Epic Proportions

I'm on Laos time...

blackbs2 — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:20:00 GMT

I am in the beautiful, romantic country of Laos. And I sorta wish I could stay here. Coming from Thailand I must say the pace here is slower, the beer cheaper, the locals and backpackers friendly, and the scenery more pristine(e.g., the Mekong, the jungle of Nam Ha NPA).

Much has happened since the last update. Ben and I took a 7+ hour trip "air-con" bus to Chiang Kong, a border town on the Mekong. And while the distance is not great, the roads are terrible and the buses seem to be held together with duck-tape. I kid you not, going uphill, the bus chugs along no faster than 10 mph. A couple times, it sounded like the engine fell out of the bus. That being said, public buses in Thailand do run on time, if not early, but pack in as many people as possible. I shared a bench seat on the very back of the bus with Ben and a Thai kid clutching a CPU. Joy.

We did meet some friendly other travelers from England and Germany and the lovely conversations helped the time pass. In Chiang Kong, we stayed a place for $3.21/person a night, that had a pretty little dining area overlooking the Mekong and Laos. Though the rooms resembled jail cells and were infested with termites and GIANT man-eating spiders. But who spends time in the room anyways?

The next day, we rented a motorbike and took a lovely drive to Chiang Saen, the oldest town in Thailand. We rode along the Mekong, which during the dry season, tall basalt pillars surrounded by white sand leap out of the river. We scooted through hill tribe villages, rice patties, and took a break at an organic tea farm. Chiang Saen was nice, we saw no other Westerners there and chowed down on some good local food (pork soup with noodles). Checked out the markets and then went to the Golden Triangle (where Thailand, Laos, and Burma meet) and toured a museum about opium. On the way back to the hostel, we stopped at a local outdoor massage place that overlooked the Mekong and got full Thai body massages. Mmmmmm :)

The next morning, (not sure what day it was or what day it is), the hostel owner loaded about 25 backpackers into a tiny pick-up truck and drove us to the border crossing of Laos (boat!). I'm not sure how Ben feels about it, but I prefer taking local transportation over the tourist mini-buses. It's not always the most comfortable, but it's way cheaper and you get to see things like the bus stopping suddenly so Laos people can buy snacks (aka stinky fish) from kids standing on the side of the road. However, it was another long bus to Luang Nam Tha, a small town in northern Laos.

With two other Americans we had been traveling with for a few days and a guy from Israel (who use to be his country's salsa dancing champion), we embarked on a two day trek into the jungle. Despite the heat and the bugs, it was lovely. Got to hike through old growth rainforest (banana trees!), rubber tree farms, and got to see some of the devastation from the clear cuts and slash-and-burns. Our overnight accommodations was a cute little hut next to a gorgeous, pristine waterfall. Also, we got to see the tour guide's village and see the school. Very interesting. More details later.

We drank BeerLao with our local guides after the trip and had some hilarious conservations trying to teach one another funny phrases in Laos and English. And then the night bus. Me, Ben, and this guy from Oregon, Paul, took the worse bus, even though it was labeled "VIP" to Luang Prabang (where I am now). We bounced for seven hours overnight but alas, this town is beyond pretty. Toured some wats, neighborhoods, and the National Museums. It sits right on the Mekong and I'm looking forward to having some Lao/French food tonight.

Mekong

blackbs2 — Sat, 5 Mar 2011 14:54:00 GMT

Hello (sa wat de kha) from Chiang Mai!

Currently sitting at a train station, waiting for my bus to whisk me away to the Mekong River at the border town of Chiang Kong, directly across from Laos. We traveled (via airplane) from the southern town of Phuket to Chiang Mai two days ago and spent the better part of yesterday just wandering the city. Checked out a few wat's (temples), bargained at the night market, got massages, and oh yeah...fed baby tigers! Touristy yes, but I could not pass up the opportunity to get up close and personal with those beautiful, smiling death machines. Notably, it's much cooler in the northern mountainous region of Thailand which makes for cleaner clothes and better sleeping.

