. Drive a very short distance off-road there and ask the Bedouins. They'll show you the way. You won't have to search for the Bedouins though. Even before we could get out of the car, we were surrounded by women trying to sell us their self-made 'Jewelry'. If you should be interested, bargain very hard. On some 'articles', you can go down to about one fifth of the original price. These women are friendly and helpful, but I guess you'll just HAVE to buy something before you'll see a spring. Also be aware of the children here. They try to jump on the trunk of the car. This is not the case just here. It also happened to us in other small settlements.
Further down the road - direction Suez - you'll come past a war monument. It's been erected to commemorate the 'heroic fighting' here of the Egyptian army against the Israeli's. You can't miss it. On the right there are some heavy machine guns and a few monuments (among which is a big army helmet), marking the entrance to an army base. On the left is the war monument. A sign says 'Oyun Musa Fortified Firing Position'. Nearby is a helicopter landing pad.

The Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel goes right under the Suez Canal. The tunnel was completed in 1982 and engineered - I heard - by the Egyptians. Apparently something was wrong with it and now a Japanese engineering team are rebuilding it. If you want to drive through it now, you might have to wait a while as alternately the traffic coming from and going to the Sinai can enter. A sign says that it's no longer closed from 8PM to 6AM, but between these hours you have to drive your car onto a trailer which will then go through. At any time, it costs E£1.25 either direction to make use of the tunnel. If you would like to take a picture of this architectural achievement, you can do so as there is no problem whatsoever. In doubt, just ask the guards.

In Suez we stayed in the Misr Palace Hotel. Our room was OK, but the hotel itself had a grubby appearance, especially the restaurant. I wouldn't recommend eating here. Our breakfast was a disaster : tap water, old bread and very dirty cutlery. No way !

A better place in Suez to go eating - and what I think must be one of the best deals - is Fresh Food Suez. It's located in the Abd-el-Khalek Tharwat Street, behind the Mobil station, near the Amal Hospital. It's not far from most of the hotels. It looks a bit like a small fast food joint. Ahmed is studying to become a 'chef' cook. He speaks English very well and is a great guy to talk to, eager to learn about your country and your visions on different matters. What you must really taste are his 'hot-dogs'. They're not really hot-dogs as we know it, but more a roll filled with small sausages that he first prepares with different veggies and spices on a hot plate. They're really delicious. To give you an idea about the prices here : together, we had two hamburgers, six hot-dogs and six bottles of coke. We were offered free hors-d'oeuvres, stuffed wine-leaves and a bag of crisps. Total price : E£12.30 !

Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs, Katrina - Where Moses roamed

2008-10-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

Chapter Seven - Katrina - Where Moses roamed

From Nuweiba we went to Katrina. The road goes through some spectacular scenery. At the Nuweiba side, you can see some nicely colored mountains. There are some strange rock formations on the way also. Continuing to about halfway, you'll come to one of the most spectacular Sinai sights : the Wadi Ghazzel. The road goes down through it, but before driving on, be sure to stop and enjoy the view. You'll notice the place without any problems, coming from Nuweiba. It's not so obvious in the other direction. There are some annoying Bedouins trying to sell you their stuff. If you want something, bargain hard.

Katrina Monastery Our first day in Katrina it was very windy and raining. So, we decided to check out some hotels. First, there's a hotel at Katrina Airport. I can't remember the name. I have a bit of a problem with names. But you cannot miss it : there's only one hotel at the airport. It's a rather nice place, seemingly. They are very surprised to see someone coming in, especially when it's a foreigner. They want E£89 for a double. Coming from the airport, direction St. Catherine's, you soon come to a crossing. It's a checkpoint. Right goes to Wadi Feiran, left to Katrina. At this crossing there's the Green Lodge. This is were we finally decided to stay, because all the rest is bloody expensive (except the al-Fairoz) and I found it rather cosy. A spot in a five-bed dorm is E£25, which you can try to bargain down (hard !) to E£21 (our price), which is more than enough for this place. The rooms are not spotless, but they do just fine. A nice thing is that on closing days of the monastery (so, also every Sunday), there are almost no people and you'll have a whole dorm for yourself. You can also opt for a much cheaper tent. I think they can place about 70 people in the Lodge (tents and rooms together). Toilets are shared and outside. Power is supplied by a generator. In our case they began starting it up at around 8PM. By 9 it was running. Around midnight it was turned off already. This was especially annoying, as I had developed diarrhoea that night. Be sure to have a flashlight or ask for candles on forehand. It's also possible to eat here. Next door there are a few small shops and a fuel station.
Turning left at the crossing, you immediately see a small chapel on your left. This is the tomb of the prophet Saleh. Continue on and you drive through a hamlet called Zeituna. There you find the Morgenland Chalets. A small bungalow costs US$40. Continue further and you arrive at the Katrina roundabout. To the left - just before the turn-off to the monastery - there's a spring and on a hill a tomb and a small chapel. The tomb is the one of the prophet Haron (or Aaron). Next to it is a chapel called the 'Chapel of the Golden Calf'. The small hill which it's on, is near the plain of el-Raha, or the Valley of Rest. This is the place where the Israelites camped for a year and where the well-known Golden Calf episode took place. Around here is also the Tourist village, with prices I don't even mention, and the al-Fairoz Hotel. A bed in a dorm is still E£12. There are also a couple of bungalows that rate higher, but are private. They were all hired when we checked the place out, though. Final option : the St. Catherine's Monastery Hostel. A dormitory bed goes for E£30 with breakfast AND dinner. I found the rooms rather grubby and very small. And what's more, the people running the hostel are aggressive. I just went there to check out the prices and the rooms, not sure yet if I'd stay. One of the guys was constantly telling me I had to take a room, that they were closing the reception right now, that I had to pay, etc. Annoying. I decided the Green Lodge was a nicer place to stay, told him so and left. The next day when I was visiting the monastery, I saw him again and he demanded E£30 for staying in the hostel. I had an unpleasant time trying to explain that I didn't, and finally left him standing there. Sorry, but I just can't recommend this place. Okay, you get breakfast and dinner, but so what ? If you're going to climb Mt. Sinai early that night, breakfast in the morning doesn't mean much, I should think. To me 'atmosphere' is everything, and I just couldn't sense any here.

