On the occasion of our conference in Amman, my roommate and I took the opportunity to arrive in Jordan a week early with the intention of heading into Syria. Since we didn’t have visas to enter that country, we woke up before the crack of dawn to get to the border as early as possible.
The shared taxi from Amman left from the bus station at which passengers are able to catch rides, as this door shows, to Damascus, Aleppo, Beirut, Baghdad and Saudi Arabia. I wonder what the visa situation would be to head into Iraq? It was pretty intense just getting in to Syria.
When we arrived at the border, our taxi left with the remaining two (Jordanian) passengers, while Roommate and I sat down to wait. And wait and wait. All of the soldiers were very nice to us and interrogated us with courtesy if not much curiosity, but every time we asked how much longer the wait would be we heard increasing predictions. The worst part was watching all the European and even Canadian tourists acquire their visas after mere minutes. Two hours, three hours, at least four - we ended up waiting for six hours. I heard later of many instances in which friends of friends were forced to wait 10 to 15 hours at that same border, only to be sent back into Jordan. So we were very fortunate to get in, and even luckier to get a free ride into Damascus!
While one of the soldiers negotiated with a taxi driver to bring us into the city, a woman came up to Roommate and I and spontaneously offered a ride in her and her husband’s car. We accepted and two hours later were deposited in the center of Damascus, walking distance to our hotel!
That evening, we undertook several important activities: first we visited the Umayyad Mosque by night, which allowed us to get a view few people see. The mosaics of the mosque are made to a large extend in shiny, gold tile. At night, these tiles shimmer in the half light. Then we stumbled behind the mosque and ate some of the most delicious falafel sandwiches I’ve ever consumed - the falafel maker added both cauliflower and eggplant to the mix! Next we found a lovely little bar in the Christian quarter of the old city which cemented the miraculous nature of the setting: this bar serves Corona and disallows smoking!
The no smoking trend has struck Syria, and although most people we talked to were skeptical that the ban would remain in place, it was a great relief and contributed to the ongoing impression that Syria is, well, the promised land. There’s a well-known story (well-known enough to be reported in the guidebook) which claims that, upon sighting Damascus from a hill over the city, Mohamed delayed his descent into the city because he wanted to enter paradise only once.
The next morning, Roommate and I headed to Aleppo by bus. We arrived in the afternoon and immediately headed into the city to eat falafel and date bread, tour its Umayyad Mosque, climb into the citadel and drink in the clear sunshine. All of these sites are in the old city. Later, we explored the “new” area, el-Jedida, which is new only in light of the fact that this area, like Damascus, has been inhabited since around 18th century BC - so we're talking newer than 750 AD. Take that, Berkeley Historical Society!
The next morning, we ate breakfast in el-Jedida in a sweet shop where, when we asked the proprietor how we might procure coffee, he insisted that we take a seat and made some for us himself. This sort of hospitality and generosity is more than common in Syria - it is the norm. And the pastries are really sweet too.
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