Category Archives: Damascus diary

Back in Britain. I may have arrived without my luggage (that only got as far as London) but I have had an experience which will stay with me for life. And while I may have not had a sudden revelation on my road to Damascus, there are some valuable lessons in life that travel always seems to impart.
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Ice-cream with elasticity. There’s another first. Wandering through the crowded markets of Old Damascus I was led into a cafe where room upon room of people sat enjoying a unique type of ice-cream. Although ices are commonplace across Arab countries, … Continue reading →

Syria is another great tea drinking nation. Tea for breakfast, to help digestion after an evening meal, for a break with friends and oiling the wheels of commerce during business meetings. The tea is strong, more often served black and … Continue reading →

Another first under my belt. A sheep’s head for lunch. I think I may have been a little rash to accept the kind invitation to a traditional lunch. For some reason I thought it would end up being a type of lamb stew – a sort of comforting hot pot in a foreign land. There’s no way I could have imagined the enourmity of what I’d agreed to.
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What a day. I’ve sampled my first hubble bubble(shisha) pipe, been a passenger in a car with nine people crammed inside for the first (and probably last) time and taken in my first views of Damascus at night from the Syrian mountains.
Seems the surprises just keep on coming.
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On my travels again, this time to one of the countries named as part of the so-called “axis of evil” – Syria. Leaving behind the relative safety of Manchester for a week in Damascus is certainly a first for me.
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