On the first of February 2010 we had a little free time, a vehicle and a request from our superiors to travel to the UN station in Damascus to pick up a few new bits and bobs of supplies. So after a few moments of thought we decided that we would visit the historic city of Damascus and carry out the task at hand. According to a friend - and unconfirmed at this time - this is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. So armed with little more than some knowledge that the city was to the west of us, we struck out with a full tank of diesel and a few Syrian Pounds for cash.

The first thing we noticed was the traffic - I thought I would do a little pictorial on the traffic itself - it can be a bit daunting at first if you are not used to it - however it all seems to work despite no one acknowledging there are lines between the lanes.

Entering the city was our initial eye opener to the traffic.

It is not like most North American cities as the horn is another tool to drive - and it is quite loud. However, as I already stated - it all seems to work and no one seems to mind one bit.

After making our way through the various roads that lead to the UN HQ in Damascus we needed of course to make a 180 degree turn to go back - and we did!

Once we got around the corner and across about 8 lanes of traffice we found our way back to the entrance to the UN HQ.

From here we went to the gate and waited for our ID and "under the car" seach - then through the gate.

Inside the entrance we parked and carried out our pick up and had a coffee with a couple of our fellow UNMOs - then back out to the parking lot for a quick look around. UNTSO shares this location with a few other organizations.

And this is the site of the HQ on the "Other Side".

We started out on our return trip home and ran into more traffic but by now it was a bit easier. Seems like everyone uses the horn a lot but it is simply a warning tool - and there is a surprizng amount of patience when it comes to vehicles doing things like this:

One of the interesting things you will see is the huge "cartage trade" that takes place in the city. There are large numbers of trucks that will haul anything anywhere for hire. Some of them are quite colourful with their paint jobs. There are some things that would not pass the safety standards of many western countries - but once again it all seems to work with an amazing precision over all. And throughout all of this we did not see even one fender bender.

We finally found our way clear of the traffic and hit the open highway to get out of the city and back on to the open roads of Damascus to head for Tiberias with our supplies. It was interesting indeed to see how this ancient city handles the traffic. Centuries ago it would have been as crowded but the modes of transportation would have been very different. Todays merchants use the vehicle as the camels and donkeys of old.

On the way back we passed by a Bedouin camp. These people are the nomadic workers of this region. Similar to the people who travelled in North America to follow the various agricultural harvest schedules and the seasonal employment that still happens there - the Bedouins do the same in Syria.

I took this picture of the minaret while driving back through a small village - it is not crooked, the person holding the camera was slightly off level. All in all a very enjoyable drive to a historic city and home again - all event free, which was even better.