travels in the Middle East

First stop on our lightning Middle East Tour was Damascus. This is only a 3 and a half hour flight from Dubai but it is 2 hours difference in time so we gained a bit. This meant that we could go walking around the Old City where we were staying . Nick had booked us in to the Hotel Mamllouka, one of a number which have been created by restoring old houses. The hotel was approached with a certain amount of doubt by one member of the party because we had to get out of the taxi inside the gate of the Old City and proceed after the driver up alleyways which certainly didn't look as if they were going to have hotels off them. We came to a door which had a bell and a small sign saying Beit al mamlouka. Yes it did feel a bit like Ali Baba's house. The owner came to the door and we were shown up a corridor to the courtyard and then we knew we were in the house of Ali Baba. This house had been well restored, marble floors shone and the wall paintings had been delicately recovered, there was an orange tree and lemon tree with fruit hanging on the branches and the whole feeling was of great quiet. The sounds of the city did not come in except for the intoning of the imams and the ring of church bells. This was Sunday. We walked to the Street called Straight, and were struck by how contained Damascus Old City is, how easy to get around, how much it contains, and how very very old it is, we had dinner at an oldish looking restaurant and came to the conclusion that the Middle Eastern food ethic doesn't show any signs of portion control!