The food in the north differs from that of the south. In the south, the diet revolves around seafood and consists of squid/shrimp currys that is face melting spicy. Up north, the curry is milder, the noodles thicker, and the focus is more on chicken and pork. A big part of my diet is 1) Thai iced coffee and 2) fresh fruit. Being in a tropical climate, the bananas and mangos grow everywhere. And the bananas are smaller and much sweeter.

Due to lack of time and poor road conditions, we have decided to cut out most of Laos (oh, but I will be back) and spend the rest of our time exploring this northern region. Trekking is huge in Chiang Mai, but we are going to a couple smaller towns where the tours are suppose to be less Disneyland-like. There are several hill village tribes (Karen tribe--girls with elongated necks) that make their money from allowing tour groups from Chiang Mai to take their pictures. Many of the tours cram too many hung-over tourists on buses and elephants to push as many people through as possible. Wanting to avoid this, we are headed to Chiang Rai and Laos to frolic through the less populated jungle.

Beach Bums

blackbs2 — Thu, 3 Mar 2011 00:34:00 GMT

Tonight is the last night at the beaches. Currently, a storm is beginning to rage in the distance and if it's anything like last night's storm, might have some flooding potential.

Thailand's islands and beaches are probably the prettiest in the world (or at least that I have seen). Right now Ben and I are in Hat Railay which is near the town of Krabi. Here is a quick summary of recent activities:

1) Kayaking and hiking in Ang Thong National Marine Park

2) Taking a long-tailed boat around Ko Phangan and snorkeling on its offshore reefs

3) Lounged in hammocks on a secluded beach under coconut trees

4) Took a night ferry to the mainland (slept like a baby)

5) Rented a motorbike in Krabi and checked out a Buddist temple set in limestone caves, hiked up 1237 stairs to see a giant golden Buddha

6) Trekked around Khao Phanom Bencha National Park and saw pretty waterfalls and new flora and fauna!

7) Ate lots of street food. I can eat Phad Thai in Thailand (they generally don't use peanuts)

8) Snorkeled in Ko Phi Phi stunning bays. I've never seen such clear water

9) Hiked to a lagoon yesterday in Railay

10) Rented kayaks and snorkeled around limestones cliffs that leap straight up out of the water. Seen over 35 different species of fish!

And while the beaches are pretty and I love the island life, I'm excited to fly north tomorrow to Chiang Mai. So far, we have not experienced what Thailand has to offer culturally fully. The beaches, even the one I'm at now which has no roads, are all developed and the tourism industry seems so saturated here. That being said, I would come back to Railay again :) Here and Krabi have been my favorite spots thus far. The people in Krabi and on the outskirts have been the friendliest. And the food the best. Tonight I have fresh shrimp in coconut curry with lemongrass and onions. Nom nom nom.

Long Overdue Update

blackbs2 — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 12:59:00 GMT

So sorry for the long delay between updates. I know you all have been checking the blog hourly.

I'm writing from Krabi, Thailand. First off, it's beyond beautiful here. Ben and I have spent the last few days in southern Thailand (1,000 km south of Bangkok) on the islands of Ko Samui and Ko Pha-Ngan. The beaches here are picture perfect. White sandy beaches with palm trees casting the occasional shadow, just big enough for someone to nap underneath while listening to the sound of the gentle, but ever heaving surf. It's a shame that EVERYBODY knows about this place. Despite the beauty, the over-development is extreme. We had one taxi driver inform us that ten years ago that this place with good, but now "no good, sad". The book (SE Asia on a Shoestring) warns its reader about this calamity but Ben and I decided that we too, seasonal broke-ass fish bums, should be able to enjoy the perfect beaches with the rich.

The first island we stayed at, Ko Samui, was the most developed of the two. We managed to find a budget bungalow (with A/C) RIGHT on the Chaweng beach for about 800 Baht ($12.50/per person). We had taken a 2nd class night bus from Bangkok, which turns out only working class Thais take, so we got to see different cities and ports than the usual tourist who rides 1st class or VIP. Being still jet-lagged and sleep deprived (no sleep on 2nd class, we do not fit very well into Asian-sized seats) worked to our advantage here though. During the day we swam in a rainstorm, played beach volleyball, and frolicked in the ocean and the softest sand my toes have ever felt. We crashed out at about 7:00 p.m. which is when the island "comes alive". All the rich, white tourists begin to have dinner then drink themselves into a stupor at this point. But early to bed means early to rise. Taking a beach walk at 5:00 a.m. is super nice because we got to enjoy the sunrise and NO ONE is awake; the beach was vacant of its 9860986045 sunbathers.

