Driven to drink - Deir ez Zour to Aleppo
Day 6
Checked out of the Hotel Ziad with no problems and caught a cab to the bus station. Only two bus companies went to Aleppo, and Khadmous left at 3:10 pm, so we opted for Eman. Little bit less posh than previous buses, but it left at 10:30 am. After having tea and registering ‘out’ with the police department, we departed on the five hour ride to Aleppo. Enjoyed watching the mudbrick styles change as we drove west along the Euphrates. Got dropped at a bus station outside o
f town and caught a cab that – gasp – went by the meter. Were welcomed into a museum (I mean, our hotel, the Baron) by the manager, Mr. Walid, and shown to our room, the ‘Agatha Christie’ room (where the grand dame stayed when she was in town). The bathroom is cavernous and the furniture antique. Noah’s not thrilled because there were no cartoons on, but Mr. Walid brought him a bag with chocolate and chips. Heading out to explore Aleppo in a bit….
Noah
’s driving us to drink. That’s the preface of our evening outing. Found a nearby internet café and downloaded photos and then headed into town. It’s Friday, so it was pretty quiet. We found Bazaar Al Charka, a basement restaurant with stone values and carpet-cushioned chairs. Had a fantastic dinner: baba ghanuj, kibbeh, fatoosh, pita with meat and cheese grilled (Noah was a big fan), and lamb tawook. Yum. Finished off with tea in saucer-ed cups. If Noah wasn’t being such a pill, it would have been perfect. Hit the juice and liquor store street on the way back to the hotel (thank you, Lonely Planet). We were buying beer to try (one Egyptian, one Lebanese, and one Turkish) when two kids rode up on horseback. Fresh from Palmyra, we were expecting them to hit us up for a ride. Nope. Just doing a beer run….on horseback. Excellent.
I kind of goofed when making our itinerary and didn’t really factor in the five hour bus ride from Deir ez Zour to Aleppo…on Friday (when many things are closed). So I think tomorrow we’ll do Aleppo and (sadly) we’ll skip Lattakia and Ugarit. Se la vie. We’ll see the coast in Lebanon, insha’allah. But now…to sample beer….
P.S. Am writing from an antique desk with a mirror and ink blotter in the Agatha Christie room. So romantic. Wonder if ole’ Ags drank beer….
Checked out of the Hotel Ziad with no problems and caught a cab to the bus station. Only two bus companies went to Aleppo, and Khadmous left at 3:10 pm, so we opted for Eman. Little bit less posh than previous buses, but it left at 10:30 am. After having tea and registering ‘out’ with the police department, we departed on the five hour ride to Aleppo. Enjoyed watching the mudbrick styles change as we drove west along the Euphrates. Got dropped at a bus station outside o
f town and caught a cab that – gasp – went by the meter. Were welcomed into a museum (I mean, our hotel, the Baron) by the manager, Mr. Walid, and shown to our room, the ‘Agatha Christie’ room (where the grand dame stayed when she was in town). The bathroom is cavernous and the furniture antique. Noah’s not thrilled because there were no cartoons on, but Mr. Walid brought him a bag with chocolate and chips. Heading out to explore Aleppo in a bit….Noah
’s driving us to drink. That’s the preface of our evening outing. Found a nearby internet café and downloaded photos and then headed into town. It’s Friday, so it was pretty quiet. We found Bazaar Al Charka, a basement restaurant with stone values and carpet-cushioned chairs. Had a fantastic dinner: baba ghanuj, kibbeh, fatoosh, pita with meat and cheese grilled (Noah was a big fan), and lamb tawook. Yum. Finished off with tea in saucer-ed cups. If Noah wasn’t being such a pill, it would have been perfect. Hit the juice and liquor store street on the way back to the hotel (thank you, Lonely Planet). We were buying beer to try (one Egyptian, one Lebanese, and one Turkish) when two kids rode up on horseback. Fresh from Palmyra, we were expecting them to hit us up for a ride. Nope. Just doing a beer run….on horseback. Excellent.
I kind of goofed when making our itinerary and didn’t really factor in the five hour bus ride from Deir ez Zour to Aleppo…on Friday (when many things are closed). So I think tomorrow we’ll do Aleppo and (sadly) we’ll skip Lattakia and Ugarit. Se la vie. We’ll see the coast in Lebanon, insha’allah. But now…to sample beer….P.S. Am writing from an antique desk with a mirror and ink blotter in the Agatha Christie room. So romantic. Wonder if ole’ Ags drank beer….
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