Rasafa

Up at dawn taking pictures of Rasafa. Rasafa castle walls are 400m long on each of its four sides (yeah a square for you math majors). Much of the buildings inside are still buried with tops arches and doors just showing. The interesting part is the cisterns. Which are four stories high under ground. It took a while for me to spot the entrance that lead down a dark tunnel to the bottom of the cisterns.

It was like being in a cathedral.

After wondering about a good bit I leave as the tour groups showed. Did not take long to hitch a ride with a Kurdish man in a old Nissan truck that had a top speed was 60 kph. He liked Bush and did not appreciate what the Turks are doing for his people. He wanted nothing for the ride to Mansoura. Kurds are great. I crossed the road and was in a minivan going to Aleppo, not even a chance for a meal. Yes you can put 15 adults into a minivan for hours. Sitting in the back looking at a van full of men wearing kufeyya (red and white Arab headdress) I did have a flash back of a bad Hollywood movie involving Arabs. Van dropped me off on a main street and I was lost in Aleppo. Decided to get a cab. The cab driver does not know where the hotel is I am looking for and does not know English. He takes my guide book while driving and I note the person in the road, so he looks up and breaks. He see the hotel phone number and dials that is a good sign. He has directions and we find the hotel. I spend the rest of the evening wondering the closing souk.
Love and Kisses
Steve