To eat, I'd recommend the Panorama Restaurant in the village near the post-office. They have a good selection of dishes. They also claim to have American hamburgers, but I suppose they've never been there. Prices are high here, but almost everything is in Katrina. I don't really look at amounts, but compare prices with quality and quantity. I considered this the best. Next door are a couple of (expensive) souvenir shops. I found the stalls on the way to monastery cheaper and they are willing to bargain.

Climbing Mt. Sinai. We started off at around 2AM. There was much wind and it was rather cold, but at night it always is. Apart from the camel 'jockeys' there are also some guides waiting for you at the starting point. They want E£30 for their help. Whether you're alone or in a group, the price was the same. We decided to save our money, and went up on our own. They'll tell you that it's difficult to go up on your own, but it isn't. The path is clear, even in the dark. A good flashlight is essential though.

Getting higher, it became colder and colder. We were happy to see some tea stands on the way. A cuppa costs E£1.50. My friend spilled some drops on my bag. Not a long time later, it was all frozen. On the top it was at least -5 °C out of the wind. In the wind probably around -20 °C. This just to tell you that I was glad that I was wearing six layers of clothing. My Minolta camera refused to work and even with brand-new, heated-up batteries it only just worked. Man, this was cold ! Always wear (warm) enough clothing and never attempt this climb in the rain ! For those who couldn't stand the cold, there was some shelter in the tea stands on the top (and along the way) and enough blankets were available.

It is best to ascend the normal way and to descend by means of the Steps of Repentance. Along this way, you pass under two stone arches : St. Stephen's Gate and Confession Gate.

The monastery of St. Catherine was not really what I had expected. The area within the walls where you have access to is very, very limited : the church, the burning bush, Moses' well and a collection of crosses and icons. Fortunately, the splendid church with all its decorations makes up a lot for this. Outside the walls, there's the nice garden and the ossuary. This building, which contains the bones of many monks, is not clearly marked. And it's locked, but there's somebody around who will open up the place for you. Inside, there's another gate obscuring much of the view. To the left, there are some niches with bones. To the right, is what appears to be a truckload of skulls. In front of you are the matching bones. But also - and this is interesting - a complete skeleton of a monk, still dressed in his habit. Unfortunately, it's all very far away. If you take any pictures, the doorman will demand a little baksheesh.

A walk around the monastery walls can also be interesting. The best views of the monastery you'll get if you climb up part of the mountain in front of the entrance. Those when descending the Steps of Repentance aren't bad either !

Wadi Feiran is at the foot of one of the highest mountains of the Sinai : the 2070 meter high Jebel Serbal. Only Jebel Katrina and Jebel Musa are higher. In the Wadi is the beautiful oasis of the same name. It's the biggest oasis in the Sinai. I've been told that this is the ancient Pharan, which has also been identified with the Biblical Rediphim, where Moses struck the rock and water gushed forth (although this one is more likely to be today's Wadi Refaid). It should be here that the old Roman road from Eilat (anc. Aila) to Suez (anc. Clysma) reached its most southern point. Centre of the oasis is the Tell Mehred. Roman, Byzantine and Nabataean remains can be found here. Also some of the dwellings and loam churches of the first Christian hermits. Ask some of the Bedouins to show them to you as some of these are easily found, but some aren't. Expect those guys to demand payment (they seemed to be very keen on US Dollars here).

Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs, South Sinai spectacular scenery!

2008-10-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Chapter Six - South Sinai: spectacular scenery !

