Dreams etc

Last night, I again dreamt of travelling to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. In the dream, I was telling everyone how incredible it was that I always dreamt about that, but now I was really going there for the second time – it was really happening. Dream interpreters would probably think that this, the capital of remote Sakhalin island in the far east of Russia, will play a significant role in my life. That will be seen.

Yesterday, we went on a day trip to the south, close to the Jordanian border. We visited the villages of Shahba (interesting Roman ruins), Qanawat (not very interesting ruins) and Bosra (fantastic ruins!!). Bosra is home to one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in existence, and it’s huge. The sun was really strong and I got burnt. The fascinating thing about all these ruins is that the people who live in the villages practically live among the ruins. There is hardly any infrastructure to protect the ruins, such as fences or signs – people even go to get some ancient Roman stones for finally building their dream-house. Walking on sand, you suddenly stumble upon bits and pieces of an ancient mosaic. It’s like the fact that you’re living next to structures which were built thousands of years ago is the most natural thing.

Exploring the town of Bosra - this picture is not staged...
The sad thing is that these ruins would be worth so many more visitors. Of course it’s fantastic to be the only one sitting in such a huge amphitheatre, but the people in the villages really need the money of tourists who just don’t come anymore. It’s the same like when we were visiting the ruined city of Palmyra last year with Martin – people struggle to get a glimpse of a column somewhere in Italy and here we had a whole city of ruins for ourselves. Restaurants are empty and the people stand around, not knowing what to do with themselves or their camels. We had lunch in the only hotel in Bosra, which looked really nice and high class, and absolutely nobody was there. We ate in an empty restaurant where all the tables were set for a full-course meal. Just as we were leaving, though, we saw a huge group of Malaysian or Indonesian muslims with a guide coming to explore the amphitheatre.

The ampthitheatre at Bosra.
A couple of days ago, we were invited to some friends who lived in the eastern outskirts of Damascus. It was really interesting to see how people lived there, happy with what they had (a family of four sharing one bedroom and a living room). The hospitality was overwhelming, but that’s nothing new to people who visit the Middle East regularly – so much food! It kept coming. When we drove back in the small ancient Volkswagen of theirs, I felt like I was sitting in one of those movies they show at the amusement park, with moving chairs and a huge screen. The traffic was breathtakingly crazy, and it was past midnight.

Browsing for shoes downtown.
Two days ago, Carlos and I walked to the old town – the same walk I always do, through the Merjeh area and Souq Hamidiyeh to the Omayad mosque, which is the most important religious structure in Syria. Damascus can not really be called a beautiful city – some of the buildings are so ugly you can’t help but stare. The region where all the cheap eating and accommodation options are, around Martyr’s Square, is dirty and chaotic. However, there is so much hustle and bustle and so many people around that it’s still a nice experience walking around, just watching what the people are doing in their free time and what they are buying and eating. And the old town is definitely the jewel of Damascus – ancient, labyrinthine and bursting with people. The courtyard of the mosque is one of my favourite places here. It’s huge, very clean because people have to remove their shoes, and also bursting with activity – families and friends just sitting around, children running around trying to catch each other, and some people meditating in quiet contemplation. One is surrounded by the beautiful building with its exotic minarets, and it’s really beautiful. Nobody comes to ask you why you’re there or whether you are a muslim – everybody is welcome (although foreigners have to pay an entrance fee while Arabs don’t – I pass as an Arab :).

The Omayad mosque's courtyard.