Don't get me wrong, this island is fun and beautiful but it's not for the backpacking type.

MUCH more later (I'm about 5 days behind) but we need to get going on our daily activities...

If it's the beaches...

blackbs2 — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 13:46:00 GMT

Leaving Bangkok today and heading south to Kho Tao.

Yesterday we wandered around the city, took a river ferry, and visited 3 amazing Buddhist temples. Saw many, many Buddhas including the Reclining Buddha (about 200 feet long). The temples are extremely intricate with many of the tiles collected from old Chinese teacups and plates. Also, we checked out the Grand Palace and a museum with descriptive explanations on loos.

Still jet-lagged. Here in Thailand, we are 15 hours ahead of Seattle. My body is very confused. Though a good foot and shoulder rub from a little Thai lady seems to help.

The food here is amazing in both taste and price. After meandering off the tourist strip for a bit we came across a very hippie coffee shop with a fascination for cowboys and Indians. They were pleasantly surprised that a boy from NE Montana stopped by.

Learning the language has proven to be very difficult. Most attempts to say thank-you or hello end up with a good laugh from the locals. Thai is tonal turns out and it appears I don't hear the difference :)

More to come soooon. Running out of time.

Welcome to Thailand

blackbs2 — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 13:24:00 GMT

After a 12 hour flight (Seattle to Seoul) followed by 6 hour flight (Seoul to Bangkok), WE ARE HERE. We passed through customs at about 1 a.m. and with no buses or trains running and a fear of not finding an open hostel, Ben and I spend the night in the lovely airport. And funny enough, we hung out with a guy from Olympia, Washington who had been teaching in Korea for the past few months. Small world.

We are staying in the back-packers "ghetto" right in the middle of town (rooms were $5/person!). Lots of tourists and English speakers here. And the city is huge! About 7.7 million people live here and there is much to see. Today and tomorrow are going to be spent recovering from jet lag and just wandering the city.

More to come, but just wanted to check in.

Oh yeah, it's HOT here. The high is about 90 today. That's about a 110 degree difference in temperature from where I was just last week. And there is about 7.7 million more people surrounding me...

Off again!!

blackbs2 — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 05:43:00 GMT

Well, it's that time again. Travel time.

On February 17th, I will be taking off from Seattle, WA and flying to Bangkok, Thailand :) After being in Wolf Point, MT for the last 6 weeks, where temperatures frequently visited negative 20, the warm, sandy beaches/water will be most welcoming. I will be gone for a month and plan on checking out the countries of Laos and Cambodia as well.

I will update this blog frequently, as I know some people (hello parents!) will be worrying about my well-being. Also, I will stay in contact via email and skype.

Hopefully, spring will be in full-bloom by the time I get back.

Home Sweet Home

blackbs2 — Sat, 6 Dec 2008 04:38:00 GMT

Just wanted to let everyone know that after a 60-hour journey, sleeping on trains, buses, and airplanes (and in the Athens Airport), Marshall and I are back in Seattle. It feels really good to be home.

Hope to see everyone really soon! And thanks for reading our blog while we were overseas! It was great knowing that people were interested in our travels and (hopefully) missed us!

Much Love,

Shannon

p.s I don't have a cell phone yet so call Marshall if you want to talk to me/him/us.

Homeward Bound (p.s. I love that movie)

blackbs2 — Wed, 3 Dec 2008 21:54:00 GMT

Last night in Instanbul Marshall and I said our good-byes to our travel buddies, Megan and Monica (5 weeks together!) and clambered into a sleeper train headed towards Thessaloniki where we are currently waiting for another train to take us to Athens. We discovered that the Athens airport is ranked as one of the best airports in the world to sleep in so we have decided to camp out there until our 11:30 flight to NYC tomorrow (the 4th).

