Central Syria

The bus ride from Palmyra to Homs in central Syria wasn't too bad, until for some reason the other passengers in the rear of the bus where I was sitting decided they didn't like the breeze and closed up all the windows. It quickly became so hot and stuffy that I couldn't wait to arrive at Homs so I could get off the bus and get some fresh air. I can remember this same thing happening on buses in Turkey, except passengers would be smoking, which would add to the hot, airless feeling inside the bus. Homs is one of those towns not recommended by guide books that I like to visit for no particular purpose other than to simply wander around, relax in the parks, drink tea at the outdoor cafes, and basically just get a sense of the day to day life in the town. In 1959, Seyrig, the French historian, wrote of Homs, "The history of Emera [Homs] amounts to no more than a long career of obscurity from the middle of which emerges three centuries of remarkable opulence." And my Lonely Planet guide has this to say about the city: "There's little of interest in Homs, although it does have an interesting old souq and an agreeable atmosphere." That's true enough. The old market is well worth a couple of visits, and overall Homs is a pleasant place to explore for a couple of days.

The City of Palms

Since arriving in Syria last week I've found several websites blocked, including Amazon.com, Facebook, and this Blogspot.com site. I've heard that in China people are adept at getting around these cyber blocks and that appears to be the case here in Syria as well. When I asked for assistance at a Syrian cyber cafe, the worker there easily navigated around the Blogspot.com block within minutes. Currently I'm in Palmyra ("Tadmor" in Arabic), three hours northeast of Damascus by bus. As my guidebook states, "An elusive and highly romanticised goal of European travelers over the centuries, even today a visit to Palmyra is an experience which alone makes the trip to Syria worthwhile." Two reasons why Palmyra flourished were because it's an oasis city (i.e., plenty of water around even though it's a desert region) and it was a convenient stopping point for caravans taking the shortest route from the Arab Gulf to the Mediterranean. Today instead of caravans you see large buses full of camera-wielding tourists who flock here to see the fantastic ruins.

Damascus

The flight from Abu Dhabi to Damascus takes only a few hours, but the climate is quite different. It's 80F in Damascus while still well above 100F in Abu Dhabi. Also, culturally the cities are vastly different. It appears that people in Damascus strive to hold on to old Middle Eastern traditions while in Abu Dhabi it often seems they can't shed them fast enough. Damascus, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, is associated with the earliest phase of the spread of Christianity. Also, regarding the above photo, this is the first time during my travels I've seen fresh pomegranate juice sold on the street and I take full advantage by drinking it every day.

Back to Abu Dhabi

When I left Pittsburgh the other day it was about 60F and rainy, while here in Abu Dhabi it's about 105F. The nights are cooling down to around 80F, however, so there are more people out walking, jogging, biking, skateboarding, playing cricket, etc.In the uppermost photo above you can see I've slipped into my everyday Emirati garb, which is great for kicking back at my mansion.

As american as ...

My mother had an idea today for a blog posting. She suggested I take a photo of the dinner I cooked for myself today, and the dinner she cooked for herself and the rest of the family. My meal consisted of brown rice with lentils and walnuts, collared greens, salad with olive oil, and half an avocado, with a pomegranate/orange juice as a beverage (and flax oil supplement on the side). Becky opted for the traditional American fried hot dog in a bun, French fries, Coke, and a Hershey bar and muffin for dessert.

Hanging Out in the US

From Abu Dhabi it's a long trip to the Midwestern US, entailing a 7 hour flight to Europe, then another 8 hours on to NYC, then yet another flight to Pittsburgh. Door to door the journey took me over 30 hours. The photo above shows Wes demonstrating the proper American way to fire up the BBQ grill. The key here is not to be stingy with the lighter fluid.

Back to Abu Dhabi

From Cyprus it's back to the hot summer days of Abu Dhabi. Ramadan continues so many people in the city don't eat or drink throughout the day. After sunset, however, things pick up and there are various festivities each evening throughout Abu Dhabi.