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Hey there guys! thanks for all the wicked messages - much appreicatted, i will try and reply to all individually - but if not - thanks very much!
I'm in Hama, the 4th biggest city in Syria, it's just east of the coastal mountains and a very cool town. It's famous as some of you will know (like matty j) for the Noira, or waterwheels which turn in the river, while at the same time lifting the water with them, in order to elevate the water to irrigate the surrounding farmland. the wheels were built in the 7th and 8th centuries and have not changed since! they are still turning, albeit very loudly! made of wood, i believe cedar.
since i last wrote in aleppo i've seen quite a bit! Firstly Aleppo was a bit of a chillout city, with not too much to do. a massive citadel in the centre of the city would be the highlight - with walls over 5 meters thick at the top of an inpenetrable fortification! met a couple of other travellers there an aussie guy and canadian girl and from aleppo i proposed a trip down to Latakia (on the coast) by train (recommended by fellow travellers as the only train trip worth doing in syria). it was quite cheap (75 syrian pounds for first class - thats 75 pence in england or about 2 dollars in nz) for a 4 hour train journey. not too expensive! as soon as we got in latakia we managed to get quite lost. this is something i manage to do in most cities when i am travelling. my getting lost straight away it decreases your chances of getting lost later in your stay. a good tactic, which i can also throroughly recommend.
anyway, the train trip was beautiful and relaxing (as trains are) and we twisted and turned over the mountains and down to the coast. the next day the 3 of us grabbed a bus to the hills and then hitch hiked to saludin's castle. it was a stunning castle built on the top of a cliff in the middle of the mountains and the vista on top of the citadel was brilliant!
photos to come.....
we hitchhiked back to town and then got the bus into latakia and headed for the coast where alex (aussie guy) and i went swimming in the sea (very warm) and a great way to unwind. however dangerously close to possible sewer outlets which is slightly concerning!!!!
relaxing as per my arabic habit now, with shisha pipe (apple flavour), chai and a lot of backgammon with either friends or locals (locals kicking my arse at the moment)!! travellers are relatively easy beats especially when dinner is on the line!
From Latakia (yesterday) we travelled to Hama. It was a hot day so just mucked around a bit, smoking shisha, drinking chai and playing backgammon really and a couple of quiet beers!
Then this morning, hooked back up with Laurent (swiss guy) and travelled to Qalat Shesme (castle shesme) to the west of the city. it is built on the top of an extinct volcano and a sight to behold! also a lovely quiet and relaxing walk through the fields and desert...
on the way back, we met Ahmed, a local taxidermist who invited us into his somewhat bizzare household for chai! stuffed animals everywhere!! and random conversation, but as always, the locals are incredibly hospitable and i am learning a lot from them. anyone is always welcome into a house at any time, and the important thing is to smile and cheer your humour with them... a long way away from some london lifestyles...
well and thats a wrap for today, all the usb ports on the pc's here are screwed, so no photos, will try again tomorrow for that!
hope you are all well and look forward to hearing
lots of love
john
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