More capitals

Hey!

Just a quick recap of the cities we've stormed through on our way to Israel (where we are right now). After Palmyra we went over to Damascus, wondering whether we'd see less bedsheets on faces. We hardly did, but Damascus gave some hints of the westernness that was to come, despite the lack of a nightlife there. There was some flamenco and jazz at a castle, which i liked and the others complained about, we slept on a rooftop for the first time and enjoyed the muezzin singin at 4 in the morning and left Syria for Lebanon.

The weirdest city so far, and as much contrast as you could imagine. After weeks of cheap living and lousy nightlife, Beirut is the perfect opposite of the other eastern cities so far. Newly built office buildings and posh squares, beautiful people, expensive cars and bars that seem to explode over their perfectness. Then again, the war never seems far away, as heavily armed soldiers guard just about any place and tanks patrol crossings. All in all, the city may at most be something to come back when rich and famous.
The photos to the right show the bullet-ridden statue of martyrs and below the newly erected rolex-clocktower one square further :)

Our last stop before Israel was Amman in Jordan, where we stayed on a rooftop for 3$ each and saw not a single sight. The city seemed nice though, but we were already amped up for the checks at the Israeli border. After being driven past half a dozen buses with palestinians, we enjoyed being checked by beautiful soldiers (which the Israelis seem to employ there to piss of the palestinians) and interrogated by a nice agent for a minute. We had expected hours in dusty back rooms, imagine our disappointment. After a few hours, we arrived in Jerusalem, check in later for more.

Henning