Faces and People : Syria and Jordan

Going through my albums I realised I haven't shared these pictures of the people.

I think most of the Syrians are of fairer complexion than the Jordanians. Or maybe just the ones I encountered or saw.

At Cairo Restaurant, Amman.

"Captain Jack Sparrow", Petra.

Guard at Al Khazneh, Petra.

Donkey owner and me, The Monastery, Petra.

Syrian boy, Damascus.

His sister, Syrian girl, Damascus.

Their friend, pulling a funny face and insisting I take a picture of him.

Three amigos, Damascus. Near Umayyad Mosque.

Juice vendor, Aleppo. The HUGE mug of freshly made mixed fruit juice cost only 50 SYP.

Juice vendor, near Christian Quarter, Old City Damascus.

A friend of the three amigos, inside Umayyad Mosque, Damascus.

Outside one of the churches in Aleppo.

Lost-looking boy at the park in the Christian Quarter, Damascus.

Tablecloth vendor, Aleppo Souq.

Orthodox priest, walking on the Straight Street, Damascus.

Bakery, near Martyr's Square, Damascus.

Traffic policeman, Damascus. Or maybe he was just a guard?

Traffic police, Amman. Love the hat!

Shepherd, somewhere in the desert between Damascus and Palmyra.

Shop where I bought sweets near the Old City.

Othmen, at Schereradze, Souq Al Hamediyya. We bought stuff from his shop.

Lastly, a picture of two thugs bouncers at the entrance of one of the hotels we looked at before deciding where to stay in Damascus. Suffice to say we did not check in here :)

Syria is more conservative than Jordan, though there is no issue with attire like what is usually mentioned in the guidebooks. Short sleeved tees are acceptable, though shorts and sleeveless/ tank tops are probably too much.

After a few days it was easy to identify the non-locals (from Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey) as they are not dressed as conservatively as the locals, especially the women.

As you can see, most of them would gladly pose for you - just remember to ask first :)

Syria : The Whirling Dervish in Damascus

During a dinner at a restaurant in the Christian Quarter in Damascus, we had the privilege of being entertained with a whirling dervish dance.

I have seen this dance many times on TV's travel channel; this is the first time live, and it was a lone dervish. He performed a few sets of the dance, and spun so fast it was amazing that he didn't lose his balance or trip or feel giddy.

Each dance was to the tune of (Sufi?) music - which I find haunting- and ended abruptly with a loud stomp on the floor. The skirt swirled and billowed perfectly it seemed like it was either made of a stiff material or starched to perfection.

Although it was understood that the dervish dance was put up for the tourists, I thought the dancer was in an actual trance as his expressions and his eyes appeared so. He has to be, right? I don't think they can just perform the dance 'for show' only.

The information for the captions below are sourced from here; and there is a whole load of further information on dervishes and Sufism out there in the great big world of Google.

"The whirling dervish dance originated in Konya, Turkey, inspired by the songs and teachings of the poet Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, who lived from 1207-1273. Rumi was a Sufi, a branch of Islam that started in the 8th century. Sufis assert that through their religion they are brought closer to the heart of all modes of belief. Rumi himself was moved to begin dancing in dervish fashion after meeting a holy man known as Shems of Tabriz. The dance, in which he spun incessantly, was done in devotion to Allah and the organic powers of the universe. While he whirled, he repeated the name of god until he fell into a trance state of deep worship".

"The whirling dervish is known as a Semazen. Dervish itself means doorway to god or enlightenment. Sufism is derived from the word for a rough, woollen cloak, its material designed to diminish the superficial pleasures of worldly existence. Mevlevis are the order of Sufis that perform the whirling dervish dance, refered to as the Sema. The leader of the group is called the Sheikh; he often stands in the middle of the room, representing the sun, while the other members dance around him in imitation of the cycles of the planets. The repetition of god's name is the Zikr".

"Whirling dervishes sport a conical hat and a white shirt and skirt. The skirt is made of billowing material that flows out and around the dancer as they spin. The headgear symbolizes the need to seal off one's ego in order to connect to god and the universe. The skirt represents a shroud but also the sky, which is revealed as the dancer removes their black cloak and begins the journey towards spiritual enlightenment".

"As they whirl, always from right to left, thus in the motions of the blood circulating around the heart, the Dervishes hold their hands in a unique position. The right hand is lifted, palm-out, towards god and his gifts. The left is palm down towards the earth, to both draw forth its sustenance and to deliver god's gifts of the spirit to humanity. The dancers usually spin to the sounds of a reed flute. The flute symbolizes how human pain (the holes in the flute) can be transformed into beautiful music and a source of celebration".

At the end of his performance, the dancer - hot and sweaty - changed out of his attire and into his daily clothes. Maybe after this restaurant he's off to another place for his next show.

To sum up the experience : fascinating. Made me wish that one day I can watch a big group of dervishes perform the dance in perfect unison. Preferably in Turkey.

Syria : Found and Tried The Fool

The other night I watched Bobby Chinn traipse around in Aleppo and Damascus (he also went to Bakdash), and one of the dishes he tried was the fool, or also spelled as ful or foul.

