March 1997 – Ian Louis Harris

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), 2 to 23 March 1997, Placeholder & Links

25 years after the event (March 2022) I am starting to write up the wonderful 1997 trip Janie and I took to see Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, followed by some restful time in Eilat.

Hopefully my diary/log together with the many pictures we took will prompt my memory to tell the whole story, as my notes are light and even the Abercrombie and Kent itinerary (a bespoke jobbie for us as independent travellers) seems to have gone walkabout in the intervening quarter of a century.

Writing about it now is tinged with sadness, as I realise that many of the things we saw have been destroyed and can never be seen again. The artisan depicted in the headline photo, working away in the Aleppo Souk, is but one example of that.

The photos have been available on Flickr for some time, so Ogblog readers who like to look at pictures and read captions can glean much about the journey without reading the Ogblog pieces.

Here are links to the pictures divided by country visited:

Lebanon:

01 3 March 1997 - Beit Ed Dine Interior Courtyard LSJ_1997_G1 (3)

Syria:

Then again, Jordan:

001 14 March - Jordan - Jerash - Crossed the border to see magnificent Roman ruins at Jerash LSJ_1997_G7 (10)

And finally, a few holiday snaps from Eilat in Israel:

087 20 March 1997 - Eilat Mandy's - dinner at Mandy's LSJ_1997_D12 (18)

The Ogblog pieces (will) mostly cover a day each, with highlights from the photo albums (and some stock photos where desires/required) to illustrate the stories.

Here’s the first one – click here or below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), Day Zero: Getting There, 2 March 1997

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), Day Sixteen To Twenty-One: Princess Hotel In Eilat, Then Home Via Tel Aviv-Yafo, 18 To 23 March 1997

Princess Hotel, Eilat

I basically stopped keeping notes once we got to Eilat, other than a list of places where we went to eat.

18 to 22 March – relaxed in Eilat. Dined:
* 18 March El Gaucho,
* 19 March La Barracuda,
* 20 March Mandy’s,
* 21 March Paprika,
* 22 March El Gaucho.

We clearly liked the El Gaucho best – still getting good reviews it seems, 25 years later.

But we took photographs at Mandy’s – a Chinese restaurant owned by Mandy Rice-Davies, whose photo embellished the walls of the restaurant.

We didn’t take all that many photos while relaxing at The Princess – in truth we didn’t do much.

I do recall the breakfasts being superb, ironically including a smoked fishes fest almost worthy of cousin Jacqueline’s fast-breakers.

Pickled Herring Of The Year Competition and Other Delights, 12 October 2016

For reasons I hardly need to explain, we then did very little during the day, apart from lounging, reading and swimming.

In particular, we tended to skip lunch, other than perhaps some nuts and a beer.

We befriended a camel, whom we named Cadissa, convinced that this single camel had followed us all around the Levant and was now resting up in Eilat along with us. On subsequent holidays in the Middle East and Maghreb we would often encounter Cadissa again…or so we would say, anyway.

Cadissa was there on business that morning

In short, we had a very relaxing and enjoyable break at that place. Although we don’t normally go for that type of big hotel, it was just the ticket after a rigorous touring holiday.

Our flight home was quite late in the day, so we made an impromptu arrangement for our transport vehicle to give us a brief look around Tel Aviv-Yafo before we went on to the airport. I think we had used up all of our film ahead of that mini tour; in any case we have no pictures from it. Janie hadn’t seen any of it before – I hadn’t been up top to see the contrast of and views from Yafo before.

As an interesting echo of my grilling in Lebanon on arrival in the Levant…

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), Day Zero: Getting There, 2 March 1997

…I was given quite a grilling on exit by an Israeli security guy, who perhaps found our Lebanon, Syria & Jordan trip a matter of concern. He tried to wrong-foot me by telling me that I had been inconsistent in my account of where we had been.

When I repeated what I had said and then shown him the Abercrombie & Kent itinerary, he apologised to me and then let me through.

An apology from an official – there’s a first time and a last time for everything I suppose.

