We slept the sleep of the exhausted last night and managed to avoid any further local encounters. It was slightly peculiar in the tent though, as the moon was so bright and the skies so clear that it never got dark.
As we were packing up, we unsurprisingly attracted the attention of another local who was keen to take us for some food. We politely declined, shook hands and went on our way. All being well we had quite a full day ahead of us.
Our first stop of the day was at Serjilla, one of Syria's mysterious 'Dead Cities'. The ancient cities are so called because no one really knows why these Byzantine settlements (4th century BC) became deserted. The latest theories being that the trade routes changed and the people simply moved with them. Whatever the reason, many of the buildings are remarkably intact giving an interesting overview of what life was like in the Byzantine era.
Heading on from Serjilla, we passed a few more of the smaller sites bound for Al Barra. Needing to stock up on water we stopped at several small shops before we found a very helpful shop keeper, who sent one of his children to his house to get us some. After being able to buy water with ease in Turkey, Syria is certainly a lot more challenging. Drinking the tap water may be the only option, despite being told not to.
Al Barra is the most extensive of the 'Dead Cities' spread over a huge area and partially incorporated within the newer town of the same name. If only we could have found the entrance it would have been even better! A nice man let us park our bicycles round the back of his house and told us that we could wander through to the ruins. Unfortunately we seemed to be a long way away from any of the larger structures and walking to them would have taken more time than we really wanted to spend at the site.
As lunchtime was fast approaching, we headed back into the new town in search of food. Not finding much of interest, probably due to the fact that it was Friday (Muslim holy day), we asked for directions to Apamea and set off once again. From now on we would be relying on local knowledge, as we had decided to take a more rural route to our next destination. Our map's scale is not good enough to show the minor roads and the signs were now all in Arabic. All we really knew was that we had to head south, just as well we have a compass!
Lunch was taken by the side of the road. The Syrian people have been amazingly friendly and curious, but it all gets a bit overwhelming. Trying to eat some food when you are surrounded by children shouting “how are you?” repeatedly and people zooming up on mopeds, makes it difficult to have some time to yourself.
When we reached the next town, we stopped to buy a drink and were immediately surrounded by children, who then tried to follow us into the shop. Our drinks selected, we went to pay and encountered one of the more annoying things that we have learned about visiting Syria. The blatant overcharging of foreigners is something that seems acceptable to a portion of Syrian society. Fortunately we have been here long enough now to just leave the items on the counter and walk out. Perhaps if everybody was to do the same they would finally get the message.
The shopkeeper where we stopped next was of the honest variety, who made a point of showing us how much each item was. Possibly he is used to foreigners coming from the previous shop and doesn't want to be tarred with the same brush.
Thirst quenched, we carried on once again with a few bits of directional assistance from some of the locals. A couple of young lads on a moped even rode ahead to point us in the right direction at the next intersection. Just as we were leaving the town, we were beckoned over to a guy's house to join him in a cup of coffee. Despite speaking very little English, we relaxed on his porch, watched on by his son and several very sweet girls. The coffee arrived, followed by some tea and then a large tray of food. Even though we had not long had lunch, refusing anything to eat would have been rude. Coming from England, it seems so strange to think that anybody would just beckon over a stranger and offer them food.
Needing to press on, we said a very grateful thank you, climbed onto our bikes and pedalled away. The hilly terrain that we had been cycling through, came dramatically to an end with a very steep descent where Debs and I both recorded our fastest speeds (37mph & 61kmph). In fact the road was so steep that we overtook a van, much to the shock of the occupants!
We were now heading down into Al Ghab, the fertile flatland valley of western Syria. Our average speed increased dramatically as we reached the flat terrain. The beautiful weather had brought everybody outside and the shouts of welcome and waves were even more enthusiastic. We were loving every minute of it, until a child threw a stone. He only succeeded in hitting my front wheel and it was from quite a long way away, but it left me a feeling a little shocked. In the end though, the genuine warmth coming from everybody else made me put it behind me. I just hope it was a moment of over enthusiasm and not a growing trend.
As we were leaving another village, a guy walked across the road to stop us and have a chat. Having passed so many people who beckoned us over, we decided to stop.
The guy was lovely and we were soon meeting all of his family. Over a cup of coffee, we out of the blue received an invitation to stay with him and his family. Any chance of us refusing was ended by his happy insistence.
At our host's suggestion we went on a brief tour of his village, starting at the fish farm where he worked. Having met and had tea with his boss and family, we carried on to see a cave and then had to meet several more of his friends. Everybody was so friendly, a few of them even thought we should stay with them instead.
Back at his house our bikes had been moved into a barn and we rejoined the family outside. It is very difficult to describe the evening that we had, the hospitality and warmth shown to us was incredible. The food was great, although eating first while nearly all the rest of the family watched was a new experience. We did feel a little guilty, when after we had finished, the children got to eat whatever was left. Our host did insist that there was plenty more food in the kitchen for them if they wanted it, although he may have just not wanted us to worry.
One of the best things about the evening was that Debs got to spend some time chatting to the women. Syria is a very male dominated society and it is easy for a woman to feel a bit out of place, as you rarely see other women in a social situations.
Spending time with the family was one of the most humbling and memorable experiences we have ever had and one we will never forget. We hope that they manage to stay in touch. We know that we will always have a place that we are welcome in Syria.
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