December Trip--Part I, Aleppo to Cappadocia

SYRIA

We set off on our journey, having negotiated a taxi from Beirut to Aleppo ($110), a five- to forever-hour drive depending on time spent at the border. One can never know how long the remarkably labor-intensive paperwork and other assorted delays may take. In our case, it turned out to be 1 ½ hours, and money changed hands (unbeknown to us), as apparently the visas we have arranged in advance listed the wrong entry point. Our Syrian driver is skillful, but is occasionally seen simultaneously smoking and talking on the cell phone in addition to driving, and there are no working seat belts.

We stay two nights in Aleppo, ancient city and more recently (until the 1930s) the terminus of the Orient Express. We visit the souk (market) and the remarkable citadel, which holds a commanding view of the whole city and area and has a terrific moat. Photos are Ben and Cam outside the citadel, and the hamam (bath) inside it.

We have the feeling we are being watched. Ben thwarts a flock of would be robbers in the souk: women in full abayah surrounding and bumping me, feeling Cam’s pockets for a wallet. There are very few Americans in Syria now. I think we only got the visas because we had applied for the before the US bombing inside Syrian territory.

We have a great mezze meal--how could we manage it after all the great street food we’d had all day: almond/coconut cookies; omelet sandwiches; warm, thick rice drink with cinnamon; fresh squeezed orange juice (see photo).

The next day we negotiate a cab for the three-hour trip to Antakya, Turkey. We wait 45 minutes sitting in the car at the taxi stand/bus station, watching our passports pass from hand to hand. There is so much archaic bureaucracy in Syria.

At the Turkish border it takes 30 minutes to exit Syria and enter Turkey. A (Turkish) sign: “hope you happy travel”. Also waiting to enter is a line of vehicles with Russian license plates, filled with tired travelers. Tom learns that they are returning from the Haj! What a trip they made: Russia, Georgia, through Eastern Turkey, all through Syria, across Jordan and into Saudi Arabia--no wonder they looked tired now, on their way back, and T reported they didn’t smell so great when he was standing next to them in the passport line.

As we enter Turkey we see a very long line of trucks waiting to enter Syria.

TURKEY

Antakya, AKA Antioch--a very pleasant city. Tom calls Antakya an Arabic city with sanity. A lighter, happier feel. Few women with headscarves, wide sidewalks, the Orontes River. Internet cafes on every other block--nice ones with comfy chairs, and cheap internet, about 75 cents an hour. So civilized. People are so friendly. We visited the Byzantine mosaic museum--here are two stone lions from the 8th century BC. , and a couple of mosaics.

The main reason for our trip here is to see St. Peter’s cave church, where Peter preached in around AD 50. Photos show the outside and inside of the church:

Later, at the Oasis café, free backgammon and Wifi, a small playground. We play backgammon and drink tea. Later they bring us complementary fresh squeezed juice--lovely--orange and tangerine. People are so welcoming!

At dinner we have a feast for 35 Turkish Lira, about 23$. The waiter gives us an extra salad, and, after we eat, wet wipes and cologne. People are so friendly, and the town has a laid back feel, yet vibrant feel--so refreshing after Syria. We are not anxious to go back to Syria anytime soon--glad we were able to see all we did there.

Tom, on the balcony of our 2 star Antakya hotel.

Antakya is in the Hatay Province of Turkey, the farthest south bit, hanging down in the middle of the country, looking rather like a penis on the map.

An odd sounding restaurant:

Next, a cushy Turkish bus passing through hilly green countryside. The bus has an attendant who puts a Gladiator video on, serves us hot tea, and later, refreshing cologne.
We have several bus rides totaling about 8 hours to reach Goreme, in Cappadocia.

Cappadocia: land of the fairy chimneys! Cave churches dating to 4000 BC--the Hittites--and later used by Christians. We see amazingly well preserved paintings of biblical scenes.

After the churches we hit the hamam (spiritual and physical cleansing) at our 4 star hotel, much of which is in caves.

Ben finds Christmas music on the radio. The tunes are familiar and we decide they are in Armenian. Christmas is not a holiday for most of Moslem Turkey, but there are quite a few Christmas trees and colored lights around.

At dinner Ben orders a local specialty, “pottery kebab”, meat cubes cooked in a tapered clay pot whose neck is broken at the table.

The next day we took a couple of buses to reach a vast underground city built by the Hittites 4000 years ago. There are 8 levels underground, that housed 10,000 people! Huge round stones were set upright and sideways into a slot carved in the stone, to slide across the narrow pathways to block intruders. A four inch diameter hole in the center of the stone allowed spears to protrude through and skewer would be attackers. It is a complete city--we saw school, kitchen, church and wine press.

And we had a white Christmas! Christmas Eve it snowed, making the fairy chimneys even more beautiful.

Christmas in Cappadocia--more magic. Tom uses an ATM and forgets his card. We check for it later--gone--was it stolen?? Next day we check at the tourist information office to see if any kind soul has turned it in. They call the bank and the bank staff jump in a taxi for a 25 minute ride to reach us and open the ATM. Card is found. No charge.