Syria Lebanon May06

This was our maiden group trip although I have been to Syria twice before, the first time more than 10 years ago. We had problems getting the numbers but surprisingly ended with a group of 12 pax (me included) in the final weeks. Six members are past Yongoers, four recommended by past Yongoers and one new to Yongo. I needed the regulars because of the nature of travel. They are familiar with my 'style' of doing things and help ease the rest of the group into the scheme of things.

The trip was a true backpacker trip using mostly public transport. The cost of getting to Middle East is high and in wanting to keep cost down, I opted to use the cheap public conveyances instead of hiring the more expensive tour buses. On some days, with a calculator and sign language, I hired the cheaper local van transport for day trips. I also made do with no guide escort opting instead to use on-site guides for all the important historical sites. Participants were told to manage with light luggages and backpacks that made travel manageable. But at the end of the day, the number of luggages increased because of shopping.

Aleppo souk or market/ Fruit Cocktail Rm4 each

Day 1 KLIA to Damascus: We gathered at the KLIA on Sat 10pm and flew 8hrs to Doha Qatar via Singapore as the direct flight was full. After a restless night on the plane, we arrived at 6am. On request, Qatar Air gave our group a free city tour complete with guide and driver. Besides the city, we were brought to the camel market, fruits/vegetable market, Asian Games venue and a couple of other places. We left Doha at 1pm and arrived in Damascus 4pm. I arranged a cheap non AC bus to take the group to our mid-range Al Majed Hotel. After checking in, the group walked some 20min to the Damascus Old City Souk, which stayed open until 10pm. Overnight (ON) Damasucs.
Day 2 Palmyra: At 8pm we board 3 taxis to go to the Express Bus Station some 20min away. One of the taxis got lost and after a frantic wait of almost 30min, it turn up. Apparently it took that group to the local bus station instead of the Express Bus. They arrived just in time to board a regular AC express bus to Palmyra 3hr, Syria's prime tourist attraction and one of the most well preserved ancient Roman city in the world. Upon arrival I arranged for a guide to take the group to the ruins. Apart from the Temple of Bel and the Roman city of Palmyra, we also visited some ancient tombs and ended the day on Arab Castle, located on a hill overlooking the ruins with the other tourists in town that numbered probably about 200 pax only.or hotel. ON Palmyra.
Day 3 Dier Ez Zur: The previous day, I negotiated for a 2-day van hire to take the group to Aleppo, with stops at various sites that are difficult to get at using public means. Our first stop was the 8th century Qasr Al-Heir Ash-Sharqi (aka East Wall Palace) that controlled the trade routes into Mesopotamia. We were the only tourist at that site. We lunch Dier Ez Zur before going on to Dura Europos, an extensive Hellenistic/Roman fortress city, first settled around 280 B.C. Again we found that we were the only tourist in the huge area of ruins, sited next to the Euphrates River. We got to our hotel in Dier Ez Zur at 7pm with time enough to browse the town old souk. ON Dier Ez Zur.
Day 4 Rasafa Walled City & Aleppo: The original plan on day 3 & 4 was to go from town to town by express bus. The hired van was convenient and reasonably priced and saved us a lot of time. It took us to Rasafa, another desert fortress but a fasninating place to expore. The walls are some 1.2km in diameter and sites a huge 5th century Christian basilica that became an important place for Christian pilgrims before it reverted to the Muslims. Next stop was Lake Al-Assad with nearby towering Qala'at Ja'abar (Jaabar Castle) for lunch of lake fish. Unimpressive but still a local speciality. We moved on to Aleppo for ON stay.

