Im on the mend! Lattakia and Saladin Castle!

18/10/09

1609 (local time)

Alrighty Then!!! This is the first post that I have ever done behind the desk of a bus station. I have convinced the boys that it is too hot outside, so that I should instead do some stuff on the PC before I get on the 5 o’ clock bus.

Well I'm slowly getting better, then last time I wrote I was pretty ill, pretty much unable to do anything. So I wandered around town with Chester from Canada and Dave from England. That night was pretty early for me as I was stuffed. The next day how ever, I forced myself outta bed, because the boys were heading to the beach! Nothing was stopping me from getting my head under the water, because I honestly believe that the water cures everything!

So made it out of bed had no breakfast because I wasn’t hungry and myself and the boys headed down to the beach! We had a pretty full day there (kinda) from 3 till sunset.

That night almost ate a half a medium cheese pizza that I kept down, I was on the mend.

The next day, I ventured on my own to the Saladin Castle. I don't have all that information on the castle itself, but it is very good condition, so I was able to explore ever nook and cranny even on a nearly 2 day empty stomach. I had so much fun, lots of walking though. Unfortunately there were quite a few tour groups, mostly from United States and the French, and when I would be walking around they would always ask, are you here alone or with a tour... All of them couldn’t believe that I was doing this trip by myself...

Some of the big highlights, were looking at the keep or donjon which walls were 5 metres thick, another highlight was looking at the wall that was destroyed by the Muslims. The Crusaders had planned that the attack was to come from the East, but Saladin split his forces and attacked from the North as well, knocking down the eastern wall, which allowed Muslims to come streaming in! PRETTY COOL STUFF!

It was an awesome day, even though I was hungry and tired.

Although I was exhausted I even made it down to the beach where all the boys were. When I got down there Chester and Dave were sleeping, so I woke them and convinced Dave that he should join me in my quest to jump off “the MEGA LEDGE” which we reckon was at least 10-12 metres high. But what made it hard, that you had to jump into a gap, and if you missed the gap, you would land on waist deep rocks... I did it twice it was such a rush!

That brings me pretty much to now, where here I am, listening too all the bus venders yelling out where their buses are going, there is one fat man, that I'm sure now everyone knows that his busses are going to Tartus... Driving me crazy!

Anyway next time I write ill be in Hama! Cant wait to check out the Dead cities and Krak Des Chevaliers, and from there to Egypt so I can get my Intermediate Certificate signed off, climb Mount Sinai and go home! Really looking forward to western civilisation again!

Cheers Guys!

Steve

CASTLE OF SALADIN
The steps leading into the castle!

One of the walls with a tower in the back ground!

In this room, you could slightly smell horses that used to live down here!

This was where the draw bridge would come down, letting the soldiers come into the castle!

What a view, this is the lower part of the castle, that has now become overgrown!

LATTAKIA BEACHES

Sun setting, behind the fisherman!

Living the dream!

We had some food...

... and then spent 3 hours playing backgammon!