Syria - Aleppo, my new favourite.

WELCOME TO SYRIA, WELCOME TO ALEPPO ... dozens of times in a day, someone will come up and say this to us, yell it from across the road, from the shops, from inside restaurants ... what amazingly beautiful, generous and warm people. I stop people in the street to ask for directions, and they dont just point you in the right direction, they take you the whole way. I ask an older man in our hotel to write down a list of the sights I should see in Aleppo while I'm here, he writes a list in Arabic and I say, 'sorry i cant read Arabic', he says to me, "Syrians are not a rich people like ur people, we are a poor people .. we are not a strong people, we are weak, but if you stop a person in the street, any person, every 20 meters to show you the way, no one will ever say no to you" ... I tear up. I have spent only 3 days here, making friends, walking around the maze of old Souqs (bazaars), visited the famous citadel (palace), visited a really interesting old hospital for the 'insane', where they treated them with only water therapy ... the rooms all faced a courtyard with a water feature in the middle where they listened to the soothing sounds of water, it was beleived that it made people calm and well.. was quite an eerie place to visit however and I cant imagine being locked in a little stone room would have been exceptionally soothing regardless of the water features! What I also got in Aleppo was FALAFEL. Oh my god, I havent been complaining about it much in my blogs because it seems very fickle and very spoilt, but its been exceptionally difficult for me to eat properlly since Ive left India. The middle east is a very 'meat-centric' place, and not only do they try to serve me chicken when I say no meat, but all the soups, many dips and most other meal items have meat stock in it ... or eggs or cheese, so its mostly been salad, flat bread and potatoe of some form. UNTIL SYRIA! You would think that Turkey was riddled in homous and falafel but it really isnt a Turkish food at all (unlike all our take-away shops purport!), I couldnt find falafel once in the whole of Turkey! So ... my falafel story - I arrive in Syria after a long hot journey over the border from Sanliurrffa in Turkey. I check into a gorgeously camp hotel, (see above pic of the pink room!) and head off to find the promised falafel. I am directed by several people to the falafel-lafa house ... where all my dreams come true - not only is there fresh falafel being hand made before my very eyes, but there is no meat being cooked and served on the same cookers ... its a VEGAN FALAFEL HOUSE. I immediately order. The old man that takes my money is the owner, he doesnt let me pay and says 'welcome to aleppo' .. and refused my money. I neck my falafel and tabouli and home made tahini wrap and go to the old man to tell him how much i loved it and how happy i was .. he asks for his photo to be taken, so of course i agree ... he wants the picture taken with me, so I hand nards my camera and I head behind the counter next to my new 'friend' to have my photo taken, happy with my post-falafel glow. He puts his hand around my shoulders .. hmm ok, well he's old, whatever ... then i hear this little noise coming from my right .. kissy kissy noises and I look down to see my new friend puckering up!!! 'oh shit' i say out loud (see 2nd photo in the kissing series, you can actually see that im saying 'shit' through my teeth) and I add "no kissing, sorry" ... he then reaches around to my chin and starts pulling at my face down towards his puckered up lips! UNBELEIVABLE! ahahhaah so funny, "oh fucking hell" i say (see 3rd photo where you can actually see me saying those words!) .. his son starts saying "father, no kissing, no kissing" like he does it all the time!!! Mean while .. nadia is still taking photos! She stops the photo shoot when she realises he has a firm (90 year old firm) grip on my chin and comes to intervene .. I think she was just impressed that she got a free falafel out of the whole thing if you ask me. Was very funny .. if not a little creepy! I have noticed that this is the 2nd blog in a row of a dirty old man having a little sneaky snuggle up! I have to add, that Pappa Smooch didnt detract me from heading back there 2 hours later for a 2nd falafel wrap .. and the next day! I have managed to avoid his kisses since however! Speaking of kisses .... this is my last story for Aleppo - now, Aleppo is very conservative, homosexuality is illegal here, all women cover their heads but most are covered head to toe in a full black burqa, including their hands in gloves and full face covers ... so as my shaved head friend Nadia and peirced up me walk through the bazaar, you can imagine my shock at a VERY camp syrian man yelling out to me 'you australian?', yes i reply, 'victoria?' yes, i say, "hows things at the glasshouse'!!?? ummm sorry, are you referring to the gay bar the Glasshouse Hotel?? .. yes he sure was ... he asks us directly, are you lez-be-friends? I say no .. nervous about the laws, he replies "oh really?" and pouts .. "cause im a homo .. oooobviously" (and yes, it was VERY obvious as he licked away at his little strawberry icecream cone) .. I out nadia "yeah, she's gay" .. he squeels in delight "I KNEW I SMELT A RAT" haaaha .. so we go on to spend hours in the scarf shop of the queen Majid, his eccentric brother Alladin (who fell in love with me .. and all the other women walking past) and his nephew who was married to a kiwi girl. I havent laughed so much in so long .. Alladin walks in and says in a very odd mix of syrian and put on aussie accent 'so whos dyin for a cuppa'?? i love it ... DUring the hours we've spent in their shop drinking tea, syrian coffee (think turkish coffee) and talkign about everything from gender, sexuality, marriage, work, kath and kim, politics and watching them ragging all the tourists I had a sore face from smiling too much and laughing. Some of my favourite one liners form Majid and Alladin ...

Majid - "Yeah, it is illegal here but only if you get caught wet handed, oh I mean red handed"... Majid to a coupld of american men who are CLEARLLY straight christian types - "Would u like a sandwich? Ill be the cheese in between the 2 crusty toast" ... Majid to a married hetro couple walking past his shop - "Come into my closet, or are you already out of it?" ... Alladin to us - :god girls, are you just dyyyying for a cuppa?" ... Majid - "Im not a slut, im a fun tart" ... Aladin to us - "My ex wife looked like ned Kelly" (meaning the burqa showing just eyes!!! SO NAUGHTY) .. Majid pipes up "yeah but she was way more butch" ... Majid - "Im acdc – I like showing married men their first time … im like a acdc converter" ... Aladin to Majid – "don’t tell me I never match make for you, what about david? – Majid – "oh don’t mention Davids name, every time I hear his name I get a sore back" .. whispers to me “whipping”.... Hilarious, so fun and just what I needed as I felt a bit home sick!

Photos - The first 2 are of the drive across the border from Turkey, Sanliurrfa into Syria, was about 2 hours of straight desert driving, really beautiful. The next 3 shots are self explanatory shots of Pappa Smooch who owned the falaffel house! The next one of my amazing pink room!!!! The next three of the hand made market place with people weaving carpets, really beautiful. The next two of the little boy and the cherries are just ramdon shots from the streets of Aleppo. The next one of the 'Mental hospital' rooms facing the medicinal water fountain. The next two are from the olive oil soap factory, one of the oil barrels and one of the huge paddle they use to stir up the soap. The next five shots are from the huge market places, one of my new friends (and ben's and my betrothedMajid, Alladin and their nephew), and the last 5 shots are of the Citadel and the view from the top of it.