My route sees me leaving the Arab world now. It was with great pleasure that I enjoyed warm hospitality offered by kind people everywhere, from the isolated desert towns of north-west Saudi Arabia to the cosmopolitan old town of Damascus.
I saw a lot in terms of natural beauty, and historical monuments. The single most touching experience was being alone at the ruins of Palmyra just after the sunset when the sky was getting darker, the air was getting colder, and I was sitting on the stones that have witnessed two thousand years of human history.
Sadly, the world hasn't changed, and the Arab customs and clearing agents are nothing but a bunch of the modern era bandits who never miss an opportunity to rip the travelers of a good amount of their time and cash. Well, let's see what future has got for me in her closet in the coming days.
|