Goodbye Syria – 8th January, 2006

We have had a really great time in Syria. The people here are extremely friendly and welcoming, even if they drive like maniacs :) The country has really surprised us with its contrasts, but we have enjoyed the experience. However, all good things must come to an end, and so today we go to Jordan.

Early mornings seem to be a part of our holiday routine. This morning’s start was 5.30am, to catch a bus from Damascus to Amman. As we drove to the bus station, we saw the most beautiful sunrise. “Red sky in morning, shepherd’s warning” – we should have taken note!

The bus was late, so we sat around the station for a little while. When it arrived, it was the yuckiest bus we’ve ever seen, filthy and smelly and uncomfortable. However, backpacking middle-east style means that you don’t have any choice but to get on, so we did. The first part of the trip went relatively smoothly and we reached the Syrian border within two hours. Here we had to go through several different formalities:

off the bus, have the passports stamped, fill in the paperwork, back on the bus, drive 50m, stop at duty-free shop, drive another 50m, soldier gets on the bus, checks all the paperwork, bus drives 100m, get off the bus in Jordan, change currency to buy visa, can’t buy visa until passport has been examined, get passport checked, go back and buy a visa, get passport rechecked, back on the bus, drive 50m, take all luggage off the bus (bus then leaves to be x-rayed), stand in the cold rain for two hours while nobody looks at luggage, stand in rain for longer as someone comes and examines the bags, get back on the bus, wait another hour while one person is detained and removed, drive 15m, stop at café for 15 minutes, spend $12 on a biscuit and water for two as it is the only food available, drive another 15m, soldier get on the bus and check all passports and stamps, bus departs to Amman, 30 minutes later something in the engine explodes, sit on the side of the road, in the rain, for another hour….on a good day, this process goes rather quickly and the bus reaches Amman by 11.30am. It took us until 2.30pm. Next time, we’ll take a service taxi!

We spent the rest of the very quietly, due to heavy rain in Amman. Tonight we met our new tour leader (an Englishman named Tony) and the new members of our tour. We are now a group of 16, of which there are ten Australians, two Americans, two Englishpersons, one Brazilian and one Kiwi. Fletch went to bed early with a migraine and I went in search of some cough syrup – my cold is getting better but my cough is quite nasty now. Having found some, I’m about to join Fletch in slumber.

Lunch! One of the best and certainly the biggest kebab I have ever had!

Fletch’s tips for new travellers

If an Australian wants to really communicate effectively with a Syrian, I advise a small amount of oral surgery. The rather simple procedure aims to extract the tongue from its usual position: firmly planted in the cheek. (See anonymous post to previous tip concerning questions about children). For anyone I may have offended (all right you lot in Australia, put your hands down now), I enjoy poking fun at Syrians much the same as I like poking fun at the English, Americans, continental Europeans, Asians, New Zealanders (particularly) and Australians. Most of all I enjoy poking fun at myself. So let me say now unequivocally that Syrians are amongst the most hospitable, polite and friendly people I have met.