On the Road with Abdul

Our dear friend Abdul, who gave us a coyuple of unforgettable days the last time we were in Syria, did it again. Today, we made the return journey to Palmyra, the Roman city in the desert, passing some beautiful countryside along the way, stopping off at the bedouin market in Salamiye and at many places along the way to take photos of and talk to the bedouins. We finished off with a trip to one oif my favourite places, the Qalaat Al Shmamis, the ruined castle on top of a hill, which looks like Weathertop in The Lord of the Rings. Fred was not relishing the climb up, so whe was very happy to be invited by a couple of bedouins whose sheep were grazing at the foot of the hill, to visit their tent for a spot of tea! I swear that one of the bedouins was the same chap I saw here three years ago and I even recognised his white donkey.

Abdul Kader is a wonderful man, a kind gentle man with a great sense of humour and a very positive attitude to life. We were very lucky to get him again for today and also for tomorrow for our roundabout trip up to Aleppo. He is still driving the same yellow Kia, although the plastic has now come off the seats and he still likes listening to his pop music, inging a long at times. And he is a great help to us in learning some more basic Arabic words. He also knows all the best places to stop for the photos, although I seem to be the only one who wants to stop and see and photograph all the herds of sheep and their shepherds!

Again, not so much time today but happy to have uploaded a few photos.. and there are many more to come... today's were some of the best!