We were both looking forward to visiting Palmyra and the experience ended up better than we expected since we found much more than ruins and sand.
As we approached Palmyra we could see the tents of the semi nomadic Bedouins camouflaged with the sand and a few camels going around them. We arrived in Palmyra to find that the President of the country and other Sheiks of Arab countries were in town for the end of the Palmyra Festivals and we felt lucky that we were able to find a room in a hotel a few blocks away from the main street.
We immediately fell in love with the place, were the locals offer you tea everywhere and the colorful shops add life to the monochromatic desert. The deafening silence of the desert is suddenly broken by a line of honking cars -another wedding- adorned by flowers and white or pastel color balloons and carrying a smiling bride on her way to the festivities. A walk to a restaurant in the main street was very often interrupted by another stop to greet locals and answer the usual questions of the children practicing their English "where are you coming from, what is your name" and so on.
We met some nice travelers from England, Germany and Australia and made plans to do some visits together the following days. We spent hours walking through the ruins under the scorching sun and taking hundreds of pictures and we have to say that Palmyra is quite a special spot. This oasis grows some of the lushest palm trees we have ever seen, and they produce the best dates we have ever tasted.
As expected -due to the location- we felt quite isolated because Internet access was scarce and super slow, so we decided to forget about what was happening out there and enjoy the disconnection. The town was crowded with men wearing turbans of all different colors and they were explained to us, black for Palestinians, red for Syrians, different design in black as well for Saudi Arabians and burgundy for Bedouins and so on.
As we approached Palmyra we could see the tents of the semi nomadic Bedouins camouflaged with the sand and a few camels going around them. We arrived in Palmyra to find that the President of the country and other Sheiks of Arab countries were in town for the end of the Palmyra Festivals and we felt lucky that we were able to find a room in a hotel a few blocks away from the main street.
We immediately fell in love with the place, were the locals offer you tea everywhere and the colorful shops add life to the monochromatic desert. The deafening silence of the desert is suddenly broken by a line of honking cars -another wedding- adorned by flowers and white or pastel color balloons and carrying a smiling bride on her way to the festivities. A walk to a restaurant in the main street was very often interrupted by another stop to greet locals and answer the usual questions of the children practicing their English "where are you coming from, what is your name" and so on.
We met some nice travelers from England, Germany and Australia and made plans to do some visits together the following days. We spent hours walking through the ruins under the scorching sun and taking hundreds of pictures and we have to say that Palmyra is quite a special spot. This oasis grows some of the lushest palm trees we have ever seen, and they produce the best dates we have ever tasted.
As expected -due to the location- we felt quite isolated because Internet access was scarce and super slow, so we decided to forget about what was happening out there and enjoy the disconnection. The town was crowded with men wearing turbans of all different colors and they were explained to us, black for Palestinians, red for Syrians, different design in black as well for Saudi Arabians and burgundy for Bedouins and so on.
There was this funny situation in which we were sitting in a restaurant and a big bearded man in a white tunic and red turban asked us were we were from and I immediately answered "Argentina".
"You have an American accent, where are YOU from?" he said looking at Steve.
This guy had come out of a Hummer limo with a driver and two other men that clearly were his body guards. We knew he was the "capo" of something. What if he hated Americans?
Steve looked pale and I thought for a second that I didn't want to be in his shoes.
"United States" he said weakly (was the worst about to come?)
"I am the Minister of Culture of Oman and I'm traveling with the King of Oman. I lived in Seattle for seven years and love the West Coast of the United States. What are you doing in Syria?"
"Tourism, seeing the country and meeting the people" said Steve now with some color on his face.
"I hope you meet us tonight for a party and tomorrow for the camel races, and you would be welcomed in Oman" he said as he smoked his narguileh (water pipe).
"We are actually thinking of going there, and yes, you will see us later and tomorrow".
"Very nice to meet you" he said, as we shook hands and they drove away in the Hummer.
We met with Jordi, our Spanish friend, and others for great Bedouin food and travel stories. We really liked Palmyra because it surprised us in so many ways.
Gaby
"You have an American accent, where are YOU from?" he said looking at Steve.
This guy had come out of a Hummer limo with a driver and two other men that clearly were his body guards. We knew he was the "capo" of something. What if he hated Americans?
Steve looked pale and I thought for a second that I didn't want to be in his shoes.
"United States" he said weakly (was the worst about to come?)
"I am the Minister of Culture of Oman and I'm traveling with the King of Oman. I lived in Seattle for seven years and love the West Coast of the United States. What are you doing in Syria?"
"Tourism, seeing the country and meeting the people" said Steve now with some color on his face.
"I hope you meet us tonight for a party and tomorrow for the camel races, and you would be welcomed in Oman" he said as he smoked his narguileh (water pipe).
"We are actually thinking of going there, and yes, you will see us later and tomorrow".
"Very nice to meet you" he said, as we shook hands and they drove away in the Hummer.
We met with Jordi, our Spanish friend, and others for great Bedouin food and travel stories. We really liked Palmyra because it surprised us in so many ways.
Gaby
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