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Krak Des Cheveliers

I shared a taxi with Klaus, a guy from Denmark.  Our taxi for the day was a 1970 Mercedes...in great condition.  Our driver was maticulous...he made sure we didnt slam the doors and when a passerby accidently sprayed the car with water..he yelled in arabic!  We visited this village about 45mins out of Hama called Sarouj, famous for its beehive houses...conical mud brick homes where some people still reside in...very interesting...we had a cay with our driver & this lady who showed us around and soon we were on the road again shortly stopping at a ruin called Qasr Ibn Warden...a military base/palace built in the mid 6th century.  A good 1 hour drive we were heading for the mountains to visit Krak Des Cheveliers...along the way we stopped at a fantastic castle caled Musyaf...with great views it could not compare with what we were about to see.  Whilst walking around we met a family of locals who invited us back to their home, unfortunately we couldnt accept because we had a driver.  The hospitality of the Syrians has been unbelievable everywhere.  It has happened a few times to me where I would go to buy a few prices of baklava or bread and the shop owners would just give it to me for free. Passing through villages in the mountains..upon our first view of the Krak on a nearby hilltop...our driver stopped and surprised us with a picnic lunch.  Krak Des Cheveliers...a crusader castle was built in and around the 12th century..it has been described as the finest castle in the world.  Krak was unbelievable, breathtaking & spectacular.  Klaus and I spent a good couple of hours exploring all its passageways and crevices...wow!  The driver dropped me at Homs and continued on to Hama with Klaus.  From Homs I caught a bus to Damascus...along the way we stopped for a break which is often the case with longer bus trips where they take several short breaks however Damascus was only 2 1/2 hours away!...whilst stopped I witnessed a convoy of trucks loaded with UN 4wds.  Arriving in Damascus...I was sad to have left Hama.

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