My spiritual journey ends today, and I, like many others, am leaving the desert retreat. I say my goodbye to the head father, before Gerry, Wacky, Richard and myself canter down the steps to the waiting bus at the bottom. It's been an unforgettable experience. I admit to never quite being too sure of these religious places, but the people here have been generous and non- pressurising. I think that these places attract a spectrum of characters- the lost, the curious, the burnt out, and the skinflints. It certainly creates a different vibe to the average backpacker retreat. A recommended experience.
The pull of Craic De Chevalier sees us us changing our plans and saving time by taking a taxi from the city of Homs instead of completing our journey to more northerly Hama. The fortress is an amazing piece of architecture and historical importance. Despite the slight lack of definition in certain areas, the castle or Qualat remains in extraordinary condition. You need to be a little bit careful of a distinct lack of barriers protecting drops and holes, yet the chance to look around the castle is unmissable. It's a huge place on a number of levels with cavernous water chambers and impressive towers. You could easily spend all day here.
We finish our self guided tour in the highest tower of the stronghold, admiring the great view down on the hills and plains that the occupiers would have controlled. The two hours has whizzed by. We rejoin our waiting driver, buy him a kebab and a can of juice, before our drive takes us to our final destination of Hama.
Strolling the busy streets of the illuminated town centre, we take in a number of the waterwheels that this city is famous for. The original purpose of these giant structures was to help transport water from the rivers upwards to the aqueducts which then distributed the water to the surrounding farmlands. Nowadays, they lie idle with the only movement around the area coming from tourists photographing the scene. We wander the lively and modern streets of the centre, looking in the shops and up at the towering castle. I leave my "champagne backpacker" friends in a swanky restaurant and head off in search one the real backpackers' true gems: street food.
I meet Yassar in his small falafel hut right in the middle of the central street of the shopping area. He's instantly friendly, and offers me free samples of his food. If you were so inclined, I reckon Syria is a place where you would never need to actually buy your food- such is the generosity (and maybe a smattering of business sense too) of the local shop people. Tonight I've been given falafel, chips, and two kinds of sweets. There has been an instant feeling of warmth since we arrived here today. The city has taken three strangers in and people have been smiling, waving, and saying hello from all angles. This was something noticeably lacking from Damascus, but not that it made the city a bad place, just a little cooler. This is often my experience of the capital/ largest city in any country. People often lose the time to communicate, and maybe even a little of their trust. I digress once more.
Yasser is kind and great fun. He speaks a little english and we share jokes about football and his Barcelona pictures on the wall and badges on his cooking whites- He is a self confessed and obsessed FCB fan. "Real donkey!", he says. "Ronaldo donkey, too!". We are shortly joined by some locals who are equally polite and good natured. We converse about football and life in general, even though communication is not always instantly understood. However, it's a great way to break the boundaries and we all enjoy a laugh. Yasser refuses to take any money from me, instead insisting I come back tomorrow. I certainly will return.
I wander back down the main streets to the glitzy restaurant I left my friends in earlier. A man is tinkling some ivories as they finish off their meal. Most of the many tables sit empty. We exit and take the short stroll back to the very colonial looking clock tower area where our hotel is located. It's been an action packed day, and I know I'll sleep well in my new bed tonight.
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