If two years ago you’d told me I’d ever go to Syria in my lifetime, I’d have laughed in your face. Not long ago, something like that seemed virtually impossible, but as life would have it, things changed almost overnight, and a couple of weeks ago I hopped on a bus for $14 to one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world — Damascus.
Just over a year ago, a group of rebels overthrew one of the most brutal regimes in the modern Middle East, ushering in a new era for Syria. Since then, things have been fluid, to say the least, but many people are proceeding with cautious optimism. I recently decided to take the chance to make the trip over a long weekend, considering that I am in the region and don’t know when I’ll have a better opportunity. A bus ride listed at just about three hours ended up taking eight, but for me, the bus ride is half the fun. I’ve crossed borders by car, ferry, bike, and now by bus. The contrasts of these experiences will always fascinate me. In Bosnia, I biked up to a small checkpoint where the guard only stamped my passport after I insisted, whereas on this trip, you have your passport checked four times before even arriving at the border itself.
On the trip, I was also reminded of the drastically different realities we live in as human beings. On the way, I met people from all walks of life — families, businessmen, other travelers, Syrians returning to their country for the first time since the war. For those eight hours, we all had to look out for each other. There is no system of tracking passengers other than a headcount, and you’d better hope they remember you. Lucky for me, I think I was the only American on board, so pretty easy to remember.
On the Syrian side of the border, things came to a standstill as the Friday prayer commenced, but minutes after it finished, the hustle and bustle resumed and we found ourselves on the way to Damascus. The countryside was noticeably greener than the Jordanian side, and snowcapped mountains could even be seen in the distance, likely with Lebanon behind them. The remnants of years of conflict were visible along the way. Within a couple of hours, we arrived in Damascus and had to grab a taxi to the heart of the city. Once we arrived in the Old City, you could feel its significance. From bustling markets to old ruins and historic sites like the Umayyad Mosque, the magnificence of Damascus was on full display. Streets were filled with people enjoying a nice weekend with friends and family and preparing for the holy month of Ramadan. The city, with its old streets, hole-in-the-wall hotels and cafes, and vendors, was alive — similar in some ways to other Ottoman and European cities, but also uniquely Syrian.
The people were exceptionally generous as well — something that did not come as a surprise. A lot of times I get asked if I tell people I’m American when traveling, to which my answer is mostly yes. And then people ask what the typical reaction is. To be honest, beyond an occasional Trump joke, people usually don’t care. Hospitality is taken very seriously in this part of the world, and on top of that, the US is a massive country. The odds that the person you’re talking to has a connection to the States — whether it be a family member or friend living there — are pretty high if you think about it. And people are just people. On one occasion, an old man invited another traveler I’d met from Romania and I into his restaurant for camel meat kabobs and refused to accept any form of payment, simply because we were guests.
While there is much more I could say about Syria, I’ll leave it here for now. I know that things are certainly still very much up in the air and not perfect by any means, but I am hopeful for the future of this country. Despite the instability and conflicts that continue to plague this region, there are signs of hope — a place once closed off to so much of the world is now open again. With that comes its own set of challenges, but in my travels I’ve seen a lot of the good in humanity prevail, and my trip to Syria was no different. I’m looking forward to returning in the future, God willing.