This trip has been nothing short of amazing and life-changing. Almost everyday of the last two months has been EPIC! And I can't believe how much I've learned about:
-cultures/lifestyles
-religions
-foods/drinks
-art
-history
-current events
-my travel buddies
-myself
-traveling in general

I hate to admit this but before coming to the East I didn't even know lots of this 'stuff' even existed. It was shocking to see ways of life I didn't even fathom. My brain is about full.

I'm glad we didn't listen to the numerous warnings about the 'dangers' we might encounter and nix the trip. Sure there were culture shocks, hard times, and frustrating parts but all a piece of the journey (the only time we were in true danger was during transportation...the drivers are INSANE!). The Middle East is such a fascinating, complex, and rewarding travel destination. Numerous civilizations of antiquity rose and fell here over the last 4000 years and 3 monotheistic religions were born in this area. It was crazy to see Judaism, Christianity and Islam overlap time and time again.

Top 15 favorite ruins/museums (I can't decide exact orders and I know I'm forgetting something...)
-Valley of the Kings, Egypt
-Crac de Chevaliers, Syria
-Derinkuyu, Turkey (underground city)
-Palmyra, Syria
-Temples of Karnak, Egypt
-Topkapi Palace, Turkey
-Petra, Jordan
-Turkish and Islamic Art Museum, Turkey
-Goreme Open Air Museum, Turkey
-Nubian Museum, Egypt
-Palamidi Fortress, Greece
-Jerash, Jordan
-Pyramids, Jordan
-Egyptian Museum, Egypt
-Parthenon and Acropolis, Greece

Top 10 Religious Sites:
1) Aya Sofya, Turkey
2) Umayyad Mosque, Syria
3) Blue Mosque, Turkey
4) Sayyida Ruqayya Mosque, Syria
5) St. Katherine's Monastery, Egypt
6) Aaron's Tomb, Jordan
7) Gumusley Monastery, Turkey
8) Church of the Apostles, Jordan
9) Temple of Bel, Syria
10) Al-Azhar Mosque, Egypt

Top 11 Adventures/Excursions
1) White Desert Camping, Egypt
2) Riding a Camel to a Nubian Village across the Saharan Desert at sunset, Egypt
3) Floating in the Dead Sea, Jordan
4) Snorkeling in the Red Sea, Jordan
5) Wadi Rum Camping, Jordan
6) Hiking up Mt. Sinai to see the sunset, Egpyt
7) Aleppo's Souq, Syria
8) Taking a Turkish Bath (Hammam), Syria
9) Felucca ride up the Nile, Epypt
10) Hiking in the Love Valley, Cappadocia Turkey
11) Walking the street of the Tent Makers in Cairo, Egypt

2 months is a loooong time to travel. Marshall and I have covered upwards of 6000 km during this time and have not stayed in one place longer than 3 nights. It's time to come home. I'm sure my family and friends are excited to see photos...all 1600 hundred of them :) We are truly looking forward to seeing everybody SOON!

Istanbul

blackbs2 — Tue, 2 Dec 2008 20:12:00 GMT

It's safe to say that İstanbul is my favorite city I have ever visited overseas (though Barcelona is a close second). Marshall and I arrived here two mornings a go after taking an overnight, 14-hour bus ride from Kaş.

The first two nights we crashed at a couch surfers house, Ahmet. He picked us up for the bus drop-off and cooked us the first good breakfast we have had in a looong time. Later on he proved to me a great guide to the city and answered a lot of questions about Turkish culture and customs. His English is great (good thing, because my Turkish language skills consist of 3 or 4 phrases, one being "one beer please"). Ahmet took us to a fabulous restaurant in a trendy part of town off the guidebook track where we enjoyed true Turkish food. Stuffed eggplant and zucchini, rice pilaf and friend eggplant. Mm mm mmm! Afterwards, we consumed a dessert drink called Salep (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salep#Beverage).

