Wednesday 30th December - Palmyra to Hama

OK, dogs are starting to get on our nerves. They woke us multiple times in the night with their incessant barking, then the cockerels took over as dawn approached. At least the shower was hot, if a little lacking in flow rate. We were slow to pack ourselves away and didn't leave until 1030, and were a little taken aback as one of the campsite guys seemed to be asking us for first for a pair of shoes, then my spare trousers or one of my shirts (I think he saw our washing earlier and came to the conclusion that we had too many clothes); needless to say I declined and we made a quick exit.

As we filled with cheap diesel (although weíve been told that last year it was a third of the price, so Syrians are quite shocked at the price rise), we were approached by a couple of men who had seen our Land Rover and wanted to have a chat. They are in the process of setting up an adventure travel company in Syria and wanted to hear about our experiences. We got their mobile number and will arrange to meet up when we reach Damascus.

Three hours drive to Hama had us settled into our backpacker hotel nice and early, with time to have a quick wander and find our first western type supermarket since arriving in Syria. We'll restock properly tomorrow, but got some 'essentials' (i.e. chocolate and a fizzy drink). The plan is to have a few days based in Hama, taking day trips out to various interesting sites nearby as accommodation options are still a bit limited outside the main towns. SPOT