Enroute to Damascus from Hama - via Crac De Chevalier and Musayf Fort

So from Hama its off to Damascus. Again took advantage of the close proximatly of all the main spots and took in some sights along the way. Stopped first at the Bizantine era Masayf Castle, which is the top two pictures. It served to protect the trade route to cities further inland. Then it was onto the UNESCO listed Crac de Chevalier Fortress, known as the crusaders castle. It was built to protect the 'Homs Gap', the gateway into Syria where Syria communicated to the Mediterannean. Its really huge, and feels it .. it covers an area of 3000 square meters and has 13 huge towers, in addition to many stores, tanks, corridors, bridges and stables. It can accommodate 5000 soldiers with their horses, their equipment and provisions for five years. Photos dont do it justice. So of course theres always a story of me picking up on someones foul language (of the racist, degrogatory or otherwise inappropriate variety) and of course I find myself sharing a minibus with the perfect example of the type of Australian bloke that I cant fucking stand .. he is rich, works for a mining/oil company, is white and would like to have sexual relations with our previous prime minister .. he starts complaining about the new mining tax and has the nerve to say "yeah hes shooting the goose that lays the golden egg" .. I tell him I hadnt heard about it cause id been away for 6 months, he explains about this new tax and I paraphrase for him "so basically Rudd has imposed a tax to help australians economy by stopping rich people getting richer??" .. not sure thatd be so unpopular. He grunts something. I have to add just to piss him off "oh well the liberals are a fucking disgrace and embarrassment at the moment anyways and Abbott is an absolute tosser ..." ... silence in the car. Am I a jerk magnet, or are there just heaps of them???