And seeing that it was Saturday night, we hit up a cool roof-top jazz cafe where we listened to the rain and sipped on rocki overlooking the city and the fancy Russian Embassy and then people-watched while nursing a beer in the hip Beyoglu district. We topped the end of the evening off with a driving tour of the town along the Bosphorus and took a peak at the Black Sea.

The next day, Marshall and I were on our own. We toured:
-the Blue Mosque. Has 555 different shades of blue
-Aya Soya. A church converted into a Mosque. The mosaics, architecture, size sooo impressive. By far my favorite religious site.
-walked over Galata bride (the bridge the game Bridge was named after)
-rode a ferry
-Spice Bazaar (not nearly as frantic as the Bazaars in Syria or Egypt)
-Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

Istanbul is extremely pretty and very European looking. Marshall says it reminds him very much of Paris. Being here in the fall is a real treat, all the colors are in their peak fall-color glory. What is also cool is that because Ahmet lives on the Asian side of Istanbul and the sites are on the European side we got to jump between continents to get from one side of the city to another!

Yesterday we wandered around the city more and went into the Topkapı Palace. I was blown-away. The Palace is "new", built in 1453 when the Ottomans sacked Istanbul. Priceless jewelry, swords, and treasures are kept here. Including:
-an 86 carat diamond, surrounded by 49 other diamonds
-millions, maybe BILLIONS dollars worth of diamonds, rubies, emeralds embedded in thrones, broaches, baby cribs, etc
-David's sword
-Moses's Staff
-arm of prophet John
-Abraham's saucer

Anyways, much more to say but I'm running out of time and want to see the city before taking an overnight train tonight. More to come later.

See everyone SOON!

Top 10 Cities

blackbs2 — Mon, 1 Dec 2008 20:21:00 GMT

Top 10 Cities/Towns visited this trip*:

1) Istanbul, Turkey

2) Cairo, Egypt

3)Damascus, Syria

4)Petra, Jordan

5)Goerme, Turkey

6)Aleppo, Syria

7)Nafplio\Tolo, Greece

8)Kaş, Turkey

9)Nubian Village, Aswan, Egypt

10) Madaba, Jordan

*order and cities subject to change

Happy Thanksgiving

blackbs2 — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:04:00 GMT

So my first blog crashed so here we go again...

Hello from Kaş, Turkey. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. You were all missed.

Backing up a few days....

Nov 16th: Crossed the Syrian/Turkey border in a vehicle smuggling duty-free booze into Turkey. But we made it into Antakya safely and could see the difference between Syria and Turkey immediately. Not all women were covered in black cloths and saw very few head scarfs. And the girls and I did not receive nearly as much as attention as usual. It was possible and somewhat normal for Megan and I to go running in the morning. Also, went to a pub for the first time since Athens.

Nov 17th: Traveled across the southern part of Turkey, seeing the snow-capped Aladaylur mountains and through an environment similar to the Cascades to the town of Nigde. Had some killer Turkish food, pide, lamb and rice, and went for a walk with some locals. The boys in the Middle East and Turkey are much more upfront about their desires and are not as afraid as rejection as American boys. Flattering, sometimes, annoying, nearly always.

Nov 18: Sick. Bad case of traveler's diarrhea (just what you wanted to know, right?) but enjoyed the journey from the fetal position in the back of the van. Went for a stroll though the gorgeous, fall-stricken Ihlara Valley (picture below). Hiked in a gorge next to a river full of fish and FROGS, with churches carved out of the adjacent cliff walls. Reminded me of the Columbia Gorge, specifically Vantage. Ate some local Turkish trout on the river and sipped on apple tea/cider. After lunch we ventured into the underground city of Derinkuyu. Very very cool. I felt like we were in the Mines of Moria (LOTR reference).

Nov 19-21: In Cappadocia staying in the little cozy town of Goerme. Very lush fall colors and the air filled with chimney smoke. This town has very unique geology and many of the rock cave-houses look like some fairy-land. Made the local bar our hang-out and hiked though the Love Valley (hehehe, see picture below) Pigeon Valley and Rose Valley. The M's and me said goodbye to our fellow Intrepid travelers here. Oh, and randomly ran into a friend we had met in Cairo about a month before whom we had also ran into while we were in Damascus. Very small world.