What's that? Well, it's a slow cooked mash of fava beans, flavoured with lemon juice, olive oil, paprika and cumin. I managed to have a taste of this dish in Aleppo, in one of the shops located near the Christian Quarter. There is apparently a very famous shop in that area where locals queue as early as 7 am to have it for breakfast, but we did not know where it was located as by then we had given up using the LP map for directions :P

Since I really wanted to try this dish, I settled for this shop.

The counter - I have no idea what the name of the shop is. If you want to know if the shop sells fool, look if they have a copper pot in front.

Stern looking man in an old picture - I am guessing he might be the owner or the person who started this shop.

The fool is cooked inside this huge copper pot that's shaped like a huge jug. I think this one is almost empty as it was already early evening.

This is how it looks like - served with bread, and a side of raw onions and mint (? I did not know how to eat these hence left it untouched). Doesn't look that appetising, huh?

How did it taste like? It is an acquired taste, for sure. Sourish, a little spicy with a creamy, oily texture. The beans added some bite. I kind of enjoyed it after a few bites. If only I was hungry then, I could've finished off the whole serving, but I wasn't, and the bread was a lot.

Come to think of it, I was rather unadventurous with the local food on this trip. Part of that was due to budget reasons, and in a way it's also because we were not familiar with what to order or look for.

The cheapest and most common choice? Falafel wraps. The best falafel for me was the very first one we had in Damascus, near our hotel, for 15SYP I think - it was hot and freshly prepared. After a few days, falafel fell off the popularity chart as our tastebuds started craving for something else.

Mmmmm, now I wish I can find falafel here.

Breakfast at Tiffany's Baghdad Cafe

On the way to Palmyra, we stopped for breakfast at Baghdad.

Yeah, well not Baghdad in Iraq, but Baghdad Cafe, Syria, about 135 km from Damascus. I think it is run by two brothers and their families. Tourists usually stop here for a drink and washroom break.

Our breakfast - at an inflated tourist price of 250SYP. They make their own bread, yoghurt, cheese and jam. I remember that the cheese was extremely salty. Eggs from the hens they rear. This is the standard Syrian breakfast which was not to my tastebuds actually; I find it too bland.

Accommodation is available at the back, an oddly-shaped building with domes and walls made of mud and straw - 2 units of bedrooms with sharing facilities. Though I don't see why anyone would want to stay here overnight. The family stays here and they are self-sufficient. Goats, chickens, olive trees, water. Except, maybe they have to buy flour for the bread.

An Arab desert version of a scarecrow, to scare away foxes which prey on their chickens. Oh that's Julie in the background. Sand and stone left right centre - it really felt like it was in the middle of nowhere in the desert.

The cafe was featured in the Guardian UK's travel section last August. So, of course, after this kind of write-up and exposure, a lot more tourists will come to know of this place, a 'destination' on its own?

Its door covered with stickers of all things travel.

We also stopped by the roadside when we spotted shepherds with hundreds of sheep. Confession : touching that mule was scary. Haha. I was afraid it might kick me!

The closest we got to Baghdad? Not that close actually, it's another 152 kms away to the right, yet there was already military presence in form of checkpoints manned by armed soldiers/guards. And I was surprised to find out how close we were to other places - you can also do a day-trip to Beirut from Damascus.

I just felt like jumping while crossing the road - the shepherd must think I am mad :)

I enjoyed the long journey through the desert - our van was very comfortable, the weather was super-fine, the skies cerulean blue, the road in good condition and just seemed to go straight without any turnings.

No - I don't miss the breakfast. Give me nasi lemak anytime.

Syria : Minding the Language

For the first time, I thought that maybe those Kelas Bahasa Arab many many years ago back in secondary school may finally have some use during the Syria-Jordan trip.

In truth, sadly, I remember only remnants of it; very very little, negligible, except for the numbers; I can remember them and can count from 1 to 8 :-P.

Okay enough school stories. Knowing the Arabic language is definitely an advantage when travelling in the Middle East.

In Damascus' Christian Quarter, we found this beautiful copy of The Bible, The New Testament, printed in Arabic.

The shopowner was kind enough to let us browse through it - though I don't really know what to look for since I could not read it.

This has an interesting story - I was exploring Aleppo on Sunday morning and walked into the Syriac Catholic church where the mass was halfway. I stayed on and experienced my first ever mass in Arabic! It was almost ... surreal. After the mass ended I asked a gentleman there whether there was a bookstore in the Church for me to buy some books or stuff. He said there is none and the markets are closed too, and promptly asked me to wait as he will ask the priest! Long story short, I was introduced to the priest who invited us inside the rectory and into his office and presented me with this small maroon Bible.

The New Testament.

Guess why I put up this picture?

(i) to show the number plate (I know my Arabic numbers, ngeh)

(ii) it's a Proton! (why are we always excited to see a Proton overseas?)

I thought - wouldn't it be nice to be able to read this?

This seems to be some kind of award or royal recognition.

At the Umayyad Mosque.

You can find a few street signages like these in Arab and English. This area was where we wanted to head first in Damascus but we could not find it and the taxi driver ... well, did not know either.

There are a few English adverts posted in the Christian Quarter - I am guessing more expats live there. (Exchange Partner??? ;-P)

Well, amidst those there are 'clever' signboards like this - with pictures! You definitely know what they're selling :) By the way, these shops are equivalent to fast food outlets in Syria since they do not have any Western food franchises.

Learn the numbers, and some useful phrases - that will help a lot in your travels.