When I mention that ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I have visited Syria, you’d think I either murdered someone or jumped off a cliff without a parachute. That’s how extreme the reaction is to the word “Syria.” ex-Marine also thought that when I first suggested, “Why don’t we visit Syria? There are supposed to be fantastic sights in this country.” He spent the next few weeks running around the house screaming that I was insane, nobody in their right mind visits Syria, terrorists were just waiting for Americans to behead, and every other statement to show Syria is not a nice place for tourists. (At this particular moment in time, 2011, it may not be a nice place for tourists. But many of the tour operators I have used are still running trips there.)

Since American tour operators that visited Syria were few and far between in 1996, I consulted one of my favorite tour operators, Adventure Center (listed in the side bar). They most certainly did have trips to Syria. Over 15 different trips run by some of their many United Kingdom operators (the Brits are fearless!). “Crusader Castles & Desert Cities” run by Explore U.K. seemed right up my alley and chances were that we would probably be the token Americans in the group. When ex-Marine saw that I was determined and would go without him if necessary, he grudgingly gave in figuring that if we affected a British accent and didn’t tell anyone in Syria that we were American, there was a chance for survival.

Now, why should you visit Syria?

- Syria brings biblical history alive. Paul on the road to Damascus is one example and there are places in Syria where Aramaic, the language of the Bible, is still spoken;

- To see massive Crusader castle ruins and fortresses;

- Ebla has archaeological exacavations dating back to the third millenium BC; and

- There is fantastic Palmyra, a link in the old Silk Route and led by Queen Zenobia.

Jordan, however, is perceived as peaceful and we first visited Jordan in 1989, before the 1994 peace accord with Israel and before the big influx of tourists. Dragged ex-Marine here, again “kicking and screaming” and it annoys the living daylights out of me when men approach ex-Marine and say…”You are so adventurous…how do you convince Sheila, (or, the “little woman”) to come along to these places?” Let it be said once and for all… It’s this short, skinny woman, not the tough looking man who is the adventurous one!

Looking forward to revisiting Jordan to see how this country had changed, I started making plans.