Syria

Bus to DamascusIt is my impression that the long distance bus services in Syria are generally for VIP clients. I reckoned this initially because all of the bus company windows had V-I-P written on them and the cost of the ticket was five times as much as second class in the train. But the trains [...]

Latakia Syria“Why is everyone looking at us as if we are aliens here?” Chaya asked me as we were walking through Latakia on the coast of Syria.I could not come up with a suitable answer for her.If Aleppo could be called an overtly friendly place then Latakia was slightly lacking in this regard. I do [...]

Train Travel in SyriaTrains are cheap in Syria.I love traveling by train, it is by far my favorite mode of public transport. There are few things in travel more exciting than jumping onto a clunky old ancient train and riding deep into the interior of a foreign land.Train travel in most parts of Europe is [...]

How Americans can get out of trouble in SyriaBefore departing from my couchsurfing host in Aleppo he gave me a gift.“If you ever get into any trouble with anyone for being an American in Syria, just show them this,” he said as he handed me a cigarette lighter.I was puzzled, as his gift seemed to [...]

Aleppo, Syria Markets Friendly PeopleThe city of Aleppo comes in as the number two city in Syria to Damascus, but I am told that it is a better place than the country’s capital. I have always wanted to travel to Damascus, so I hope that Aleppo will not fog up my experience.I do not think [...]

Elderly Tourists Young Backpackers in SyriaI was surprised to find myself surrounded by roving gangs of geriatric European tourists after crossing a hellish and remote seeming border into Syria. The taxi from the border drop Chaya and I off in front of the Baron Hotel, in Aleppo’s new city, which was the rendezvous point to [...]

Syrians Friendly to American Travelers“Can you tell us why we love everybody but nobody loves us?” -an anonymous Syrian manI learned early on from travel that I should line up all of my preconceived notions about places, put them upon a chopping block, and give them a good wack from the great axe of personal [...]

Syria Sanctions Means that Paypal is UnavailableI tried to check my Paypal account from Aleppo, Syria, but I was struck to find this message after I tried to log into my account:Error 3028. You have accessed your account from a sanctioned country. Per international sanctions regulations, you are not authorized to access the PayPal system. [...]

Arrived in Syria from TurkeyI crossed the land border between Turkey and Syria near Kilis on Friday night, April 9th. It was a 7 hour fiasco, but we made it. I will write more of this crossing at the appropriate time.—————————-Wade from Vagabond Journey.com in Aleppo, Syria- April 12, 2009Travelogue —Travel Photos –Travel GuideClick on [...]