Jeremiah's Strange Times

This will definitely be the final part of my correspondence home from the Middle East in 2004.  It finds Eoin and myself in Cairo, preparing for the trip home.  Fri, 10 Sept 2004 15:39:38 +0000 Subject : Penultimation and Jubilation Hello from sunny Cairo Yep, still in Cairo, Its as busy and bustly as ever.  Good city, again I'll say its nothing like I imagined it, those damn Egyptians are far too independent to exits merely as an old fashioned holiday destination for the pleasure of us posh Europeans.  Nope, its not like 1920 here, why did I think it would be like that? I don't think I did consciously, but I did on some level. Its just like any other big big capital, brassy, shiny and busy. I like Cairo though, its a good city to pick as a final destination. The last two days have basically involved us meandering around, seeing what kind of city Cairo is, trying to grasp that whole Cairene feel.  Yesterday we awoke with the inten...

Date: Sat, 14 Aug 2004 18:14:01 +0000 Subject: Beyond the gates Hi everybody! (Hi doctor Jerry) I`m currently eating a Hama speciality, its called  halawat al jibna , basically its creamed cheese wrapped in uncooked dough with nuts and caramelised sugar on top.  The guy selling it to me made me use what little Arabic I have, which basically led to the three of us laughing back and forth at each other for about 10 minutes. Its nice, although after 2 pieces I'm beginning to feel a little full....in a queasy sort of way. Our friend in the Krak Hama , a town in Syria, we thought it was gonna be pretty small, it isn't. Actually everything we assumed about Syria turned out to be wrong.  Banish all images you ever had of Syria and let me paint you a picture of a country with religious tolerance, almost European amenities, a beautiful landscape going from reds to blacks, to deepest greens. And to top it off a people so amazingly friendly its almost too ...