Arriving in DAMASCUS S06 EP.35 | MIDDLE EAST MOTORCYCLE TOUR
Look at that... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... I can see at least 8 just now. You can see bullet marks on these walls.
As soon as you enter the city, you can clearly see signs of war. Apparently we are in the main bazaar. I didn't expect we'd get this far on a motorcycle. Good Lord... Lets keep the motorcycle engine off. What's the matter...
Yeah Yeah... This way... Welcome... Thank you. Assalam Alekum Are you Iranian? No, Pakistani.
That's German passport. Yeah. 'Syrian Arab Republic Welcomes You.' We are in Syria now. Abrar? Yes. Nice to meet you.
There are some border crossings that tell you the real meaning of a border crossing. And getting through there is one hell of a task. We officially welcome you all in Syria.
It was quite time consuming but finally we are here. It's gonna be a 100-110 km ride from here to Damascus. There are many historical places along our route now. For instance from the Romans era... There's a city here by the name of Busra.
It has the ruins of a Roman theater. It's among the most well preserved theaters in the world. But the tour guide told me that we are not allowed to deviate from our route. So we can't visit that and will go straight to Damascus.
That's what we have to do. To comply with the route that has been given to us. I have paid 2000 dollars... For 9 days and 8 nights...
Not including the visa fee and other random charges. Honestly I don't know how this tour will turn out to be. I'm just traveling with you all. I'll keep on sharing all the details with you on the go. I paid 400 dollars before. I'll pay the remaining 1600 dollars in the evening today.
We'll just keep following our tour guide for now who is in front of us. So that we have a jitter free ride to Damascus. It's a bit windy here and that's making it a little difficult to ride.
My helmet is facing a lot of wind pressure. I wanted to point to the Golan Heights. OK. OK. You'll see it if you look over there. That big mountain over there. It's a mountainous area... not so high...
It's about 1300 square kilometers. It's a major part of ... [inaudible] You may notice the Hermon Mountain.
Hermon Mountain... Jabl al Shaikh... It also marks the border between Syria and Lebanon. And also the Palestinian territories. So, the planes that I pointed at the border where we started... It extends between the Hermon mountain... the Golan Heights... And also the desert.
And also the other mountains over there. We can see it from here. We know that the richness of this land... the agricultural land... is because of the lava... But it's so old... from hundreds of years ago. So the plane is like 100 km by 60 km.
The tour guide was sharing some information about this area with me. But due to the background noise made by wind, I couldn't record everything. You must have noticed that our ride from the border till now has been through agricultural land. The capital of this region is a city named Daraa that we have just passed by. I told you about the Busra city a while ago.
Tourists used to go there before the war. Not anymore because the situation there is still unstable. He told me about a church there. A priest from that church made a prophecy about the prophet-hood of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh). I think we have already half way through.
Could be even more than half. There hasn't been any place so far where we could take a small break. That building towards our right is a university building. Looks really beautiful. This university is quite off the city area. Our first check post in Syria today.
I did see police and army vehicles on the way though. However they didn't stop us. There is a proper check post here. Nevertheless, there was an army vehicle every 10-15 km.
These guys didn't stop us... but there are few more ahead. And ... they asked us to stop for a checking. Our guide has parked his car by the road side. That's what I need to do as well.
I think we need to register ourselves here. The guide just told me that our motorcycle is the source of all this tension. Apparently that is some sort of a problem here. Looks like we are gonna take a short break here.
That's great because I can get something to drink. Let's see if we can find petrol here. Because there's a petrol crisis going on here. Well... doesn't look like that. That's because all these trucks have been parked here.
Let's stop here. You can see the garlic in front of us. I'm told that the garlic is from this area.
It has a strong smell that I can feel from a distance. Time to leave now. Very nice people though. They greet you really passionately.
The guide told me that this region is quite famous for its fruits. I think we will be in Damascus really soon... Or are we there already...
Because the check points are getting more and more frequent. But they rarely stop you. Hardly anyone...
There's something I noticed about the Syrian Premiere Basharul Assad. There are just too many... too many photographs of him on the roads. It's like one photograph every few meters. For instance we have just gone on for 20 - 30 meters...
His pictures here and there in this patch must be around 100. Take a look... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8...
I can see at least 8 just now. The situation of check points here is quite similar to what we experienced in Iraq. They do a thorough checking similar to what they do in Iraq. Since I'm on a motorcycle, I'm definitely stopped.
To be registered at the check point as a foreigner. It's a good thing that I have a tour guide with me and this makes the whole process very smooth. People are genuinely nice and welcoming. But you know... the war has just ended... or it is about to... So, the situation is still tense. They have to do all their checking procedure and can't let you go without it.