There's some spectacular mountain scenery along the (new) road from Ras an-Naqb airport to Taba. This road ends near the Pharaoh's Island. If you don't take the turn-off to Taba, you will drive to the Israeli border. Even if you wanted, it's not possible for foreigners to cross here (and certainly not by hired car). No worries ! The military people will send you back soon enough.

The Gazirah Faraun (or Pharaoh's Island) can be seen best from the coastal road, as well as three neighboring countries of Egypt : Israel, Jordan and Saudi-Arabia. That is, if there's not a haze over the gulf of Aqaba. A boat goes to the Island, but when we were there, it didn't. They had ran out of fuel, but were "expecting it any moment". Nearby the boat landing, there are a couple of relatively new hotels (there's also one in its building phase). They are clearly here for the Western tourist. The Salah ad-Din Hotel does a great breakfast ! It's not really cheap, but if you compare quantity and quality to this price, than it's a reasonable deal.
I found Taba itself not really more than a standard border town. There's really nothing going on, and I think the only point of coming here, is to cross to Israel (if that's what you want) or at least to see the border crossing. You can see the Israeli and Egyptian flags waving next to each other on a hill.

Another 'point of interest' can be the Hilton Hotel. Built by the Israeli's, this hotel was the reason why they - going in against all agreements - refused to let go of this tiny piece of Sinai. It would take seven years.

A much nicer place to head to along this coast is Nuweiba. The coastal road offers great sea views and often cuts through some mountains. Saudi-Arabia can be seen on the other side of the gulf. In Tarabin you can see Bedouin tents beside the road. Talk to these guys for camel treks, if you're interested. Prices can (!) be cheaper here than if organised by a hotel.

Nuweiba is not spectacular by sight, but I really enjoyed the very relaxed atmosphere (well, it's not relaxed that much anymore when - sometimes - in the evenings dozens of irritatingly noisy young Jews flock here and 'confiscate' the place). You can easily spend a couple of days in Nuweiba. The place to head for is Nuweiba City. It's a contradiction in terms, as there are only about a dozen shops and a few hotels. Some Australian bloke came up to us and asked how he could get to the city. We said : "This is it." "Yeah, right !", he said, "No, seriously." We said : "Yeah, honestly, this is it !" He obviously didn't believe us and walked off, continuing his quest. You see, there's nothing to do really, but you could always take a dip in the sea or arrange a trek in the beautiful surrounding mountains. That's what we did.

In Nuweiba City, a guy called Mahmoud and a friend of his have a small souvenir stall. This also functions as a tourist information, and it's really good. You can't miss it, you know, there are only a few shops. He has lots of info on bus times, trips, and much more. Don't be afraid to get trapped as he's not that kind of person. Even if the shop is closed, you can read the bus times from his self-made info sign. Mahmoud is the greatest ! He has also become a real friend of ours. We already liked him, but even did more so after my mate had lost his passport. For some stupid reason he had put it in the back pocket of his trousers (really, really stupid !) when we had dinner. Mahmoud took a seat at our table too, and we had a great chat (he has some great stories. He has been abroad a few times, to Austria and Turkey, and has worked for about a year in Iraq). Afterwards, he invited us to sit with him by his stall. He placed a couple of rickety chairs outside, we sat down and continued our talks. Much later that evening, we drove off to our hotel. Only in the morning, my friend discovered that he had lost his passport. I told him to go back to the city, as this was the only place where he might have lost it. He did and when he got there, he was welcomed by Mahmoud. The poor guy had slept in his stall that night, in the cold, to be sure that he would be there if we returned, to hand back the passport. He even had taken a taxi the night before and came looking for us in the Village, but didn't find our bungalow. Like I said before, Mahmoud is the greatest ! We offered him a good tip for all the trouble, but he simply refused, only took it after we kept insisting. In his little shop, he sells some souvenirs but also foreign newspapers, guidebooks, maps, and some second-hand books (I saw a Let's Go ! Europe 1993 ). I think the best place to eat in Nuweiba is the restaurant to the left of Dr. Shishkebab (Nuweiba City). It's in front of Mahmoud's shop. Their kofta sandwiches are great !

The Nuweiba Hilton is now open, but much too expensive for my liking. So is the Nuweiba Holiday Village. A double room in the latter was US$86. The reception staff is friendly and helpful, but they should be, I think. Better value was the City Beach Village, where you can stay in bungalows or tents. We chose the first option. It had three beds and a toilet & shower. Price : E£43 without breakfast. This and several drinks and dishes can be had in the restaurant. There's also a liquor bar on the beach. If you want to check out early in the morning (which seems to be before 9 here), wake up the guy in the 'Manager' marked room next to the reception (if you can !) and hand him the key. You'll have to unlock/open the gate yourself too.

