Entering Turkey
Originally uploaded by bastchild.Yeah, what a suck getting in it was. Fifty people at the window thrusting their passports blindly through the window while the one official stamped away; meanwhile about 20 of us formed a sensible line waiting for two hours to get up to the window as more and more people squeezed up and left. Finally a fight nearly broke out with all the line cutting. The bus threatened to leave without me, but they finally decided to help me get my visa and away we went! Strangely, on the Syrian side there were about eight windows with bored officers waiting for customers. What's up with Turkey?
Friday, June 02, 2006
Entering Turkey
My smallest room yet!
My smallest room yet!
Originally uploaded by bastchild.Only 200 SP, this place had a fan and a stool. It was hot all night and I actually slept only a few hours before my early bus to Turkey. I think this used to be a balcony.
The ruins inside the Citadel walls
The ruins inside the Citdael walls
Originally uploaded by bastchild.The Citadel ultimately succumbed to time. There was a restored theatre and a mosque here. It blazing hot that day, and I took refuge in the shadow of the wall.
The Citadel in Aleppo
The Citadel in Aleppo
Originally uploaded by bastchild.This is the imposing entrance to the Citadel in Aleppo (normal entry price 300 SP, but only 10 SP with my student id card, ka-ching!). Built on a man-made hill, apparently this fortress was never taken. Invaders circled around it, and after a few days, left, deciding it would be too difficult to breach.
The duty free mall and food court
The duty free mall and food court
Originally uploaded by bastchild.This was not a bad place to hang out for 8.5 hours.
Leaving Lebanon
Leaving Lebanon
Originally uploaded by bastchild.Thıs is the border between Lebanon and Syria. There are big yellow American muscle cars that will zip passengers between Beirut and Syria. I actually got a ride on one of these when I eventually made it through the Syrian side. I had forgotten how smooth those beasts were; it actually made me miss my 1978 Impala stationwagon.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Crossing borders
From Beirut, I headed back to Syria. It's supposed to be only a three-hour trip from Beirut to Damascus, but I ended up waiting 8.5 hours at the border for my Syrian vısa. On the bright side, there was a great air-conditioned duty-free shoppıng mall next to the passport control which had an inexpensıve food court (even a Dunkin Donuts!). By hour seven, it was already dark and I got the nerve to ask the immigration officials if there was a place for me to sleep, but the officer on duty reassured me that it never took longer than eight hours, they were open 24-hours, I could sleep anywhere, they would wake me when word came from Damascus, and he would be happy to have one of hıs men drive me to Damascus for free. Ya gotta love Syrian hospitality!
It doesn't seem right that I only spent a couple more days in Syria! I went to Aleppo, the second largest city ın Syria after Damascus, visited the souqs of the old city and Christian Quarter, and explored the 12th century Citadel built on an man-made earthern mound, and decided that it was time to move on to Turkey (either that or be stuck in Syria on a Friday when everything ıs closed and get more money from the ATM).
At 0500 this morning, I got on a nearly empty bus headed to Antakya, the nearest big city in Turkey. I was stuck at the border again for two hours this tıme, but only because there was only one window open at the passport control, and there were about 50 people crammed up there (and more arriving and contributıng to the scrum) trying to get their passports and carnets de passage stamped. That border was the busiest I've seen with trucks and buses parked on the side of the border for a few miles.
I'm in Antakya now, awaiting my afternoon bus heading for Cappadocia. It is more expensive here than in Syria (thanks to the EU!); I'll be spending more for the bus rıde (about $14) than I have on any day ın Syria.
So I finished my tour of the Levant, including Israel & Palestine, which should be impossible in one visit because of the stigma of the Israeli immigration stamp. If you have any evidence of entry into Israel, you are not allowed into Lebanon or Syria. So how do you do it? When leaving Egypt for Jordan, you take the ferry from Nuweiba so that you avoid the border crossing into Israel. When leaving Jordan for the West Bank, you leave vıa the King Hussein Bridge crossing. Jordan still considers the West Bank as part of Jordan, so although you pay a 5 JD departure fee, you don't get an exit stamp from Jordan. On the Israeli side, you have to repeatedly ask/plead/beg the sexy Israelı passport control women not to stamp your passport, and if you're lucky, they won't. After that, it's easy because you just have to return to Jordan via the same crossing and you'll have no problems getting into the other countries. In the Mideast, only Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan will let you enter with an Israeli stamp in your passport. Of course the Israeli's treat others only slightly better. A couple British students I met in Jerusalem were harrassed and questioned and delayed by the Israeli immigration officials (one even had his butt probed) at the same checkpoint; one had been to Iran and Syria while the other had been to Pakistan to visit family, but hey, I guess they got in.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
The Temple of Bacchus
The Temple of Bacchus
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Another day trip from Beirut is Baalbek, the site of an old Roman temple built upon a temple to the Sun God, Baal.
The Temple of Jupiter is pretty much gone, but this great temple to Bacchus remains in good condition.
Debanne Palace
Debanne Palace
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
An old palace that has been restored and is free to visit. It is found by a marked door in the souq.
Scars from the civil war
Scars from the civil war
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
The modern history of Lebanon is quite complex involving several different parties, and not as simple as "Muslims versus Christians" as many would have you think. Sadly it has involved several years of civil war bringing in to play the Israelis, Palestinians, Syrians, and a UN Multinational Force, costing thousands of lives. Things remain somewhat unresolved as the predominantly Maronite Christian government is supposed to have more Muslim representation.
May 23 (today) is their Independence Day, but celebrations were cancelled this year to prevent demonstrations and conflicts between opposing parties. Still, I bought a watermelon to share at the hostel.
Beirut skyline
Beirut skyline
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Okay, there's more to the skyline, but there are a lot of cranes in the air.
Downtown's pedestrian zone
Downtown's pedestrian zone
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Rebuilt buildings all of the same color and shape. It definitely contributes to the non-Middle Eastern feel in Beirut.
Old and new
Old and new
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Fancy new cars roam the streets of Beirut passing quaint buildings that remind me of France.
Entering Lebanon
Entering Lebanon
Originally uploaded by bastchild.
Entering Lebanon was a breeze. You can get a visa on arrival for 25,000 Lebanese Lira (1,500 LL = $1) that will give you 15 days, which is plenty for a country the size of Delaware.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)