Western restaurant Lattakia / Greek Orthodox Church Aleppo

Day 5 Aleppo's Old Market: Aleppo vies with Damascus for the title of the world's oldest continually inhabited city. We start the day at the Citadel and the manager of the ticket office gave us a guide tour for a generous bashish (tips). Incidently we met two busloads of Malay Malaysians visiting the Citadel on their 8 days Syrian tour. The group then dispersed into the Old City souks, a myriad of narrow cobbled streets full of shops. Aleppo Souk is a Unesco site because its still serves as the main market for locals for their everyday needs. They are lots to see and the group was left to wander about on their own. ON Aleppo.
Day 6 St Simeon Basilica Aleppo: The previous day, I negotiated for a van and guide to take the group on a half day tour to the outskirts of Aleppo, including St Simeon Basilica, some Roman tombs and the Dead Cities. St Simeon is locally known as Qala'at Samaan and was a place of pilgrimage for Byzantine Christians. The Church today it is remarkly well preserved with Romanesque facade. In the afternoon the group was left to wander and shop. In the evening the group met up and walked the prominent Christian Quarter. ON Aleppo.
Day 7 Lattakia & Qalaat Salah ad-Dint: I engaged the previous day's guide to organise a van to take the group to Lattakia with a stop Saladin's Castle midway there. He is an archealogy student moonlighting as a guide and is very knowledgeable. Anyway he was able to give the group very good explanations about ancient Syria and the places visited. Saladin Castle was orignally built by Robert of Saone, a Christian Crusader but was surrendered to Saladin, the famous Muslim conquerer. This ancient Crusader's Castle plays second fiddle to Krak des Chevaliers but it perched on top of a heavily wooded ridge with near-precipitous sides dropping away to surrounding ravines. We proceeded to Lattakia, a busy port even since Roman times and one of the least conservative cities in the country. Here, one finds a street with many restaurants and we enjoyed good Western food in a posh restaurant. ON Lattakia.
Day 8 Ugarit & Tartus: Using my now well-used negotiating skills, I engaged a local van to take the group to Ugarit, some 16km away and origin of the world's earliest alphabets. The Ugaritic tablets found her is a greatly simplified system of 30 symbols, each of which represents one sound. On the way back we stopped at Blue Beach, the premier coastal resort in Syria, which was quite poor compared to Malaysian beaches. On day 8, we were schedule to visit Saladin Castle, which we covered the day earlier. We moved on to Tartus 2hr after having seen much of what Lattakia had to offer. Established by the Phoenicians, it became an important town for the region. Sited on the Mediterannean seas, it was an important Crusader's town. A 10min boat ride took us to the once-fortified island of Arwad where we had lunch of seafood. ON Tartus.
Day 9 Krak des Chevaliers: In the morning some of us visited the Catheral of our Lady of Tortosa and the old town with residences built into the ancient walls. We were fortunate in that we were invited to visit a local Arab house. From Tartus, we proceeded to Krak des Chevaliers or Qaalat Hosn by hired van. Described by TE Lawrence (of Arabia fame) as 'the finest Crusader's castle in the world', the Krak is one of Syria's premier attraction and a must-see. A guide was engaged to give explanations of the castle. We lunched at a nearby restaurant before the group was left to wander the nearby small village. We were fortunate to be able to witness and participate in festivities of a local wedding. ON Hotel near the Krak.

Krak des Chevaliers / Bosra Roman Amphitheatre

Day 10 Hama Norias: I hired the van for a third day running and this time it took us first to St George Greek Orthodox Church nearby. Next stop was the beehive hosues of Tawlid Dabaghein some 1 hour out of Hama. Here we were served teas by some locals and got the chance to experience a short stay in one of the simple houses. We move on to Hama, a town famous for its giant 20m water wheels called norias.ON Hamas.
Day 11 Beirut Lebanon: Having saved a day by combining our earlier itinerary program, the group opted to go to Lebanon for 2 nights. I made bookings earlier and we set off for Beirut with all seats taken up. The journey probably took less than 5 hours but border crossings was time consuming. We arrived in Beirut at 4pm and promptly set off to visit the main town square called Place d'Etoile. Group later separated for dinner and wandered about on their own. ON Beirut.
Day 12 Byblos & Cedar: I hired a van for the full day for a tour the Cedar Tree Reserves in Kadisha and Balbeck Temple. Unfortunately after Kadisha, the mountain roads were closed due to heavy snow. So we only managed the biblical port city of Byblos and Kadisha, with its ancient trees, which were the main source of wood for homes and boats. ON Beirut.
Day 13 Damascus: It took us almost 4hr to get to Damascus. It was a Friday and the souk was practically deserted especially during the afternoon prayers. After a quick lunch near the hotel, the group made their way to the village of Maalula, touted as a pretty Christian village where Aramaic, the language of Jesus, is still spoken. We wndered about the hillside alleys and visited the Convent of St Thecla. It was a 1.5hr back to Damascus by the hired van. ON Damascus.
Day 14 Bosra & Damascus: We started the day early and went by a convenient and regular express bus to Bosra 2hr. It has one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in existence and is completely encompassed by an Arab fortress, also a Unesco site. We had a wonderful time walking about the ruins of this former Roman city before returning to Damascus. In the afternoon till late night, the group wandered about the streets of Old Damascus, visiting many Churches and the beautiful Ommayadd mosque, a former Basilica. ON Damascus.
Day 15 Fly Home: In the morning, the group ventured out to the souk to finish off the last of their Syrian Pounds. We gathered at 1230pm for the bus ride to the airport for our 440pm flight to Doha and home.
Day 16 Home: Arrive KLIA 1205 afternoon.