For the - I think - obligatory trip to the Colored Canyon, there are some options. Like I mentioned before, if you have plenty of time, talking to the Bedouins at Tarabin might be a good idea. If you are pressed for time, a jeep trip from the Nuweiba Holiday Village can be arranged. It costs E£285 for the jeep. There can go as many as six persons, so you can share the cost. Problem is to find people in a short time, as not many folks seem to be interested in going there. A bit cheaper is it to talk to Mahmoud again. After explaining the possibilities and if you want, he'll call a Bedouin driver who'll do the job for E£200 (and still six can go, but they prefer not more than four. Why ? Beats me.). An optional guide (well, optional...) costs another E£20. I can say for this you don't really need Mahmoud, as many of these Bedouin dudes can be found wandering around Nuweiba City in the evenings, crimping clients. So you can talk to them directly. Don't expect to bargain down much under the E£200 that Mahmoud arranges as they start with Holiday Village-like prices. Whichever jeep option you decide to choose, trips preferably start at around 8AM, returning at around 1 or 2PM. This way, you'll avoid the afternoon heat. Trips can, however, start as late as 1 or 1.30PM without a problem. You'll be back before sundown.

After I have seen the road now, I can conclude that you really don't need a jeep at all if you have your own car. The Colored Canyon is definitely off-road, but this road is perfectly drivable for a normal car. Don't expect it to be easy or fast though. But it can be done. If you don't believe me, let me tell you that I saw an old VW van do it without a problem. All but the last 100 meters or so can be done ! There are a few small problems though. First, you might need a guide anyway (I'd recommend one !), and second, as you know, driving off-road in the Sinai is restricted for foreigners, so officially you'll need a permit. There is a limited permit to go to the Canyon. It can be obtained from the Nuweiba Tourist Police. Get it, as there is a checkpoint on the way, and these guys won't let you pass otherwise.
If you have a mountain bike with you, the area around the canyon is great biking territory ! It's very hard though.

We went by jeep with the Bedouins. Before actually setting off, we were invited to a traditional meal and tea. The meal consists of a bowl of rice with in the middle steamed (?) chicken. You only eat with your right hand, peeling off the chicken skin and meat, mixing that with the rice and pressing it into small lumps before putting it in your mouth. It is said that this way the food mixes with natural flavors emitted by your skin and it will taste better. I found it rather plain, really. Nothing to be excited about. The tea is. This red-colored drink is offered in small glass cups. It's some of the best tea you can have.

When you have passed the checkpoint, and you are about to leave tarmac for the desert track to the Canyon, you will be at a small oasis. It's a lush place, where you can take a sip of the cool water, if you like, or fill up your bottles. It's also photogenic.

The Colored Canyon offers great scenery and beautifully colored rocks. It's also a bit of an adventure to walk through it. Sometimes you have to jump off rather high boulders or slide under them. Make sure you start off in the right direction, as the other way it's much more tough. If you start near the Bedouin tents you're heading the wrong way, as they are put here to offer tired (?) and thirsty 'canyoners' some refreshments. What the hell did I say ? 'Offer' ? That's an understatement ! They have the nerve to ask E£2.50 for a soft-drink. In fact, that's what I found out to be characteristic for most of these guys : they see tourists just as money. Many of the Bedouins have settled down now and gave up their nomadic life. The few you meet in the desert are truly friendly and hospitable people. The others... Well, it's difficult to explain and compare, but it's like those neo-Nazi's who say that all foreigners are bad. Well, the Bedouins seem to think that all foreigners are rich. Which we probably are, compared to them, but when I see what some of them earn of tourists...

Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs, To the heart of the Sinai Desert

2008-10-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

Chapter Five - To the heart of the Sinai Desert

From Ismailia we headed for the Sinai. Getting there is very easy. You can make use of the free ferry. The crossing takes about 10 minutes, I believe. I can't remember exactly. I was busy talking to a UN observer, who had some interesting things to tell. The sight of a UN jeep on the ferry (and many soldiers) immediately set the trend of what we were going to see a lot in this desert : military presence. I heard of some people who avoided the Sinai because of this, but I think this is plain stupid. Okay, there are many army camps, road blocks and soldiers (hitch-)hiking along the way and you see quite some military vehicles (often off-road), but what's the problem ? It's not a threat, it's an experience to travel in this once (and maybe still a bit) volatile area that has such an astounding scenery. All the army people we came across were very friendly (almost none of them speaks English). The soldiers have to hitchhike from their posts to their base and vice-versa, so you see many of them walking on the roads. If you try to imagine yourself in their place, you will no doubt stop and give them a lift.

If you travel by car, one thing to remember, is to fill up with gas in Ismailia before you take the ferry. If you're like us heading for Nakhl, you will be glad you did. Underway it's all real desert with few settlements. Supposedly fuel can be obtained in Bir al-Jifjafa, but don't bank on that (and if there is, is it the right fuel, e.g. octane 90 ? Forget about unleaded in Egypt BTW).

