We leave Hama late morning and make the 1 hour drive to Aleppo. The traffic in Aleppo seems even more maniacal than in Damascus. We find one room available at Zahra tar-Rabie drop off our stuff and head to the Souq! This is a very local souq with much fewer tourist stalls. If you want to stock up on souvenirs Damascus is the place to do it although Julia seemed to make out just fine with the silver jewelry and silk scarves. In the evening we stop at the Baron Hotel for a beer (or two). This old colonial building that was host to such people as Charles Lindberg and TE Lawrence (it even has the bar bill from TE Lawrence outside the bar). Eowyn sits at the bar like a natural (drinking water)! At the bar we meet up, again, with the Oasis Overland (with destination Beijing). Apparently they have the same itinerary as we have and most likely we will see them tomorrow again in Turkey.The hotel is in a beautiful building with an internet café and the staff are helpful but our room seems to be next to a shop that is banging around oil drums and requires someone to shout the entire time. It is relatively early still so am hoping that will settle down…
