Syria, it is the people that suffer
Some will say you support Bashar al-Assad’s regime if you go to Syria. I want to emphasize; I support the people of Syria. They are the suffering victims of boycotts and blockades. I did join this trip with Against the Compass, a Spanish tour operator; however, we had an excellent Syrian guide in Remi. These days you can not travel alone in Syria; you must have a letter of invitation and a Syrian guide.
Why Syria?
I have followed Joan Torres’s blog for a long time, and when he started arranging trips, I thought I would like to join one. I was waiting to see what kind of trip was coming up around easter time, and this year it was Syria. It suited me perfectly; I am open-minded to almost any country. If someone else can travel there, so can I. Since this trip would last for five days and it was going out from Lebanon, I could also spend days in Lebanon on the same journey. The posts of Lebanon are already made.
Syria will be divided into three posts
- Background for Syria
- Damaskus and Maaloula
- Aleppo and Homs
Some thoughts
Undoubtedly, Bashar al-Assad is a despot who treats the Syrian people inhumanely. He has always been brutal against demonstrations, and the country has no serious opposition. In the West, we have been fed the impression that it is the President against the opposition groups. But, there has been a lot of interference from other countries, and many of them have been extremists. Obama promised to eliminate Bashar al-Assad, and maybe we would have seen the same “success story” as in Libya. There is no quick fix if you do not have a proper opposition to take over.
Some argue it is best to boycott countries with poor human rights records. Our world is so interconnected that few places have a clean record. People living under brutal regimes most need contact with the rest of the world to provide a sign of hope and an opportunity to tell their story. Because of this, I am so happy I managed to go on this trip and learn so much.
Take off from Lebanon
We were picked up by the hotel in Beirut, driven to the border, got help getting through customs and sorting visas, and changed money. It took some time, but no problems. Then we headed for Damascus and met with our guide for the following days. We had to pass many securities posts, but we got the impression that tourists should not be bothered. I also sometimes saw the driver bribing the guards with money or cigarettes.
All the kindness humbles me and the way we felt welcome in Syria. We were invited home to a family for iftar to break the fast. I also got to know Mohammad, an architect student that said, I want to become like you, travel the world and see architecture. Sadly, young people grow up feeling they have few opportunities and a limited future.
My next posts will give more details about what we saw in Syria.