The road to al-Jifjafa is, like I said before, 'real' desert. I mean, it's a desert as we all think of : sand everywhere, the highest places being some sand dunes, few or no settlements, the only people Bedouins with their camels walking in the distance.

Bir al-Jifjafa is a small place with nothing to do. The way to Bir at-Thamada offers about the same scenery. Thamada is so small that you almost don't notice passing it. From there on, some low mountains start creeping in.
From the road block at the junction to Ras Sudr it's an excellent road straight to the city of Nakhl, population 160.

Nakhl is the only place of importance in central Sinai (in fact this is the centre). Here, you can find almost everything that you could need at this point. We needed fuel before we could drive to Ras al-Gindi. First thing you'll see on your left hand-side just before entering Nakhl 'centre', is a hotel. There are more, but more about these later. There are at least two fuel stations and a couple of 'supermarkets'. I would avoid the one just next to the CO-OP fuel station at the roundabout in the centre. This is the place where we experienced the refilled bottle scam (see earlier in this travelogue). And what's more, their prices are ridiculous. They can double at the last moment for no reason. Bargaining is what you'll have to do here. And hard ! Save yourself the trouble and cross the roundabout where you'll see a place just marked 'Supermarket'. All products are conveniently placed so that you can immediately see what's available. Everything has a price tag on it, only in Arabic though. As in so many other occasions it really, really pays off to learn the numbers. It's little trouble and very easy. The shop owner of course suspected that we couldn't read them and asked more. I just said : "So, you want xx pounds (the real, tagged price) for that (pointing to it), eh ?" He said : "Ah yes, that IS xx (my price) pounds." If you want, you can then start bargaining, but he won't come down. What he likes to do, is rounding down the totals. It's a very friendly and helpful man though. Ask for directions to the bakery here. I can also point it out to you : coming from the direction we came (Bir at-Thamada) continue straight from the roundabout (or coming out of the Supermarket, turn right immediately). After 200 meters or so you'll see the telephone office on your left. Continue on for another 300 meters approximately. The bakery is the last house on the left (any similarity to a well-known movie is purely coincidental). It's a small free-standing building and is unmarked. Normally you'll see some people (mostly soldiers) queuing at the small window. Take a look inside. The people will be surprised to see you. The breads come fresh out of the oven and are delicious. We paid E£2 for twenty. Egyptians pay half, but that's normal I heard (from several persons, not here), as the government pays the other half.
Making international phone calls from the telephone office (directions : see above) here is no problem, be it that there can be long waits (one or more hours).

We had everything we needed, so we headed for Ras al-Gindi, which features the fortress of Salah ad-Din. It's along the road to Ras Sudr on a distinctive hill that can already be seen on the right hand-side from miles away. This main road is not very good because of potholes, but they're well navigable. The road up the hill is easy to miss. We certainly were puzzled on how to get up. But, we were lucky : a soldier that we gave a lift to his base pointed out the track to us. This is it : if you reach an army base on your left, just near the mountain, then you've come too far. You should have turned right before. It's a small unpaved road that is almost invisible. It has a bad surface, but nevertheless it was perfectly driveable for the Suzuki. You can only drive a limited distance. From there on, you have to continue on foot. If you're reasonably fit, it's not too hard. We made it all the way up in less than ten minutes. And, if you can't find it, try to get help from the soldiers at the nearby army posts. There's one really near (like I said before), and there's one a couple of kilometres further down the road, direction Sudr. Often, you'll see the army men strolling on the road. They will be very glad to get a ride. This makes it very easy to ask them about the fortress route. Once up, you can see what remains of this castle.

Due to its strategic position it has been heavily damaged during the last Sinai wars. Still, some parts are relatively unharmed. It's all there to give you an impression how it once looked like : the defensive walls, a watchtower, a mosque, the living quarters, the underground water reservoir, the holes through which the carrier-pigeons were released,... Some of the entrances and windows have interesting and good-looking engravings.

You may not be too impressed by these ruins, but you will be by the breathtaking view over the surrounding (North) Sinai Desert that you get. It's really mind-blowing ! This place can easily compete with the mountain scenery from the south, I think.

After this trip, we went back to Nakhl. Like I probably mentioned before, there's little of interest here. Nakhl is built along the Suez-Taba road, which crosses some of the southern expansions of the Wadi al-Arish. This important connection was always defended by the fortress of Nakhl. Unfortunately, it has been damaged during the wars. This is what I heard. I asked around about it, but nobody could point it out to me. I could only suppose that conditions are too harsh in the desert to be bothered by your own history.

