damascus

the jordan-syria border, where we spent five hours last thursday waiting for visa approval to be allowed into syria, is one of the most excellent places i have ever discovered for people watching. sitting by the foreigners visa window, i enjoyed hearing others struggling with arabic and also had a view of the madness that is the jordanian stamp window: a crowd of 40 men squirming their way towards the front of the queue; names being shouted out and passports/important documents being passed hand-to-hand to their owners as the crowd gradually rotated membership; every 15 minutes or so the group clambering to an adjacent window following whoever was handing out the passports, resulting in re-intensified jockeying for prime front-of-the-line positions- the similar image of the "mine-mine-mine" seagulls in finding nemo definitely popped into my head haha. it was also interesting to watch the arab people watch us- sitting in my corner reading i was mostly invisible, and could watch the jordanians/syrians/etc. as they observed the many curiosities of the groups of americans sitting nearby.
when we finally got our entry stamps cerca 1am, the few taxi drivers in sight were demanding exorbitant prices for the ride to damascus, so we walked off to find some legit ones. unfortunately this idea failed as legit-ness was nowhere in sight at that hour of the night, as none of the passersby we asked knew where more taxis could be found. as we stood looking around in uncertainty, one of the border guards approached us and explained that since he knew we were having trouble finding a cab, and he was getting off work and heading to damascus anyway, he would just drive us there for the normal price. as he drove us past the checkpoint it was fun to watch the amused smiles and jokes of his border guard friends who chuckled at the fact that he was acting as taxi driver for four american girls. but even this, our first interaction with the syrian people, proved that what we'd heard about their over-the-top friendliness/helpfulness/welcomingness was very true. on a side note, dealing with the taxi drivers on our amman-damascus journey was one of the most fun times i've had with arabic yet- fun to be able to talk and argue and barter, and fun to watch the amused and surprised smiles of the drivers as they listened to my poorly-grammared sass :) but i think their impressed-ness won us a few points because we ended up getting some good prices.
damascus itself, especially the old city, is a city to fall in love with and one i definitely plan to return to. we spent all of friday wandering around the old city and literally just wandered- the streets and the souq were relatively quiet since it was friday, and it was so refreshing and calming to feel like we'd left the big city bustle behind us. the old city has the tranquil pace and small winding alleys of a small rural town, with its cobbled streets lined with small shops. it also has the small-town feel in its friendliness- shopkeepers welcomed us, chatted with us, and the box mosaic man even gave me a demo of how he creates his art. there are so many beautiful handcrafts there, it was hard to resist the urge to buy a $200 scarf that had taken four months to weave, and honestly it was gorgeous enough to be worth every penny of that (even if it meant i couldn't buy it). arabic prayer flags hanging everywhere and colorful lights coating the alleys in the evening made the souq a light and vibrant place to stroll, drinking in the sights and smells of all its nooks and twisty turns.






one of the souq's main treats was reeeeally delicious ice cream with chopped pistachios that was a melting disaster i couldn't eat fast enough but so so good.



we explored azem palace, an intricate paradise with its courtyard garden, fountain, and colorfully complex ceilings and tilings.



the ummayad mosque was amazing- grand and majestic in its scope and its golden-sheened mosaic walls, but at the same time a bubbling happy center of community life with families sitting along its shaded walls and children weaving through the courtyard chasing soccer balls. we sat down to take in the scene and ended up chatting with some young girls eager to practice their engligh and then a group of five sisters who invited us to share their snacks and get to know each other. it was such a privilege to get to see inside the practices of the faithful (the ummayad mosque is one of the most important in islam)- the pilgrims at the shrine of the shia martyr hussein and the shrine of john the baptist, the great prayer hall with its bright stained glass windows divided down the middle between men and women's sides, and the feeling that the mosque was a home for community and gathering.







afterward we had a delicious terrace lunch complete with mint lemonade, and later went to hear the quirky performance of one of damascus' oldest hakawatis (storytellers).


the next morning had us up for breakfast, which included olives- syria is known as the first land to grow olive trees.


we then went to tour the national museum with its beautiful mosaics and token castle facade. we also passed by the old train station with its kaleidescope of bright stained glass windows, before making our way back to get lost in the old city again for the rest of the day.



damascus' final treat for me was to stumble upon some sort of armenian church, which of course made me think of my favorite roommate :)