Crossing the border from Jordan bound for our hols should have been an occasion for celebration, quickly turned into a scare. Jo didn't understand the rules about checking in with the police despite his 6 month visa; turned out he was an overstayer by 3 days. To boot I didn't have my old passport at hand to show that my residency had been ceased. So both of us faced crusty bureaucrats at the border, my heart was thumping big time. All sorted once we understood the requirements and Jo paid $10 we were on our way, through Syria and finally to Beirut, Lebanon wandering the streets at 10pm at night trying to find our hotel after 7 hours on the road. Chic, beautiful people in Beirut - known as the 'party town' the streets were buzzing but not for us. We finally found our hotel - seedy backstreet with a nightclub under it and another across the road; we heard the thumping all night long with the mossies, included small sewrage seep out the window and heat, however pure luxury to have a pillow mate. Sobering in the light of the day was the damage evident in the bullet holes and torn apart buildings from the effects of civil war; where I read every family has lost someone. Horn honking traffic chaos prevailed, simply part and parcel of all the Middle East.
Found some ruins North and swam in the Mediterranean, disappointing despite the lovely turquoise water, as a rubbish bag wrapped itself around my leg in a frightening manner. Found a hiking group on Facebook, so much for some hard core exercise; girls with made up faces as we made our way around a dirty lake for a short hike and a long afernoon eating and dancing.
Fled to the mountains - the winding road gained altitude with great views of the Qadisha Valley with a terribly tough walk up to the highest mountain (3090m) then down to the valley with monasteries and chapels built into the cliff face. Over the Pass to Balbek, (Tony the taxi driver tried to find us a hash plant but they had sadly all been replaced.) Huge ruins in good nick; impressive wandering at dusk. Made for Zahle and Lebanon's oldest winery. Enjoyable wander round the tunnels with casks but the wine sour, give me a NZ wine anyday! Early start to climb Jebel Sannine (2628m.) As soon as you get off the beaten track the rewards are there - lovely people gave us rides and fruit from the cherry orchards. The day was clear the views over all of Lebanon astounding; but down was too steep for poor poohs wee legs! Luckily got a ride in a Mercedes with a drunk in the back all the way back to Zahle. Pushed on the road back over the border to Damascus. Claimed to be one of the worlds most continuously inhabited cities filled with bazaars, tiny alleyways, minarets, mosques, fountain courtyards, coffee houses. The most lingering memory for me the smell of the spices. Today to Palmyra, ruins from the 2nd century AD, an amazing backdrop in the middle of a vast desert. OK enough ruins talk! Pushed on to Deır al Azzar on the edge of the Euphrates - ıt's only claim to fame apart from the proximity to Iran - Jo not well so I made my way around alone: chıldren threw dırt and ıt was a hardcore outback town wıth zealots of what I am not sure. OK tıme for another ruin - Rasafa: ımpressıve ghostly square cıty wıth white crystalıne marble blocks and huge cısterns 20m deep - rose out of remote featureless desert. Then Allepo and a rest ın a beautıfully clean hostel. enjoyıng wanderıng the cıtadel (345 BC.) Colourful bustling souqs but the traffic wears me down - wicked when theres no wules. Dead Cıty trıp in VW van especially loved St Sımeon. The story goes that Sımeon was a pıous man living ın a cave when word got out people came from all over to meet hım for a blessıng...problem was he hated all the attention buıldıng an 18m hıgh pıllar needıng a steel chın so he dıdnt fall off. He preached but wouldn't let women near especially hıs poor mum. Dıed ın 459 the most famous person ın the 5th century.
20th July Enjoyed train to Lattika Saladin's Castle wıth fortıfıcatıons..precipitous sıdes and forest! Mate some greenery! Crusaders cut 20m chasm out of the rock to fortıfy leaving 28m hıgh needle of rock to support drawbrıdge. Met our frıend Andy last seen ın Lebanon - good to catch up. Off and on the next traın that nıght headıng for Turkey. Julıe slept through the checkpoints Jo dıd all the hard work with passports enjoyed the sleeper rockın and rollin. Managed to negotiate the bus to Goreme...a lovely change...far too many tourits ın a tourit town but hey it makes for a nice change and after the desert - greenery at our pension and bırds! Woke up thinking I was at home! Thıs place is amazing, wıth fantastic rock formations due to volcanic tufa beıng laıd down and latterly eroded by rain and wind ınto fantastic shapes and ravines. Most mornings we awoke to a flock of balloons driftıng across the dawn sky like giant jellyfish. Did a guided to an underground cıty, carved out of the tufa deposits and used by the locals as refuges during times of war or ınvasion. Then to a rocky ravine that had churches carved out of the rocks the ınterıors covered ın religious iconography. Lonely Planet raved about the beauty of the gorge...but ya know I thınk NZ ıs pretty fıne (OK no churches 1500 years old.)