You can see all the pictures from this trip in a single, 300+ picture album, by clicking here or below.

36 Aleppo Citadel views - mosque LSJ_1997_G4 (30)

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), Day Fifteen: Petra To Eilat Via Wadi Rum & Aqaba, 17 March 1997

Wadi Rum

Set off at 7:30. Visited Little Petra ( Siq Al-Barid) including boulder-blocked view.

Then down to Al-Bayda ([aka Beidha] – circa 7000 BC village).

Then straight off to Wadi Rum in open top jeep to see Lawrence’s Well plus rock formations with Nabatean and Thamudic inscriptions.

Another hugely photogenic place – Wadi Rum – we took loads more pictures than shown in this piece and it is well worth a click through to see the full highlights set (link at bottom of this piece).

Then onto Aqaba – shawarma and calamari lunch

Then on for weird border crossing alone but it all came right in the end.

This border crossing was quite a thing.

There had been a terrible shooting, subsequently known as The Island of Peace Massacre, at one of the few other Jordan/Israel road border crossings, just a few days before our crossing. As a result, the Aqaba crossing site was more or less completely deserted.

Unconnected with the extra security, there was a strict “passengers only” rule at the crossing, so our Jordanian driver/guide had to say goodbye to us at the Jordanian barbed wire and we had to do our own thing walking across several hundred meters of no-mans-land between the Jordanian side and the Israel side. The site was surrounded by hills from which you couldn’t help feeling an Island of Peace-type lunatic could shoot having secreted themselves there with ease, despite the enormous security presence at each side, but not in no-mans-land.

We each had a trolley for our baggage. The trolleys had traditional “minds of their own” making it extremely difficult for us to walk in anything vaguely approximating a straight line, which rendered the several hundred meters of no-mans-land even longer.

Worst of all, our trolleys were squeaky, which meant that the only sound we heard in the eerily vacant no-mans-land was the “eek…eek..eek” of our own progress wheeling the trolleys.

It felt a bit like a scene in a Sam Peckinpah or Sergio Leone movie. This scene might give you some idea of it:

Once we got to the Israeli side, we learnt that border control and all the additional security was the entirety of the waiting party…our Israeli driver/guide had not turned up.

A bright spark at border control asked to see our travel documents and quickly worked out which agency to call, placed the call and told us that our driver would be with us within 10 minutes…which he was. I don’t think anyone imagined that we would press ahead with the road/foot border crossing in the circumstances…no-one else had done so that day!

Spent a tired evening relaxing in [Princess] hotel.

A placeholder & links covering the whole journey can be found through the link here and below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), 2 to 23 March 1997, Placeholder & Links

All the photos from the Jordan leg of our journey can be found here or below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), Day Fourteen: A Day Touring Petra, 16 March 1997

Petra must be one of the most photogenic places on earth and it is not hard to take or find good pictures of it. Even our highlights album (linked at the bottom of this piece, with narrative on each picture) has more than 35 Petra pics and I have limited this post to just 10 – the highlights of the highlights – as eye candy.

Set off at nine – Ali introduced us to our [local] guide Talat. Went by foot to Siq and through Siq – saw Treasury [see headline picture] etc, streets of facades, Roman theatre, look at the royal tombs, central city, colonnaded Street, Kasr Al Bint…

One thing Janie and I particularly remember is how immature the local guide, Talat, was. He insisted on holding Janie’s hand a lot and we suspected that Janie’s natural friendly manner was being received as “the wrong signals” by him. He was quite a contrast with the rather gruff, fuddy-duddy guide, Ali, who has been showing us around the rest of Jordan – himself a contrast with the truly excellent Syrian guide Abdel.

Quick look at museum and then up “back way” to Zibb Attuf (Great High Place) – superb vistas…

…then secret route back (more amazing vistas) and tea with Talat’s uncle Mohammed…

I have long suspected that Petra’s “secret way back” from the High Place is one of the worst kept secrets in tourism. Lovely walk though.

