The thing about a free breakfast is that it gives this budget traveler a strong incentive to get his boney ass out of his rented bed, the prospect of Nescafe notwithstanding. Over breakfast my bleary eye glances at my LP guide and it is here that I make a great directional error.
I want to go to The Citadel and and the famed market, but I head out confidently in the wrong direction, and it takes a few hours for me to pull out my LP and realize my mistake. But I don't really care, because daily life in Aleppo fascinates me deeply.
Shortly after my arrival I learned that eye contact or lack thereof is highly significant. Certainly, a gentleman does not make eye contact with a lady he does not know, and a man does not look a man in the eye while passing in the street.
However, if there is some reason for exchange, a tidal wave of hospitality is instantly unleashed.
As I walk the streets of Aleppo I adopt the universal sign of respect and humility, the bowed head. I picked this up in response to the fact that a lot of men are doing this to me as I pass. I know not what the women are doing because I instantly avert my eyes upon sight.
Eventually, I move in the proper direction to the big tourist areas, but my wayward sojourn breeds only gratitude as I recognize the fact that my primary purpose in travel is to find the truth in the lives of others and that a glimpse at this truth is never a wrong turn, even if I have to avert my eyes every now and then.
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
