The tent was large and rectangular and bedecked with colourfully cushioned, bench-like seating surrounding the centrally positioned food table, on which was salad and pitta.No wonder it's cheap I thought.The place slowly filled up and we were joined by Ahmad's driver friend (name long since forgotten) and his group, one member of whom will be forever lasered into my brain for her sheer absurd behaviour.An aged lady who must have been high on a cocktail of booze...

Finally to the jewel of the Palmyrian crown, the Temple of Bel.Palmyra is an oasis in the desert, north-east of Damascus, and contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations, married Greco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences.The temple, consecra...

'There it is', I pointed out to Maria as we were nearing the Church of St Simeon this morning.'Where', came the reply.'There, on the hill at 2 o'clock', I answered, pleased with myself that the military jargon was still there, 'Where you can see all those white coaches'.'Oh, she said somewhat flatly'.And, true to form, we arrived and struggled to find parking space amongst the throng of brightly liveried tourist coaches signalling the new crusade of European vi...

We were tired on our second night so didn't want to stray far from the hotel, deciding instead to maybe find a shop and buy some food to eat back in our room. So, more confident in knowing where we were going we started walking...and walking...and walking.Shoe shops yes, clothes shops yes, machinery part shops yes...food shops or restaurants...no.We decided to head back to the hotel and Maria muttered those immortal words 'Allah will guide us, you'll see'.Anywa...

We made our own way to the Great Mosque or Omayyad Mosque via the Souk, which although massive with 12km of covered roads, wasn't as impressive as those in Damascus.So having lost our way within 5-minutes of entering the sprawl of shops we ended up asking the locals for directions again...and again a neighbourly soul walked us to our destination which is actually in the middle of the market. Little remains of the original mosque structure and what we saw today...