…then short rest before dinner of Mansef and Musakhan at Al Mehbash.

A placeholder & links covering the whole journey can be found through the link here and below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), 2 to 23 March 1997, Placeholder & Links

All the photos from the Jordan leg of our journey can be found here or below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), Day Thirteen: Amman To Petra Via Several Crusader Castles, 15 March 1997

Kerak

Headed off after hotel confusion – vouchers to pay etc.

We still cannot remember what that hotel confusion was, so it must have been relatively minor even though I felt it worthy of writing down – perhaps I thought there might be some come back on our return to blighty.

We had a whistle-stop ride through the posh suburbs of Amman on our way out towards Petra:

Saw Mount Nebo (including Moses Tomb!) and church relics. Then St George’s Church in Madaba ([including] map mosaics).

Then on to Kerak (another Crusader castle!) And lunch of mousakhan [or Musakhan].

We absolutely fell in love with that tasty yet simple Palestinian chicken dish, Musakhan, just as we had fallen in love with the lamb dish Mansef a couple of days earlier. 25 years on, such dishes have become well known through celebrity chefs such as Yotam Ottolenghi, but back then we only knew to ask for them because Janie’s Middle-Eastern clients gave her such good notes ahead of our trip.

Then on down the Kings Highway for more vistas and Shoubak (another Crusader castle) [aka Montreal Castle] as the temperature dropped!

Arrived in Petra in time for glorious sunset, meeting with agent to sort out the hotel confusion and arrange tomorrow night’s “last night of touring feast”.

A placeholder & links covering the whole journey can be found through the link here and below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), 2 to 23 March 1997, Placeholder & Links

All the photos from the Jordan leg of our journey can be found here or below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), Day Twelve: Bosra To Amman Via Jerash, 14 March 1997

Cross the border (quick) went on to Jerash – excellent Roman ruins but oh boy have we done ruins this holiday.

Not just spoilt by seeing so many splendid ruins…we’d been ruined by ruins.

Jerash was extremely photogenic though. There are loads of good pictures in the album linked below – all labelled up so you can see which ruin is which.

Into Amman & false start shaking into Philadelphia – upgraded to Forte Grand – then short tour of Amman with Mohammad. Saw amphitheatre, city centre etc.

Neither of us can remember the Philadelphia Hotel debacle, but the old grand Philadelphia had been closed/demolished some 10 years before our trip and the only Philadelphia Hotels that remain (and remained then) are/were very modest places. An upcock that was quickly uncocked, it seems.

No idea why we didn’t take photos – perhaps linked to the hotel confusion.

Then early knock off for rest in hotel then dinner at Reem Albawadi for Mansef, Narjilah etc.

The Forte Grand had fine views all right.

It was mostly locals at Reem Albawadi that night and I don’t think they quite knew what to make of us, ordering mansaf which is most certainly a dish for more than two people and then indulging in the local narjilah habit like a couple of old lags.

A placeholder & links covering the whole journey can be found through the link here and below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), 2 to 23 March 1997, Placeholder & Links

All the photos from the Jordan leg of our journey can be found here or below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), Day Eleven: Damascus To Bosra, 13 March 1997

Set off early – stopping to see stunning Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque including ultra rare sighting of inside because Abdul told them that we are Andalusian Muslims!

I don’t think we would have the chutzpah to do this now. Abdel explained to us that non-Muslims are not allowed in that stunning mosque, so we expressed our disappointment and endeavoured to photograph it from a distance.

Abdel then suddenly said – “let’s go inside”. I’ll tell the men that you, Ian, are an Andalusian Muslim who only speaks Spanish and English. On the women’s side, Janie, you tell them that your husband is a Muslim and that you only speak English and that you are training to be a Muslim.

The “Andalusian Muslim” idea came from a conversation we had around one of Abdel’s tapes, which was Syrian Bedouin music but I mentioned that some of the tunes and rhythms reminded me of Moorish music from Andalusia. Here’s the very music we discussed so you can decide for yourselves, dear readers. About six minutes into the second track it starts to sound really quite flamenco to my ears.

