So many bints...so little time.
In the past three days I have gained in intimate knowledge of British slang (my new roomie), ripped around town with the Syrian odd couple, and toured miles in the oldest covered market in the world leading to the Citadel.
My new "pad-lad" is also named Chris and hails from Lester (look it up). He is witty, as talkative, and also as political as I can be sometimes. We have been getting along famously. I have agreed to call soccer "football" and he calls biscuits "cookies." It's a nice relationship :)
Late one night at the Pullman Hotel. I chatted up the nice girl next to me on the veranda and soon Chris in I were smoking "hubble-bubble" with them and drinking beer. The guy was from Greece escaping the games when he got retained by the government to serve in the army. He's been in Greece for twenty years - his arabic was even rusty. So needless to say he was less than pleased with his situation, and his "family friend" was really talkative. We were quite entertaining with the point and name system. We spoke to her through him and vice-versa. They drug us all through town looking for a pub or a club. Finally we ended up after two at this Armenian wedding party at a poolside restaurant. What a sight to see. Dancing, smoking, eating, yelling (girls with the yelling, flicking tongue noise thing)and just carrying on into the wee hours of the morning. We lasted until about four and then called it a night. The wierd thing was not only was this girl VERY western in attitude and dress (VERY), she was loaded! She paid for everything like it was nothing. Even our cab fair home. Sweeeet.
Previously that day we spent all day walking around through the Citadel with our friend and personal tour guide Lilit. The Citadel is hundreds of years old and one of the most fortified castles ever. This thing is awesome: moat, ampitheater, stables, water and crop storage, torture chambers, and the kings room was like a palacial football field. DAMN! I got lots of pictures for you history buffs. The view from up there was great.
Sunday after being up all night we were up-and-at-em early to check out the oldest Armenian church in these parts again with Lilit. It was like 800 years old. The story goes that a Armenian wise man went to Osman to ask if they could build a church. Osman said they could build one no bigger than the size of a sea shipping container (something like a barrel I am guessing). So he then goes home and begins to cut this thing into one long tiny strip and unravels it to lay out. This makes a space around maybe ten or fifteen square yards. He then goes back to Osman and proclaims that his church fits inside the container (that's balls). Osman let them keep it - the original chapel is tiny and there are catacombs under it but only priests of the temple can go down there.
After church yesterday, and most of the day today Chris and I walked around town and visited the shops. After getting totally lost in some back lot of a bulk foods market a guy adopted us and walked us around to the old city wall and the beginning of the maze of suqs that goes through the city. There is everything here and it goes on for miles. All covered and original stone this place was amazing. Stores carrying everything from lambs heads to fine linens. It is amazing how stores here operate. If you don't barter with them you are totally getting ripped off. It is expected for you - it is like a game of chess. A meeting of the minds to haggle over the prices. I have yet to buy anything but I am learning the number system so I can!
As we were walking through the suq Chris remembered that his parents stayed in an Inn close by and we found the sign. It led down the alley that was reminiscent of a Dungeons & Dragons story. Tight knit cobblestone and close walls that ended in a large metal door with a hanging sign overhead. The innkeeper may or may not have remembered his parents but he invited us in for some drinks. His Inn opened up into this beautiful courtyard with plants and rugs hanging about on the walls. It was beautiful and serene. You couldn't hear the bussling market just meters away. He had sodas brought to us and we talked about Syria, where we were from, an Iraqi man we talked to in the streets - just random lazy day conversation. What a kind man.
Our suq-walk ended in front of the Citadel and we sat down for a rest, some number memorization practice, and some fresh juice. The fruit here is fabulous. After a while we decided to hail a cab and head back here to check our email. The cabby was pretty good and avoided most of rush hour while giving us a good tour of cross-town traffic. Just another day in Allepo.
Love and miss everyone.
My new "pad-lad" is also named Chris and hails from Lester (look it up). He is witty, as talkative, and also as political as I can be sometimes. We have been getting along famously. I have agreed to call soccer "football" and he calls biscuits "cookies." It's a nice relationship :)
Late one night at the Pullman Hotel. I chatted up the nice girl next to me on the veranda and soon Chris in I were smoking "hubble-bubble" with them and drinking beer. The guy was from Greece escaping the games when he got retained by the government to serve in the army. He's been in Greece for twenty years - his arabic was even rusty. So needless to say he was less than pleased with his situation, and his "family friend" was really talkative. We were quite entertaining with the point and name system. We spoke to her through him and vice-versa. They drug us all through town looking for a pub or a club. Finally we ended up after two at this Armenian wedding party at a poolside restaurant. What a sight to see. Dancing, smoking, eating, yelling (girls with the yelling, flicking tongue noise thing)and just carrying on into the wee hours of the morning. We lasted until about four and then called it a night. The wierd thing was not only was this girl VERY western in attitude and dress (VERY), she was loaded! She paid for everything like it was nothing. Even our cab fair home. Sweeeet.
Previously that day we spent all day walking around through the Citadel with our friend and personal tour guide Lilit. The Citadel is hundreds of years old and one of the most fortified castles ever. This thing is awesome: moat, ampitheater, stables, water and crop storage, torture chambers, and the kings room was like a palacial football field. DAMN! I got lots of pictures for you history buffs. The view from up there was great.
Sunday after being up all night we were up-and-at-em early to check out the oldest Armenian church in these parts again with Lilit. It was like 800 years old. The story goes that a Armenian wise man went to Osman to ask if they could build a church. Osman said they could build one no bigger than the size of a sea shipping container (something like a barrel I am guessing). So he then goes home and begins to cut this thing into one long tiny strip and unravels it to lay out. This makes a space around maybe ten or fifteen square yards. He then goes back to Osman and proclaims that his church fits inside the container (that's balls). Osman let them keep it - the original chapel is tiny and there are catacombs under it but only priests of the temple can go down there.
After church yesterday, and most of the day today Chris and I walked around town and visited the shops. After getting totally lost in some back lot of a bulk foods market a guy adopted us and walked us around to the old city wall and the beginning of the maze of suqs that goes through the city. There is everything here and it goes on for miles. All covered and original stone this place was amazing. Stores carrying everything from lambs heads to fine linens. It is amazing how stores here operate. If you don't barter with them you are totally getting ripped off. It is expected for you - it is like a game of chess. A meeting of the minds to haggle over the prices. I have yet to buy anything but I am learning the number system so I can!
As we were walking through the suq Chris remembered that his parents stayed in an Inn close by and we found the sign. It led down the alley that was reminiscent of a Dungeons & Dragons story. Tight knit cobblestone and close walls that ended in a large metal door with a hanging sign overhead. The innkeeper may or may not have remembered his parents but he invited us in for some drinks. His Inn opened up into this beautiful courtyard with plants and rugs hanging about on the walls. It was beautiful and serene. You couldn't hear the bussling market just meters away. He had sodas brought to us and we talked about Syria, where we were from, an Iraqi man we talked to in the streets - just random lazy day conversation. What a kind man.
Our suq-walk ended in front of the Citadel and we sat down for a rest, some number memorization practice, and some fresh juice. The fruit here is fabulous. After a while we decided to hail a cab and head back here to check our email. The cabby was pretty good and avoided most of rush hour while giving us a good tour of cross-town traffic. Just another day in Allepo.
Love and miss everyone.
posted by chris @ Monday, August 23, 2004
1 Comments:
At 8/26/2004 8:29 PM,
Trish said…
i used to know what that tongue flicking yelling thing was called and i used to be able to do it. sounds like you are having a great time! okay, so we know the chicks are hot, what about the guys?
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