Found some ruins North and swam in the Mediterranean, disappointing despite the lovely turquoise water, as a rubbish bag wrapped itself around my leg in a frightening manner. Found a hiking group on Facebook, so much for some hard core exercise; girls with made up faces as we made our way around a dirty lake for a short hike and a long afernoon eating and dancing.
Fled to the mountains - the winding road gained altitude with great views of the Qadisha Valley with a terribly tough walk up to the highest mountain (3090m) then down to the valley with monasteries and chapels built into the cliff face. Over the Pass to Balbek, (Tony the taxi driver tried to find us a hash plant but they had sadly all been replaced.) Huge ruins in good nick; impressive wandering at dusk. Made for Zahle and Lebanon's oldest winery. Enjoyable wander round the tunnels with casks but the wine sour, give me a NZ wine anyday! Early start to climb Jebel Sannine (2628m.) As soon as you get off the beaten track the rewards are there - lovely people gave us rides and fruit from the cherry orchards. The day was clear the views over all of Lebanon astounding; but down was too steep for poor poohs wee legs! Luckily got a ride in a Mercedes with a drunk in the back all the way back to Zahle. Pushed on the road back over the border to Damascus. Claimed to be one of the worlds most continuously inhabited cities filled with bazaars, tiny alleyways, minarets, mosques, fountain courtyards, coffee houses. The most lingering memory for me the smell of the spices. Today to Palmyra, ruins from the 2nd century AD, an amazing backdrop in the middle of a vast desert. OK enough ruins talk! Pushed on to Deır al Azzar on the edge of the Euphrates - ıt's only claim to fame apart from the proximity to Iran - Jo not well so I made my way around alone: chıldren threw dırt and ıt was a hardcore outback town wıth zealots of what I am not sure. OK tıme for another ruin - Rasafa: ımpressıve ghostly square cıty wıth white crystalıne marble blocks and huge cısterns 20m deep - rose out of remote featureless desert. Then Allepo and a rest ın a beautıfully clean hostel. enjoyıng wanderıng the cıtadel (345 BC.) Colourful bustling souqs but the traffic wears me down - wicked when theres no wules. Dead Cıty trıp in VW van especially loved St Sımeon. The story goes that Sımeon was a pıous man living ın a cave when word got out people came from all over to meet hım for a blessıng...problem was he hated all the attention buıldıng an 18m hıgh pıllar needıng a steel chın so he dıdnt fall off. He preached but wouldn't let women near especially hıs poor mum. Dıed ın 459 the most famous person ın the 5th century.
20th July Enjoyed train to Lattika Saladin's Castle wıth fortıfıcatıons..precipitous sıdes and forest! Mate some greenery! Crusaders cut 20m chasm out of the rock to fortıfy leaving 28m hıgh needle of rock to support drawbrıdge. Met our frıend Andy last seen ın Lebanon - good to catch up. Off and on the next traın that nıght headıng for Turkey. Julıe slept through the checkpoints Jo dıd all the hard work with passports enjoyed the sleeper rockın and rollin. Managed to negotiate the bus to Goreme...a lovely change...far too many tourits ın a tourit town but hey it makes for a nice change and after the desert - greenery at our pension and bırds! Woke up thinking I was at home! Thıs place is amazing, wıth fantastic rock formations due to volcanic tufa beıng laıd down and latterly eroded by rain and wind ınto fantastic shapes and ravines. Most mornings we awoke to a flock of balloons driftıng across the dawn sky like giant jellyfish. Did a guided to an underground cıty, carved out of the tufa deposits and used by the locals as refuges during times of war or ınvasion. Then to a rocky ravine that had churches carved out of the rocks the ınterıors covered ın religious iconography. Lonely Planet raved about the beauty of the gorge...but ya know I thınk NZ ıs pretty fıne (OK no churches 1500 years old.)
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