Anyway, regardless of my dubious musicology, our dubious identity story passed muster with the mosque authorities without a glitch. Clearly I had the physiognomy to support the story – I looked like a Syrian soap opera star – remember?

Janie got on very well on the women’s side. One local woman spoke very good English and was delighted to help Janie with her training by trying to help her to say some players in Arabic. Janie explained that she was new to it and found the language side of it very hard; her female companions were extremely supportive.

Of course we could take as many photos as we wished, we were honoured guests.

It was a stunning, never-to-be-forgotten experience for us.

Then saw Shahba – dull Roman ruins town apart from Druze bereaved.

Then onto Qanawat – a single monument in a pretty village.

Qanawat’s up doc? The Seraglio, that’s what.

Then straight on to Bosra. After hotel stop – toured citadel and amazing amphitheatre.

Quick lunch break and then quick once over town racing against the rain. Sanctuary at friend Michal’s place – he also showed us the underground market which we missed in our rush.

Back to hotel and early night.

That had been quite a day – one of the most memorable.

A placeholder & links covering the whole journey can be found through the link here and below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), 2 to 23 March 1997, Placeholder & Links

All the photos from the Syrian leg of our journey can be found here or below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), Day Ten: A Day In Damascus, 12 March 1997

Started at National Museum of Damascus. Saw antiquities from all over and especially Dura-Europos Synagogue and Ugaritic written cylinders…

We were not allowed to take photos in the museum.

…on to small mosque (Tekkiye) & then artisan crafts area (glass blowing, carving etc.).

Then walked to old town via beautiful old railway station and then entered souk. Shopped lots –

Unlike other towns in Syria, the Damascus souk seemed heavily policed by overt and covert cops. When merchants wanted to transact in hard currency in Damascus, it was a secretive operation well away from prying eyes.

The smell of sweet perfume, drifting through…

went to have shawarma at Abu Al-Azz

We passed this one by on the way to Abu Al-Azz

…then on to see Umayyad Mosque (splendid) and Saladin’s Tomb & wander round old part near Azem Palace – saw Dar Anbar (grand house).

…tea at Omayyad Palace restaurant…

…and then more shopping (worry beads) and then to see Roman Arch & Chapel of Ananias

…and then a final shop till we drop stop.

Quick change and hotel and back to Abu Al-Azz for dinner with live music, whirling dervish, nargilah and dancing.

By gosh that was a big and thoroughly wonderful day.

A placeholder & links covering the whole journey can be found through the link here and below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), 2 to 23 March 1997, Placeholder & Links

All the photos from the Syrian leg of our journey can be found here or below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), Day Nine: Palmyra To Damascus Via A Stunning Aramaic Town: Maaloula, 11 March 1997

Maaloula looking resplendent on the hillside

A placeholder & links covering the whole journey can be found through the link here and below:

Journey To Lebanon, Syria, Jordan & Eilat (Israel), 2 to 23 March 1997, Placeholder & Links

Left Palmyra heading for Damascus. Past phosphate factory and then diverted to Maaloula – old painted village [town].

I can only apologise to Ogblog readers for Daisy’s and my failure to photograph the phosphate factory, saving our film for the beautiful town/village of Maaloula.

We had tea at Chez Abu George – then saw the Convent of Saint Thecla – a nice little orphanage church and shrine

…then went and tried local wine and Aramaic with Abu George.

I don’t know why we have no photos of Abu George. But I did procure a cassette from him of Aramaic singing, which I have since digitised, so you too can try some Aramaic:

Aramaic Songs Side One

Aramaic Songs Side Two

Then climbed hill via stream to second church (Saint Sarkis) then saw some cave dwellings and scenic views & on to Safir Hotel for snack.

Bumped into our dear old friend (the chef from the Safir Homs) who specially produced Syrian country soup (lentil & lamb) – lovely. Then onto Damascus for [Cham Palace] health centre, revolving restaurant, dinner and early night.