On the coast, Syria, Sep 2024

Saladin Castle

The Royal Palace Hotel was grand indeed, it was built to impress and to host a good number of guests. However, Syria is not a popular tourist destination and nobody else stayed at the hotel besides our group. The night was cool enough to keep the balcony door open and to let in fresh air. My room overlooked a dreamy lake that in the morning was covered by thick fog.

Our table is set for breakfast
Our table is set for breakfast

That day, we were going to drive north along the coast to the border with Turkey with a few stops on the way and to spend some time on the beach. Harry set the departure time for 8.30 a.m. Following his strict instructions not to be a minute late, everyone was sitting in the bus by the appointed time except for Harry’s dad.

Harry was fuming, ‘We are leaving without him!’

‘Come on, Harry! Surely, he is coming. We can wait a little. You cannot leave behind your own dad!’ the group protested.

‘The rule is the rule. It is the same for everyone,’ Harry was adamant.

Harry’s dad, Tracey, appeared shortly, unfazed and not understanding what the fuss was about.

‘Harry, I was only a couple of minutes late,’ Tracey said in self-defense. “It is not a big deal.’

Harry pronounced that as a penalty, Tracey would buy coffee for the entire group, and the bus left. That incident, however, taught everyone how serious Harry was about being punctual. Later, Harry admitted that he would never leave anyone behind in an obscure location like ours if we had not been coming back. Since we were going to spend another night at the same hotel, the worst that could have happened to Tracey was missing out on the day’s activities.

In Latakia
In Latakia
Tetraporticus, or the Triumphal Arch of Septimius Severus, is the only structure in Latakia that survived through the earthquakes since the Roman times.
Tetraporticus, or the Triumphal Arch of Septimius Severus, is the only structure in Latakia that survived through the earthquakes since the Roman times.
We stopped at this small bakery for a snack
We stopped at this small bakery for a snack
Then we drove to the Turkish border and along it until we reached the sea. Turkey is on the other side of the fence where a Turkish flag is visible. That is how close we came to the border.
Then we drove to the Turkish border and along it until we reached the sea. Turkey is on the other side of the fence where a Turkish flag is visible. That is how close we came to the border.
Next stop was at the beach where we swam in warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea and had a good meal.
Next stop was at the beach where we swam in the Mediterranean Sea and had a good meal.

We returned to Latakia after hours on the bus and had dinner there. Out of 12 days in Syria, it was the only day that we spent unhurriedly. After that, we got up early, sat on the bus for long hours and went to bed late.

Our next destination was Aleppo.

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