Saturday 2nd January - Hama to Damascus

It’s about 210km from Hama to Damascus, and dual carriageway all the way. We were making good time when I heard a swooshing noise, which got worse when you accelerated. Anne was driving so she pulled over and I had a tentative look under the bonnet. Luckily all that had happened was that the turbo hose had become disconnected, so after adjusting the hose clip all was well and we were back on the road. SPOT

Finding our way around Damascus was not quite so easy and it took us about two hours doing loops of the one way system trying to get our bearings to find a suitable hotel for the night. I think Anne was just getting her own back on me as I was driving into the new, big city for a change, not her. Unfortunately, as in Hama, most of the hotels in Damascus were fully booked; not something we have worried about until now. We tried four before the Orient Palace Hotel had a room, which, as it was built in the 1920s, is displaying that faded grandeur, slightly shabby look, but we both quite like that. As per all Syrian accommodation, the price has increased by 50% compared to those quoted in the 2008 Lonely Planet, but by this point we just wanted to stop driving. SPOT

We had a quick wander around before night fell, but we’ll be having a couple of days in Damascus on our way back through Syria, so we’ll save the proper sightseeing for the end of the month.