Nov 22-25: Took an overnight bus to the pretty port town, Antayla. Here Marshall and I went to a futbol game, the turks are CRAZY about soccer, and we found a Starbucks! I have never been so happy to see that familar mermaid. Finally, real coffee! I am sick of the Nescafe crap that has been served to us throughout the trip.

After Antayla, we went to Olympos a crazy party town in the summer but things have since shut down and there were literally NO other travelers here so we took some time to relax. Stayed in these super nice and cute bungalows for the half the normal price, bouldered, relaxed on the beach, explored the vast ruins (there are no barrıers so we can truly explore every crook and cranny) went swimming in the Mediterranean, hiked, played with a man's illegal pet monkey, and read. Life is good.

Nov 26-Nov 28: Still along the Mediterranean coast but now in the town of Kaş. It's about 80 degrees and sunny. On Thanksgiving day, Megan, Monica and I went for a hike on the Lycian Way that led us through groves of olives, past goats and tiny farms and crumbly ancient walls, crystal blue and white beaches, and rocky outcrops. Part of the trail got a little hairy so there was a supporting rope attached via an ancient tomb. So many ruins here, they get little regard. Went to a nice restaurant for Thanksgiving and topped the evening off with a funky NYC style jazz bar. Went to the local farmer's market this morning and explored the town. Oh, and I had turkey in Turkey on Thanksgiving. Granted it was lunch meat turkey but turkey none-the-less. My life is nearly complete now.

NB: It was odd being in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving and then realized that the majority of the world doesn't celebrate this holiday that is so important to everyone I know in the states.

Headed to Istanbul tonight via overnight bus and Marshall and I are staying with a couch surfer who is nice enough to pick us up from the bus station at 6:30 in the morning.

Missing everyone oodles and am looking forward to the comforts of home and the holiday season.

p.s. I am sad I missed Thanksgiving, thankful I am missing 'Black Friday'.

Stıll trekkıng

blackbs2 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 03:05:00 GMT

Hello all!

Thank you for all your wonderful comments and emaıls! Helps wıth the homesickness. All is well in Olympos Turkey (the keyboards are funky so excuse the spellıng and grammer mıstakes). Will write loads more once I have more time. But ın a nutshell Turkey ıs me and Marshalls favorıte country thus far. The scenery food people hıkıng beaches are all breathtakıng. Finally feels lıke fall.

Have been ın Antayla Antakya Goreme Olympos and Kas ın a few days.

Oh and we saw turkies ın Turkey...yes...

Homesick

blackbs2 — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:11:00 GMT

Thanks to everyone reading our blog. It's reassuring to know that people care about what we're up to :) Helps with the homesickness a little too.

Speaking of homesickness, there are specifics things I find myself missing about the U.S. and the Pacific Northwest...

-WOMEN AS EQUALS: In the US, women complain about sexism but it's not even remotely comparable to what goes on in the Middle East. Granted, it's a different culture and I try to respect it, but it's just weird and a tad bit disturbing that there are only a handful of women out on the streets at night (and never w/o a man). The men do the working, even the bra shops, talking, eating, and drinking it seems. Rarely do I see women in coffee shops (and that's in liberal towns too, like Cairo) and most women dress very conservatively. There are lots of full burkas, including a face screen so not even the eyes are showing (reminds me of ring-wraiths from Lord of the Rings). And I hate the attention I get being a western woman. Walking down the street by myself, or even with the girls sans Marshall is a very different experience than if he is with me. It will be sooo nice to walk down the streets without being harassed (oh and harassment comes in several different forms, meowing, hissing, whistling, slurping noises, staring, stalkings, unwanted conversations, and even the extreme occasional touching. Ugh!)

-COFFEE: Everyone over here drinks freaking Nescafe "coffee". I miss a good roast and a strong batch of real coffee...two-sip poo-poo strength please.

-SUPERMAKETS: With one exception in Jordan, supermarkets are non-existent. To get daily needs in the Middle East, one must shop at a variety of locations, scattered through the city in souqs, specific stores, and must bargain everywhere (other wise, pay an outstanding price!)

-CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: I don't know why, but I want one sooooo bad. And am unable to find one.

-FALL: The fall season is my favorite, the colors, the cripsness of the air, the holidays.

-CEREAL: When/if we find cereal, and only cornflakes which has been twice, the milk is hot and the bowls far too small. Can not wait for a heaping bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats smothered in COLD, FRESH milk. Or a piping hot meal of oatmeal or 7 grain ceral.

-NON-CENSORED FAST INTERNET: The internet here is SLOW. Normally if I try to open more than 3 pages, the entire computer freaks out and crashes. Currently, I have a fast computer and connection but the internet is censored (e.g., no bbc, facebook, blogspot, youtube)

-SANE DRIVERS: The drivers here race across town at top speeds, pass at the most inapporatite time (hey, here's a corner going uphill with a steep cliff on one side and no shoulder on the other, NOW is the time to pass), and honk at even the most minor annoyance or just because they haven't honked in say 5 seconds. Crossing the street is always a fun real life game of frogger. Transportation is the biggest threat to my life in the Middle East.

-SLEEPING IN MY BED WITH MY SHEETS

Syria in a Nutshell

blackbs2 — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:45:00 GMT

Greetings from Aleppo!

Just a brief update seeing that the computers here are prehistoric.

First off, Syria is quite lovely. The people are EXTREMELY nice and go way out of their way to show hospitality. Bananas, cookies, falafels,
and pancakes are thrown in our faces daily followed by a grinning Syrian wondering where we are from and our state of health. It's quite unlike the dangerous Middle East the media portrays. Extremists and terrorists do not prowl the streets nor have we seen any other bogeymen. Outside the Umayyad Mosque (4th holiest Muslim site, I believe) veiled women asked have their pictures taken with us :) More to come on the Mosque when time is not limited, quite an experience. PARENTS READ THIS: We are very safe, unless driving in a 'van' but that's another story. We do get an occasional shock reaction when we reveal we're Americans with one of my favorite responses being "Really, REALLY? Whhhat? You are kidding, really...from America?" Another young man simply put "It's not your fault" (regarding politics, namely Bush). The people here separate politics from civilians very well and we have had no ill welcome. The only creepy thing is pictures of the president, Bashar al-Assad, displayed EVERYWHERE.

Backtracking, we hung out in Damascus a few days a go and this city has been my favorite thus far (followed closely by Cairo). Very beautiful, both in the decor (e.g. mosques, vine draped lattices, mosaics), food, music, and people. Nearly every shop in the gorgeous and non-harassing Souq al-Hamiddiyya I visited invited me to stay for tea. For the record, there are 55 million shops in this "mall". One of the most memorable moments was embarking on a Turkish bath. Unlike the male baths, women are butt ass naked and after a steam room sit & chat, all the women in our intrepid group were vigorously rubbed down by a lady wearing an exfoliating glove, front and back, laying vulnerable on the bathhouse floor, followed by a quick massage. I got scolded for the piles of dirt the lady rubbed off me.

NB: Saving money is fairly easy in Syria, seeing that alcohol consumption is frowned upon and booze is heavily tax + everything shuts down at 9 p.m. Not a party country by any means.

Following Damascus, we traveled via public bus to Palmyra, a true desert oasis. En route we passed several signs indicating the way to Iraq, we were a little over a hour drive away from the Iraqi border. Very very very very weird. And don't worry parents, we are far from the border now :) Anywho- Palmyra is my favorite ruined city/site. Once an elaborate Roman city with a temple dating back to the first century AD was used to worship gods like Bel, then converted to a Christian church then a Mosque with evidence of all three. The history runs ridiculously deep in Syria.

From Palmyra, we visited Krac des Chevaliers, the "finest castle in the world" according to TE Lawrence. This castle was never breached and is the perfect example of what a crusader castle should be; external and internal moats, draw bridges, secret passageways, cisterns, holes to drop boiling hot oil on the enemies, a round-table, the list goes on.

Pretty much out of time, we are in Aleppo (where local bakers last night invited the four of us to help them make pancakes in which we drew a very large crowd), headed for Turkey tomorrow!!!