Syrian Sojourn

Alright, it's time for a proper post about what's been going down since I arrived in Syria. It's been a pretty exhausting nine days of navigating my way down the length of Syria, but I've made it from Aleppo to Damascus, with stops in Hama and Palmyra along the way. My first couple of days here were a little rough, as I had an unsettling encounter with an overly friendly hostel owner the first night I arrived, which left me feeling pretty skeeved out, followed the next day by the exploding bus incident, but since then it's been relatively smooth sailing. Having backpacked through Morocco and Egypt relatively recently, I'm not completely unfamiliar with travelling in the Arab world, and I'm finding Syria to be both easier and far more challenging than either Morocco or Egypt. Syrians are an incredibly friendly and generous bunch, the country is beautiful and full of amazing ruins, and it's a backpacker's dream, in terms of budget; the hard part of travelling in Syria (beyond gaining entry to the country), is the lack of tourism infrastructure (not necessarily a bad thing, but it definitely makes things a little more difficult), the incredible amount of noise and air pollution, and the constant stares and unsolicited attention.

A lot of people have asked me why I wanted to visit Syria, and I've often asked myself the same question. For many, particularly North Americans, Syria is not the most obvious travel destination, and often times, the second question they ask is, "is it safe?" The idea to come here had been germinating for about 18 months, after I took a course on Arab and Ottoman history in my last semester at UofT. Also, having spent a good deal of my studies focused on the politics of the region, I've had a certain fascination with Syria and the Middle East for a number of years. Once it was determined that I'd be spending a year in France, I decided that it would be my chance to make it over here, and see with my own eyes the things and places that I'd only ever read about. Although what originally drew me to Syria was its history and politics, and some of the spectacular Roman sites that are now practically deserted, what's keeping it truly interesting is just being here, and seeing how people live, dress, behave, get from point to point, and how they interact with one another. I've been pretty charmed by the hospitality and curiosity of the Syrians who I've met. In terms of safety, regardless of what CNN or Fox News might lead us to believe, the public crime rate in Syria is close to zero, and despite the occasional creepy advance from horny men (and to be honest, these kinds of encounters are almost as likely to happen at home), the greatest challenge to my physical safety has been choosing buses that won't break down in the middle of no where and avoiding maniacal taxi drivers.

A very sweet little girl discovering the wonders of photobooth for the first time....clearly she had gotten more sleep, and was having a better hair day than me, but I take comfort in having a complete set of straight teeth...

Today is day 51 of my trip, and in exactly two weeks, I'll be on my way to Ben Gurion airport to catch a red eye flight back to Munich, and in exactly four weeks I'll be somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, en route for the Great White North. Although there's still almost a month left in my trip, I'm psychologically already beginning to prepare for the end, and in my mind, this trip ends when I leave the Middle East. Once I get back to Munich, I'll be joined for the last two weeks of travel by O., one of my best friends from home. For me, the last two weeks of my trip will be about chillin' with O., seeing some special people in Munich, Passau and London, and just enjoying what may be the last European vacation I'll be having for quite a long while.