One of them told me that he saw my video from Iraq. He then asked me if my camera was on or not... Thank God I had just turned the camera off before that. So, I told him that... the camera is off.... Normally I do record some check points... Depending on the situation at the check post, I usually just turn it off.
Whereas, sometimes, they don't mind and tell me to keep recording. So, it mainly depends on the people at the check post. You can see that there is no petrol at the petrol station. The petrol stations are closed.
The point of concern is what to do once the fuel in Rangeeli runs out. You can see bullet marks on these walls. As soon as you enter the city, you can clearly see signs of war.
Looks like there's been intense war in this region. Because other than the newly constructed houses.... the old houses have countless bullet holes in their walls. Also there are bigger holes in the walls which were used to keep an eye on the road from inside. Like barricades ...
However there are many apartments with bullet marks on the walls, where there are people still living. I think this region has gradually started coming back to life. In Iraq I witnessed completely vacant apartments. Nobody lived there. But people are still living here. So, this is Damascus city.
Our hotel is in old Damascus. That's where we are headed. It seems a bit crowded. O God...
One needs to be careful while driving here. Out of all the cities that I have traveled in the Middle East, this seems to be a different city. It has a rather Arabic vibe to it.
Most of the countries in the Middle East are very rich. And that has changed the original essence of those places to a great deal. And of course you see the signs of war on the buildings around you. I think this is the old city wall. That is if I'm not mistaken. I haven't checked that on the map yet.
Anyways, I'm gonna share it with you in a detailed video about Damascus. But that's what it appears to be. As I was talking about the vibe of a city... You get a full flavor of that here.
There's car after car in the parking lot and on the roads... There are apartments everywhere. It's sort of a mess. That gives you the feeling of an Arab country. Overall, it's a very green city... with so many trees.
A cool refreshing breeze is blowing. The weather here is awesome. We are now moving through the old town.
That's why you can see a lot of vehicles in a narrow space. It's actually tough driving through such an area. I just need to follow the car of my guide. These narrow streets remind me of Lahore. Seems like this is a market for everyday grocery. That's what I can see around me... And also the smell of spices.
Besides, there are small stalls of clothing here and there. A rather strong smell of spices. You can see small carts selling such stuff... as can be seen in any other ancient city. Apparently I'm in the main bazaar right now.
I didn't expect us to come this far on our motorcycle. Strangely, there's enough way for a car to go through this bazaar. Normally such places are closed for cars. Motorcycles may still find a way. But I have seen even motorcycles prohibited in such places in Iran and Iraq.
Apparently, there is shortage of gas in this area as well. Because people were standing in a line to get gas cylinders. This is the market for... It's a market for wooden kitchen accessories. It's such a lively city.... Ma Sha Allah...
You can still see old shops of woodwork, steel and leather items. Oops... I think we are now coming out of the bazaar. We are looking for our hotel... Assalam Alekum Are you Abrar? Yes. Abrar.
It's good that the hotel guy came to pick us up. Even our guide was not fully sure about the location of the hotel. I'm removing some of my luggage to make more clearance. This road is just too narrow. Need to get in. We might get through if the bags on the sides are removed.
O' My God... How will I be able to come out from here if I somehow manage to go in...? I'm not sure if I can ever get out of here. We are in now... Are those stairs...?? Now that we are in... how will we make it to the outside world again...
Anyways... Have to make it work somehow. So I park it here..? Inside? Let me check.
Just to be on the safe side. It's rather tough.. But they are asking me to keep coming. No. No. It will break. Now we are stuck... while following the directions of uncle. I think... Back... Back...
So the door handles that were hindering our way, have been removed. And... Many people ask me why I travel on a light weight motorcycle..? Now you have seen that coming to a place like Damascus on a 1250cc is not such a good idea after all. Lets give it one more try.
Let's keep the engine off. We are successful in at least getting it through the main entrance. Finally we have made it to here.. That is even more toilsome labor than the border crossing. Finally... both... me and Rangeeli have reached our designated places. Rangeeli has got a very nice and safe parking place.
And I've got a really splendid, lush, boutique hotel. For the first time after Iran... I've got this amazing place in the city center... in a rather congested space... But when you enter your room, it doesn't look like it's at some congested location. Because my room here is amazing, lush and clean. There's a traditional style wooden cupboard at one side.
The curtains are really beautiful. The room has a double bed whereas I'm all by myself... So, I'm gonna sleep very comfortably. Not only the room, but the washroom is equally traditional and stylish.
Time for some rest... I hope that you must have enjoyed this vlog. There's a lot of stuff coming for you from Syria in the days to come. That's all for today... Remember me in your prayers. Don't forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE.
Because we are working really hard to make these vlogs for you. Hopefully, all of you will support this channel. Remember me in your prayers. Allah Hafiz
2022-09-13 21:57