Now for the hotels: there are some, although not many foreigners want to stay the night here. There's the one that I mentioned in the introduction to Nakhl (near the CO-OP fuel station). I can't remember its name but it's the one that I'd check out if I would stay here again. The other ones are situated to the east of the roundabout, along the road to Thamad and Taba. What I heard, is that one called the Al-Rai is good. Rooms should be around the E£25 tag.
We chose another one, accidentally, when we were looking for the Al-Rai. When we came to the end of the built-up area along this road, we decided to ask directions in a restaurant in a hexagonal or octagonal shape (there's no sign bearing a name. It's painted red, you'll notice it if you drive there; it's past the last fuel station on the left). The waiter didn't understand a word of English. He said : "Ah hotel !" and signed us to come along with him. We walked to a small, square building that was about 30 meters behind the restaurant. In it were some bungalow-style rooms without toilet. There was a shared bathroom outside. The room was rather clean (although not too). The toilets were (literally) shit. Nevertheless, I thought that we could as well spend the night there. "How much is it ?" The man wrote down E£50 !! A ridiculous price for such a room. I suggested E£20, and eventually we came to a price of E£35. This seemed to be less than their normal asking price as the waiter sent off someone to ask the manager if this was all right. He returned 5 or 10 minutes later. It was okay. The price was still too much for my liking, but I considered that they probably try to take as much advantage of tourists as possible in this God-forsaken hole. So, what the heck. I said : "So that's the price for one night, right ?" "Yes. One night !" "Okay. We'll take it. Is breakfast included ?" The man didn't understand my reply at all, and instead of answering my question, he started to count the hours, pointing them out on his watch : "Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, one,.... One night !" I said : "Yes. One night. Tomorrow we leave." He didn't understand. The counting restarted. And afterwards, about fifteen times more. Really, no joke ! I started to suspect that he wanted us to leave at one o'clock in the night. I told that to my friend, who answered : "Don't be crazy, man. What kind of reasonable person would do that? He probably doesn't understand what you mean and wants to know if you'd like to stay only one night." I thought he was right, but anyway took the waiter's arm and counted on : "One, two, three, four, five, six", meaning 'we leave at six o'clock in the morning'. He didn't understand and said : "No ! No ! One ! One night !" "Yes, one night !", I replied. I got tired of it and just said to him that it was okay, and that we'd take it. He wanted our passports and immediate payment. We complied. "Good night !" He left us. We were hungry and went to the 'hotel' 's restaurant. A menu was not available. Our friend, the waiter, was at it again, understanding less than nothing. It turned out they had only chicken soup and roasted chicken 'n' rice. Fine by us. Everything was served almost cold. It was expensive too. No doubt, the fifteen pounds we had bargained off the room had been added to this bill again. Also this, I had expected. I realised that we'd been very stupid staying here in the first place, and even more so by eating here. Picking another restaurant would have been a smarter move. Problem is that I suffered from a terribly upset stomach from the chlorinated water that I had drunk. Or was it caused by something else ? I didn't know, but it hurt, so I was easily pleased that day and didn't bother too much.

As there's not much to do in Nakhl (nothing, really), we decided to go to bed early that night (around eight). Luckily we had done so, because it was quarter to one in the night when there was a pounding on the door. I opened it and there he was, our passports in his hand : the waiter ! One last time - with a big smile on his face - he re-started his counting procedure. I continued on again until six o'clock, but he said "No ! No !", meanwhile rubbing his fingers together in the commonly known gesture, meaning 'money'. I thought "F**k you, man ! Let's leave !" I was really tired of this smart-arse. We packed our stuff and five minutes later left in a cloud of dust.

After a while, we arrived at the village of Thamad. It's a very quiet place and there's a cafeteria where you can have some tea or a small lunch. My friend had some. I stayed in the car, because I was close to throwing up (probably because I ate on an already upset stomach).
When I was sitting there, I realised that there's much more traffic on the Sinai roads at night than during the daytime. No private cars, though. Not one ! It were all trucks and buses. There was one of them every seven minutes (average).
We continued a few kilometres and decided to catch some more sleep. Otherwise, we would miss too much of the scenery, which is just the point of coming here. We drove onto a small stretch of sand, a little off-road, where we were safe for the trucks. It was incredible how well you could see the stars here. Everything was so peaceful that I actually didn't mind that we had been kicked out of our room. I gazed for some more minutes, then decided to take a nap. It wasn't so bad, 'cause the Suzuki is a comfortable car to sleep in. First we were there in our T-shirts. After a while we had to put on a pullover. Then, we covered ourselves with a large towel. Finally, it was so cold that we had to force ourselves in our sleeping bags. I'd highly recommend taking one with you in the Sinai. It gets really cold at night ! We would find that out even better, later in Katrina. Even if you don't use it for the cold, it's also convenient to use in dirty beds.
A couple of hours later we woke up. The sun was already shining. There was no more traffic (or very little indeed). I felt surprisingly good, my stomach was okay. We left for Taba.

Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs, Along the Suez Canal

2008-10-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

Chapter Four - Along the Suez Canal

The road along the Suez Canal is a toll road from near Qantara until near Port Said. It costs E£1.25 either way. On entering the Port Said area, it is quite easy to pass customs and forget to declare any goods you bring in (especially electrical devices), because you just start to notice the customs when you've already driven past them and then you say "Oh, well, what the heck." Unfortunately, it's impossible to forget to do so on the way back, as you will be stopped by the officials. In our case, the trunk of the car was very briefly searched and that was it. You'll get a customs receipt.

Port Said is a change. Modern shops and restaurants. Easier traffic. Wide boulevards. It's a relaxing place to spend some time, even days, although there's almost nothing to do in the line of sight-seeing. Most beautiful is - as commonly known - the Suez Canal House. Regrettably, it's not open to the public and there was no point in trying to talk our way past the guards. The best option to get a good look, is to take the free ferry to Port Fouad. The crew is very friendly.

At the entrance to the canal, on the north side of Sharia Palestine, one can still see the stone pedestal from which a stone De Lesseps gazed over his creation. In 1956 he was removed from it and thrown in his own canal. Sharia Palestine is probably also the best place to look at the ships entering and leaving the Canal.
We arrived at about 10am at the Military Museum. It looked open but it wasn't. A looksee in the garden was satisfying enough.

Best hotel deal was the Hotel de la Poste. A really clean double off the street with private bath, TV and refrigerator was E"27, breakfast not included. As a matter of fact, I found this hotel the best deal during the whole journey. The manager is a very polite man.

Ismailia indeed is the most picturesque of the canal towns, the east side that is. The peaceful feeling emerging from this city, together with its colonial-looking mansions, reminded me of some places in Sri Lanka. The fact that there's really nothing much to do, is just the point of coming here.

Ismailia's Museum is very interesting. Entrance is E£3, photography another five. Like in the Greco-Roman museum in Alex, you have to leave your bags at the entrance and take only with you what you need. The problem here is that the bags are unattended and just stand there. The guard was a very friendly guy, pointing out the most interesting objects to us, some really obvious. Highlight of the collection ? For us, this was of course the great mosaic. For him, it was a small phallus (about 3 centimetres. Erect). During our visit, a bus-load of school girls dropped by the museum. Within a few minutes, WE were the highlight of the collection. It was a pleasant surprise. The boldest of them tried to start up a small conversation to impress their friends. One of them, a real daredevil, asked me if her friend could take a picture of the both of us (me and her, that is). Most of the time, Muslim girls and women are so reserved in public. So this was a pleasant surprise.

I didn't find the nearby Garden of the Stelae really worth the (small) trouble of asking permission from the museum. The view from the street is - as is the case with the Military Museum in Port Said - satisfying enough. A better place for a walk are the Mallaha Gardens, of which the surroundings should especially appeal to lovers of Egyptian (read : French) drawbridges. There are some fine examples of these. From the tip of land at the end (or the beginning) of the Sweetwater Canal, there's a good view of the Suez Canal (or Lake Timsah, if you wish). It's not a wide view, but a photogenic one.

On the triangle between the two gardens (the one of the stelae and the Mallaha) there's a nice Banyan tree. It's at the diversion to the ETAP Hotel.
I read somewhere that at the Canal near the Customs House, a watchtower has been built from which there are excellent views of passing convoys. It was supposedly situated between a Coptic church and a mosque. We searched for it, but couldn't find it. The many people we asked, couldn't help either.

Another place we had trouble with finding it, was the De Lesseps' house. It's not really difficult to actually find, but it's easily overlooked, because much of the front gardens around here are not so well kept and overgrown. When I found it at last, I couldn't visit it. However, it should be possible if you can get permission from the Suez Canal Authority.

Mohammed Ali Quay (where this house is to be found) along the Sweetwater Canal is a very nice place for a stroll. This is a good place to meet some locals.
The totally out-of-the-way youth hostel immediately makes an ultra-clean impression. It's a good place to stay if you want to spend some time on the beach. The beaches are very nice around here. Near the street is an information booth. It wasn't manned though. The information that the people at the reception/information desk inside can provide is also very (and too) limited.

Much better located, but also more expensive, is the El-Salam Hotel. A clean double with a nice interior (including TV, fridge, private bath) was E£43, including breakfast. The hotel's restaurant is quite good, although a bit expensive. However, it's the greatest place to sit in the evening and watch the street as literally hundreds of people pass by.

I asked for some chips with my kofta here. What I got, was a bag of crisps on a plate, topped with a slice of cucumber. Like in Belgium, crisps are called chips here. I couldn't help laughing loudly when the waiter served me this 'dish'. He clearly didn't understand. So, remember, don't ask for chips if you want French fries. Better to ask for 'pommes frites'.

The receptionists are all very friendly and helpful here. Another great place to hang out in the evenings - if you want to be part of the promenading yourself - is the small park near the passports office at Midan al-Gomhurriya.

