Day 42 - 43 TURKEY to SYRIA We left a little too late to cross the border before it was dark so tried to stay the night in Antakya, (the ancient city of Antioch) on the Turkish side of the border - however there were no campsites and all the hotels were full. Surprised to find that there was literally 'no room at the inn' we eventually found out that there was a huge military parade going on and that families from all over Turkey had come to see their sons (all conscripted as part of military service) in it. After four hours of searching we drove to another town called Haribye and got a room for a few hours before crossing into Syria the next day. There were lots and lots of trucks on the road to the border, queuing up to get into Syria to fill up with cheap diesel! Some buses had even run out of fuel just miles from the border. We were pleased we hadn't attempted to cross at night since it was chaos - luckily we had organised our visas in London (otherwise we wouldn't have been allowed in at all) but it still took a couple of hours of standing in queues (don't know why we bothered doing this as the Syrians just barged past us!) and having to pay lots of cash for various things (the diesel in Syria is dirt cheap but they make you pay diesel tax of US$100 for the privilege) and various other taxes and insurance. The customs officials were also very interested in what we had in the back of Biggles - and had a good old nose around in several bags and boxes. It was definitely a good test for things to come! We arrived in the famous fortress town of Alleppo at lunchtime - Rich had to negotiate mad driving, donkeys, potholes and people in the road - we were pleased we'd had a bit of practice in Albania! The driving was more like 'Demolition Derby' as Aleppo is filled to the brim with kamikaze cab drivers. We didn't know who to feel more sorry for - the people in the cabs or the pedestrians! The noise, dust, smells and general hub-bub of this historical city made us realise we would enjoy our time in Syria. Europe seems far away as we are now firmly in the Middle East - a place we had wanted to visit for many years. So far it hasn't disappointed. We managed to find a parking space right outside the Baron Hotel - the oldest hotel in the area frequented by TE Lawrence and Agatha Christie - then checked in to a good hostel nearby. We spent a great afternoon walking through the streets and ancient souks (covered markets). Camilla got a lot of attention since all the women here are either in full burkhas (many completely covered up - not even with a slit to see through) or have headscarves on. Everyone said hello and "welcome to our country" and could not have been friendlier (more on this below). The souks were fascinating - selling spices, olive oil soaps, and there were even stalls selling sheep heads and intestines! We enjoyed a drink at the Baron Hotel and a great meal of mixed mezze in a restaurant near to our hostel then went to bed to the sounds of the horns of the several thousand yellow taxis beeping under our window. We awoke early to the call to prayer from the loudspeakers of several mosques in the vicinity. A great introduction to Syria - on the surface it is hard to believe why this country has been labelled one of the six 'axis of evil' countries (after Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea and Iran) in the current US foreign policy. Perhaps Syria has been much maligned in the western press. We spent the next day looking in the impressive citadel in Alleppo and wandering the markets again. Camilla was attracting even more attention from the men as we wondered the streets. She wanted not to offend any local customs by covering up as much as possible by wearing a shawl over her head. What she hadn't realised that she had left the flies undone on her trousers after changing some money in the morning and that all the men had been gawping at her knickers and bum belt! Not exactly the most subtle way to walk around this strict Muslim area - this left us in stitches for the rest of the day. She has now been nick named 'camy-knickers' for the rest of the trip! On leaving Alleppo Rich noticed a grinding noise coming from Biggles' engine. After quickly switching off the engine we were both surprised to find that a stray cat had crawled into the radiator fan housing for the night and had been caught up in the engine fan rotation as the engine started. The cat, in a state of shock from being whizzed around the engine cowling like a tumble dryer, was stuck firmly between the fan and the engine bay. Rich and some locals carefully helped remove the mangled cat from the engine bay whilst Camilla was almost in tears and couldn't look. Amazingly the cat only had cuts to its nose and a fractured right paw. As it scurried away Rich vowed to check the engine and radiator fan for any stray animals before driving off in Africa (that's something they don't teach you to check in the Haynes manual!). Our next stop was Hama, a couple of hours south of Alleppo. We needed to fill up with diesel. Most petrol stations looked empty and we soon realised why - they had ran out and were waiting for their next delivery (today, tomorrow or even next week!). We drove on and the next petrol station we saw had a queue about a mile long with trucks...they obviously had fuel! After driving with the red light on for several more miles we decided to join a queue and wait for our diesel. When we eventually got to the pump we filled up our jerry cans as well (60 litres in the tank + 40 litres of jerry cans of diesel came to under £10 !!). That meant that diesel in Syria is about 8p per litre - a price well worth waiting for! Now we know why we had to pay the diesel tax... Hama is a relaxed town with river running though it filled with ancient water mills- called Norias. We spent the afternoon walking around the town soaking up the atmosphere and trying to practice our Arabic with the local children. They are very keen on greetings and have several words for Hello / Good morning etc which require a different phrase for responding...it all seems very complicated and formal to us but we must try to pick it up. We want to learn more Arabic before we reach the more officialdom of Egypt. Day 44 Crac de Chavalier - we spent a good day walking around the castle (made famous by Richard the Lionheart in the third Crusade). It was the stuff of children's dreams -with its high walls, turrets, and moat you could easily imagine knights fighting gruesome battles here. On walking around the castle, set high above the plains below, it is no surprise that it was never captured by force. Rich was able to set the scene after reading a good book on the Crusades (Thanks Dad!) We camped near to the castle amongst dust, sheep and boys with a donkey. We thought we were in a peaceful spot - that was, until 4.30am when five mosques from the village below blared out their call to prayer - unfortunately not in unison, and not in tune! Day 45-46 Palmyra and the Syrian desert - The runis of Palmyra were staggeringly beautiful and wonderful viewed at sunset. It was a good desert drive from Crac de Chevallier and we drove out to within 50 miles of the Iraqi border, turning back when a low flying tornado jet flew directly above us, causing Biggles to shake! Day 47 - 50 Damascus - Arrived at a well appointed campsite 10km north of Damascus where we camped next to a lovely German couple, Marc and Maren, travelling through Turkey and Syria with their 4 month old baby Sara. Their Toyota Land Cruiser was well decked out with all the expedition kit, with only just enough room for the baby seat! We spent a great few days walking around Damascus, soaking up the atmosphere of the souks and wandering around the Ommayad mosque. Non Muslim women are required to wear robes - Camilla looked more like a Jedi knight than a respectable Muslim lady. We spent a great few days chatting with Marc and Maren and other campers at the site (including Marion and Jean-Louis, a French couple travelling in their motorhome with 3 children under the age of 9) - proving that travelling doesn't need to stop when you have children. We look forward to catching up with Marc and Maren either in UK or Germany for another trip sometime! We have really enjoyed our time in Syria, one amusing factor of the country is that the president is the spitting image of our friend, Barney Piggot with a moustache. We have had many a giggle seeing Barney's face plastered on posters, car windows, bridges and adorning important monuments all over the country...Barney, now we know what you've been up to these past few years! Unfortunately on the last couple of days Camilla was very ill - no doubt a falafel or schwarma didn't agree with her - but after 48 hours we were back on the road again....through the desert to the Jordanian border...