We have been travelling for 16 weeks now, Syria is our 13^th country, we are struggling with our 13^th currency and 7^th language. Our minds are totally incapable of any more adjustment! With the change of weather (as I write this I can see snow on the nearby mountains), traveling is changing too. For instance- it is no longer a pleasure to wash my hair under the cold water tap in a public loo, and the evenings are very cold too. Fortunately we are usually able to light a fire at night for cooking and huddling over, then we snuggle up in bed with hot water bottle, a huge thick blanket we bought in Aquaba, and either read or watch DVDs on the laptop. Gone are the balmy days of Africa, the succulent mangoes, and also of course the bugs and mosquitoes that go with Africa. But Arabia it seems is the continent of giving- Muslims believe that we are all brothers and sisters with Jesus and Mohammed being equal prophets. Those we have met so far have not been radical and have put their religious beliefs into practice.

People; wow, wow, wow. The Syrians cant leave us alone. We have been given tea by custom officials, shop keepers, night watch men, passerbys take us to the shops, drive us to the right roads when we look unsure(often happens with signs in Arabic!), restaurant wouldnt let us pay for chicken sandwiches we ordered. They take us around archeological sights, buy us cold drinks, Bedouins offer us accommodation, others meals. We have been given calendars and olives. All this in 5 days and when English is not very well spoken. Hand signs and conversations that are not understood but require a lot of head shaking and ok with smiles and a flash of white teeth.  We both feel totally dizzy by their enthusiasm and energy to go out of their way to be supremely hospitable. Like Jordan, they are more acceptive of European women, which makes me feel more comfortable. The Syrian women dress more like Eastern Europeans in the large towns- quite olf fashioned, but rurally remain traditional in black and covered up. As in Jordan, they remain at home whilst the men shop etc. Men wear European clothing- leather jackets and long pants and in rural areas the long lengh jelaba and head scarf.

Landscape and wildlife; The South and central areas were a mass of dry barren desert, with an occasional oasis popping up out of nowhere. Sheep graze on gravel it seems, yet we passed many boreholes where copious amounts of water gushed out, so there is no shortage of water.  North was greener with pine, olive, date palms and gum trees growing.  Along the banks of the Euphrates river, farmers used irrigation extensively to cultivate cereals and vegetables. We decided not to visit the coast as too touristy- it will wait til Turkey. There were less camels and donkeys than Jordan, and heard but didnt see otters, jackals and wolves. We spotted owls, magpies and buzzards. Europe is fast approaching!

Roads and fuel; Tarmac everywhere- including across the deserts. Motor cycles seem to be the transport of choice. Diesel is only 7p a litre, but we get stumped with a ridiculous $100 diesel tax per week. Needless to say we shall be buying extra containers and filling up as much as we can for Turkey which apparently has UK prices for fuel. Got our first proper puncture- rog repaired speediliy with Holtz 4x4 aerosol- thank you Des.

Food; Humus, Arabic bread, kebabs, organic lamb from the beduoins, sticky cakes made from honey, filo pastry and pistachio nuts. Mmm. Sweet perfumed black tea- given as a show of friendship everywhere.

Sightseeing; Syria is a melting pot of successive civilizations and diversified cultures dating back over 10000 years ago. Its a minefield of ruins- a historian or architectural pleasure. Huge fortresses, temples and castles litter the desert everywhere. Biblical names remind me of distant past geography lessons.

Accommodation; A night back in the desert about 150 kms from the Iraq border-took ages to find somewhere suitable as places were either habitated by army or Bedouins. Woke up to the sound of artillery fire and sights of snow capped mountains towards Lebanon. A night on the banks of the Euphrates river hiding in a pine forest listening to the most peculiar and unidentifiable night life. Where is David Attenborough? A night outside a museum with the use of their WC and the company of some German overlanders. Our last night in Syria was spent in luxury in Aleppo- what seems to be our monthly treat! An old fashioned  hotel (100yrs) with hot running water, a bath, central heating, breakfast, and telly.  We even slept in the same room that T E Lawrence slept in. With no need to cook we had a meal out and tasted all sorts of delicacies from the Syrian sweet shops. Rice pudding has never tasted so good! Our last night was spent in a pine forest with the novelty of rain.

Customs; Entering was a usual minefield of the unknown- took 2 hrs wandering from 1 place to another, handing over money left right and centre.Then we had to drıve zebedee through a dısınfectant tank. What about us Rog crıed.  Exiting was much easier as the border post had tourist police to assist us. Still an exchange of money, but by this stage weve given up!

Memories; Driving by mistake right into military zones on numerous occasions- tank squadrons, anti aircraft rocket base and artillery bases! Filling up our water container from a lorry in the desert. We exchanged it for a banana and dates. Going on board a small fishing boat on the Euphrates and choosing a carp to cook for supper. He couldnt speak English, and us not Arabic- usual story with hand signals and lots of smiles. The sale was completed with the ceremonial drink of tea. Buying bargain pirated dvds at 1$ each.  Trying to get gas bottle filled for cooking. Buying lamb from a butcher, using baa baa as language. It almost didnt work- the butcher tried to sell us camel meat! Shopping and eating in Aleppo. Feeding vegetable scraps to camels and donkeys. Have fallen in love with camels. One aptly called casenova, swept me off my feet and took me for a ride.

Trying to make the most of the diesel tax of $100-bought 6 x 20L plastic containers for fuel. Found that no garage would fill them! Rog decided to siphon fuel out of our main tanks into the containers, get the former refilled at a gaz station. With that in mind we decided to hide out for the afternoon at night. It took an hour to find a spot- deep in a pine forest where we were undisturbed all night. In the rain I BBQd fish, whilst Rog drank diesel! In the process 1 container burst, and yet more fuel overpoured onto the grass when we werent looking!!