Only 132 more days to go...

I apologize to my friends and family for not being more diligent about writing for my blog. I realized the other day that I don't get in the internet cafe enough, and spend so much time replying to, and writing emails, that I am spent by the time I get around to blogging. My new plan is to blog only one or two days a week, and reply to email the other one or two days a week. Sound good?

My most recent interesting adventure involved a last minute decision trip to Antakya (Antioch for you Romans) Turkey. It was down to the wire between Damascus and Antakya, and when it came down to it, we just felt like giong somewhere new! Originally we planned to take the bus, but unfortunately we discovered it most buses leave for there at five in the morning. We DID find another one after asking around, but it was giong to take and hour...then two...then the driver didn't feel like going anymore. So hell bent on going to Turkey (we had our visas and wanted to use them)we hired a car. It's not like it sounds. Our "hired car" was basically a run down old taxi with five hundred pounds of shit tied to the roof and five guys stuffed inside. FUN! After stopping every five minutes, oh and paying twelve dollars for the entire door-to-door trip, we wound up at the border. By this time it was pouring rain and we were on a pilgrimage to the right place to purchase another visa. To my suprise my three month visa was only twenty bucks. I had heard horror stories of hundred dollar visas.

Wet, bored, and visa'd, we stuffed back into the car for another hour plus of bumpy, horrible driving. We arrived in Antakya around nine or so and it took us a while to find a cheap enough pension to suit our budget. We settled on the eleven dollar a night place. It took another hour to decompress from the car-ride and check out what was on local Turkish TV (really bad action movies - almost comical). Our main goal of this last minute trip was to drink a beer in a pub. With some walking around we found some food. And just down the street was our nice little pub. Mission accomplished. "Houston, we have beers!"

On the second day we slept in and planned a whole lot of nothing for the day. We wandered into some place and had some pastry/pretzle type thingies and coffee. We crossed the river into the other side of the town where Chris emailed his girlfriend a great postcard of Attaturk. There not kidding when they say his picture is everywhere. ITS EVERYWHERE! Especially on the new money. Those of you that are economically savvy enough know that Turkey just lost a few zeros off their currency - six to be exact. I have a nice old Turkish Million Dollar Bill. Its fun.

After wandering around a quaint city center we ran into some Americans trying to take a picture on a bridge. I didn't even notice them; Chris spotted them in fact. He offered to take their picture and that struck up the "what are YOU doing here" conversation. I should really tell people I am a world renowned pet psychiatrist researching affects of global warming on animal behaviors. I love messing with people. They were Christian travelers leading a group of less traveled Christian travelers (never) through Europe and Turkey. Mostly home schooled and voted for Bush; you know the type. The best part was when we met up with some of them for some food (Chris and I were very interested in their opinions) and we met a girl from California who said she never realized that things could be so different in the world. That she just watched the news in the US cause there was no other news. How funny is that? Chris and I moaned for hours about how nobody knows how to look for information anymore. One TV channel and call it good! Anyway, they weren't having beers with us again later that evening, eventhough we did run into them randomly at a pizza place. I was helping Chris study for his interview and there they were. They were nice, and we enjoyed the western company.

That afternoon we wandered around trying to get a feel for the place but the center of town is more historic and full of Bazaars. We found an archealogical museum that didn't have anything inside, and a couple of statues. We made plans to go see St. John's Grotto the next morning if it wasn't raining, but we didn't make the trip. After staying up and drinking beer, again, we slept in and missed our bus home. Actually we didn't know what time it left so when we arrived at the station it was gone and there wasn't another one until tomorrow. We thought about going to the grotto but we decided we would come back and wanted to get home in time to relax and prepare for school the next day.

Shortly thereafter we found two decent cars to take us to Aleppo for a slightly higher rate than what we had coming, but we didn't really care. Like all things you can only barter so much but then you are eventually arguing over a dollar. Screw it! The rides only took about two and a half hours. At least mine did. Chris' car had a couple of guys from Angolia(?) and the border guys wouldn't let them through. I got into town and he was still at the border. It didn't matter really since my car was driving over hell's half acre looking for the other passenger's home. After that...my driver didn't know where he was, OR how to get me home. By time I got home Chris was only fifteen minutes behind me. The funny thing about the distance is that it is only about sixty miles from Aleppo to Antakya. On average a bus trip from Aleppo to Antakya takes about four hours. YAWN! And if I haven't said it before I will say it again...people here can't drive for anything. I think that is half the problem. The other half is the border crossing. Turkey has what people want and they really scrutinize everything at the border coming from Syria. From Turkey they let the door hit you in the ass on the way out - they could care less if you go to Syria. They sure hawk-eye you when you are coming from Syria.

Syria has a bad rap. Since Harari was blown up the other day everyone in the US have jumped on Syria. Are you kidding me. They can't even clean up trash...you think they can organize a sectacular hit on one of their only allies in Lebanon. It's all hype. The only thing that will be accomplished is Syria's ties with Iran will grow stronger. If the US wants Syria to play ball western-style the last thing they need is to encourage them to buddy up to Iran. Just another excuse for war.

Anyway, things are no different here than before. Everyone was really shocked here as soon as they heard what happened. It was on the radio instantly. Al-Jazeera pinned it on some radical Saudi group but I don't know if that will make western press. The most depressing thing about being here is having to see the misinformation people have about each other. US about them, and them about us. I am glad I am here to see what REALLY goes on and talk to people about true feelings. Like I've said I guess all I can do is be me and hope I am a good representation of my country and what it means to be human.

MMmmmmmm beer. I have an Egyptian brew calling me from the fridge. Hope all is well in Brigadoon.