(posted from Beirut, Lebanon)

28 January 2009

Hama, Syria

I saw the Crac des Chevaliers, an old crusader castle all knights of the round table style with a freakin mote and everything. Kept thinking of Monty Python. The scenery around here is very green and reminds me of Oregon. Not what you would expect in the Middle East. Unfortunately, Hama is a bit of a let down. The city is nice enough, but the river is full of trash and smells like shit, and the water wheels, what this town is famous for, aren't moving. And my hotel has no ass hose. Oh well. The Syrian immigration card asked for father's name and mother's name. This is also something that is asked when you get on any bus. Despite this, I am impressed by the lack of checkpoints here. I only saw one, manned by a lone soldier with an AK-47. It occurred to me that this is the first time I have ever seen an AK-47 in person. The availability of Western soft drinks here is a little strange. Not that this is a problem for me, I'm only remarking because it's amusing. I'm sure that they are available, I just haven't seen many of them. I have seen a few cans of Kooka Koola and Seven Ub, but no Bebsi. Comically, there is immitation Bebsi. Mandarin Cola and Ugarit Cola each have cans that very accurately resemble Pepsi cans. The company that makes Ugarit Cola also makes Cheer Up, in an almost identical can to Seven Up. The farther north I go the colder it gets naturally. Everywhere was warm enough until Amman. Amman and Damascus were pretty cold, but this morning at Crac des Chevaliers was FREEZING. It's warmed up a little bit now though.