The best place to eat that I tried out, was no doubt King Edward's. I didn't find it hellishly expensive (not cheap either) and the food is very good. This is also the place where local youngsters hang out to play pool. So, I you want to have a go and challenge one of them, you know where to head to now. You don't have to eat if you don't feel like it. For meat, the King Edward restaurant was a lot better than the El Gandool. Over there, we ordered roasted chicken, but what we got on our plate looked more like a lump of burned wood taken out of the fireplace. It wasn't so cheap either (and really expensive if you make the price/quality balance). What is really good about this place, are the amazingly clean and modern toilets, so if you're desperate, this could be the place to consider having a soft-drink.

Ismailia street scene We also discovered that Sharia Sultan Hussein is the place to watch out for touts and scoundrels. It also seems that someone at the Crocodile Inn has a hand in this as all these people try to steer you thither. No matter if you want lodging, food, telephone, souvenirs, or whatever : the Crocodile Inn will have it. After so many meetings with friendly and helpful persons, it is all too easy to fall into a trap. My friend wanted to call home, so we asked directions to the telephone office (my guide was still in the hotel room). "Telephone office ? Come !" We're taken by the arm and before we know we are standing at the reception in the Croc Inn. We don't want to phone from here, but we think asking for the price is not harmful. "About 55 Pounds for six minutes, sir." That's not unreasonable, so we can as well call from here. My friend has the number dialled for him and connection is made. Not a clear connection as the only thing that we hear is noise. We let the receptionist listen and he says something in the line of "OK, put down the phone." My friend does so. The receptionist writes down something on a piece of paper now. It's the bill ! Fifty-five pounds ! My friend protests, and immediately the guy who took us by the arm starts up a discussion with the man in Arabic. Suddenly, he doesn't speak English no more. They're not bad at their job, but they surely have never heard of theatre schools. Whether we try to interfere or not, nobody wants to take notice of us. After a while, the street tout has agreed that half the price will do. Sick and tired of this shit, my friend pays. I say to the tout that he can f**k off. Nevertheless, he stays with us to our very hotel. There he demands ten (or eventually five) pounds for helping us so much. We ignore him and walk up to our rooms. End of the story. This was not the only 'incident' on Sh. Sultan Hussein, but the most typical.

Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs, Little known pearl of the Delta - Rashid

2008-10-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

Chapter Three - Little known pearl of the Delta: Rashid

The roads from Alex to Rashid are pleasant to drive on, often offering nice views. On the way, one also passes through some traditional-looking villages. Rashid was also the most pleasant city to drive around in, although the roads are narrow, unpaved and covered with garbage. It really hád something !

There are 22 Ottoman era houses scattered all over the city. The best one to start with - although not really the most beautiful one - is Bait Arab Qali. It houses the Rosetta National Museum. Entrance costs E£5. The museum mainly has artefacts and utensils related to the Ottoman life, but also has a copy of the famous Rosetta stone (you know, the stone which led to the deciphering of the Egyptian hieroglyphs; the original is in the British Museum in London). This is also the only thing worth photographing inside (the interior is not beautiful at all). A permit to do so, costs an outlandish E£10 ! However, normally a ticket in either one of the Ottoman houses allows visits to all the other ones. In practice, this seems to pose some problems. As this IS the National Museum you should expect the people at Bait Arab Qali to be able to point out directions to and give information about the other houses, but they speak little or no English. A much better help are the people in the streets. They are so happy that finally a tourist has come to their city, they will often accompany you to the place you asked about.

In one of the houses there's a very good map of Rashid, showing all the places of interest (there are over 40 !). Interesting detail : you normally cannot visit this house as it's an office ! The National Museum doesn't seem to have a map, an office (this one) has ! I can't remember the name of this house, but I know the way to it. If you have the Gallal house (there's also a neighbouring one (Ottoman, of course)) on your right, continue on. Head to the right into the souq, then take the first street on the left. The office is on the right at the first crossing you'll then come to.
The souq is very lively and colourful. Certainly worth a stroll. The merchants are very happy to see foreigners.
Most beautiful of all the houses - for me - was Bayt al-Amasyali. Its interior is much better than the Arab Qali. The al-Fatayri supposedly can't be visited as it also has been turned into an office.

A few kilometres from the city centre, towards Alexandria, lies the Qait Bay Citadel. It is very easy to find. From the Arab Qali house, head past the flower clock to the Nile (about 100 meters). Then take the road, direction Alexandria. At all times, stay right, so keep driving as close to the Nile as possible. You will come to Qait Bay. It is near this place that the Rosetta Stone was found. Almost no tourists seem to make it here. The French fortress itself looks as new. Climb onto the defensive walls and enjoy the good views over the Nile. You can see the mouth of this Rashid branch of the river in the distance. Entrance to Qait Bay is E£6 (students half). Photography is free for once.

There are a couple of hotels in Rashid: the Makkah and the al-Nil. I have no more information on them. The Delta is a great place to drive around in as the roads are good and the countryside is lush and green.