As we traveled to Syria Bashny.Net

As we went to Syria.
Before the war.

Will be 45 photos + comments.





Local currency 100.00 SYP (Syrian Pound) = 24.6743 RUB, for the money you can buy the local Gyros (doner kebab), delicious and satisfying.
Flew is not from Moscow, and from Cyprus, Paphos, since at that time there on vacation and decided to diversify your weekend. We booked through the English office, because the same thing is a Russian and a half times more expensive).
We drove four, for 4 days, two rooms in the hotel (breakfast) and the flight back to cost about 850EUR.
Flight Paphos - Damascus 50 minutes.
What I want to say, we are in principle prepared for the fact that it is not Dubai))), but this I did not expect the old shabby airport, a lot of not clear to the people around, such as airport staff that you drag where that turns out to be a taxi for Line border (they can be visible). Toilets a shock, clean but with cockroaches huge, even at the entrance to I tried Sloop 2 Euro for what I'm going to use the local sorts, pretending dumb, and was free before flying warned that local ask for money for all-all-all , on the little things, as it turns out is not legal, so you can ignore them.
Arrived at night hotel in the heart of Damascus, we had pre-paid for a transfer, so that the local taxi at that time did not have time popolzovatsja.
Hotel Damascus International Hotel 3.5 * - in principle, is not even bad, the rooms are very spacious and beautiful, but we did not succeed in it live, as it turned out, our rooms were already occupied)))), we are alone at night in Damascus, knew not, No guide - What to do?
We have not given up, then to the Russian royal attitude, we are brothers to them all! We lived in a hotel near City Hotel Al Madinah, a man came up and said - Do not worry, we've got next to the hotel, a 5-minute walk, we have your hotel pick money for your check-in and you do not have anything to pay extra for a moment hotel was above the level of the class, we do not believe it, but what happened, we have not paid, nor when entering or when leaving.
HUGE rooms, two rooms, satellite TV, bathroom and shower made of marble, and the rooms themselves a little worn, it was evident that for a long time did not do the repair.
Breakfast is standard was, as in all Arab countries, during breakfast watched as the local "cops" take bribes to car owners, it is not clear for what, just stop for a long time say, then take the money, thrust his boots and was gone) .
Alcohol is forbidden everywhere, it is sold only in hotels or night clubs, so-called.
The most expensive dinner in an expensive restaurant, we managed in 21Evro for four, would collapse the table to eat.
Damascus has traveled the whole, the slums, the mosque, the market.
Market Hamed different story, where we nearly threw. We decided to buy the knives of Damascus steel, found a seller, spoke fluent Russian, is in Peoples' Friendship University student, so he twisted 450Evro price tag for a dagger, a silver cover, handle made of camel bone. We were warned that a purely Damascus steel is not, it is no more, it is harvested for decades, and the blades are from 10000Evro, so that we are assured that this is the real swords, he is at the plant works and his brother, the owner of a large business, and assured that for this reason he had the purchase price, well, we decided to take a walk and look, once big money do not want to throw away, so it is on us to keep up, he is with us was the floor of the market and with every meter price dropped in the end he gave us every Blade for 200evro, we offered him 100 Euros for each - he was offended and left. As a result, we have found an adequate vendor 50Evro for blade and silver coins as a gift two pieces. It turns out that all of these blades makes the local Armenians, with very high quality, and the pattern on the metal, but steel is not a quality as real Damascus. As a souvenir is even nothing.
The local gold market is also not pleased, told about a penny the price of gold high-quality, all with accuracy on the contrary, a good gold price, both in Moscow and the 300th sample, and the gift is not necessary, there is nobody buys.
Taxis are cheap, rules of the road no one observes, go as they wish.
Example price tag taxi, we were looking for, who could take us to Maaloula for a tour, so local guides offered for this tour 200evro, only one city.
In the end, we found a local taxi driver, at your own risk, and 50Evro, it took us not only in Maaloula, still in the Monastery of St. Sergius, St. Thecla Monastery Saydnaya (Virgin Mary), and gave us a tour of all of these places!
Everywhere portraits of Bashar al-Assad.
The people are very friendly and helpful, always willing to help, many speak Russian, in general, to the Russian are very good.
Very tasty food in local cafes, coffee, sweets, all very tasty and cheap, for a portion less than the Euro.
The stalls sell fresh squeezed juices, the price of 10 euro cents per liter, prepared in front of you.
Many beggars, mostly children.
Many shoe cleaners, again the children for 10 cents up completely crazy brightness.
From Damascus, traveled to Maaloula, an ancient city, which is still spoken in the language of Jesus, Aramaic. Monastery of St. Thekla, Sergius, the Umayyad Mosque.
There have been at a nightclub in Damascus, rested there, mostly local Bandos - bootleggers, alcohol flowing river, European music, daubed Syrian, from rich families, belly dancing, songs and so on.
All very interesting and beautiful, colorful.
When we are waiting for the bus to the airport and waited for 6 hours and the administrator has allowed us to rise to the Lounge area and rest there, and it's only because we are Russian, English and Amerikosy sitting on suitcases in the lobby all the time.
It is a pity that a country destroyed.
Further photos and description.
Night Damascus arrival.



Here is our room, a large, spacious, but renovated, in some places, it is necessary to do so.



Lamp



More room



Number



Morning in Damascus, 7 am.



Morning Damascus from the room.



still am



beautiful sunrise



And now the city



Nicely, the place clean, but under the feet tarakanchiki)



Capital



Mosques everywhere mosque



Hamed market, sell everything that can be sold).



Local slums, where people live ((



And there, too, and below is the drainage, all fused there, the smell is not for the faint of heart.



Sewer



Machines local slum dwellers. Living here all bad.



Local artists, bought two left picture, rather collage, 7 and 10 Euros.



The street near the market.



The central streets.



The local gold market, all studded with gold, looks enchanting)



Next to the Umayyad Mosque



Few market, colorful, a lot of people to watch out for koshelechkom)!



Fellow sells "sus" (from licorice), disgusting taste of mint. I took a chance and tried it.



Local road



The restaurant, the waiters at the age of almost all speak Russian, do not sell alcohol, but the food is tasty and not expensive.



Night Damascus



A local night club, not far from the city center. Madam dances, and in the background the local bootleggers.



Come ride on the outskirts of Damascus, and in the historic city.



Caves, there are people ...



Near monystyre Saydnaya, a local town.



Neighborhoods with the observation deck of the monastery.



The wall of an ancient monastery of the Virgin Mary, the real story ...



More



Maalyulya above picture and this too.



The same cave where he was hiding Saint Thekla.



Maalyulya



Umayyad Mosque, indescribable beauty ...



She is.



Inside the mosque, there is kept of the head of John the Baptist (John the Baptist).



Damascus Center



That's how it is fed, it is an average restaurant, the price of not more than four 15 Euro



Airport of Damascus, was sorry to leave without seeing everything .... still have 2-3 days to.



Local Duty Free, that's where we come off, whiskey Black and White, which I saw as a child, were sold at the airport, 7USD, took 5 bottles, the quality is excellent.

Posted in [mergetime] 1391506526 [/ mergetime]
While everything on the way reporting from Israel, Hong Kong, Cyprus, Tajikistan.

Loma.



Source: