Closed for renovations.
Frack!
I head back from whence I came towards what I think is the main part of the souk, (I won't bore you with yet another tale of how I lost an hour in the plumbing district) when I spy a side entrance to the citadel. My curious nature gets the better of me and I take a peek.
I see a little fire burning, so I take a picture, thinking that this will be my only glimpse of the citadel.
Suddenly a very large man bursts out of a construction trailer and begins heading straight for me. In that instant I become convinced that I am about to be detained for taking unauthorized pictures of a closed Syrian government site.
You....Stupid.....Freaking.......Idiot.....
The guy is huge, and he is charging towards me shouting, and there is nothing I can do but hope that a deep apology for my trespass and a pledge of ignorance will be sufficient to keep me from being detained without charge.
As he gets closer he veers towards the fire, and insists that I take a picture of him. He is brewing tea and he is proud of his fire, and so I take a befuddled picture.
After I take the picture he approaches me, and to my astonishment gives me a big man hug. While I'm still befuddled, I no longer feel threatened.
As usual, his English is much better than my Arabic, and I'm pretty sure that he knows that I can't understand a word he is saying, but he pulls me over to a sign showing a model of what the citadel will look like, and like a great condo salesman he shows me how fantastic it is all going to be when it is all done.
At least, that is what I think he said. I stand bemused and charmed throughout the unintelligible presentation, but his enthusiasm alone is enough to make me excited about this renovation.
And then The Dude offers me a rare treat. Unfettered access to one of the worlds great historic sites, with nary a fellow traveler as far as the eye can see.
He points the way, and I'm on my own.
Incredible.
I slip him a few bucks on the way out, and this time it is me initiating the man hug.
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
