Damascus - the rest of Christmas

December 26th - December 30th

... I am walking to the tourist police-station with Ammar. After this I am heading off to meet Marcus to get a taxi to San Maria bus station. From here we are departing the country once again, this time to a new destination. Ammar is also leaving to, finally off to Baghdad in a couple of days. He is very happy to be going home. We are shortly going to say good-bye. I hope one day I can catch him in Baghdad; or for him to visit England. Right now though, we are discussing a Satanist cult in Northern Iraq...

We spent a very chilled Christmas week in Damascus. We had the run of Rach's flat as she was moving to a new place and there was an overlap on the old one. Marcus was ill again and was pretty much laid up for the whole period. Leah decided to travel around Syria and explore the North and East. Nat planned to meet her later in the week and was enjoying chilling in Damascus: Nat works in Lebanon, in Beirut. She much prefers Syria and relishes an opportunity to get over to Damascus. I was enjoying spending time with the girls, and simply doing absolutely nothing for a change; well less than usual anyways.

... We are round at Rach's new place, christening it by cooking again. It is a lovely two-bedroom condo. It is very spacious with a very high ceiling. Rach has got a new paraffin cooker. Unfortunately it is not working properly and the whole flat is filled with the smell of paraffin. I think we are all getting high off of the fumes...

Natalie headed off north to Hamas to meet Leah. She was planning on coming back to see Rachel for New Year in Palmyra. Rach was working and was pretty busy. Marcus finally recovered and we both decided that we were going to head to Lebanon for New Year. We had been debating it for the last month and we had kept on putting it off as the last president, Pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud, stepped down and left the country in a political limbo. To boot, just before Christmas the armies head of operations, Gen Francois al-Hajj, was assassinated. The elections still stand in deadlock. We decided, on reflection, this wasn't going to change anytime soon. So we thought we'd give it a go. Also we had got to know Natalie, who is working there, very well. She said it would be fine and even offered us the use of her flat. So it was decided. Next stop, Beirut. It was also decided we were not going to tell our parents until we got back. They'd only worry.

... It is November the 15th and I am in Aleppo, Syria. I am on the phone to my Dad on Skype. I am wishing him a happy birthday. It is a warm day and the windows are open. Below in the street the denizens of Aleppo are busy driving me insane with their horn-beeping.
"So where are you off to next?" My Dad is asking me.
"Mmmm... East for a week or two." I am being a little cagey here.
"East? Is there a lot in the East of Syria?". I am a little reluctant to tell him we are heading to Dura Europos and Mari. 30km from the border of Iraq.
"Yeah, there are some archaeological sites to see. by the Euphrates..." He can probably hear me wincing.
"Isn't that near the Iraqii border?".
"Yeah, kinda." I explain that there is very little danger and the Middle East is far safer than you realise once you get here. The people are warm and friendly and the minority factions that are targeting foreign tourists are very few. In fact, you are just as likely (or unlikely) to have the same problem in the UK. "All the same, you'd better not mention it to Mum just yet. She'll only worry. I'll tell her when I get back."
"Just take care, ok?"
"Always! Happy Birthday!" I hang up. Well try to - the Skype connection doesn't quit properly and I hear him give a big sigh:
"Number 1 son"...